ABS International is pleased to announce the 2009 International Congress of Professional Development for Teachers of English to be held on February 24, 25 and 26, 2009 in Buenos Aires, Argentina at Universidad de Palermo.
The Conference aims to offer a weekend of professional development through presentations, workshops and discussion groups focusing on ELT.

The 2009 International Conference of Professional Development for Teachers of English welcomes proposals for lectures and workshops focusing on practical ideas, examples of best-practice and how common problems might be addressed.
This may be your opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with hundreds of people in the ELT field.

It is the responsibility of the Selecting Committee to evaluate all proposals and select a high quality variety of workshops that will meet the needs of a diverse audience.
The Call for Papers is open to all professionals in the ELT field who are willing to deliver lectures, workshops, or discussion groups.
Proposals for presentations in any of the suggested topic areas are welcome.


The Selecting Committee will review all abstracts and will select those which...

a. have a direct relationship to the conference and are relevant to the audience
b. have a clear and precise organization
c. guarantee the Committee that the speaker knows the subject
d. guarantee the Committee that the presenter has extensive experience and success in conducting teacher-training seminars.
e. are not used to promote or sell the products or services of the speaker or others.


The standard length for presentations will be of 75 minutes.
While the assumption is that presentations will be largely speaker-centered, presenters are nonetheless encouraged to include and involve their audience, presenting in such a way as to stimulate the interest of the audience. For this reason we strongly discourage the reading aloud of written papers.

To submit a proposal, please tap into:
http://www.abs-international.com.ar/CP2009-call.htm

Past Presenters Say it Best!
Dear Laura,

I mentioned this to you in person, but would like to reiterate that my experience at the conference was absolutely unforgettable! Shash and I reached back to LA on time and in once piece. He says thank to you for getting him over to Argentina too. He wouldn't have really thought about visiting if it were not the conference I was going to. Overall, our trip from Ushuaia to Iguazu via Buenos Aires was a very memorable one and we are completely in love with Argentina, its food, its people, and of course, the alfajores! We are officially on a sugar-free diet starting today to balance out the helados, the chocolate, and the flans we had every single day of our stay in Argentina. J

This conference was my first experience of 100% motivation, dedication to the profession, and eagerness to learn among the audience. The arrangements were fantastic – how couldn't they be considering your impeccable planning and personal attention to every detail! Miguel was also phenomenal at keeping track of changes and needs of the participants and exhibitors alike. I was completely impressed with everything I saw and experienced there and also want to convey my thanks for introducing me to a few key contacts.

Laura, I thank you again for the opportunity and hope that you also feel you had a good conference. I am looking forward to really re-establish our connection with Argentina through you and to all our future endeavors together. We'll stay in touch!

Best,

Ms. Tarana Patel, University of California, Riverside

Dear Laura,
I would like to congratulate you all!!!! The conference was an outstanding
experience which I enjoyed not only as a speaker but also as a participant in
other terrific workshops from excellent colleagues!!!! I would also like to
point out the animated and friendly audience always willing to participate,
interested and kind. Congratulations once more and thank you for enlightening
our profession!
Vivian

Prof.Vivian Suárez
Coordinadora Académica
Alianza Pocitos-Punta Carretas, URUGUAY

Hi Laura,
Yes, I'm back at work after having a wonderful trip to your beautiful city and
country. I absolutely loved Buenos Aires. My daughter, her friend, and I took a
city bus tour on Saturday and saw many beautiful sites.
I especially liked La Boca because of the vivid colors and energy.
The girls really liked the Recoleta, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

I think the conference was fabulous! You did an outstanding job keeping the
speakers informed prior to arriving at the conference. Whenever I've presented
before, I always have at least one unanswered question, but not this time. You
and your staff did a great job!

You especially have a way in which you made me feel as if I were the most
important person at the conference, and I'm sure you did that for everyone.
Your enthusiasm and energy are contagious and are the reasons that the
conference is so well attended.

The location was great and easily accessible. The people working there were very
helpful and friendly, too. Everything ran on time, and the equipment worked,
which certainly isn't always the case at other conferences. The audience was
also exceptional.

My only wish would be that either you lived here in Portland or I lived in
Buenos Aires so that we could work together. I hope to be able to attend again
next year. And if you're ever up in my neck of the woods, please let me know so
I can take care of you!!!

