As the end of summer quickly approaches, I can’t help but feel these last few months of 2017 will start to fly right past us. Before we know it, it will be 2018 and that means a whole new year of conferences! It’s never too early to start planning in my opinion, and I’ve been keeping a running list of events to investigate further. But I thought I’d share the top 5 occupational hearing conservation conferences that we are considering for 2018. Whether we exhibit, present, or simply  attend, we are interested in getting  involved in some way for each show. Not only are we excited to share news about SHOEBOX Audiometry with all the amazing people we meet at these events, but we can’t wait to learn from the best and brightest in the occupational hearing conservation industry.

NHCA – Feb 15-17, 2018 – Orlando, FL

The National Hearing Conservation Association will be holding their next annual conference in Orlando, Florida at the Caribe Royale All-Suites Hotel & Convention Center. NHCA started holding their annual conference back in 1985, although the Association has been around since 1976. Their mission is to prevent hearing loss due to noise and other environmental factors. We can get behind that! This will be the third time we have participated in this event, and for us it is not to be missed. NHCA does a great job at providing the opportunity to learn about the latest research and tools for hearing conservation, to network with peers, and to reconnect with old friends from across the country. We always look forward to NHCA. Bonus points for holding it in Orlando.

AOHC – April 29-May 2, 2018 – New Orleans, LA

We attended our first AOHC conference in  2017, although it was the 102nd time they have hosted their annual meeting! 2018 will see the event held in the fun filled city of New Orleans, Louisiana at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. AOHC is the annual meeting for members of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). ACOEM was established in 1916, and since then, they have been providing leadership through education for health professionals and the public. The association works to stimulate research, enhance the quality of practice, guide public policy, and most importantly, advance the field of occupational and environmental medicine (OEM). AOHC is the premier professional meeting for physicians and other health professionals who have an interest in the fields of OEM. We hope to see you there again and we look forward to sharing recent advancements in tablet audiometry with the attendees.

ASSE- June 3-6 2018 – San Antonio, TX

The American Society of Safety Engineers was founded back in 1911 and is the world’s oldest professional safety society. For over 50 years they’ve held an annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition, and this year it will be in San Antonio, Texas. Taking place June 3rd – 6th, ASSE will host speakers, attendees, and top industry exhibitors. Everyone will have the chance to interact with one another and explore new strategies and solutions to some of their greatest occupational health and safety challenges. Attendees at Safety 2018 get to learn from the industry’s top players and their presenters actively participate in sessions and socialize outside of the classrooms. We’ve heard a lot of great things about this conference from many of our customers so this one is high on our radar to consider.

SEAK – June 20-21, 2018 – Cape Cod, MA

Ah, Cape Cod, Massachusetts! Go for the beaches, stay for SEAK (Skills, Education, Achievement, Knowledge) 2018, the  38th Annual National Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference. Being held at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis, this is the largest and longest running Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Medicine conference in the country, dating back to 1980. Exhibitors and attendees can meet with colleagues and leaders in their fields from across the United States to discuss current issues in workers’ compensation and occupational medicine. I’m going to keep an eye on this one.

AOHP- September 5-8, 2018 – Denver, CO

The Association of Occupations Health Professionals will be hosting their national conference at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa in Glendale Arizona next September. This one brings together a wide range of industry professionals including occupational health nurses and physicians, employee health professionals, industrial hygienists, case/risk managers, hospital administrators, and more. With nearly 40 educational sessions this one offers attendees a great opportunity to find new resources, evaluate tools, and negotiate partnerships with vendors. We’d like to be one of those exhibitors next year demonstrating how SHOEBOX provides value by automating so much more of the workflow for occupational hearing conservation programs.  

So, this is my list so far.  Even if we don’t attend every one, we will be keeping them on our radar for the future. What do you think? I’d love to hear if there are other occupational hearing conservation conferences that I should add to my list. We hope to see you on the conference floor soon!