Yesterday (2/20/24), the CODA International Board sent the following message to their members...

The CODA International Board, at its 23 March 2024 meeting, determined with a heavy heart that the 2025 Annual Conference will not be held in person. 

We understand and share your disappointment as we recognize the value of the in-person conference experience. We carefully evaluated various factors while making this decision and considered all pertinent information before reaching a conclusion:

Financial: 
Cash flow is a concern. The 2024 conference is underperforming in terms of registration and hotel room nights. We are working hard to break even, but it is unwise to commit to an additional hotel contract for 2025 (a new hotel contract will require a deposit amounting to thousands of dollars in 2024) at this time to avoid over-committing our limited finances. 

Manpower: 
Conference preparation is very demanding on the board and requires a minimum of 2 years for favorable hotel negotiation, budget planning, training and organizing, which we have not undertaken for 2025. Conference work is done while doing the everyday operational work for CODA International, wrapping up a current year conference, planning a conference for the following year, and trying to fulfill membership expectations of activities during the year doing administrative, fundraising, and outreach activities. The burden has been significant for our volunteer board and limited resources.

Restructure: 
The main focus of the upcoming year will be implementing restructuring efforts to support International and USA CODA entities. Virtual events in the coming year will allow Codas from around the world to participate in new ways as this restructuring effort is implemented.

Virtual Alternative: 
We propose having a virtual conference or series of events to bring members together for social and reorganization purposes.
Information about 2025 virtual event plans will be shared with the members as they are put into place. We are excited about the positive aspects of meeting virtually, including offering accessible and affordable experiences that will allow us to experiment with new approaches, and we hope you are too.

We urge anyone who wants to enjoy the in-person conference experience to attend the CODALeague conference in San Diego, California, USA this June. Please note that partial refunds are available until 10 May 2024. 

Registration transfers between individuals will be permitted until 10 June 2024. Please monitor the conference website for more information. In addition, the regular registration rate of US $795 has been extended until 19 June 2024. We hope you will join us in San Diego at the Omni Hotel to convene with new and familiar friends and family!
 
The 2023-2024 CODA International Board

As many of us are aware, the cost of international conference is not always easy to swing, and 2024 is no different.

​Coda Midwest is happy to announce that we are offering a conference stipend to help offset costs of registration, travel, hotel, missing work, or whatever you need to use it for. This stipend is meant to assist those who have either already raised the funds to pay for their registration, or also for those who have received a registration waiver through CODA International.

A copy of your receipt showing that you have already registered for the upcoming conference must be attached to your application.

According to our criteria, once an applicant has been selected to receive the stipend, CODA Midwest will send the stipend in check form to the applicant.

There is a set rubric we use to score each applicant, and stipend recipients will be notified sometime in May. 

You can apply by visiting https://www.codamidwest.org/conference-stipend.html

On this page, there is a link to both the application and a basic rubric of our point-based grading system used by our awards committee.