A Note from Sandy Markwood

USAging’s 49th Annual Conference and Tradeshow will take place July 8-11, 2024, in Tampa, FL. We realize that some attendees may have personal safety or policy concerns around travel to Florida. Fostering diversity, equity and inclusion is critically important to USAging and our members—and we want all people to feel welcome at all USAging events. 

The overarching purpose of our conference is to bring together our members, AAA and Title VI directors and staff, with other leaders in aging and health for a learning and networking experience like no other. This shared learning ultimately results in the Aging Network offering higher-quality and more innovative programs and services to older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in every corner of this country. 

In visiting Tampa in 2024, we are all supporting our strong partnership with AAAs and Title VI programs in Florida and our incredible network so that we can continue to come together to achieve USAging’s vision: to build a society that values and supports people as they age. And that’s ALL people. 

2024 will be a pivotal year for the Aging Network as the importance of our collective work continues to grow. Regardless of where we gather year after year, the USAging Annual Conference and Tradeshow is valued by attendees for its high-quality content, incredible peer sharing and learning, relationship-building with key allies, and access to decisionmakers and cutting-edge innovators. 

While the association’s earliest conferences were often held in Washington, DC, since then we’ve traveled the country year after year, alternating states and major cities to provide the opportunity for a broad base of our members, many of whom face travel restrictions, to attend our conference. 

On a practical note, while the USAging Annual Conference does move around the country as much as possible, not all states or cities are financially feasible since we want to keep attendees’ costs manageable. We know we often end up in hot cities in July, but finding the right location at the right price is hard work! In keeping with our association’s prioritization of inclusion and equitable practices, we think it’s important to go to where our members are, rather than only host this event in Washington, DC, every year. 

We hope to see you in Tampa in July 2024!