Conference dates and locations: The NNBA conference is held annually on a weekend. Locations are in different regions of the US each year. The 2008 19th Annual NNBA Conference will be in Florida on November 8-9, 2008. Pre-conference workshops are on November 7, 2008. The speakers have been selected. Please submit for 2009. The conference is held late October or early November.

Deadline: February 15, 2009. The NNBA finalizes the choices of speakers and exhibitors early in the year. Speaker spots are limited. The association considers late proposals.

Proposals: One-page proposals must include:

1. A short title
   Keep the title short. Use three words if possible and not more than 5 words. If you need to describe the content further, put a colon after the title and add a secondary title.
   
   
2. An abstract
   This 50 to 75-word paragraph should consist of three sentences. In the first sentence, tell why you are appropriate for the topic. In the second sentence, profile your target audience. In the third sentence, describe the topic.
   
   Abstract example: The presenter, Patricia Ann Bemis, RN CEN, president of the National Nurses in Business Association, will share key elements for success as a self-employed nurse. This presentation is designed for nurses whose businesses are already up and running and for those just getting started. The course content will include determining the correct legal structure (DBA, LLC, Inc.), names, logos, funding, office setup, marketing, and managing the liability of self-employment.
   
   
3. A brief bio
   Your biography should focus on your experience related to the topic.
   
   Bio example: Patricia Ann Bemis, RN CEN, has held the position of president of the National Nursing in Business Association since 1999. She is the author of Emergency Nursing Bible, 4th Edition (a peer-reviewed textbook); Self-Employed RN, 2nd Edition; and Nurse Entrepreneurs, 4th Edition. She developed the classes CEN Review: ACE the CEN; Is Self-Employment Right for You?; and Self-Employment 101. She presents these classes throughout the country. Her publications and classes offer nursing continuing education in all states. She writes a regular column for RN Magazine on nurse entrepreneurship and one for The Med-Legal News.
   
   
4. A short outline
   Include a list of the main topics of your session in the outline.
   
   
5. Two objectives
   State in the objectives what you expect attendees to be able to accomplish after your session.

Proposals more than one-page will not be considered. Please include a professional portrait (electronic JPEG file) with your proposal. Submit proposals as an attachment by email to bemis@nnba.net.

Contact Person: The contact person is Patricia Ann Bemis, NNBA president. She can be reached at (321) 633-4610 or at bemis@nnba.net.

Compensation: The National Nurses in Business Association is a membership organization dedicated to providing unsurpassed education and networking opportunities for nurses. We are looking for speakers interested in sharing their expertise with fellow nurses on business and clinical topics. As compensation, the association offers the speaker:

• access to the conference at no charge;
• one guest pass;
• if the session is recorded, the speaker receives a master audio copy of their presentation. The association owns the right to publish the presentation and all derivative works in all media. The speaker owns the copyright of the material and the right to reproduce the recording without restriction;
• the opportunity to present a pre-conference event. The association will consider pre-conference sessions of 4 to 8 hours in length. For nurses who want to do a pre-conference event; the association will advertise it, sell the registrations, collect the money, pay the expenses, and split the profit with the speaker.

The speakers pay their own expenses (travel, lodging, and meals).

Content or theme: The content is business ideas, concepts, and tips to increase the attendees' profit, make their business life easier, and pave the road to their success. Tracks typically consist of (1) business aspects, (2) topics for the legal nurse, (3) topics for consultants, and (4) clinical nursing topics. Personal improvement topics like weight loss and health are not acceptable for the general session. They may be considered for a pre-conference event. Creative speakers with new topics and ideas are always considered. We believe that tying a creative speaker to hard-line rules and regulations often destroys that creativity.

Tracks for 2009 are listed below.

• General session: new business opportunities, strategies, and industry updates for nurse entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-to-be.
• Legal nurse track: new opportunities strategies, and industry updates in legal nurse consulting, life care planning, and risk management.

Presentations: The presentations are typically divided into 60-minute (one-hour) sessions. A presenter may speak in multiple tracks and give multiple presentations. Presentation methods include lecture and interactive sessions, such as tabletop and panel discussions.

Pre-conference events: The association will consider pre-conference sessions of 4 to 8 hours in length. For nurses who want to do a pre-conference event, the association will advertise it, sell the registrations, collect the money, pay the expenses, and split the profit with the speaker.

Audience demographics: The audience includes nurse entrepreneurs and nurse entrepreneurs-to-be. The majority are female, registered nurses who are self-employed or interested in self-employment, between the ages of 30 to 68, and reside in both urban and rural regions of the US.

Meeting Room Setup: The setup up in the main ballroom is crescent or half-round table settings (setup can be changed if the numbers indicate). Speakers present from a riser or stage. The setup includes a screen, computer (no floppy drive, CDs only), and LCD projector. Breakouts or tracks are held in small meeting rooms, school-room style. Pre-conference sessions ranging from 4 hours to 8 hours are held in small meeting rooms, school-room style.

Past speakers: Speakers at past events were nurse entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and business experts including attorneys and accountants.

Speaker guests: The speaker may bring one guest who will have access to the event at no charge.

Marketing: The event is marketed by the association in print and on the Internet. speakers are asked to market the event.

Thank you for considering speaking for the National Nurses in Business Association.

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