Updated Information on 2025 Annual Convention

Dear ABCT Members:

On the heels of last year’s successful ABCT Annual Convention in Philadelphia, we look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming 2025 ABCT Annual Convention in the ‘Big Easy’ New Orleans, LA this Nov 20-23, 2025. Now more than ever the networking, science and camaraderie provided by ABCT as your professional home, is needed and relevant. Let’s be there for each other during this challenging time.

In response to your feedback, as well as to emerging industry trends, we are excited to summarize some changes and updates to the 2025 Convention programming format.

Opening Reception. This year, to kick off networking, we will be adding an ABCT Convention Opening Welcome Reception, to be held on Thursday, November 20 from 6:00 – 7:30pm. This reception will help set the tone for a successful meeting and create a sense of occasion surrounding the convention. All are welcome.

SIG Expo and Reception. The popular and important SIG Expo and reception will be held on Friday, November 21 from 6:30-8:30 pm with some time set aside before the bar opens for poster quiet-time viewing from 6:00-6:30 pm. The deadline for all SIG poster listings from all the participating SIGs to be submitted to the ABCT Central office is Tuesday, September 2. SIGs may submit their listings to [email protected]. More detailed information to come.

Plenaries. To allow for the membership to hear about innovative and impactful science and clinical applications related to our mission and the conference them, and to create an additional shared experience for attendees, this year we will have invited plenary sessions each morning where there is no competing ABCT programming. Stay tuned for announcements about who will be delivering remarks on topical issues. Please plan your schedule accordingly to attend these events. More information to come on plenary speakers.

SIG Committee Meetings. For the first time, this year all SIG committee meetings will be held in one of two blocks of unopposed time on Friday and Saturday of the Convention. This change will help the convention planners to be more efficient and focused in providing support for these meetings and will help make resource allocation more manageable. This will also help attendees avoid conflicts of being unable to attend concurrent sessions, or competing meetings, at a time when a SIG meeting is being held.

Presidential Address. As always, the Presidential address will be held on Saturday and is an unopposed talk.  Typically, the presidential address focuses on the president’s body of work or in some cases on current events.  The presidential address also helps unify the membership, may give updates on the organization’s strategic progress and set or reiterate the organization’s vision. More info to come.

Fundraising Luncheon. Key to ABCT’s long term success is tapping into additional streams of revenue to fund our activities and initiatives. New this year we are piloting an ABCT Fundraising Luncheon benefit on Saturday with a theme of “Your Professional Home, Our Shared Future.” The benefit luncheon, which will include a little bit of New Orleans flair, will seek to kickstart what will eventually become an annual Giving Campaign for ABCT. The long-term goal of ABCT giving campaigns is to help the organization’s financial sustainability, provide support for specific programs or services, to center and fund equity-related programs, as well as for overall organizational growth and expansion.

Individual Oral Presentations. New this year, members were encouraged to submit abstracts to present oral paper presentations that highlight their best work aligned with ABCT’s values and mission – promoting rigorous cognitive behavioral research and practice. The intention of this new format is to increase visibility of scientifically rigorous, impactful work, to increase likelihood for individuals to present their best work at ABCT, regardless of needing to find others to group together in a symposium.

Sunday Events. This year the Annual Convention concludes on Sunday, November 23 at 3:30pm. So please plan your travel with this in mind. More information to come on Sunday events as we finalize the program.

Courtney L. White, PhD, CAE

CEO, ABCT