The American Psychological Association is pleased to announce the 119th APA Annual Convention, August 4-7, 2011, in Washington, DC. We anticipate 12,000 registrants at the meeting.

Washington, DC, boasts a crossroads of politics and culture, history and style. Fashioned after Paris by city designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the capital city grew up along the banks of the Potomac River in a location chosen by George Washington. DC’s inspiring memorials and powerful landmarks are complemented by a fascinating collection of hip and historic neighborhoods that delight visitors with walking tours, trendy restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and quaint boutiques. At the APA Annual Convention in the nation’s capital, powerful moments are yours to discover!

Some Convention Highlights

• This year’s Plenary Sessions’ themes include Why Can’t We All Get Along?—The Science and Practice of Social/Individual Conflict; Disordered Eating and Obesity; Social Consequences of Technology; Relationships; Sexuality; Psychotherapy Outcomes; Aging/Dementia; Mindfulness; The Brain; Up Close and Personal With Judith Beck; and Canine Cognition. 

• Featured top plenary speakers include Daniel J. Siegel, MD; Judith S. Beck, PhD; John W. Pilley, PhD, with Chaser, the dog; John M. Gottman, PhD, and Julie S. Gottman, PhD; Michelle Ybarra, PhD; and many more! 

• APA Presidential Programs include Psychotherapy Effectiveness: What Makes It Work?; Educational Disparities: Old Problems, New Solutions; Dual Pathways to a Better America: Approaches to Preventing Discrimination and Promoting Diversity; Psychology of Women and Men and Masculinity: An Update; and much more! 

• Speed Mentoring — back by popular demand — allows small groups of graduate students and early career psychologists to interact with more experienced psychologists. 

• The APA Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP), as every year during convention, will offer CE credit for selected sessions sponsored by APA divisions and APA governance groups. This year CEP will offer nearly 300 sessions for CE credit. There is no additional fee to attend CE sessions; however, there is a processing fee for claiming CE credits. In addition this year, APA is offering 67 full- and half-day CE workshops. 

• Some of this year’s Special Events include the APA Evening at the Newseum (advance registration required), an interactive museum of news with behind-the-scenes views of how and why news is made.

For more information on presenters or programming at the APA Annual Convention, please visit the website.

To Make Your Convention Experience Even Better, APA Will Provide 

• Family-Friendly Options: A family-friendly room with comfortable seating for parents and an entertainment/play area for children will be located in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and open during the four days of the convention. Please note that children must be accompanied by a parent at all times in the Family Room. A special family social hour will feature a wine-tasting and hors d’oeuvres for the parents in one area of the room and entertainment and snacks for the kids just a few steps away.

• Science Showcase and Award: Six selected scientific projects that highlight classic or new psychology research will be demonstrated. Research teams will present their findings with a combination of hands-on materials and video presentations. A $3,000 prize will be awarded to the best demonstration.

Special APA Exhibit Hall Features

• The Technology Exhibit (sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and Pearson): Explore the latest in technology tools and techniques for psychologists through expert demonstrations and hands-on opportunities. Fifteen-minute topical discussions will repeat during each day of the convention. Preliminary topics include How Secure Is Your Computer?; Can Your Mobile Office or Lab Do This?; Things a Tablet PC Can Do; mHealth and Research Design; Assessment and Technology… From Murphy’s Law to Moore’s Law; Digital Assessment: Data Security and Privacy What You Should Know; Digital Intervention Tools: Increase Your Services and Productivity; and much more! The Technology Exhibit will be located off Aisle 100 in the APA Exhibit Hall.

• Visa Gift Card Give-Away: Attendees who complete a brief exhibit hall survey will be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card. Daily drawings of seven Visa Gift Cards will take place at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 4–Saturday August 6 and at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 7. Winners may use the Visa gift card to purchase products or services from the many vendors inside the exhibit hall or the APA Store during the convention! Not eligible to win are the employees and immediate family of the employees of the American Psychological Association, APA exhibitors, and dependents/spouses/guests of full registrants.

• Attendee Badges With Barcodes: Each registrant badge now has a unique barcode to replace the Expocard. If exhibitors rent a barcode reader for their booth, they can simply scan their registrant badge. 

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tracking: Registrant badges will again include a small embedded chip for RFID tracking in and out of the exhibit hall. RFID tracking of the exhibits at the 2010 APA Convention revealed over 7,000 attendees visited the exhibit hall over the four days of the conference; 34% were members, 24% were students, and the average attendee spent 7.76 hours in the exhibit hall and visited the exhibits two of the four conference days. 

• Daiquiri Hour: From 4:00–5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 5, attendees can enjoy a complimentary frozen daiquiri while they tour the exhibit hall. 

• PsycCareers Job Fair: Convention attendees can connect with prospective employers prior to the convention through the PsycCareers Job Fair, available through PsycCareers website. The system flags jobs and candidates so they are associated with the convention. All interview scheduling and communication between employers and job seekers takes place outside the Job Fair system. When they arrive on-site, convention attendees can find job opportunities and career resources inside the APA Exhibit Hall. Registrants can meet with employers in the employer booths as well as browse jobs, access career resources, and get hands-on demonstrations at the PsycCareers booth.

Additional Exhibit Hall Features 

• A special Exhibits-Only Hour: On Thursday, August 4, from 4:00–5:00 p.m., attendees will have an Exhibits-Only Hour — one hour free from any other convention programming so they can spend uninterrupted time in the exhibit hall. Attendees will be invited to browse the exhibits during this time. 

• Massage Break Lounge: Sponsored by Riverside Publishing — Attendees can take a break and enjoy one of the most popular aspects of the APA convention — a complimentary seated-upper-body massage in the exhibit hall. 

• Coffee With the Authors: Sponsored by Argosy University — Attendees will be invited to join exhibitors on Saturday, August 6, from 10:00–11:00 a.m., for author signings in individual booths (of both book and test publishers). Coffee and pastries will be served on the show floor.

The APA Exhibit Hall will also include other traffic-generating features, such as daily raffles, an exciting line-up of poster sessions, food concessions, and more!

The following information may be helpful to have on hand when planning your attendance:

• Exhibit Booth Installation: Wednesday, August 3, 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Thursday, August 4, 6:00 a.m. –7:00 a.m. 

• Exhibit Dates and Hours: Thursday, August 4, 9:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m.; Friday, August 5, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Saturday, August 6, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, August 7, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon. 

• Exhibit Booth Dismantling: Sunday, August 7, 12:00 noon–8:00 p.m. and Monday, August 8, 8:00 a.m.–12 noon.

• Sales Tax: If an exhibitor sells merchandise, sales tax must be collected. APA Exhibit Management provided information on sales tax collection in the Online Exhibitor Service Kit. Sales tax in the District of Columbia is 6%. For more information, contact:

District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue,
Customer Service Administration
941 North Capitol Street, NE, First Floor
Washington, DC 20002
202 727-4829

If you need additional information regarding exhibiting, advertising, and/or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mona Alcazar (email, 202-336-5627), Exhibit Sales Manager, or Jodi Ashcraft (email, 202-336-5565), Advertising & Exhibits Sales Director, in the APA Advertising & Exhibit Sales Office.

See you in Washington, DC!