Children With Diabetes Regional Conference and Expo, March 6 - 8, 2009, Toronto Ontario Canada - Professional Diabetes Conferences

Children With Diabetes Regional Conference and Expo, March 6 - 8, 2009, Toronto Ontario Canada

A Regional Conference and Expo
March 6 - 8, 2009
The Marriott Toronto Downtown Eaton Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Learn from experts in pumping ...

... and meet grown ups who pump

Kids learn about the latest in diabetes care products ...

... and teens learn about carbs and calories in fast food

Conference food includes carb counts and a separate gluten free buffet

Why Focus on Pumping?
Efficacy research has shown that using an insulin pump is one of the best ways to manage type 1 diabetes. At Children with Diabetes, many of our children (and parents) are pumpers already, while many more are simply curious about pumping, and still manage diabetes via multiple daily injections (MDI). It is our intent with this conference to offer basic pumping information to those people who are brand new to insulin pumps, and to offer more cutting-edge research information to those people who already know quite a bit about insulin pumps, perhaps wear one, and want to improve their diabetes management.

We hope that the Focus on Pumping conference will help you and your family gain a better understanding of how insulin pumps work, the current technology in pumps now available to people with diabetes in Canada, and the exciting new technology coming down the road both short and long-term.

Some very exciting faculty will be joining us! Stay tuned for details of the program for both the adults and children. Kids sessions will be for the elementary age group (ages 6-9), the tween age group (ages 10-12), and the teen age group (ages 13-17). Childcare will be available for potty-trained children under age 6. Grandparents are most welcome to join us - type 1 diabetes is a family affair!

The Program
The program is designed to run 5 sessions simultaneously during most of the weekend. There will be two-day educational tracks for adults and parents of children with diabetes, school-age children (ages 6-9), tweeners (ages 10-12), and teens (ages 13+). During some sessions, parents will have a choice of two speakers. Sessions will end on Sunday late afternoon. Participants who would like to continue to visit and interact with other CWD families are encouraged to stay over Sunday night and relax poolside or enjoy the many attractions that Toronto has to offer. Please note that all conference participants under the age of 18 must have a parent or adult guardian with them during the entire conference (i.e., teens and children should not be dropped off to participate while parents go elsewhere). This is for health and liability reasons, and there will be no exceptions.

Youth Program Note:
Please note that all children must be with their appropriate age group during sessions. The elementary program is for children ages 6-9; the tween program is for children ages 10-12, and the teen program is for ages 13-18. There is no 'skipping up' or 'skipping down.' This is per our insurance guidelines. No exceptions are allowed.

The Conference Venue
The Marriott Toronto Downtown Eaton Centre is located at 525 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario. This property is newly renovated and offers some wonderful space to CWD participants including plenty of meeting room accommodations for all age groups, an indoor swimming pool, several restaurants, a sports bar with big screen tv, and a state of the art fitness center. Single and double room rates are CDN$169 per night plus tax. Each room offers high speed Internet, a 2-line phone with voice mail, cable TV, and a coffee maker with complimentary coffee (and Starbucks downstairs). The Eaton Centre - a four-level mall with many fun shops and restaurants (and two food courts) - is connected via an enclosed walkway to the hotel.

To make your room reservation, you must call the Marriott directly at 800-905-0667. You must identify yourself as being with the Focus on Pumping conference to be included in the CWD room block and to get the preferential group rate.

Reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The room block will be held for CWD until Friday, February 6, 2009. Note that there is a conference registration fee per family and that reserving a room does not register you for the conference. Rates vary according to the date of registration. Please refer to the registration link below for details.

Fun Things To Do
The Focus on Pumping conference will kick-off Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. with a Sponsors Reception. This is a great opportunity for all conference participants (kids and teens, too) to meet each other, browse the exhibits set up by our sponsors, have some great conversation, and enjoy some yummy hors d'oeuvres. The exhibitors will all be set up right outside the main conference ballroom - very accessible for everyone.

Saturday and Sunday mornings, breakfast will be served in the conference ballroom from 7:45-8:45. Sessions will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Beverage breaks will be offered mid-morning and mid-afternoon in the exhibit area. The exhibit area will open in conjunction with the first beverage break at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday at lunch, all conference participants will enjoy a healthy buffet. Again, this is a great time to finish up with your lunch and head to the exhibitors to have discussion after learning new information that morning. The exhibit area will close after lunch on Sunday.

Dinner for all participants begins on Saturday night at 6:30 pm in the main ballroom. There will be an entertainment program that evening for all age groups, so please plan to stay around and enjoy the evening with your new friends!

While the hotel is situated away from the waterfront, it is only a short drive to the waterfront and other cultural destinations. It is well worth spending an extra day sight-seeing if you are from out of town and can take the additional time.

To learn more about the wonderful city of Toronto, see www.toronto.com. And if you're interested in exploring, the Toronto Transit Commission offers one day family passes to help you get around.

Cancellation policy:
Cancellations prior to February 1, 2009 will be refunded minus a $25 processing fee. After February 1, no refunds are available.