From A to Z, here's what you need to know about the ASHA Convention. All attendees, presenters, and exhibitors should familiarize themselves with the policies, guidelines, and services outlined before attending the ASHA Convention.
ASHA is committed to providing an outstanding experience for all participants at its live events. We strive for full access to the activities of these events and accommodations relating to mobility, hearing, vision or other areas may be provided. Read more about accessibility at ASHA events.
We ask that requests for reasonable accommodations at our live events be made as early as possible, and well in advance of the event, so we may best meet individual needs and requirements. We may be unable to fully respond to requests received after November 3. If you register after this date, please send an email to the address below with details about the accommodation. Onsite requests will be accommodated to the best of our ability; however, available resources may be limited.
You may arrange scooter or wheelchair rentals through Scootaround to help you navigate the ASHA Convention in Boston. An ADA-accessible shuttle equipped with a wheelchair lift will be available to transport attendees with mobility issues from the convention center to the ASHA hotels and to any official ASHA offsite event (i.e., ASHFoundation Fundraiser or the ASHA PAC Reception). Individuals who use scooters can use the standard shuttle service; shuttle staff will help stow scooters in the cargo area of the bus. To arrange for ADA shuttle service while onsite, call 1-800-523-4046 and allow 45 minutes from call time for pickup.
For questions or concerns about accessibility at ASHA's live events, please contact accessevents@asha.org.
| Wednesday, November 15 | 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, November 16 | 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Friday, November 17 | 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, November 18 | 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
ASHA staff will be on hand at the ASHA Member Services Center in the Exhibit Hall to help you with all the information and services the association provides. The Member Services Center can also help you with questions about the Exhibit Hall.
Business casual attire is recommended during the Convention. Session rooms are often cool, and attendees are advised to dress in layers. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Name badges will be issued to all registered in-person attendees, regardless of registration type, and must be worn at all times to gain entrance to sessions, events, the Exhibit Hall, and all other areas of the ASHA Convention. One-day registrants will have the day they selected to attend printed prominently on their badge to prevent re-use. (Exhibit Hall–only passes indicate limited access.) Badges must be worn at all times while participating in ASHA Convention activities, whether in the Convention Center, at our leadership hotel, or at off-site activities such as the ASHA-PAC Reception or ASHFoundation Reception.
Please be aware that if exhibitors scan the bar code on your badge during the ASHA Convention, you are agreeing to share your information with them and consenting to allow them to contact you, even if you opted out during the registration process. (Read more about the Privacy Policy.)
Badges will be mailed in early November to everyone who is registered for the full 3-day event by mid-October (Date TBD). Badges for one-day registrants are not mailed in advance; you may pick up your badge and materials at registration onsite after 3 p.m. the day before they are attending. Even if you received your badge in the mail in advance, you still must check in by scanning your badge when you arrive to verify your attendance so you may claim continuing education credit after the Convention concludes.
Please do not forget to bring your badge. There is a $10 fee to reprint lost badges. If your badge does not arrive in the mail, you will be able to print it onsite when you check in at no cost.
The UPS Store, located in Lobby F of the convention center, offers everything you need to meet your office needs from packing and shipping to signs, banners, office supplies, and copying and printing services.
Exhibitors are allowed limited use of cameras in their own booth area. Photography, video production, and/or graphic reproduction of other exhibitors' booths and products displayed therein are prohibited unless authorization is obtained from the exhibitor. Commercial use of photographs of attendees by exhibitors is prohibited unless written consent is given by the attendee.
Personal photography is permitted at social functions. Please see the Recording Policy for additional information on situations where photography is restricted or limited. Please see the Photo Release policy for information on ASHA's official photographer and use photos of attendees.
Cancelling your registration does not automatically cancel your hotel reservation, and vice versa. Please read the policies and follow the steps below for cancelling each one.
If you need to cancel your registration, whether for the in-person event or the Virtual Extra, we must have your request in writing.
All cancellations and refunds will be processed in the same manner as original payment: if paid by credit card the refund will be issued to the card on record, generally within 72 hours of the request. Payments made by check will be refunded as a check and may take up to 30 days AFTER the Convention to process. Donations (ASHFoundation, ASHA PAC, or Student) and ASHFoundation Fundraiser tickets are nonrefundable.
