3 Reasons Why You Should Attend AR2019

As VegFund gears up for the Animal Rights National Conference this summer, we reflect on what makes conferences so magical. Somehow, in a matter of days, they generate a year’s worth of memories, motivation, information, and much more. They bump us out of our routine and immerse us in a world of kindred spirits with ideas and perspectives that can inform and inspire our own.

For us, part of the enchantment is meeting past, present, and future grantees face-to-face. Every year, the highlight of our conference experience is speaking with you and exploring new and better ways to support your animal rights outreach.

This year, VegFund is hosting some special events at the conference. Read on to learn more.

Whatever your goals, attending a conference can be a transformative experience, and here are three reasons why.

Community

Advocating for animal rights doesn’t happen in isolation. Advocacy, by its nature, engages members of a community, and it’s most effective — and often most fun — when you collaborate with other activists. Your community can be local or global or both, thanks to social media. However, even before the rise of the internet, conferences have been the place for like-minded people from around the world to gather in person.

While there’s no denying that the internet affords vast channels to connect with and mobilize a global community, there’s also something undeniably powerful about being in a room full of your colleagues. There’s no substitute for a handshake, a hug from an old friend, or a conversation over lunch with a new acquaintance, all of which build relationships that enrich your life and work.

Education

Conferences compress a large body of expertise — in this case, animal rights — into a few all-absorbing days. Subject-matter experts bring together the latest research, best practices, and fresh ideas. Their presentations lead the way for the movement. You learn about it all as it’s happening, and you can help shape the conversation.

During presentations, you can pose your questions and find opportunities to speak with thought-leaders one-on-one.

Insight

The energy and interactions at conferences are a petri dish for culturing deeper insights — even epiphanies. Combine the thought that’s been bouncing around in your head, going nowhere, with something someone said at a presentation or conversation, and that thought catalyzes into an idea that you can’t wait to put in motion.

If you’re a presenter, you see your work through the eyes of a new audience and hear the opinions, challenges, and support that help drive your work forward.

About the Animal Rights National Conference

If you’re primed for experiencing what conferences have to offer, then you’re in luck. The largest and longest-running animal rights gathering takes place in July of this year.

The Animal Rights National Conference has been organized in the United States since 1981 by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). Open to all points of view on achieving animal liberation, this gathering provides a platform for respectful and constructive discussion.

The conference is designed for people who wish to improve their animal advocacy skills and network with other animal activists. It features 100 presenters from more than 60 organizations, 100-plus exhibits, workshops, nightly networking receptions, film premieres, and more, including post-conference lobbying and protests.

This year, AR2019 takes place July 25–28 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center located at 5000 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.

VegFund Events to Attend at AR2019

This is a special year because VegFund is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Please join us for our events at AR2019 and stop by to say “hello” at our table in the exhibition hall. We’d love to meet you in person and talk about how we can help you with your outreach efforts.

Workshop: The Vegan Activist Guide to Strategic Communications
Thursday, July 25
12:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Terrace Ballroom
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
5000 Seminary Road Alexandria, VA
Box lunch included.
Registration for the workshop is required. Conference badge not required.

During this session, you’ll dive into research-based communications strategies for engaging new audiences about veganism. The workshop leaders are Ann Christiano, Director, and Annie Neimand, Ph.D., Research Director, of the University of Florida’s Center for Public Interest Communications.

Workshop Synopsis

The scientific evidence is piling up: people don’t act on information; they act on what they care about most. The presenters have distilled five core principles from behavioral, cognitive, and social science that you can apply to inspire others to adopt a vegan lifestyle. In this hands-on session, participants will learn how to build a strategy around their theory of change, including how to identify communities to engage, how to design effective calls to action, and how to share stories that capture attention and inspire action.

Learn more about this workshop here.

Register to save your spot!

Presentation: Strategic Communications for Vegan Activists
Friday, July 26
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Arbors room
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
5000 Seminary Road Alexandria, VA

During this one-hour presentation, learn research-based communications principles and strategies for inspiring others to adopt a vegan lifestyle. The presenters are Ann Christiano, Director, and Annie Neimand, Ph.D., Research Director, of the University of Florida’s Center for Public Interest Communications.

VegFund’s 10^th Birthday Party and Networking Reception
Friday, July 26
9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Terrace Ballroom
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
5000 Seminary Road Alexandria, VA

Celebrate our 10th birthday with us! We will have free nibbles, a cash bar, and phenomenal people to spend time with.

Join us at AR2019

We’d love to see you! Stop by to discuss your ideas with us and learn about how we can support your activism.