The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference Photography at Hyatt La Jolla

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference photography at Hyatt La Jolla. The three days of San Diego event photography captured general sessions, special speakers, reception, poster session, vendor exhibit, and more. The multi-day conference attracted about 450 ALS/MND healthcare professionals to the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for the biennial ALS conference.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

Throughout the three days, the clinical conference photography captured attendees and speakers sharing current information on best practices and guidelines, multidisciplinary team care and coordination, ALS-relevant programs and services, research updates, technology for therapies, respiratory devices and augmentative communication, as well as professional networking opportunities. Some of the special speakers even featured two people with ALS and their families, who spoke about life with ALS.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons  die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. ALS recently received more attention through the ice bucket challenge, where participants had bucket of ice and water dumped on their heads in order to raise awareness and funding for ALS research.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

Day One of the ALS 2016 Clinical Conference photography began with shots of the General Session which included ALS Executive Vice President Calaneet Balas’ presentation in the Hyatt La Jolla’s Aventine Ballroom; Ms. Balas is also Chief Executive Office of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Photography of her presentation, audiences reactions, and a questions and answers season was followed by more event photography of Jill Yersak, PhD, Manager of Research Communications at The ALS Association. The clinical conference photography of these and other presentations was next followed by a lunch session which featured two speakers: Steven Becvar, the San Diego Chapter Executive; and, Barb Newhouse, The ALS Association CEO.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

Day Two of the ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference photography began with the Plenary Session that opened with ALS CEO Barb Newhouse and San Diego Chapter Executive Steve Becvar who gave an introduction to special speaker Coach Steve Fisher of the San Diego State University Basketball program. Afterward the Plenary Session one of the special speakers was Mr. Richard Isaacs who spoke about life with ALS. Mr. Isaccs was joined by his wife and son. Following their presentation, the clinical conference photography focused on capturing the couple of dozen vendors and exhibitors in the Vicino Ballroom of the Hyatt La Jolla.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

Day Three of the ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference photography began with capturing the presentation of another individual with ALS, Don Akers, who together with his wife Berkley, shared their life story. As with Mr. Isacc’s presentation, the Akers’ presentation was very well received and much appreciated by their audiences. Event photography of the networking lunch followed the Akers’ presentation, and after that the clinical conference photography captured the poster presentation.

All of the images captured during the 14 hours of clinical conference photography were processed then provided to the ALS Association in three separate photography products. The first photography product was a slideshow of several hundred images, one show for each day for a total slideshow time of about 30 minutes, which the ALS Association displayed during their Celebration Dinner.

The ALS Association 2016 Clinical Conference - Hyatt La Jolla Conference - San Diego Event Photographer AbounaPhoto

The second photography product for the ALS was a password-protected online gallery of all images, organized by shoot day, which they can share with conference attendees who many then view, download or prints images. And the third clinical conference photography product for the ALS Association is the ability to download all images from the conference, again organized by shoot day, and in two resolutions; a lower resolution for social media and web, and a higher resolution for printing.

In addition to the selection of some photographer’s favorite photos in this post, you can also see the complete gallery of all The ALS Association’s 2016 Clinical Conference photography at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla on my San Diego Event Photographer Client Galleries page (password required).

For more information about this photography for events like this or for other types of events, please contact us at andrew@abounaphoto.com or 619-997-4707.

 

About The ALS Association

In 1985, The ALS Association was established as the only national non-profit organization for fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. The ALS Associations 2016 Clinical Conference