Conference Policies

Refunds

All cancellations must be in writing. Cancellations postmarked on or before August 21, 2026, will be subject to a $55 processing charge on the cancelled registration fee and a 50% cancellation fee on all special events, including workshops. No refunds for registration, workshops, and special events will be made after August 21, 2026. AASLH and NCPH are not responsible for cancellations that were mailed or emailed but never received. If you do not receive confirmation from AASLH within three weeks, please contact the AASLH office at 615-320-3203 or [email protected].

Accessibility

AASLH and NCPH are committed to fostering a conference environment that is inclusive and accessible to all our attendees. To that end, AASLH and NCPH will provide attendees with accessibility information that may impact their ability to fully participate in the meeting and will work directly with conference registrants to meet accessibility needs to the maximum extent we are financially and logistically able. During the registration process, attendees can let staff know what accommodation is required. A staff person will then contact them for more information. You can also email NCPH Program Manager Meghan Hillman directly at [email protected] to advise of accessibility needs or ask questions related to conference accessibility. For detailed information about our thinking on event accessibility, we recommend consulting NCPH’s recently-updated Guidelines for Building an Accessible Annual Meeting.

While you are welcome to check the registration boxes for the gender-neutral bathroom, quiet/ low-sensory room, and lactation room, which will ensure we can communicate with you in advance about these resources, they will be available to all attendees onsite as a matter of course. Details will be available in the onsite guide.

Meeting Responsibility/Events Code of Conduct

The following combines AASLH’s Meeting Safety and Responsibility Policy and NCPH’s Events Code of Conduct. 

AASLH and NCPH are committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all meeting participants and AASLH and NCPH staff. All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, AASLH and NCPH staff, service providers, and others are expected to abide by this Meeting Safety and Responsibility Policy. This Policy applies to all AASLH and NCPH meeting-related events, including those sponsored by organizations other than AASLH or NCPH but held in conjunction with the joint conference, in public or private facilities.

Unacceptable Behavior

AASLH and NCPH have zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment in any form, including but not limited to sexual harassment by participants or our staff at our meetings. This policy also covers any virtual meetings hosted by the associations.

Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to, intimidation, unwanted attention, or verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation or identity, disability, physical appearance or presentation, body size, race, religion, national origin, discriminatory jokes or language, deliberate misgendering, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening, cyber-bullying, or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, AASLH or NCPH staff member, service provider, or other meeting guests.

Physical or verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, AASLH or NCPH staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest or sustained, non-constructive disruption of presentations at sessions, in the exhibit hall, or at other events organized by AASLH or NCPH will not be tolerated.

Consider wearing a mask. If you are not wearing a mask and you are interacting with someone who is wearing a mask, put on a mask without asking that person if they want you to wear one.

If you experience or observe any incidents of unacceptable behavior, AASLH and NCPH ask that you inform either John Dichtl, President and CEO, [email protected] or 615-320-3203; Bethany Hawkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, [email protected] or 615-320-3203; the NCPH Board Officers, [email protected], or the AASLH Council [email protected] so that we can take the appropriate action. No individual will be retaliated against for making a complaint or assisting with the investigation of a complaint. While you are welcome to use whichever reporting mechanism you are most comfortable with, leadership of both organizations will be kept informed of any code of conduct concerns.

AASLH and NCPH reserve the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning or refund, in response to any incident of unacceptable behavior, and AASLH and NCPH reserve the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting.

Based on guidelines from the American Society of Society Executives and NCPH’s Events Code of Conduct.

Recording policy

The presentations and commentaries presented during the conference are solely for those in attendance and should not be taped or recorded or otherwise reproduced without the consent of the presenters, AASLH, and NCPH. Recording, copying, or reproducing a presentation without the consent of the author is a violation of common law copyright. AASLH and NCPH reserve the right to use images and recordings of the conference and those in attendance for educational and promotional purposes.

Registration Waivers

All attendees will additionally be asked to agree to the following as part of registration. (You are allowed to opt-out of the participant list and exhibitor/sponsor contacts.) 

