From Nov. 17-22, 2008, more than 50 massage experts from around the world will teach in virtual conference rooms during the "World Massage Conference," the world's first virtual online massage conference. The six-day conference will be simulcast through online streaming audio over the Internet and telephone.

Participants will be able to listen to each presentation live and follow along with the slideshows or provided notes. People without Internet access can attend the live broadcasts by phone, and those who can't make the live presentations can listen to the broadcast recordings online or download the recordings shortly after each presentation is finished. All attendees will have unlimited access to live broadcasts and replays of all of the sessions.

Attending the conference is as simple as logging into the conference's Web site from your computer and stepping into a presenter's virtual workshop. Scheduled presenters include Thomas Myers, Dr. Leon Chaitow, Dr. John Upledger, Bonnie Prudden, Steve Capellini, Ruth Werner, C.G. Funk, Bruno Chikly, Rolf Elmstrom, Tobias Sunburg, and Dr. Beth Hedva, among others.

Each day of the event has a specific theme highlighting the latest in new and innovative ideas in the profession, giving massage and bodywork practitioners the chance to learn about business, technology, research, wellness, techniques and treatments. While as of press time, not all organizations recognize continuing education credits for attending, certificates of completion are available for most presentations. Participants simply complete a short test after attending a presentation and can print a certificate after passing the test.

In addition to the distinguished presenters, each day will feature country profiles so attendees can better understand what the global landscape of the massage profession looks like in terms of education, regulation, techniques and trends. There will also be practitioner profiles to increase understanding of what therapists in other countries are doing in their day-to-day practices. Conference attendees will be able to interact with each other through online chat rooms and discussion boards. Event organizers hope these features will help initiate a global dialogue about the future of the profession.

Massage Envy is the conference's primary sponsor and has purchased registrations for each of its 8,000 massage therapists across the U.S. Event organizers are Eric Brown, Scott Dartnall and Melanie Hayden, hosts of Massage Therapy Radio.

"We wanted to make sure that the World Massage Conference was accessible to massage professionals everywhere, said Dartnall. "By using innovative online technology, massage professionals can get access to presenters - true legends in the industry - that they would never otherwise have an opportunity to hear in person. Not only that, but they [also] can interact directly with the presenter and ask questions."

"Green is a major theme of the World Massage Conference," added Brown. "With a virtual conference, you don't have to travel by plane or car or stay in hotels, reducing your impact on the environment and reducing your carbon footprint. You just need to turn on your computer to get instant access to the top minds in the industry."

For more information about the World Massage Conference or to register, visit www.worldmassageconference.com.