2008 National Conference

November 5-7 2008
Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Chicago

The national conference serves as the center-point of the movement to create a world free of MS. Register today to join other leaders in the movement at the 2008 National MS Society National Conference.

This year’s conference will celebrate progress in the movement; motivate people to enhance their leadership roles; and educate leaders on key organizational directions, initiatives and challenges.

Come to Celebrate!
The conference will provide many exciting opportunities for leaders to mark progress in the movement toward a world free of MS. Attendees will be treated to a fabulous “Taste of Chicago” Welcome Reception with special food, entertainment and a warm ‘windy city’ welcome by local Chicago “legends.” We will celebrate and honor the Society’s most inspiring and devoted volunteers at the Volunteer Hall of Fame reception (by invitation). We will also recognize the incredible contributions of a variety of outstanding leaders, partners and volunteers from around the country at festive, star-studded celebration.

Get Inspired!
Attendees will be motivated by inspiring personal stories of many who face the challenges of living with MS in their daily lives. The conference will provide many opportunities for you to share your own stories and talents as well, while networking with other energetic leaders. Attendees will also hear keynote addresses by Joyce Nelson, President and CEO of the National MS Society, and National Board Chair Weyman Johnson, who also lives with MS.

Leave Motivated!
We will hear from Malcolm Gladwell, author of best-selling books Blink and The Tipping Point, about how people’s individual actions around a common cause create a ‘tipping point.’ You will learn what it takes to create a tipping point in your community and how your involvement in the MS movement, individually and collectively, will make a difference in people’s lives. A variety of workshops, poster presentations and chat rooms will provide exceptional, hands-on learning experiences for all.

For the first time, the conference will be held in conjunction with the National MS Society’s Research Fellows conference (by invitation only). This provides a unique opportunity for attendees to interact with renowned MS researchers from across the country. A special research lunch will feature prominent researcher, Stephen L. Hauser, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco.