Convention, Rebuilt and Reimagined
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the November/December NATA News.
Convention has always been home – the place where you gather, learn and celebrate. In 2027, home is getting more than a fresh coat of paint.
NATA has spent the past year evaluating every aspect of convention to ensure that NATA 2027 – June 21-24, 2027, in New Orleans – and future conventions provide what ATs want and need from their national meeting.
What follows is a look at what’s changing at NATA 2027, and how members’ voices drove those changes.
Rethinking Convention
In late 2025, the Convention Reimagined Task Force was created. Consisting of key NATA staff and 14 member volunteers representing the different career stages, settings, districts and member demographics, the task force evaluated convention from top to bottom with the assistance of consulting group Velvet Chainsaw.
“NATA wasn’t immune to the impact that the pandemic had on associations and conventions,” said District Eleven Director Ryan Wilkinson, EdD, ATC, CAE, chair of the task force. “We hosted a few conventions post-COVID, returning to what we hoped would be the back-to-normal experience. It didn’t take long to realize that there is a new normal that everyone is dealing with now. And it became clear that a fresh perspective was needed.”
The evaluation process began with the consultant group combing through previous convention attendee surveys, speaker evaluations and attendee demographics to determine trends, which were then shared with the task force. That information was used to identify areas where change was necessary.
“It was very clear that there was nothing that was off the table, that everything should be seen as an opportunity to evaluate, improve, reimagine and come up with creative ways to bring our profession together,” Wilkinson said.
The result is a convention rebuilt around how members said they want to experience it.
“I’m excited about the overall experience we’re creating,” said NATA Senior Director of Education Karly Foster. “We’re being much more intentional about making NATA 2027 feel interactive, engaging and connected from start to finish. That includes the education, but it also includes how people connect with one another, how they experience the AT Expo, how the schedule flows and how we create more opportunities for people to find their people within the larger meeting.”
Rethinking How ATs Learn
When looking at the convention educational programming, the task force noted the importance of experiential and interactive learning.
“The consultant said, ‘If you can do it on Zoom, don’t do it in the room,’” Foster said.
This raised the question: How can the attendees do more than just sit there and consume content – how can they be part of it?
“What an in-person convention can do that virtual learning can’t is really where this task force tried to narrow in on,” Wilkinson said.
As a result, traditional lectures will be moved to the on-demand platform, Foster said, with several new learning formats offered. They include collaborative sessions, which consist of facilitated individual or small-group activities, and focused sessions, which highlight emerging ideas, evidence-informed practices, innovative approaches, practical strategies or timely topics. Interactive panels and clinical learning labs, hallmarks of the NATA convention, will also return, providing space for meaningful dialogue and valuable hands-on learning.
“The area that I think I’m looking forward to the most is just to see how creative our community can be when it comes to developing sessions and working through that experiential and interactive learning in a way that we haven’t seen before,” Wilkinson said.
Two additional changes: First, sessions will be offered in 30-, 60- and 90-minute increments, Foster said. The varied lengths give attendees more flexibility in building their schedules, and they can still earn up to 15 CEUs. Second, at the recommendation of the task force, a greater emphasis has been placed on advanced- and mastery-level learning opportunities.
“It became very clear, not only from the consultant feedback and their recommendations, but also from our task force, that there is an opportunity to expand our advanced and mastery level offerings while creating more interactive, experiential learning opportunities for attendees across career stages.” Wilkinson said.
Making Room for Connection and Celebration
According to NATA’s various post-convention surveys, education is often cited as the first reason someone will attend convention. However, post-pandemic, networking and building connections have become just as important, Wilkinson said. That shift will show up across the NATA 2027 schedule, from how networking is built into the week to when convention’s staple events take place.
“The networking and the connections, what people are able to gain by being together, is such a key driver for how successful an attendee will view their experiences at a convention,” Wilkinson said.
As the NATA 2027 schedule continues to come together, Foster said attendees will have several opportunities to “find their people” early in convention through intentional networking activities, such as town halls, a first-time attendee event and social outings.
“Rather than just assuming that since we have all these people here they’re going to interact, we want to provide ways for them to do so,” she said. “It might be fun ways, it might be academic ways, it might be just having a room where we say, ‘These are five problems, come and talk about them for an hour at a roundtable.’”
