July 27, 2011 – The AMTA Nevada Chapter held its annual 2011 State Convention for its members and the profession at the Gold Coast Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, to promote professional Education & Community for the massage therapy industry.
Attending the 3-day Event were Nevada Chapter members, Massage Therapy Professionals, and Massage Therapy Students alike, taking advantage of the presentations and continuing education opportunities the Chapter facilitated with some networking events like lunch, networking, Student Day, and professional development in the area of Chapter member activities planned in the future through its Annual General Chapter Member Meeting.
Classes offered include “Abdominal/Visceral Massage,” “How to Effectively Integrate Energy Work & Science-based Massage Techniques,” & “Tension Headaches and Chinese Acupressure Protocol” by Boris Prilutsky; “Creating Peace With Your Hands – The Wholistic Course for Self Care and Injury Prevention” by Karina Braun of Get In Touch; and, “Bodies…the Exhibition Guided Tour” by Nathan Nordstrom of Educated Touch.
Student Day garnered the presentations of Lisa Cooper, Executive Director of the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapists (NSBMT), Sally Hacking, Government Relations Consultant to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), and Pete Blandford, Member Committee Chair and Student Outreach Coordinator for the Nevada Chapter. Essential information for how to be professionally regarded in the industry in Nevada was shared and news and information was shared with the students attending.
The Nevada Chapter Annual General Meeting began with an administrative proposal – formation of a new Direction for Chapter operations where member activity is important: a Volunteer Co-operative initiative was introduced where members could participate in a free education with performance of practice-building and education-utilizing volunteer work in a clinical or medical environment. Development of this process was agreed upon and members were encouraged to participate in the further development of the idea in future planning/Chapter meetings. The 2012-2013 Budget was approved and officers were elected: Michelle Viesselman as 2nd Vice-President, & Brad Enerson was re-elected as Chapter Treasurer. Speakers Lisa Cooper (NSBMT) and Sally Hacking (FSMTB) also updated members on activities in each of their representative organizations.
Raffles were won by some VERY fortunate Winners: amongst the prizes were a massage table/bolster/sheet set, stool, Biofreeze Retail Starter kits, t-shirts, a 2012 World Massage Festival full Registration, a $250 Lomi Lomi class gift certificate & online Ethics courses, registration for a CEH-earning Bodies…the Exhibition guided tour, books, DVDs, and more!
Sponsors donating time, product samples, and prizes for the raffle benefiting the member-supported activities of the Nevada Chapter include: Biofreeze/Performance Health, Bon Vital, Massage Warehouse, Gensco Laboratories, Boris Prilutsky, Educated Touch, Get In Touch, Massage Pro CE, and the World Massage Festival.
The amta nevada chapter wishes to thank ALL the participants in this year’s State Convention: Attendees, Instructors, Presenters, Sponsors, Hosts, and the Volunteers of the amta nevada chapter!