Phoenix World Burn Congress: Reimagined

Phoenix World Burn Congress (WBC) began in 1985, developed by burn survivors, for burn survivors, to identify and understand the issues that impact the daily lives of those associated with burn trauma. Since its inception, the event has transformed into an annual international conference that provides education, support programs, and comprehensive resources to support and increase knowledge of burn recovery. The event was initially named the Mid-Atlantic Conference at its inception. However, it was renamed National Burn Congress in 1986, World Burn Congress in 1989, and World Burn Congress III in 1990, before being renamed Phoenix World Burn Congress in 2013. The event was held in over 20 different locations before being changed to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and has not returned in person since that time.   

Registration will open on Monday, April 3rd! We will be offering tiered pricing, which means there will be a registration price for survivors, loved ones, friends, and families and another price for Phoenix partners, healthcare professionals, and corporate teams. Our Phoenix WBC survey results revealed that supporters are willing to pay a higher registration rate to keep the cost lower for the survivor and loved ones. We are also offering early-bird pricing, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible to take advantage of the savings! 

Early Bird Registration: April 3rd - September 1st

Survivors + Loved Ones: $415

Supporters: $590

Regular Registration: September 2nd - October 7th

Survivors + Loved Ones: $500

Supporters: $700

To help attendees plan and prepare for their trip to National Harbor, MD, we have put together an Anticipated Expense and Planning Sheet. The sheet includes information on registration fees, travel tips, nearby food options, and fundraising ideas for those seeking assistance with Phoenix WBC expenses.

We have a room block available at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. The room rate including the daily resort fee is $261/night + tax, for an anticipated total of $308/night. Three nights at the convention center, including tax, is approximately $924/room.

Visit our online portal to book your reservation. You’ll need to enter your check-in date, check-out date, number of rooms, and number of guests before selecting your room. Once your room is selected, you will need to enter your contact information and payment method.

Important Hotel Notes

• Through the online portal linked above, you can book, modify, or cancel your hotel reservations.

• We have a very limited number of ADA accessible rooms available for Phoenix WBC. While these are available on a first-come, first-served basis, please be considerate of your fellow attendees and only book an ADA room if you or someone in your party has a legitimate medical need.

• If you have concerns about your individual situation and would like more information on room dimensions or need other accommodations (such as close proximity to an elevator), please contact us and we will do our best to help. We want a positive experience for all of our attendees

• Reservations must be made on or before September 4, 2023, at 11:59 EST to be eligible for the group rate.

• For those booking group reservations: There is a limit on the number of rooms you can book at one time. Please consider how many rooms your group will truly need before booking your reservations. If you overbook and do not have attendees to fill your reservation, please contact Phoenix Society directly at info@phoenix-society.org. We typically have a waitlist for room cancelations and can get you connected with someone to fill your block.

If you are having any difficulty with booking a room, please contact info@phoenix-society.org.

While we are not planning on holding an independent full youth program this year, we are hopeful to work with our partners to offer a session (or two!) dedicated to youth impacted by a burn injury. Stay tuned for more details!

Additionally, certain learning sessions and wellness center programming will be kid-friendly. Once the schedule is finalized, we will note on the agenda which sessions are kid-friendly.

If you child(ren) are participating in Phoenix WBC programming, they must be registered for the event.

The new format is based on the content that the community ranked as the most important part of Phoenix WBC – which means that we will let go of a few historical programs and social events and condense our learning sessions to make the event impactful and sustainable.

• Schedule: We will hold the in-person Phoenix WBC event every other year instead of every year. This will allow the community to plan further into the future and allow the organization to provide impactful and sustainable programming. The every-other-year format also allows us to have other events or partner with organizations for offerings on the off years.

• Walk of Solidarity: A reimagined Walk of Remembrance that helps unite the entire community, offers a chance to advocate for burn prevention, and brings a voice for what matters to that impacted by a burn injury.

• Wellness and Vendor Fair: An updated Exhibit hall with opportunities to meet organizations and companies that support the burn community. Learn about services, products, and connections that might be available for you! Take a wellness class and learn a new (or re-experience) skill you can take with you after Phoenix WBC ends.

• First-Time Attendee Event: We know that people are overwhelmed the first time they experience Phoenix WBC, and we want to make the experience as supported as possible - So we created a First-Time Attendee Event where attendees can learn how to navigate the event, what the different types of sessions are, and how to get support.

• Engagement Opportunities: We're adding meet-up groups, a buddy system, and pre- and post- Phoenix WBC events to keep attendees connected all year long!

While Phoenix WBC will not be live streamed, we will capture the sessions' content and show them virtually on-demand after the in-person event has ended. 

Phoenix Society will not be distributing scholarships directly. We have encouraged past participants to reach out to their local burn units, foundations, and community resources like the fire department, places of worship, community centers, etc. 

We will be distributing a printable flyer that can be provided to any of the above organizations that outlines the event and highlights anticipated expenses.

Yes, we intend to offer CEU credits for applicable sessions.  

Yes, there are sponsorships and event participation spots available for the event. Please review our Sponsorship and Exhibitor Packet for more information about sponsorship opportunities. If you have any questions or would like to discuss opportunities further, please contact Jill Dooley at jdooley@phoenix-society.org.

Phoenix World Burn Congress will be held from October 4 - 7, 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD!

We will hold the in-person Phoenix WBC event every other year instead of every year. This will allow the community to plan further into the future and allow the organization to provide impactful and sustainable programming. The every-other-year format also allows us to have other events or partner with organizations for offerings on the off years.

The event will be from October 4 - 7, 2023. You can anticipate a ½ day, 2 full days, ½ day. In total, the event will span over four (4) days.

• For general questions: Megan Tinney, PhoenixWBC@phoenix-society.org

• For Marketing, Media or Press, or Messaging questions: Rachel Kudlak, randerson@phoenix-society.org

• For Sponsorships: Jill Dooley, jdooley@phoenix-society.org