Conference FAQs

General | Presenters | Exhibitors

General

What is Heartbeat International? Heartbeat International® is the first network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. and the most expansive in the world. Since 1971, Heartbeat has supported, strengthened and started more than 1,500 pregnancy centers. Currently, Heartbeat serves over 1,100 affiliates in 47 countries to provide alternatives to abortion. 

We are a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian association of faith-based pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and nonprofit adoption agencies endorsed by Christian leaders nationwide. Click here to learn more.  

Who should attend the Annual Conference? Heartbeat’s Annual Conference is designed for ministry leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers of life-affirming pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and non-profit adoption agencies, as well as professionals in the areas of medicine, counseling, social work, and education.  

When and where is the Annual Conference being held?

Hotel: Los Angeles Airport Marriott
5855 West Century Boulevard | Los Angeles, California 90045
1-800-228-9290

Room Rate: $139/Night (Single/Double Rooms)
Click here to receive the Heartbeat room rate!
(In order to receive the reduced rate, you must make your reservations by March 11, 2012)
Group Code: hbihbia

Heartbeat reconciles our registration list with the hotel's reservation list before conference to double-check that all our guests are receiving the contracted room rate.

Complimentary Shuttle Available

The Marriott's complimentary shuttle service provides guests easy access to and from the Los Angeles International Airport. Pickup for guests arriving at LAX is outside the baggage claim area below the red sign for hotel pickup. Hotel pickup is located in front of the hotel. No reservations are required.

Parking

  • On-site parking, fee: $10.00 USD daily
  • Valet parking, fee: $35.20 USD daily
  • Overnight Guests - Self $10.00, Valet $35.20; Rates per day. Valet 310-337-5374

What time will the conference begin and end?  Registration for the In-Depth Day on Monday, March 26, 2012 will open at 8:00 a.m. and sessions will run until around 5:00 p.m.  Registration for the Conference and the Exhibit Hall will open at 8:00 on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.  The opening lunch for the Conference begins at 11:30 a.m. on March 27. We anticipate the Closing Banquet to conclude around 9:00 p.m.  Click here for a quick schedule of events.

Will continuing education units be available at the Annual Conference?

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) and Designation Certificates are offered again this year.

Life-Affirming Specialist (LAS)
LAS application and renewal is offered through Heartbeat International, an approved provider (# 01-0710). This conference is preapproved by the International Institute of Education Standards (IIES).

For Nurses
The Medical Matters Track workshops have been submitted to the Ohio Nurses Association for approval toward contact hours. The Ohio Nurses Association (OBN-001-91) is accredited as an approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

There is no commercial support or sponsorship for this event.  Criteria for successful completion include attendance at the entire event and submission of a completed evaluation form.  Partial credit can be awarded.

For Social Workers & Marriage & Family Therapists
CEUs are offered for a fee through our cosponsor, Seminars 2000.  This conference is preapproved and/or meets the requirements of most states.

For Lawyers
The L. A. Law (Life-Affirming Law) in-depth day training is being offered for 6 hours of MCLE, including 1 hour in legal ethics, pending approval by the State Bar of California.

What is the registration process? The easiest thing to do is to register online with your credit card.  Click here to register now. 

Can I pay with a check?  Not online.  Click here to download a registration form.

Will I receive a receipt in the mail?  Registratrants will receive an email confirmation and eReceipt in the email inbox noted in the registration.  This is your paid receipt.  Please print it for your files.  Make certain that HeartbeatInternational.com is on your email's safe list to prevent email communications from going into your Spam/Junk mail. 

If you registered and did NOT receive a receipt, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will send your receipt within 1 business day. 

Is there a group discount available? Heartbeat does all we can to keep costs as low as possible for all our attendees.   Because of this, we do not offer discounts for groups.

Why am I getting a "Duplicate Transaction" error? Depending on the security settings of your credit card, you may receive this error when registering multiple people.  When the same credit card is used multiple times within a few minutes, a red flag appears and it halts the transaction.  When registering multiple people on one card, you may need to register a couple of people, wait an hour, and then register some more.  Using a different card will also resolve this issue.  We apologize for this inconvenience. 