Cancellation requests for in-person registrations received before November 1 will be refunded, less a $50 processing fee, prior to the Convention. Any cancellation request received after November 1 will be refunded after the Convention, less a $75 fee. ASHA Eats cards and all special event tickets are nonrefundable after November 1.
Cancellation requests for virtual-only registrations received before November 1 will be refunded, less a $25 processing fee, prior to the Convention. Any cancellation request received after November 1 will be refunded after the Convention, less a $35 fee.
The cancellation fee is a processing fee and cannot be waived.
All changes and cancellations to hotel reservations must be submitted in writing via e-mail by late October (date TBA). After this date, you must contact your hotel directly. If you need to cancel your reservation(s), you must do so at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to your scheduled check-in date. If you do not cancel your reservation(s) seventy-two (72) hours prior to your scheduled check-in date, your first night's deposit will not be refunded.
Talking on cell phones is strictly prohibited during all education sessions and other nonsocial events at the in-person ASHA Convention. Cell phones should always be in silent mode during sessions, meetings, and events to avoid disruption. Recording and photography is prohibited during sessions and events without prior consent from the presenter.
Certificates of Completion are available to all attendees. To retrieve your certificate, complete the online CEU/attendance reporting process. As soon as you have finished, you will be able to print your certificate.
You must report the sessions you attended at the 2023 ASHA Convention by December 1, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, to earn ASHA CEUs or PDHs and to receive a Certificate of Completion. If you need a record of the sessions you attended—or think you may need a record in the future—you must report for credit by December 1. Questions about Certificates of Completion or reporting your continuing education may be directed to the ASHA Professional Development team (ashaprofdev@asha.org).
The ASHA Convention is a professional development event and is not intended to be inclusive of children. Due to safety and liability issues, children under 18 are not permitted in the Exhibit Hall, and strollers are not permitted in the Exhibit Hall or in session rooms. Due to space limitations and the potential for disruption in session rooms, as well as safety issues should overcrowding occur, the presence of infants and children in education sessions is discouraged. ASHA does not provide child care services. Your hotel concierge may be able to provide information about on-site child care services or other local options for child care.
See the Personal Consideration Room section below for information for nursing mothers.
Use the following format to properly cite oral seminars or poster presentations offered at the ASHA Convention:
Shepard, N., Gleason, A., Beckerman, M. (2017, November). 1004: Vestibular & Balance Grand Rounds Wait There’s More. Seminar presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Los Angeles, CA.
All attendees, whether in-person or virtual, are expected to abide by ASHA's Code of Conduct for Meetings.
ASHA expects in-person attendees to respect each other, ASHA staff, student volunteers, and convention center staff, and to behave in a courteous and civilized fashion. Attendees should respect common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property.
Abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior toward any other attendee or directed at any student volunteer, ASHA staff, convention center staff, or security will not be tolerated. Please report any incidents in which an attendee is abusive, insulting, intimidating, bothersome, or acting in an unsafe or illegal manner to ASHA staff or security immediately.
After the Convention, all registrants will receive an emailed invitation to complete an in-depth evaluation survey. To share comments or feedback while at the Convention, or to report a disclosure issue with a presenter, use the feedback form that is accessible through the ASHA Convention mobile app.
Visit any of the ASHA Information Booths located throughout the convention center during registration hours for help with continuing education (CE) questions. CE staff at the Information Booths can also provide instructions about how to report your continuing education credit earned during the ASHA Convention online.
A first aid services area is located in the Exhibit Hall should an attendee need medical assistance. If there is an emergency, please use one of the house phones to alert security and then report the emergency at the nearest ASHA Info Booth.
The floor plans for the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Westin Boston Seaport, and the Omni Boston Seaport, our leadership hotels, will be available through the Program Planner and ASHA Convention mobile app in late August to help you familiarize yourself with the space. The mobile app also includes a way finder feature that provides walking directions from room to room once you are onsite at the convention center.
