FAQ

The 114^th AAFCS Annual Conference will take place from June 22 to June 27, 2023, in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor.

The AAFCS Annual Conference is for anyone interested in family and consumer sciences and related topics whether you are a member or not! If you have an interest in people-centered sciences -- this conference is for you!

FCS topics and professional development, research and showcases led by experts in the field are provided in the conference for professionals and students in education and training, food science and nutrition, health management and wellness, housing and interior design, human/child development and family relations, personal and family finance, textiles, apparel and retailing and culinary arts, hospitality and tourism. Attendance is not limited to current FCS professionals or students—if you find the subject matter valuable, we want to see you in Baltimore! Input from people studying or working in all sorts of content areas and practice settings is what makes FCS such a valuable and important field.

Learn more about family and consumer sciences here. 

Educational Sessions include those sessions that were formerly known as Concurrent Sessions and Sessions of Special Interest. They must fit into one of five strands as well as one of three session learning formats. They offer value to the conference by means of education, information, or professional development to attendees.

• Educational Tools and Resources
• Inclusion, Access, Equity, and Diversity
• Leadership, Advocacy and Collaboration
• Research and Scholarship
• Trends and Technology

All sessions are evaluated based on merit by qualified reviewers, and Educational Sessions are blind-reviewed. Proposal submitters will be informed of their proposal's status in February 2023. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact AAFCS at annualconf@aafcs.org. 

You hold a credential if you took an AAFCS competency exam, passed the exam, paid a fee, and continue to pay a maintenance fee and report the required number of Professional Development Units (PDUs). AAFCS offers one broad field credential and four concentration credentials in family and consumer sciences:

• CFCS - Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences
• CFCS-HDFS - Certified in Human Development and Family Studies
• CFCS-HNFS - Certified in Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Science
• CPFFE - Certified Personal and Family Finance Educator
• CNWE - Certified Nutrition and Wellness Educator

Those who would like to obtain one of these credentials should sign up to take a competency exam, pass the exam, and pay a fee.

*A credential category called CFCS-Retired, is available to those who are already certified. Individuals who meet the AAFCS eligibility requirements to be classified as “retired” may opt for the “retired” category of CFCS professionals. 

For more information on obtaining and maintaining AAFCS credentials, contact the FCS Credentialing Center at 703-706-4600, 800-424-8080, or certification@aafcs.org.

AAFCS adds announcements in mid-September for the next conference on the website (aafcs.org), Member Open Forum, the member newsletter AAFCS MATTERS!, and social media. We encourage you to submit your entries (MyAAFCS) when the submissions periods open!

Annually, the upcoming AAFCS Conference registration rates will be posted in January of that year.

Registration will open in late February 2023. You will need your MyAAFCS login information--make sure to use the retrieve password link if you're not sure if you have a MyAAFCS account! Please do not create a new account or all the history/payments/credentials will be lost!

AAFCS does not offer a paper registration form at this time. The registration system is processed through your MyAAFCS account.

When someone registers as unpaid, the confirmation email with the invoice, can be forwarded to someone else to pay for that registration. Payments can be submitted by using the EZ Pay link or mailing in a check or PO. If you have further questions, please contact annualconf@aafcs.org.

Distinguished Service Award Winners and our 50 Plus Year Members will see their special rates when they click on the registration link and log in. If you are expecting a different type of discount and have not already received instructions from your contact person at AAFCS, contact us at annualconf@aafcs.org before registering.
Awardees will receive a complimentary ticket for the event they will receive an award at. Awardees can purchase extra tickets for family members and friends in MyAAFCS as badges and tickets are scanned at the entrance. 

All presenters whose sessions are accepted must register for the conference at the full or one-day rate. Presenters at meal functions who will not be attending the rest of conference do not have to register, but must purchase a meal ticket or check with the person who contacted them to present to verify if the ticket will be purchased by the Community/Group.

All registrations include the all sessions in the Schedule-At-A-Glance. Click here to see Ticketed Events which require you purchase the ticket in your MyAAFCS account before the cutoff, June 9th. NEW this year: Welcome Reception and Marketplace: Made in Maryland, $15 ticketed event. Please Note: most Governance meetings are by invitation-only; please contact AAFCS or the leader of that AAFCS Community or Group to check if you may attend.

We’re happy to fill out any form your employer requires. Our W-9 is here, and you can email us at annualconf@aafcs.org to fill out any other forms.

The official hotel of the 2023 AAFCS Conference is the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor. AAFCS has partnered with the hotel to provide our conference attendees with superb negotiated rates on guestrooms during the conference. Members are welcome to post on the Member Open Forum if they seek room-sharing. 

You are not required to stay at the hotel; however, staying at the hotel at the special discounted AAFCS conference rate does help AAFCS, so we certainly hope that you will! Plus, there are so many benefits to staying in the conference hotel - book at our special rate. Learn more about hotel's cleanliness, amenities, eateries, and the neighboring areas, safety and things to do in Baltimore. 

Many transportation options to/from the hotel (NOTE: there are no free shuttles to/from hotel). Please review the webpage on Getting to Baltimore where you will find more information from the airport to the hotel.

We encourage you to review this flyer on safety in Baltimore before leaving this page.

Children are welcome! We ask that no children under 15 enter the AAFCS Conference sessions and events unaccompanied. We also ask that you use your judgment regarding whether your child is being disruptive and be cognizant of your child’s safety. Note: Before signing up your child for an Educational Excursion, please contact AAFCS at annualconf@aafcs.org to confirm that children are welcome at off-site locations.

Infants are welcome to attend any session, and parents are welcome to nurse anywhere at the AAFCS Annual Conference.

Please make sure to note your requested special accommodations in the Special Needs section when you complete your online registration (MyAAFCS). Please let us know how we can help.

Please click here and expand the harassment policy section to learn more! We take attendees' safety and comfort very seriously, and all participants in the Annual Conference must agree to the harassment policy to attend.

Future AAFCS Conferences:

• 2024: Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN June 5^th-10^th