Independent ASPB 2026 Conference guide: Edmonton, November 4 to 6
Heading to the Fantasyland Hotel for the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists Conference and AGM? Plan your sessions, pack for an Edmonton November, and bring practical ideas back to your next field season.
Independent guide by Matidor. Our team is attending ASPB 2026, but Matidor is not a sponsor or exhibitor, and this guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASPB.
ASPB 2026 at a glance
Who gets the most out of ASPB 2026
This year's theme is "Supporting Biologists: in the Field and Beyond," with a focus on the tools, regulatory updates and supports behind good biological practice. Here is how different roles can get value from it.
Field and consulting biologists
Catch regulatory updates and new field methods, and compare how peers plan, run and report wildlife, vegetation and wetland programs.
Project managers and team leads
Benchmark how other teams scope survey programs, staff a short field season and move data from the field to the final report.
Students and early-career biologists
Use the student programming, scholarships and networking to meet practising biologists and future employers.
Plan ASPB around next field season, not just the program
The biologists who get the most from a conference arrive with specific questions. Use this four-step plan in the weeks before Edmonton.
Pick your hardest field problems
Choose two or three issues from this season: a survey that ran over budget, data that took too long to clean, or a regulatory question you couldn't answer.
Read the abstracts
Review the workshop, presentation, speed talk and poster abstracts on aspb.ab.ca and mark sessions that match. Add one outside your practice area.
Split the program
Attending with colleagues? Breakout rooms run concurrent presentations, so divide them up and agree on one shared notes format.
Plan your evenings
The Wednesday and Thursday receptions are the easiest place to meet peers. The Thursday banquet dress code is "inspired by your practice area, participation optional."
Questions to ask about field tools and technology
Professional tools and emerging technology are part of this year's theme. These questions help you tell whether a tool will hold up on your surveys, with your crews and within your budget.
Field reality
Does it work with no cell coverage? Ask how data is stored and synced from remote sites.
How long does it take a crew to learn? Training time matters in a short field season.
Can we use our own survey forms? Wildlife, vegetation and wetland protocols differ by client and regulator.
Data quality
Is every record GPS-tagged and timestamped? Location and time context you can stand behind in a report.
How does it handle our GIS layers? Project footprints, setbacks, wetlands and restriction zones.
Can we compare results across seasons? Multi-year monitoring depends on consistent data.
Cost and reporting
What does it cost as the team grows? Include field staff, office staff and subcontractors.
How are field hours and costs tracked? Survey programs run on fixed fees and tight windows.
What do clients and regulators receive? Maps, photo logs and data at deliverable quality.
The ASPB 2026 attendee checklist
Everything on one page: what to do before Edmonton, the 9 tool questions, session notes and what to do after. Free printable PDF, no sign-up needed.
Download the checklist (PDF)Meet the Matidor team in Edmonton
We're attending ASPB 2026. Say hi between sessions, or start a free 14-day trial now and bring your questions about field data, survey forms and mapping.
Start a free 14-day trialTurn your Edmonton notes into next season's plan
The value of a conference shows up months later, in the field. Do these four things within a week of getting back.
Summarize
One page per useful session: the idea, the evidence and which of your programs it applies to.
Update protocols
Flag changes to survey methods, field forms or data you now need to collect next season.
Log your learning
Record the sessions and workshops you attended for your continuing competency records while the details are fresh.
Share with your team
Send relevant takeaways to colleagues and clients facing the same problems. A useful, low-pressure touchpoint.
Back from Edmonton with new ideas and the same field sheets?
Matidor is field data collection and project management software for environmental consultants and field biologists. Record observations offline, see every survey and site on one live map, and report from current field data.
How field and environmental teams run programs on Matidor
"Efficiency has improved by at least 100% across our core workflows. Processes that were once fragmented across emails, spreadsheets, and verbal communication are now consolidated and standardized."
"What used to take us hours in data management, we can do it with Matidor in minutes."
Customer results reflect individual experiences and may vary.
ASPB 2026 conference questions
When and where is the ASPB 2026 Conference?
According to the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, the ASPB 2026 Conference and AGM runs November 4 to 6, 2026 at the Fantasyland Hotel, 17700 87 Ave NW in Edmonton, inside West Edmonton Mall. Confirm the latest details on aspb.ab.ca/conference.
What is the theme of ASPB 2026?
The theme is "Supporting Biologists: in the Field and Beyond." ASPB describes it as covering the tools, technologies, collaborations and regulatory frameworks that support biological practice, including regulatory updates and emerging resources such as AI-enabled tools, along with the personal supports behind biologists' work.
What does the ASPB 2026 program include?
ASPB lists one full day and two half-days of presentations with concurrent breakout rooms, Wednesday afternoon workshops, Wednesday and Thursday evening receptions, student scholarships and opportunities, sponsor booths and the ASPB AGM. Abstracts and a draft schedule are posted on the conference page.
How much does ASPB 2026 cost to attend?
ASPB lists member tickets at $450 and non-member tickets at $550 after the September 18 early bird deadline. ASPB does not offer refunds or cancellations within 60 days of the conference, but substitutions are allowed up to 7 days before the event.
Is Matidor attending ASPB 2026?
Yes. The Matidor team is attending ASPB 2026 in Edmonton. Matidor is not a sponsor or exhibitor, and this guide is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists.
See your surveys and sites on one live map
Get a 20-minute walkthrough built around your survey programs, field crews and reporting. Find us in Edmonton or book a time that suits you.
ASPB and the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists are referenced here only to identify the event. This is an independent guide. Matidor is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists. Event details are summarized from aspb.ab.ca and may change, so please confirm them with the organizer.