The Convention Center has a number of concession areas which offer a variety of food, including some vegetarian and gluten-free choices, as well as grab-and-go snack and coffee carts located throughout the center. Meals are not provided as part of your registration fee.
You may purchase an ASHA Eats voucher card through registration. The card is worth $50 towards food and drink purchases at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center concession stands. A list of food outlets, with dietary specialties noted (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.), where you can use your ASHA Eats card will be available at the ASHA Information Booths.
Want to know who's coming to the ASHA Convention in Boston this year? After registration opens on August 1, you will be able to use the online Friend Finder to search for people you know by name or organization. (Note: The Friend Finder lists only in-person attendees. It is opt-in and includes only those who indicated that they wished to be listed as an attendee when registering.)
Guest Services ambassadors at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will be there to welcome you and help direct you to destination at the center. They are equipped with internet-connected tablets and are ready to provide guests with directions or information on local restaurants and attractions.
Representatives from ASHA's housing company will be located near the registration counter and available during registration hours to assist you should any issues arise with your hotel reservations.
Staff at the Information Booths, located in key high-traffic areas of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Westin Boston Seaport, and the Omni Boston Seaport, are available to answer any questions about the ASHA Convention. They will be open during registration hours.
Basic wireless Internet service is offered in the public areas of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Basic service allows attendees to perform low-bandwidth functions, such as checking email. Fees may apply. Internet access is not available for presenters in the session rooms.
All of the ASHA hotels offer complimentary high-speed Internet access for ASHA Convention guests.
Please see Personal Consideration Room below.
The 2023 ASHA Convention will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 from November 16–18, 2023.
ASHA is not responsible for items lost during the Convention, nor is ASHA responsible for returning found items to attendees.
Found items brought to any ASHA Information Booth will be held at that booth for the remainder of the day; at the end of the day, the items will be brought to the ASHA Convention staff office. When the Convention concludes on Saturday, all unclaimed items will be turned over to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
You may also check with BCEC's Command Center, which operates a Public Safety property claim area. The Command Center is open for property claim during normal business hours which are Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and during all event times. You may arrange a pickup for your claimed item by calling the Command Center at 617-954-2222.
Attendees are responsibile for following up with the Convention Center to retrieve lost items after the ASHA Convention has ended.
An area will be available at the convention center where coats and luggage may be stored for a small fee (location and hours of operation TBA).
For those arriving by car, ample parking is available in garages near the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for a daily fee (plan for $25+).
Private rooms are available in the convention center for nursing mothers and others with sensitive personal health needs. You may request a key at the nearest ASHA Information Booth where you may request a key—staff at the booths will direct you to where the room is located. Please note that these rooms are not staffed and ASHA is not responsible for items left in the rooms. Refrigerators are not provided, so please plan accordingly.
ASHA hires an official photographer for the Convention. Photographs taken at the ASHA Convention may be used in future ASHA publications, on the ASHA website, or in other ASHA materials. By registering for the ASHA Convention, you agree to allow ASHA to use your photograph in ASHA-related print or digital publications.
All Convention presenters, including those displaying posters, are required to disclose relevant financial and nonfinancial relationships—or lack thereof—and must, at the beginning of their respective sessions or presentations, make a disclosure statement. The purpose of the disclosure requirement is to promote transparency in the design, development, and presentation of courses offered for ASHA CEUs. The requirement provides Convention attendees with a more complete context in which to evaluate presenters' information. Presenter disclosures may be viewed via the Program Planner. To report a presenter disclosure issue, stop by one of the Information Booths and ask for a comment form.
Registered press and media should come to the PR/Media Lounge for more information and to inquire about access to the Press Room.
ASHA does not sell the contact information of Convention registrants. We do provide registrant mailing lists to exhibiting companies for their marketing purposes; part of their exhibitor package allows them to contact you once, either before or after the event. You may opt out of sharing your information with exhibitors during the registration process. (Please note that doing so does not remove you from any lists that may be managed by ASHA Marketing. To remove yourself from these lists, you must call the Action Center at 800-498-2071.)
Please be aware that if you allow exhibitors to scan the bar code on your badge during the ASHA Convention, you are agreeing to share your information with them and consenting to allow them to contact you, even if you opted out during the registration process.
