The 2022 National CERT Conference is being planned by the National CERT Association, in partnership with FEMA Region 6 and hosted by the Galveston CERT Program. The conference will be held August 18 through 20 (pre-conference training August 15-17) at the Galveston Convention Center at the San Luis Resort, 5600 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, TX 77551.
- Visit the Conference Website for more information: Conference Website
- Sign up for the 2022 National CERT Conference email list here: Conference Email List
- Download the latest 2022 National CERT Conference update and draft agenda here: 2022 National CERT Conference Updates
Agenda Highlights
The conference features three days of pre-conference training and 2.5 days of main conference sessions. Currently seven training courses are being offered during pre-conference training. The eight breakout sessions during the main conference, currently include five CERT supplemental training modules and 44 breakout presentations. Some standout agenda items include:
- Plenary presentation by Aaron Levy, Director of the Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) at FEMA headquarters on “Supporting and Growing CERT in the 2020s: FEMA’s Commitment to the CERT Community.”
- Pilot delivery of a CERT Master Instructor course during pre-conference training, designed to develop instructors for the CERT Program Manager and/or Train-the-Trainer courses
- Equity panel featuring equity leaders and champions across the nation
- Pilot delivery of a four-hour CERT Donations Management Support Module
- Teen CERT Train-the-Trainer annex
- Breakout Sessions for Program Managers, Instructors, Volunteers, Youth Preparedness, Technology, and Disaster Response/Emergency Management
All conference plenary sessions and at least one presentation per breakout session will have American Sign Language interpretation. Live closed captioning will also be available during the plenary sessions and some breakout sessions.
Dinner, Dancing, Karaoke — and a Talent Show?
In 2018, the National CERT Conference in Florida introduced karaoke. In 2019, the California CERT Conference added dinner and dancing. On Friday, August 19, 2022, the NCA is taking it to the next level. There will be dinner, dancing, karaoke, and possibly a talent show. Conference attendees are welcome to purchase an additional dinner for any guests they want to bring. Guests can join for dancing and karaoke for free. Want to show off a talent? Enter your information here: CERT Talent Show. If we get enough submissions, we will have a talent show during dinner.
Welcome Reception
There will be a welcome reception on Wednesday, August 17. Conference attendees will be able to register and get their conference packet earlier in the day. In the evening, food will be available for participants as they mingle and meet new people.
Food and Stuff We All GET (SWAG)
Lunch will be provided during pre-conference training (for pre-conference registrants) and Thursday and Friday during the main conference (for all conference registrants). Dinner will be provided on Friday, August 20th. Coffee, iced-tea, and juice will be available Thursday and Friday mornings and afternoons, and Saturday morning. The first 600 participants who register for the conference will receive a conference T-shirt and a special edition conference challenge coin. Additional Conference Challenge coins may be purchased as supplies last.
Conference Registration
Visit the 2022 National CERT Conference website for more information and to register for the conference.
Pricing
Conference registration is $500 (plus taxes and fees) for attendees that for are paid for their CERT related work and whose agency is covering their cost to attend the conference. Choose General when registering.
To support volunteers, CERT volunteers can register for $330 (before taxes and fees). Choose CERT when registering. This includes volunteers that are covering their own costs or have their costs covered by their agencies.
Hotels
The conference will be held at the Galveston Convention Center at the San Luis Resort located at 5600 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77551. There is a conference rate available at the Hilton hotel for $129 single occupancy and $169/night for double occupancy (plus taxes and fees). Click here to reserve rooms at any of these hotels.
Airports
The closest major airport is the William P Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston. This airport is about 40 miles away from the convention center. The NCA is providing a limited number of courtesy pickups and drop-offs at the hotel for conference participants. Directions for how to book a pickup and drop-off will be available on the conference website at a later date.
The other airport option is George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which is on the farther side of Houston.
Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors
If you are interested in being a sponsor or exhibitor for this conference, please contact jamie@nationalcert.org. You can download the Conference Sponsor and Exhibitor packet here: Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors.
This article first appeared in the quarterly Individual and Community Preparedness Newsletter. Subscribe here. Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov .