HAPS has been all over North America. We’ve been hosting annual conferences since the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society were formed in 1987. Each conference has created something new and magical and this coming year in Jacksonville, Florida will be no exception.
What would you think of hosting an Annual HAPS conference in your area? It’s not as hard as you might think. We have an entire Conference Committee dedicated to mentor you if you decide to host an annual or a regional conference.
Ellen Lathrop-Davis is the chair of the Conference Committee and she has helped a number of HAPSters give unforgettable conferences. Her committee has created a number of guidelines to help you decide if your city and school are the right fit for 500-600 enthusiastic educators to share ideas for a week in late May. They have prep sheets, conference proposal forms, poster and workshop guidelines, and so much more.
Ellen’s not alone. We also have an Executive Director (Peter English) and ASG (our management firm) that can help with a lot of the logistics. If you propose your location to HAPS for a regional or annual conference, ASG can help determine the best deal for a local hotel, transportation and food vending, and a host of other details. Peter has been great at helping advertise our conferences to other educational societies, upgrading the website and smart-device app, and serving as a contact for the various individuals that you would need for a conference.
Some things to consider if your location is conducive include:
- How accessible is your city via air traffic?
- How close is your school to major hotels and attractions?
- Do you have a quality baseball team in the area (this is important to a number of our members)?
- Do you have colleagues that could help you form a strong committee to handle the various functions?
So, whad’ya say? Are you interested in learning if HAPS can come and visit? If an Annual Conference sounds too intimidating, you might consider a Regional Conference. Hosting a 1-day or 2-day conference for your local area is a great way to have the HAPS experience. You might decide that a full-size Annual Conference is or is not in the cards, but you can still have a great time. Ellen would love to hear from you and offer you some tips in considering the idea. Who knows, you might add a red dot to the map.