Whether for personal or commercial use, the following recording types are strictly prohibited during all ASHA Convention education sessions, poster presentations, Short Courses, and the keynote speaker’s presentation at the Opening General Session:
The only exception is if consent from the presenter was granted or obtained prior to the start of the session. If the presenter does not explicitly state that you may record the session or event at the start of the presentation, assume that recording is not permitted. Any individual who does not comply with this policy will be asked to leave the session or event and to surrender their film or recording media. Under no circumstances may presentations be rebroadcast.
If you are already registered, you may log into the Registration Self-Service Center to make changes to your registration, such as purchasing tickets or updating your contact information, or to print your receipt. You will need your registration confirmation number and email address to log in.
You may add your name to the Roommate Locator (available when housing opens on August 1) to connect with others who are looking to share a hotel room. Be sure to remove yourself from the list once you have found a roommate.
Both oral presentations and posters sessions are subject to change, due to cancellations or presenter changes. Please refer to the session information listed in the online Program Planner or mobile app, which is updated every 15 minutes during the event. (Presenters who must cancel their session or substitute another presenter should send written notification to papers@asha.org as soon as possible.)
Extensive planning goes into scheduling sessions in appropriately sized rooms; however, the popularity of sessions is not always predictable, and overcrowding occasionally occurs. If a session room reaches capacity, attendees must follow the instructions provided by ASHA staff, convention center staff, student volunteers, or security staff. Attendees may be instructed not to stand against the walls or block the aisles or doors, or they may be denied entry if the room is too crowded. ASHA is obligated to abide by the guidelines established by the fire marshal. If a room reaches full capacity and we do not have your cooperation, the fire Marshal has the authority to delay or even terminate the session until any problem has been satisfactorily corrected. Please be courteous and respectful to staff and student volunteers when you are directed elsewhere.
Attendees are asked to be respectful of their fellow attendees and to be mindful of potential disruptions during sessions, such as eating food, use of phones or other mobile devices, or the presence of infants and children. Phones and other mobile devices should always be silenced. Attendees should not be photographing presentation slides unless explicit permission has been granted by the presenter(s); please respect the Recording Policy.
Many of the ASHA hotels in Boston are walkable from the convention center; shuttle service is provided for hotels that are farther from the center.
Limited ADA-accessible shuttle service equipped with a wheelchair lift for those with a disability will be available for all ASHA hotels and any official ASHA event (i.e., ASHFoundation Fundraiser or the ASHA PAC Reception) from Wednesday, November 15 through Saturday, November 18. (Those who use scooters can use the standard shuttle service; shuttle staff will help stow scooters in the cargo area of the shuttle.) To arrange for ADA shuttle service, call 1-800-523-4046 and allow 45 minutes from call time to pickup.
ASHA encourages the use of social media and blogging at the ASHA Convention as a way for attendees to summarize, highlight, and promote presentations, or to share their experience in general, provided that presentation content and materials are not shared in full, and authors or presenters are referenced and cited where appropriate. Please keep in mind that presenters hold the intellectual property rights and copyrights to their materials.
Hours
Wednesday, November 15
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 16
6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, November 17
7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 18
7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location TBA
All in-person/live Oral Session presentations will be managed through our Speaker Ready Room. All presenters are required to check in with the Speaker Ready Room at least 4 hours in advance of their scheduled session.
The Speaker Ready Room is where speakers must finalize their presentation slides and notes. Technicians will be available to assist and can answer questions regarding the operation of audio-visual equipment. Read more about the Speaker Ready Room and requirements for oral sessions.
ASHA thanks our sponsors. Sponsors are not responsible for the content of this conference nor does ASHA endorse their products or services.
Your health and safety are of utmost importance to ASHA. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not required to attend the 2023 ASHA Convention; however, we strongly recommend that all attendees are up-to-date on their vaccinations. We also recommend that you test yourself for COVID-19 before traveling to the ASHA Convention, as well as upon arrival. Do not attend the ASHA Convention if you test positive for COVID-19, have any symptoms, or feel unwell on the days of the event.
Masks are welcomed but not required. This policy is subject to change, so please be prepared to wear a mask if required.