Call for Abstracts

The Call for Abstracts seeks professionals to submit for 30-minute concurrent sessions and/or 2-4 hour workshops that address the broad range of floodplain management issues, such as communicating flood risk, flood loss reduction, flood modeling and mapping, NFIP and flood insurance, policy, whole community approach, tribal communities and sovereignty, arid regions considerations, success stories, stormwater management, extreme weather trends, natural and beneficial floodplain functions and more.

Abstract Submittal Form Instructions

Important notes:

• The Call for Abstracts closes on Monday, Nov. 2 at midnight Central
• All presenters must register and pay for the conference
• Conference registration will open in February 2027

There are separate submission forms for “Workshop” and “Concurrent Session” presentations. After you select Workshop or Concurrent Session in the first question, the following questions will be relevant to the type selected. Be aware that because of this, the question numbering on your screen may not be consecutive.

Concurrent session presentations are typically 30 minutes in length (including time for Q&A) and are grouped with other abstracts of similar technical content. In the program, a session lasts 1.5 hours and is composed of three presentations. Concurrent session attendance is included with conference registration.

Workshops are 2- to 4-hour courses that require a syllabus, course objectives and exercises. Workshops should be targeted at offering continuing education benefits for floodplain management professionals. Workshop attendees pay a fee to attend on top of their conference registration fee.

MULTIPLE ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

Submit only one abstract per use of the link and work your way through to the end of the form. Note: use of the back arrow in your browser may over-write your previous submission(s). To submit multiple abstracts (e.g., for a workshop and concurrent session or for multiple concurrent sessions), you will need to complete this form separately and in its entirety for each abstract. When complete, click the abstract submittal form link again to develop and submit the next submission, and follow the same process for as many abstracts as needed. The link to the abstract submittal form will appear on the last page of the submittal form.

CONFIRMING YOUR SUBMISSION

The last page of the Abstract Submittal Form will include a confirmation that your abstract has been successfully submitted. If you wish to receive a copy of the content of your submission, please make sure to mark the checkbox and enter your email at
the end of the form before clicking submit.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PREVIEW FORM

Without knowing all of the requested information in the abstract submittal form prior to beginning your submission, you may find you have not allotted enough time to complete your submission. Incomplete submissions must be removed by the conference program staff, which lengthens the abstract review process. Therefore, PDF previews of the forms are located below. With the PDF previews as a guide, you are encouraged to develop your abstract as a separate document and to paste the content into the abstract submittal form boxes. This will allow you to spellcheck your content and to retain a copy of your submission for your records. Be aware that formatting such as underlining and bolded text will be lost in the form.

To review the required information prior to completing the submission form, click on a PDF button below:

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON CONCURRENT SESSIONS:

Like previous conferences, the 2027 conference will be hybrid. This means that all approved concurrent session speakers will pre-record their presentations and submit them ahead of the conference and deliver live presentations in Pittsburgh. The pre-recorded presentations will be played for the virtual conference attendees while speakers are presenting live for the in-person conference attendees.

ASFPM’s expectation is that approved in-person concurrent session speakers will be able to physically attend the conference and submit a recording about two weeks before the conference. Potential speakers are encouraged to submit abstracts with the understanding that if conditions change prior to the conference, approved speakers can withdraw from the program. If you do not want to record your presentation for virtual attendees and present live in-person, please do not submit an in-person concurrent session abstract.

ASFPM publishes all recorded sessions after each conference to make the content accessible to the greatest extent possible. Having a complete record of the conference is important to our viewers and it amplifies your message to many more people. If your abstract is selected for the in-person program and you fail to submit your pre-recorded session in a timely manner, future abstract submittals may not be selected for the program.

Like previous conferences, there will also be a limited virtual conference track. Presenters for the live virtual track will have the option to deliver their presentations from a location of their choosing or from a dedicated room at the conference location in New Orleans. To accommodate the virtual track, there is an option in the submittal form to select whether you want your abstract to be considered for the in-person conference program only (including a pre-record submission), the live virtual program only, or whether you have no preference. Selecting “no preference” gives you the greatest chance of being selected.

EDITING

While completing this form, please keep in mind that if your abstract is selected, this information will be posted online and distributed to attendees to help advertise your session. ASFPM will post this information with as little editing as possible. If your abstract is selected for the conference program, you will be able to update your abstract with any new or changed information prior to the final program going to print.

SELECTION PROCESS

There is limited space available in the concurrent sessions program, and not all abstracts will be selected. Preference will be given to an abstract which, combined with other abstracts of similar focus, create a cohesive and relevant session theme. Selection preference will be given to non-proprietary tools and technology, so if this applicable for your submisson, please state if a tool is or is not proprietary. Since the national conference is not the proper platform for a sales pitch, abstracts with an emphasis of promoting a product will be deprioritized for selection.

Notifications for selected and not selected abstracts will be disseminated by the end of January 2027.

A limited number of training workshops are conducted. ASFPM receives more submissions than there are available workshop slots. Not all submissions will be accepted. Preference will be given to workshops on new topics that fit into the overall theme of the conference, and that provide local floodplain administrators tools they can take home and implement. Selected presenters will be notified by the end of January 2027.

EXPECTATIONS OF PRESENTERS

Presenters who wish to provide handouts must do so at their own discretion and expense ASFPM does not provide print services.

Remember, all conference presenters are required to register and pay to attend the full conference.

Although travel approvals for May 2027 are likely unknown, if you know with certainty that you will not be able to register for the conference, please do not submit an abstract.

Please direct questions to conference@floods.org