We are very excited about this year’s virtual conference, and what NHCA has to offer the Conference attendees. Even though this conference will be a quite unusual compared to what we have been used to in the past, we can all still come together and make it the best experience possible!

Not only are we going to have some great live session lectures planned by several of our NHCA regulars, but we also have great breakout session lectures planned; as well as an interesting Gasaway lecture by Don Finan. In addition, an interesting Ted Talk will end the conference on Saturday. It is called “The Birth of a Word,” by Deb Roy. A fun Vendor event is also planned on Saturday which will feature some trivia! Who doesn’t like a little trivia?? Additionally, to kick things off starting Thursday afternoon (since we aren’t having workshops this year), we have several interesting and interactive “hot topic-type Zoom rooms,” planned, each lasting 20 mins each. These will give attendees an option to engage with others in some interesting and relevant topics in the world of hearing conservation. And you will be able to attend any, or all, of the Zoom rooms you want to on Thursday afternoon. These will be followed up by a Thursday evening “Meet and Greet” happy hour-type social event (Note: as you probably suspected, you will need to provide your favorite beverage!), which will allow conference attendees to meet other attendees and students. Additionally, other social events and “happy hours” will also be available during the conference. So, again, even though we can’t do these things in person this year, we can still have Zoom-time fun together, and make the best of it!

Those of us on the Program Task Force Committee and on the Executive Council have worked hard to make this conference engaging for all, despite the challenges of being virtual. And we are all excited about the possibilities this new virtual conference has to offer. Best of all, we can do all of this in the comfort of our homes, and at a fraction of the cost!! Thank you for your support! We all greatly appreciate everyone’s patience, support and encouragement as we traverse these new waters together at this year’s first virtual NHCA conference! And we will also be excited to see everyone at the conference in February!

Lynnette Bardolf, NHCA Program Task Force Chair