The call for free papers and symposia is now closed for the 2015 AOPA National Assembly. We look forward to your future participation.
For those who have submitted papers for the 2015 AOPA National Assembly—thank you for your interest and agreeing to share your expertise with attendees in San Antonio.
Important Dates
| March 30, 2015 | Deadline to submit abstracts |
| May 1, 2015 | Notification as whether your abstract was accepted and whether it was accepted as a podium or poster presentation |
| June 30, 2015 | Recording waiver, Bio-sketch for Mobile App and presenter introduction due to AOPA Headquarters |
| September 1, 2015 | Assembly Registration should be complete to confirm your participation and secure your show badge. A registration link and code will be sent to each individual presenter |
| September 1, 2015 | Electronic version of handouts due |
| October 7, 2015 | AOPA National Assembly begins |
Meeting Location
The 2015 AOPA National Assembly will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200 East Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205.
Presentation Waiver and quiz
AOPA is asking all presenters to sign a presentation waiver form as AOPA will be recording presentations this year. Your presentation will be available to AOPA members for future use. A 10-question multiple choice quiz will allow AOPA members to earn CE credits for viewing the recording. Visit www.AOPAnetonline.org/education to preview how the recordings are made available. If you submitted a free paper, you are not required to sign a form because this was completed through your online submission process.
Presentation Slide Template
Presenters are encouraged to utilize the Assembly PowerPoint template which is available here. Using your own PowerPoint design template is permissible, however, the planning committee respectfully asks that all presenters limit the use of their corporate logo on their handouts and presentation slides to the first and/or last slide only.
Audio Visual
All education meeting rooms will be equipped with a LCD projector, computer, screen, podium, lavaliere mike and podium mike. If you have additional Audio Visual needs, please contact Tina Moran at tmoran@aopanet.org. Use of your laptop computer is permitted, however presenters should also have their presentation transferred to a USB. All presenters should plan to check in with the AV technician assigned to your meeting room at least 30 minutes before your program is scheduled to begin. Download the AOPA PowerPoint template.
Handouts
AOPA will be happy to copy and distribute your handouts. If you have a presentation handout, please send an electronic copy to tmoran@aopanet.org by September 1, 2015. You are also welcome to copy and bring your own handouts. AOPA will not have access to equipment to make copies on site.
Presenter Registration
Each presenter will receive a link and code to register online. Please be sure to complete the online registration form to confirm your participation and secure your badge for the show. All participants need a badge to access the exhibit hall show floor and to access education meeting space.
Hotel Accommodations
The 2015 AOPA National Assembly will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200 East Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205. Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. AOPA has reserved a block of rooms at three different hotels all within a block of the convention center. The Grand Hyatt is the headquarters hotel and adjoins the convention center.
These room blocks are being held exclusively for Assembly attendees. Those booking rooms are required to register for the Assembly by September 1, 2015 or they will not be eligible for the group rate and subject to cancellation. The hotels will likely sell out over the dates of the Assembly. Please be sure your reservation request reaches the hotel prior to September 1 when any remaining rooms (if any) will be released. There is no guarantee rooms will be available at the Assembly rate. Rates quoted here are on a space-available basis only. Once the Assembly block of rooms is sold out, which may be earlier than September 1, there is no guarantee that rooms will be available nor that they will be available at the Assembly rate.
The Grand Hyatt (Headquarters Hotel)
600 E. Market Street, San Antonio, TX 78205, USA
The room rate at the Grand Hyatt is $229.
To book your room at the Grand Hyatt proceed to the Hyatt’s convenient online reservation form https://resweb.passkey.com/go/2015AOPA or call (888) 421-1442
San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205 USA
The room rate at the Marriott Riverwalk is $229 per night.
To book your room at the Marriott, proceed to the Marriott’s convenient online reservation form at https://aws.passkey.com/event/13856492/owner/13181/landing or call (210) 224-4555.
The Westin Riverwalk
420 West Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205
The room rate at the Westin Riverwalk is $225 per night
To book your room at the Westin Riverwalk, proceed to the Westin’s convenient online reservation form at https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1504160417&key=165EB9C7 or call (888) 627-8395
Travel
San Antonio’s International airport is only 8.5 miles from Downtown San Antonio — or about a 15-minute drive — which is unusual for a major metropolitan area. This means that once you land at the airport, you’re just minutes from downtown, the convention center and Assembly host hotels.
Ground Transportation
Taxi cabs are available at the lower level curbside, outside of baggage claim, at Terminal A & B. For assistance, please contact the Airport Ground Transportation employee (wearing red shirt). Fare to San Antonio downtown areas start at $29 (U.S.) per taxicab. (Up to 6 may share a cab, if both luggage and passengers fit safely.)