Judy Reed, Portland State University

Dear Laura: Thank YOU for being so kind and caring. It was a pleasure 'being part' of the congress and meeting people from all parts of the world and making new friends, while consolidating old friendships.
You and your husband deserve to be as successful as you both are.
C U anytime
Warmest regards,
Silvia Scnitzler

Dear Laura,

Cathy and I came back to the States safe and sound. We've been talking
about writing you a thank-you note, but haven't been able to do so
since we have been on strike almost right after we came back.

We wanted to let you know how wonderfully organized the conference was
and what a spectacular audience we had. To be honest with you, we
didn't know what to expect before we left as we knew little about ABS
and the conference for the English language coordinators and directors
of students. Well, judging from the name of the conference, we knew
that it was a conference we wouldn't want to miss. Having been there
to attend several wonderful sessions and the opportunity to talk to a
large audience showing up at our session, we were truly impressed.
Since we came back, we have received numerous messages from those who
attended our session. Some of them asked for our Power-point notes and
others interested in exploring various issues related to teacher
supervision and assessment.

Cathy and I have been to many national and international conferences.
We wanted to let you know that the ABS conference was one of the best.
The attendance of each session was impressive. We were
also impressed by how engaged the audience was. We were touched by the
end of the session that many supervisors came up to us seeking advice
for some challenging situations that they'd been experiencing at
work. .... This was one of the most rewarding presentations we have
given. We were so pleased that supervisors, program directors and
teachers walked away from the session, feeling that they knew the
challenge facing them in terms of supervision and what they could do
to make a difference. To this end, we sure have achieved our
objective of traveling this far to get the message across.

We thank you for organizing such a wonderful conference, giving us the
opportunity to share our work and engage local supervisors and
directors to conduct further research to improve the quality of
teacher supervision in Argentina. We also wanted to thank you for
everything you have done to make our stay in Buenos Aires a memorable
experience.

Best,
Wendy Wang, USA

Hi Laura,
I can honestly say that I was very impressed by the conference. It was well organized, and very well-attended.
I thought the exhibition area was super--I found a number of books that I haven't seen at TESOL. And I really liked your conference book.
If I'm lucky enough to be able to come to another conference.
My session was great--the participants were lively and really interacted well with each other.
Thanks for the photos. I was so busy that I forgot to take my own.
It was a great experience, and I am full of admiration for you!

Best regards,
Alison Rice, New York

Dear Laura,
We are back home after the great time that Cem and I spent in Buenos Aires. Thank you for your professionalism, hospitality and more importantly wonderful personality! The conference was very well organised and has been a memorable one for all the participants and the presenters. I believe the ABS team deserves a big thank you for the time and effort that they put to make it possible! Well done guys, you achieved it! Look forward to seeing you here at Sabanci University Conference in May in Istanbul.
I Look forward to hearing from you !
Lots of love,

Meral Guceri
Sabanci University , Turkey


Laura dear! Thank you!

The possibilities of connecting that you provide can be a benefit just by itself.

I enjoyed the conference and Friday night dinner very much,.

Looking forward to creating possibilities together.

Take care and take a rest… now that you can.

Big hugs to you and Miguel!

Claudia Raffo Mendoza

Performance Consultant & Coach

Out of the Box! Chile

Dear Laura,

The pleasure was ours. We enjoyed being with you in Buenos Aires and the great interaction we had with the group of ELT professionals who attended our presentation. Needless to say, we had an exciting time in our first visit to Argentina, and to Latin America for that matter. It is a trip we can easily see ourselves taking again.

Many thanks to you and your team for giving us a chance to interact with a group of wonderful people.

Kassim Shaaban, American University of Beirut
United Arab Emirates

Dear Laura,

First things first: I again wanted to congratulate you on a wonderful conference.
It was very stimulating and rich in ideas and sights. I enjoyed the whole
experience thoroughly both as a speaker and as a participant.

Thanks again for everything, I really had a great time. Hope to hear from
you soon,

Silvia Laborde
Montevideo, Uruguay

Laura
I´ve got some very positive feedback not only on my session but on the congress as a whole and I´d like to congratulate you and the other organizers for this kind of event speaks very highly of the quality of EFL teaching in Argentina. Congrats from Brazil!!!!!
Kyria Finardi, Brazil

Please note that the closing date for receipt of proposals is November 7, 2008. 5:00 p.m.

Notification of acceptance: November 14, 2008.

EXHIBITORS

If you offer EFL services or products don´t miss this opportunity to display them at the largest ELT international event in South America!

Participants from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru attend the annual event every year.
PAST EXHIBITORS INCLUDE: