If you would like to get involved in the Convention while you are attending, there are several ways to do so.

• Award Nomination. Nominate your favorite players and legends for a SPAH Award, presented annually at the Awards Banquet at the SPAH Convention. Only SPAH members in good standing may make nominations for SPAH awards. However, nominees do not need to be members of SPAH. Each year, recipients will be selected by the SPAH Awards Committee solely from nominations made that year by members like you. Send in a nomination of your favorite candidate in each category so that the Committee may consider them for a SPAH Award – by June 30th, please.

NOT YET OPEN FOR 2026 – Click here for more details.

• Present a seminar. Seminar presentations at the Convention are an opportunity for you to share what you know about the harmonica, music, singing or any related topic of interest to the SPAH audience. We had a great lineup of seminars in Tulsa, and we are looking forward to keeping that trend alive in San Antonio. If you would like to present a teaching topic, history topic or maybe something like accompanying a harmonica player or singing, submit your topic.  We try to balance chromatic, diatonic and others for a well-rounded experience.  We will review all topics and make selections.   When we have made selections, we will notify presenters and begin scheduling.
  Morning sessions will be 90-minutes long, and 60 minutes for the afternoon sessions.
  • We will be recording seminars again for paid attendees to watch after the convention.
  • If you are interested in doing a seminar and want to pitch your suggestion, please reach out to us at spahseminars@gmail.com.
  • Please submit your final seminar proposal to our 2026 link below.
  • Submitting a proposal does not guarantee a spot during the convention.  All proposals will be reviewed, and we will make selections based on the the content received to create a well-rounded offering for our members.
    • Please note: Seminar presenters at the SPAH Convention are volunteering their time, but are allowed to share any products or services they offer during or immediately after their presentations
      – Be prepared to bring any technical equipment required during your presentation
      – Rooms are not usually set up for sound. Please speak loudly enough for your audience to hear

To submit a Seminar Proposal for 2026, please click here.

• Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer! While the local club provides a great deal of wonderful help to the SPAH board and staff, SPAH always welcomes proposals from others willing to help out. The Success of SPAH Conventions depends on a team of willing members to volunteer.  Some volunteers work year-round in planning the Convention.  Many others give their time in a variety of ways during the Convention. This ranges from helping sell SPAH shirts to managing rooms, checking badges at the door, and many other opportunities daily. We always welcome our youth and others to assist in areas like Stage Management, AV and Production – a great way to learn from your peers, and improve your skills. All volunteers are given time to enjoy the Convention when they are not working.
  • Please note: Depending on the level of effort, weeklong volunteers are provided assistance in attending the Convention, with access to daily events, Convention registration or rooming. The SPAH Convention team will work with you to explore and confirm any details starting in the first quarter of 2026.

To register as a 2026 Convention Volunteer, please click here.

• Submit an entry for the 2026 SPAH In Memoriam Video. In 2026, SPAH will once again assemble a video remembering SPAH friends lost since the 2025 Convention or since 2000, and who have not already been recognized in previous years. Please submit by June 30.

 To learn more and to make submissions to the 2026 In Memoriam remembrance video, please click here.

• Take a Tour of St Louis
  • As Host Club for SPAH 26, the Gateway Harmonica Club of St Louis will arrange tours for your convenience and enjoyment.  You will experience the ambiance and history of St Louis.  We hope you will sign up for one of these tours.

OPENS IN MARCH 2026 – Click here for more details

• Attend the President’s Breakfast. This year, SPAH will host the annual President’s Breakfast (on Saturday, August 15^th at 8:00 a.m. at the Convention Hotel) Time and location TBD
  • SPAH invited a single leading representative from each Harmonica Club, Blues Club, or similar organization, as well as from each sponsor and each SPAH vendor. This gathering is to further cooperation, information exchange, collaboration, and networking with our partners as we look to the future of the harmonica and of SPAH. SPAH is also looking for organizations that would be interested in hosting future conventions in their city.

OPENS IN MARCH 2026 – Go here to attend the 2026 President’s Breakfast

• Arrange for your companion at the Convention to attend the 2026 Companions’ Breakfast. A complimentary breakfast is offered courtesy of SPAH to companions of registered SPAH attendees at the SPAH Convention in St Louis. (Saturday August 15th, 8:30 a.m.) Time and location TBD

OPENS IN MARCH 2026 – Go here to learn more about the Companions Breakfast