San Antonio’s Airport Shuttle Service
San Antonio’s official Airport Shuttle provider, City Tours, Inc provides regular scheduled shuttle service from the San Antonio International Airport to the downtown hotels from 7:00am to 1:30am daily. Tickets sold at the baggage claim area in Terminal A and Terminal B. Please click the image to the left and then print and present the coupon for your discounted rate. Or you can reserve your trip in advance.
Air Transportation – Southwest Airlines®
Beginning on April 1, 2015, American Orthotics & Prosthetics Association’s conference attendees will receive a discount and bonus Rapid Reward points from Southwest Airlines through our SWABIZ® account. Southwest Airlines is offering an 15% discount off Anytime & Business Select® fares and a 5% discount off select Wanna Get Away® fares for travel to and from the conference. Book your travel between April 1, 2015 & September 21, 2015 to take advantage of the discounted rates. (Discounts are available for travel October 5, 2015 through October 12, 2015.)
Click here to take advantage of the discounted rates and book now!
By flying Southwest Airlines, as a American Orthotics & Prosthetics Association traveler, you will also receive the following benefits:
- 25% bonus Rapid Reward points for your travel to & from the convention with Rapid Rewards # added to your reservation. To enroll in the Rapid Rewards program, visitcom/corporaterapidrewards
- No baggage fees (first two bags)
- No change or cancellation fees
- No peak travel or fuel surcharges
- Consistently ranked the “Best in Customer Service” by DOT
To take advantage of this offer, click on this link: http://www.swabiz.com/flight/search-flight.html?cid=99707926
Student Poster Submissions – The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) invites Students and Residents to present orthotic/prosthetic research findings or a particular case study via a poster presentation at the 2015 National Assembly to be held October 7-10 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Poster presentations should be a graphical display in a poster format using photographs, diagrams, flowcharts and graphs and any sample educational materials.
- The Otto and Lucille Becker Award will be presented for the best orthotic abstract submitted for a poster presentation.
2. The Edwin and Kathryn Arbogast Award will be presented for the best prosthetic abstract submitted for a poster presentation.
The online submission form is located here and the submission Deadline is September 15, 2015
Poster Presentation Logistics
- Posters will be displayed in the exhibit hall. You must attach your pre-printed (70cm wide x 100cm tall) poster to the designated poster board by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7. Push pins will be provided for this purpose. Look for the board with your presentation type (orthotic, prosthetic, student, Society of Biomechanics) across the top.
- Each presenter is responsible for putting up and removing his/her own poster material. Please note that the National Assembly organizers cannot be responsible for these materials, and any posters not removed by 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 10 will be discarded.
- When creating your physical poster display, you may wish to refer to the guidelines below for assistance. www.posterpresentations.com offers a free and easy to use template that many have utilized in prior years. You can also print and ship by utilizing this site.
- The National Assembly will utilize the (A1) 70cm wide x 100cm tall scientific poster presentation size.
Guidelines
Avoid Common Mistakes
- Don’t include too much information
- Don’t use a font smaller than 11 point
- Make sure your scientific message is legible and clearly stated.
- Please remember that by submitting a poster abstract, you are agreeing to be present during the poster session to share your finding and interact with attendees.
Poster Content
The poster display should focus on the following topics/content:
- Title
- Introduction or background – Your introduction or background information should contain 3-5 short sentences outlining information necessary to understand the study and by it was done.
- Hypothesis , Objective or Aim – The aims of the study, the questions to be asked or the hypothesis to be tested should be clearly stated in as few words as possible.
- Methods – Outline your methods briefly. Provide details only for new methods or important modifications of older ones.
- Conclusion, Results or Outcomes – The conclusion(s) should be succinctly stated in large type. Many viewers read this first, so it should be easy to understand.
- References – Pertinent references should only be considered for the abstract and may be presented in a smaller font.
- Acknowledgements or Contact – Acknowledgements should be limited to granting agencies for the abstract.
Poster Design
The design of an effective poster is a demonstration of your ability to communicate your research results. A good poster requires considerable forethought and attention to detail.
- Avoid putting too much material on the poster.
- The poster title and headings should have letters that are large enough to be read at a distance.
- Mounting sections on colored paper may improve the graphic impact of your presentation. Avoid color combinations that are difficult to read.
- posterpresentations.com offers a free and easy to use template that many have utilized in prior years. You can also print your poster at a very economical cost at this site. (Approximately $55 for the professional version.)
For further information, contact Tina at (571) 431-0808 or tmoran@AOPAnet.org.
Technical Fabrication Contest Submissions – Coming Soon
Should you have questions about the submission process or the National Assembly in general, please contact AOPA Headquarters at (571) 431-0876 or tmoran@AOPAnet.org