2019 AMTA National Convention Recap

by Monica Taylor-Lee
AMTA-WY Board Member

In October, I had the pleasure of attending my first AMTA National Convention in Indianapolis. Imagine
being around hundreds of other massage therapists who are there to network with like-minded
individuals and improve their skills through the classes offered. So amazing!

Did you know…

1. The convention registration fee of >$400 includes the potential to receive up to 14 credit hours
of continuing education over the 3 day span. Plus, you can register for pre-convention
workshops (additional cost) for an additional 8 CE’s. What a great way to rack up your CE’s in
one place with a variety of educational opportunities! The workshops I personally attended
included Anxiety Disorders & Massage; Applying Kinesiology & Biomechanics in Massage
Therapy; Myofascial Release for Plantar Fasciitis; Lymphatic Massage Techniques for the Face,
Head and Neck. There were so many to choose from, it was so hard to decide. But in the end,
they were all great and I now have a few more tools in my toolbelt.

2. AMTA brings in some excellent speakers for the General Sessions. We got to hear from Robin Benincasa, World Champion Adventure Racer and founder of the Project Athena Foundation
which encourages and inspires individuals who’ve endured life-altering medical setbacks to
unleash the adventurer within and complete the journey of a lifetime. We also heard an
amazing story from Melissa Stockwell who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb while serving her
country in Iraq and how she triumphed over this personal tragedy to go on to become a world
champion triathlete and 2016 Bronze Paralympic Medalist. And at the closing session, we were
entertained by Daniel Pink, Best Selling Author of “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect
Timing”. He shared timing secrets that we can use to make smarter decisions for our practices,
better serve our clients, and gain a deeper sense of purpose in our massage therapy career and
life. I highly recommend getting his book!

Side note: One of the speakers for the 2020 National Convention is the one and only Michael
Phelps!

3. The Exhibit Hall was another crowd favorite! I would venture to guess there were over 50
companies on exhibit and it was a massage therapist’s dream! From massage tables & chairs to
treatment products to free massages – there was something of interest to everyone in
attendance. Lots of convention specials going on as well as drawings for free products/gift
certificates/ classes/etc. When I wasn’t in a CE workshop, I was chatting it up with the expo
vendors. It was so enlightening!

The value of this convention is worth way more than the $400 registration fee and I highly recommend
everyone mark their calendars for the 2020 convention, August 27-29 in Phoenix. We would love to see
a large Wyoming contingency there!!