Can I transfer my registration to someone else in my company in the event I cannot attend? Yes you may!  Simply submit a request to us at email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I'm bringing my spouse, can I register him/her for meals only?  Yes.  Please complete this form and fax/mail/email it to Heartbeat International with payment included.  Meal registration includes all conference meals and the keynotes at that time.  (Lunches Tuesday-Thursday and dinners Tuesday and Thursday.)

What if I need to cancel? Full refunds may be issued until 12:00 a.m. EST (midnight) March 5, 2012.  A 50% refund is available from 12:00 a.m. EST March 5, 2012–March 16, 2012.  No refunds will be issued past 12:00 a.m. EST March 16, 2012.

Are the sessions being recorded for purchase?  Yes.  EGAMI will be recording all the workshop sessions (not the in-depth trainings) for purchase both on-site and post-conference.

What is the attire for the Annual Conference?  Th attire is Business Casual.  Also, due to the variation of guests in each workshop, the temperature will be set at 68 degrees.  We recommend bringing a sweater in case you get cold.

What is the weather like in Los Angeles? At this time of the year, the typical weather is low 70's and mostly sunny.  What a time to get away! 

What is the best airport to use for the Annual Conference? Los Angeles Worlds Airports (LAX) is the recommended airport.  The Marriott's complimentary shuttle service provides guests easy access to and from the LAX.  Pickup for guests arriving at LAX is outside the baggage claim area below the red sign for hotel pickup. Hotel pickup is located in front of the hotel. No reservations are required.

How long does it take to get to/from the airport and what does it cost? The airport is located about a mile from the Marriott. 

Where can I find more information about Los Angeles attractions? Discover Los Angeles is a great source of information for local events. (http://discoverlosangeles.com/)

Who can I contact if I have any further questions regarding the Annual Conference? Please feel free to contact Heartbeat via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or simply call the office at 614-885-7577.

Presenters

Can I apply to present a session at the Annual Conference? We are no longer accepting applications to speak.

If I am presenting at the conference, do I need to register for the conference?  Yes!  Please remember that anyone who will be attending the conference needs to register!

Do I need to book my hotel room and make my own travel arrangements?  All conference registrants are responsible for their conference travel and hotel arrangements.

Exhibitors

Are there any sponsorships or exhibit spaces available at the Annual Conference? Yes!  Click here for all marketing opportunities.

If I want to exhibit at the conference, do I need to pay for the conference?  Your exhibitor registration includes the exhibit booth, conference workshops and keynote addresses, and conference materials for up to two people.  You do not need to complete an additional registration form.  For additional booth representatives, please note on your exhibitor form and/or contact Heartbeat directly.

Do I need to book my hotel room and make my own travel arrangements?  All conference registrants are responsible for their conference travel and hotel arrangements.

  1. here and when is this year's conference?
    The 2011 AFCPE Annual Conference will be held November 16-18, 2011 in Jacksonville, FL.  More detailed information about the upcoming conference, including registration, hotel information, and airport transportation can be found here.
  2. What are the dates and locations for future conferences?
    Future conference dates and locations can be found here.
  3. How can I register for the conference?
    Registrations are accepted by fax, mail or internet.  Registration information will be available in the spring of 2011.
  4. How do I know if I should pay the member or non-member rate for the conference?
    There are two ways to indicate AFCPE member status.
    1. If you paid the annual member dues of $100 for the current conference year, you are entitled to the member registration price. 
    2. If you attended the conference the previous year, you automatically received a complimentary membership for the following year.  For example, if you attended the AFCPE Conference in 2010, you are a member for 2011. 
  5. Am I a member of AFCPE since I paid my certification annual fees?
    The certification program and membership are completely separate.  Membership dues are paid annually.  Membership dues are $100.  The student membership rate is $35.

    If you have successfully completed the certification program, you will pay an annual fee to maintain your designation ($45 for AFC or $60 for CHC). 

    If you would like to become a member in addition to maintaining your designation, you would need to pay both the certification annual fee and the membership dues annually.
  6. If I am presenting at the conference, do I need to register for the conference?
    Yes! Please remember that anyone who will be attending the conference needs to register!
  7. Do I need to book my hotel room and make my own travel arrangements?
    All conference registrants are responsible for their conference travel and hotel arrangements.
  8. If I want to exhibit at the conference, do I need to pay for the conference?
    Exhibitor registration fees will be available in the spring of 2011.  The price will include the exhibit booth, conference registration, meals, conference materials for 1 person, and complimentary 2012 AFCPE membership dues.
 

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