______ Health Waiver: By initialing this line, I certify that I am not aware of health or medical conditions preventing my safe participation in the activities for which I register, and I hereby release and discharge AASLH and NCPH, its respective affiliates and subsidiaries, as well as any event sponsor jointly and severally from any and all liability, damages, costs, (including attorney fees), actions or causes of action related to or arising from or out of my participation in or preparation for any of the events listed above.

______ Photo Waiver: By initializing this line, I authorize AASLH and NCPH to use, reproduce, and/or publish photographs and/or video that may pertain to you—including your image, likeness, and/or voice—without compensation. AASLH and NCPH may use this material in various publications, recruitment materials, or for other related endeavors in print and online, including their websites and email correspondence. AASLH and NCPH project partners may publish materials, use my name, photograph, and/or make reference to me in any manner that NCPH or project partners deem appropriate in order to promote/publicize service opportunities.

______ Data Privacy: By checking this box, I agree to allow AASLH and NCPH to use the information above to contact me in regard to this event and provide it to conference organizers, our conference hotel, and any tour or workshop facilitators. (Please note that this is required to perform essential conference tasks.)

______ Exhibitor and Sponsor Contact: I agree that my name, affiliation, and email can be shared with exhibitors and sponsors, allowing them to contact me once before the conference and once after.

______ Participant List: AASLH and NCPH will produce a participant list for the conference. I agree to have my name, affiliation, and city/state included on the participant list made available to all attendees before and after the conference.

CONFERENCE MEDIA POLICY

Much of the language for this policy has been adapted from the American Historical Association’s Annual Meeting Media and Recording Policy, the American Library Association’s Conference Media Registration Guidelines, and American Philosophical Association’s Press Policies for APA Meetings.

Registration

Members of the press attending the conference for the purpose of reporting on sessions, events, or conference activities are required to register and to notify conference staff of their participation, preferably in advance by email or at the registration desk upon arrival. Members of the press will be issued a badge identifying them as media representatives. AASLH and NCPH staff cannot release emails or phone numbers for participants in the meeting or officers/staff of either organization.

A letter of assignment specifically about the conference is required in order to obtain a media badge. Members of the press showing up on site must also provide a business card. Editors, reporters, and freelance writers are all eligible for a media badge. Sales representatives and book authors do not qualify.

As a private event, AASLH and NCPH retain the right to refuse to issue a badge to any media organization, reporter, editor, or freelance journalist for any reason.

Media Identification

Press badges must be worn and visible while attending conference sessions and events. Members of the press must also identify themselves as such whenever speaking with presenters or attendees. This includes when participating in the question-and-answer portion of a meeting session or when interacting with attendees informally, as at a reception.

Reporting and Coverage

Unless otherwise designated, conference sessions, presentations, and events may be reported on by registered members of the press. Ticketed events are closed to the media, unless granted permission by conference organizers. Attendees and presenters should be aware that media representatives may be present, and that information shared in sessions may be reported through news outlets, social media, or other publications.

Members of the press are expected to adhere to accepted standards of journalistic ethics and accuracy when reporting on conference activities.

Direct quotations obtained through interviews or private conversations should be attributed in accordance with standard journalistic practices. Journalists are encouraged to seek clarification regarding attribution preferences when appropriate. Members of the press may not quote or otherwise report on what a meeting attendee or presenter has said without that person’s express permission.

Photography, Audio, and Video Recording

Photography, audio recording, and video recording are permitted in public conference spaces unless otherwise indicated. In accordance with our recording policy, sessions, working groups, and workshops may not be recorded without the express permission of the presenters, AASLH, and NCPH.

Equipment and Technical Services

Members of the press requiring electrical access, lighting, use of venue sound systems, and internet services beyond standard conference access must make arrangements directly with the venue’s authorized service providers and are responsible for all associated costs.

Disclaimer

Unless otherwise stated, opinions expressed by conference attendees, presenters, and speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, affiliated institutions, conference organizers, or sponsoring organizations. Members of the media will acknowledge this in their stories as a condition of receiving a media badge.