While there will be opportunities for attendees to find their people – whether by district, career phase, setting or shared interests – a special emphasis will be placed on the first-time attendee.
“We found that there were a high number of convention attendees who were attending alone from either their school, school district or employer, and they might not have traveled with people they could then go do things with,” said Wilkinson, adding that NATA is looking at how to fast-track first-time attendees’ ability to network with each other. “That way, the first-time attendee has a little bit more of an intentional entry point to their experiences at convention.”
In addition, NATA is shifting the timing of some of its staple convention events. The NATA Hall of Fame Induction and National Awards Ceremony will feature no concurrent programming – a request from many convention attendees, Foster said. Also, the Opening Reception will now move to the evening before convention kicks off, June 21, 2027, and the NATA Happy Hour will become the AT Expo Happy Hour held during the first day of official programming, June 22, 2027.
This is just one way NATA is enhancing the AT Expo.
Building the Best AT Expo and AT Central
“We completely wiped the slate clean with [NATA 2027],” NATA Director of Business Development Jerry Albano said of the AT Expo and AT Central, which will be open June 22-23, 2027. “Everything we’re doing is completely new.”
Albano said the AT Expo and AT Central have been modified to better fit the needs of attendees and exhibitors – starting with the footprint. He said the AT Expo will be 25% smaller than previous years, allowing the NATA exhibits team to be more intentional with the companies and vendors they’re inviting to the show floor.
“We want it to be a more intimate experience for the exhibitors, help get that one-on-one interaction with the attendees,” he said. “It also allows us more space to do all sorts of other cool things.”
The AT Expo will feature an education theater where exhibitors will have the opportunity to collaborate with NATA to offer CEU-eligible educational sessions. All sessions will be developed and reviewed in accordance with NATA’s educational standards to ensure content is evidence-based, free from commercial influence and focused on advancing athletic trainers’ knowledge and skills. In addition, exhibitors will have opportunities to showcase new and innovative products and technologies through demonstrations, giving attendees a firsthand look at emerging solutions in athletic training.
AT Central will expand to be roughly twice its size in 2026. The Career Center will move into the space. The NATA Hall of Fame Booth will also be transformed into a lounge.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of mentorship programs with our Student Leadership Committee,” said Albano of the new Hall of Fame Lounge. “We’re going to have very specific programming for our students and early career professionals, where they can meet up with our Hall of Fame inductees in the lounge area.”
At the back will be the NATA Park, which will have picnic tables, chaise lounges and giant games, including Jenga and Connect Four.
“It’s going to be a great place to have lunch and relax on the show floor,” Albano said.
The space will keep the fixtures attendees have come to expect: the NATA Gear Store, NATA department and partner booths, seating for networking and catching up with friends and an expanded Headshot Lounge.
It will also feature the return of an attendee favorite: the puppy park. Puppies will be available both days the AT Expo is open to cuddle, play with and even adopt.
“I’m excited about what we’re able to build,” Albano said of the revamped AT Expo and AT Central experience. “I can’t wait until our members get there and just see what we have done for them.”
Bringing the Profession Together at This Can’t-Miss Event
“NATA 2027 is really about the value of being there in person,” Foster said. “You’ll have great education and opportunities to earn CEUs, but you’ll also be able to connect with colleagues from across the profession, meet people who work in settings similar to yours, experience new products and ideas, participate in meaningful conversations and be part of the energy that comes from bringing our profession together in one place. My hope is that people leave New Orleans with new knowledge, new relationships, new ideas and a renewed connection to the profession.”
For Wilkinson, the draw is as much the reunion aspect of convention as it is the education.
“The word ‘homecoming’ is always a big piece,” he said. “This is a community that I feel I belong to, and anytime you have a chance to bring people back together in that sort of homecoming, community-emphasized way, it’s exciting.
“There are so many things that you can’t do unless you’re together. You just can’t experience that in virtual, digital ways. We need that direct connection to be able to really feel a connection with each other.”
Start Planning Today!
Be one of the first to know when housing and registration opens by joining the NATA 2027 interest list. You can also download the Employer Letter template. This letter template outlines all the reasons your employer should financially support your NATA 2027 attendance. It’s editable, so you can tailor it to your specific employer and their needs.
