We are grateful for our exhibitors, small distillers, and sponsors. I want to give a special shout-out to our sponsors because without them we would not have been able to provide a conference of such exceptional quality. Thank you to Nishant Aromas, Nature’s Gift, Elizabeth Van Buren, The Miller’s Daughter, Aromahead Institute, Aromatics International, the American College of Healthcare Sciences, Nature’s Sunshine, Essential Health, Cary Caster, Sylla Sheppard-Hanger, Faeve Apothecary, Airmid Institute, The International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy, Aromatic Chat, AromaWeb, Botanica 2024, Aromatic Hologram, and the Canadian Alliance of Aromatherapy. We also want to thank all who contributed to our swag bags - they overflowed with fun and functional items and our attendees loved them.

We owe a special thanks to all who attended the conference and all who have or will purchase the online presentations. I sincerely enjoyed meeting new friends and spending time with friends I hadn’t seen for years. When we asked about our attendees’ experience, many talked about the presentations, and just as many said the opportunity to spend time with diverse, interesting, and caring people in a safe, respectful environment was one of their greatest joys.

I also want to share my joy every time I reflect on the gala. We had many choices of inspirational award nominees. The winner of the President’s Award was Meredith Murdock, AIA treasurer and conference co-chair. She has truly been an asset and champion of AIA throughout my presidency. The winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award was Kelly Ablard for many reasons including her work related to sustainability and protection of medicinal and aromatic plants. We had a tie for the Lifetime Achievement Award, so we gave it to both. Jeanne Rose was one of the two winners and Carol Scheidel shared a detailed, interesting, and funny account of one of our original aromatherapy influencers. Marge Clark was our other Lifetime Achievement Award winner. She had covid but wasn’t going to miss the gala, so she attended on FaceTime. Marge has been a friend, motivator, and role model for many of us. She talked about her career and shared a hilarious story that involved Jeanne Rose. The food was fabulous as it had been for the entire conference, and then the dancing started. Three generations filled the dance floor, moving non-stop to various dance genres, including line dancing and break dancing. If you don’t believe it, watch the video on Instagram. We could not have had more fun!! 💖

I sometimes smile at random moments and my family knows I am thinking about the 2024 AIA Conference. Many attendees have volunteered in various ways to stay connected and make AIA even better. I echo the sentiments of many attendees when I say that I am looking forward to our next conference. AIA began in Colorado and that is where we will reconnect in 2026 for AIA’s 20th anniversary. I’m eager to see you at our AIA committee meetings, webinars, representative events, and hopefully in Colorado.