23rd Annual Conference Wraps Up

As those who attended can attest, the 23rd Annual National Alopecia Areata Foundation Patient Conference was a success! Though we missed many of our friends because of the earlier date of this year’s conference, we enjoyed the intimacy of the smaller conference in a city as welcoming as Louisville, Kentucky. 

One of the main reasons for the ongoing success of the annual conference is the diversity of the people that attend it. Individuals of all ages, from various parts of the world, in search of different answers, come together to create a large NAAF family, in the truest sense of the word. Supporting each other and learning from one another, our bond grows over the weekend. By the time the conference ends on Sunday, and the hotel begins to empty out, lifelong relationships have been forged and the longing for next year’s reunion begins.

Here are a few statistics from the 2008 Conference:
-Total attendees numbered 593
-VIPs (first-timers) numbered 210
-Participants came from 38 states and 6 countries
-Age Breakdown: 0-17: 169, 18-40: 158, 41-80: 227

Highlights from the weekend included:
-Louisville Bats Baseball Game Excursion
-Guest Speakers, including Eliza Howard and Judge Richard Rosenbaum
-20 Support Sessions
-Marketplace Vendors & Exhibitors
-And, of course, the Saturday Night Dance Party!