Welcome to the Big Easy Bulletin, your guide to all the networking and education opportunities that we're bringing to the 2025 NCPA Annual Convention in New Orleans, Oct. 18-21 — and how to spend your off-hours in the city. See you in the Big Easy!

Good news! We’ve updated our convention Schedule at a Glance to help you start mapping out your itinerary at this year’s convention. In it we list when every scheduled activity planned for #NCPA2025 will take place. Give it a read now so you can walk into the convention with a game plan. Read it here. 

We’ve heard that some convention registrants have had their confirmation email from our housing vendor Spargo sent to their email’s junk folder. If you registered but didn’t see a confirmation email, check your spam and ensure the Spargo email address ([email protected]) is approved so it doesn’t happen with future emails. 

Our Pre-Convention Growth and Profitability Program Offerings are crash courses taught by peers and industry experts on some of the most important aspects of running a community pharmacy today. Each workshop tackles essential business practices that can improve your pharmacy's operational efficiency and profitability and provides actionable tools to help you get started right away. 

Our Pharmacy Ownership Workshop, Oct. 16-17, sponsored by McKesson, will cover some of the stickier parts of pharmacy ownership, including how the loan approval process works, licensure agreements, business plans, and more. 

And our Business of Long-Term Care Workshop, also held Oct. 16-17, will show attendees what they need to know to successfully grow their LTC services offerings. 

We've also got a brand-new workshop, The New Route to Reimbursement: A Roadmap From Application to Activation, Oct. 17, which guides pharmacists and pharmacy technicians through the process of medical billing, including credentialing, contracting, and designing your workflow. 

To attend these courses, you must register through the regular convention registration, even if you're not attending the full convention. Register here.

There are lots of opportunities out there for pharmacists to PBM-proof or diversify revenue streams — you just have to know where to look! Here’s an early preview of some of our revenue-generating education sessions, to save you the legwork:

Pharmacists who book their housing for the Annual Convention before Sept. 23 won't just get better rates — they'll also be entered into a drawing for free registration to NCPA's three biggest meetings in 2026! That includes our Multiple Locations Conference in Clearwater, Fla.; Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In in Alexandria, Va.; and our Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo. That's a $2,700 value! 

It's a no-brainer. Guarantee yourself a seamless convention experience and a chance to save thousands of dollars by registering today.

If your organization runs a community pharmacy-focused program, our Residency and Fellowship Showcase is a critical opportunity to network with passionate up-and-coming pharmacy students and highlight your program. Plus, your booth is free with your Annual Convention registration! Sign up here by Sept. 23; applicants will hear back by Oct. 3.   

For students, this is a great way to find the residency or fellowship that suits your professional goals. The showcase will be held Oct. 19, 1:15-3 p.m. CT.  

For more information, contact Jacqueline Estes at [email protected].

Go from the Riverside to a riverboat on a cruise down the Mississippi River. The Creole Queen paddle-wheeler docks just across from the convention venue and offers passengers a beautiful view of the city skyline and, if you pay extra, a delicious Creole buffet in the boat’s dining room. 

The cruise runs in the evening most days of the month, but space is limited, so book those tickets soon. More info here.

Who's on the expo floor? Click here to see the up-to-date lineup!