Annual Conference +Plus
Not able to join us in person for the Annual Conference this year? AZA Annual Conference +Plus gives you access to recordings of all the General Sessions and Concurrent Sessions from the 2024 AZA Annual Conference in Calgary, as well as bonus virtual sessions presented for the first time! Recordings and new content will be available the week of October 6, 2024. These bonus virtual sessions will include a variety of topics representing multiple conference tracks. In-person attendees will also have access to Annual Conference +Plus at no additional charge.
Thank you to Platinum Conference Sponsor, Sodexo Live! for supporting Annual Conference +Plus!
Register Today
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| ANNUAL CONFERENCE +PLUS REGISTRATION FEES | |
| Individual Member (Professional Associate, Affiliate or Fellow) Commercial Member Conservation Partner |
$299 |
| Student Member | $199 |
| Non-Member | $439 |
Registration Categories
| REGISTRATION CATEGORIES If you are interested in becoming an AZA Member in one of the categories below, please contact AZA Membership Services. |
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| Individual Members | An individual’s registration fee is determined by membership status at the time of registration. Employees at an AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium, related facility, or Society Partner must be an AZA Individual Member in order to receive the member rate. | |
| Student Members | Only open to AZA Student Members who are not currently employed full-time. A Non-member Student discount is not available. | |
| Commercial Members | Commercial Members are eligible to register up to 8 representatives from their company, at the member rate. If you are interested in becoming an AZA Commercial Member, Exhibitor, or Sponsor, please contact Grace Hamilton. Solicitation of Attendees and Exhibitors by non-exhibitors is prohibited and individuals will be subject to expulsion. |
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| Society Partners | Employees of organizations that are Society Partners must be individual members in order to receive the member rate. | |
| Conservation Partners | Conservation Partners are eligible to register up to (3) representatives from their organization, at the member rate. Additional representatives beyond (3) should register at the Non-member rate. | |
| Non-Members | Non-member registration is only open to individuals employed by a zoo, aquarium, non-profit organization, or government agency. Non-member registration is not open to individuals employed by a non-member commercial entity (a company that provides products or services to zoos and aquariums, including consultants). Consultants or individuals representing a commercial entity that is not a current Commercial Member, Conservation Partner, or Exhibitor, are not eligible to register for the conference. | |
View the Schedule of Bonus Virtual Sessions
Monday, October 7, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET
The ABC's (and WZACES) of Developing an Education Plan
AZA accreditation now requires zoos and aquariums to have a written education plan. Whether you are starting from scratch or updating an existing plan, this session will give you a roadmap to creating an effective plan that aligns with AZA standards as well as research-based best practices in conservation education. Utilizing diverse perspectives from large and small organizations, this panel will highlight the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Education Strategy (WZACES) as a tool to support the creation of an effective conservation education plan.
Tuesday, October 8, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Be emPowered: Using Power BI To Visualize Wellness, Positive Reinforcement Training, Shifting, and Behavior, With Examples From Sanctuary Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Each chimpanzee has a lifetime of information that impacts their future care and that of the species. It is important to convert that data into concise summaries that can be utilized by coworkers and managers who each have unique relationships with every animal. At Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for chimpanzees, data is collected across departments from wellness surveys to daily care logs, abnormal behavior and wound reports, behavioral observations and more using ZooMonitor and Excel. All this data is then transformed by Power BI to produce highly informative graphs that are easily manipulated as factors change. Power BI can help teams take various aspects of care that impact the chimpanzee and change hypotheses of correlation into actionable connections. These reports provide easy, instant understanding across teams and can be an impactful communication tool for regulatory bodies. Using this software, teams can make informed decisions on wellness, view progress towards goals, and grow together through collaboration. We hope by the end of this presentation attendees will come away empowered to ask big questions and use Power BI to visualize the answers.
Wednesday, October 9, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm ET
Say My Name, Say My Name: Building an Organizational Culture of Individualizing Animals To Inspire Conservation Action Through Signage, Interpretation, and Empathy Best Practices
As the disconnect between humans and the natural world widens, zoos must strengthen their conservation ethos and find new effective ways to connect guests with animals. By utilizing the empathy practice of individualizing the animals they care for, zoos can transform species from generic monoliths to populations with individuals worth acting for. Resistance to this shift limits our collective potential to inspire others to take conservation action. This panel of six geographic and budgetarily diverse zoos will show how they are shifting organizational cultures and creating intentional interpretives that foster a sense of empathy and connection with animals.
Wednesday, October 9, 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm ET
Let's Get Lit! Books Clubs and Literature Studies for Leadership
This session explores the dynamic intersection of literature and leadership development. We will delve into the transformative power of literary analysis, fostering critical thinking, empathy, and communication skills essential for effective leadership. Through interactive discussions and case studies, participants engage with those who have a history of successful book studies highlighting leadership principles, strategies, and ethics. By cultivating a deeper understanding of leadership challenges and opportunities, our teams have flourished. Ultimately, this session empowers individuals to harness the wisdom of literature as a tool for personal and professional growth in the realm of leadership. Let’s get LIT!!