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Making Your Meeting Matter
By Brady Delander  National or local, organizing an
O&P association meeting is a challenge, but not an
insurmountable one.
An out-of-breath Joann Marx, CPO, FAAOP, juggled a phone call
between patient visits and a quick bite to eat on a recent Friday
afternoon. "I could live here at the office and still never get
caught up," says Marx, echoing what is certainly a familiar
sentiment among busy prosthetists, orthotists, and pedorthists
everywhere. Now consider that in addition to her hectic duties as a
practitioner, Marx is also secretary of the New York State Chapter
of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the
Academy) and is one of the main organizers for the group's annual
association meeting.
The logistics involved with putting together an association
meeting--whether on the state, regional, or national level--can be
nothing short of overwhelming. A couple of veteran planners know
that to be true. "A lot of the time you have someone running a busy
practice and also trying to run a meeting. Their focus is divided,"
says Jane Edwards, account manager for PrimeCare Orthotics &
Prosthetics Network, Memphis, Tennessee, which coordinates the
annual PrimeFare East and West meetings. "For us, these meetings
are one of our primary missions... It's a full-time job there for a
while."
While the keys to a successful association meeting are no
secret, successfully bringing together all of the disparate
elements is a delicate balance. Respected speakers, hot topics, and
continuing education credits draw in the crowds. Venue and location
also play a role, as does the date on the calendar and even what is
offered for breakfast and lunch. It is a fact that many, if not
most, O&P association meetings are seeing consistent attendance
rates and continued enthusiasm year after year. For example, the
Academy's 34th Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium in
Orlando, Florida, pulled in nearly 1,600 attendees, including
exhibitors, speakers, and vendors. The American Orthotic &
Prosthetic Association (AOPA) 2007 National Assembly in Las Vegas,
Nevada, nearly set a record with more than 2,100 registrants. While
these national professional and educational meetings and
exhibitions are considered "can't-miss" opportunities for many
practitioners, just as many practitioners rely on state or regional
meetings for professional development opportunities and continuing
education credits. And increasingly, these meetings have a
respectable draw as well. The Michigan Orthotics & Prosthetics
Association meeting averages more than 100 attendees each year, the
Texas chapter of the Academy usually sees more than 200 people, and
the New Jersey Academy chapter often tops 300 participants. The
Georgia Society may top them all with about 400 on hand each
year.
However, given the relatively small size of the O&P family
in and around the United States, the success of one meeting can
squeeze the life out of another in a neighboring state. And anyone
with plans to start a new association gathering in the current
climate may want to think twice as some say a saturation point has
been reached. "Not only are budgets tight, but exhibitors get
really loaded up with so many meetings and can be stretched thin,"
says Cathie Pruitt, president and CEO of PrimeCare O&P
Network.
Speakers and Sessions
Opportunities for educational, clinical, technical, and
professional development are the bread-and-butter of association
meetings. Securing the best speakers available is not only the
trickiest part of organizing an association meeting, it can also be
the linchpin for success. "The biggest aspect for success is the
quality of presenters and speakers and keeping it new and
different," says Scott Jameson, CPO, the secretary treasurer for
the Texas Chapter of the Academy. "It is certainly challenging. You
start to run out of ideas after a few years, and sometimes it can
feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again... We
have five members on our executive board, and all of us keep an ear
out for something new and interesting. And we make a lot of calls
to colleagues asking what they might have heard."
Location, Location, Location
Finding the perfect destination is not just for real estate
anymore. It's no accident that AOPA chose Las Vegas for its 2007
meeting and Chicago, Illinois, for 2008, or that the most recent
Academy meeting settled in Orlando, home to Disney World. Bustling
cities offer attendees an added appeal. "I would guess that a third
of the people who come to our meeting do it because of the
location," says Bob Silvestri, CPO/L, president of the New Jersey
chapter of the Academy, which holds its meeting in Atlantic City.
"There's nightlife [and] it's by the ocean, so our location makes
it easier for us to draw in more people."
The ability to select an "exotic" location is clearly an
advantage for national and regional organizers, as well as for some
state organizers like Silvestri. But not every state has a Las
Vegas or Atlantic City, or even a place like Austin, Texas, to
choose from. In that case planners look to larger cities that can
provide all the needed amenities such as proper transportation, a
relatively central location within the state, and venues that can
handle large turnouts and provide accessibility to those with
disabilities.
The venue can be nearly as important as the city. A suitable
exhibition hall and comfortable rooms are essential when choosing a
hotel. "When we first started these meetings [in 1996] we were in a
different venue with a hotel that wasn't as nice as what we use
now. As a result we had less attendance and fewer exhibitors," says
Silvestri. "The thing for us was moving to a bigger place that's in
the same area of the city but with a larger exhibit hall&. In
the past we only had six-foot tables for exhibitors, but now we've
added 8x10-foot booths."
In this case bigger is better--as is foresight. Pruitt and
Edwards say they book venues at least one year out, while others
delve even further into the future. The Academy already has dates
and locations set for its annual meetings through 2012, and Dianne
Farabi, executive director for the Ohio Orthotic and Prosthetic
Association, says she is following the five-years-ahead plan too.
"You want to get the word out early and often, so we are looking to
book our primary facility five years out," says Farabi, who wins
the prize for best motto to ensure a successful meeting. "A
consistent, relevant program planned early. Everyone gets tired of
hearing me say it, but I think that's it more than anything
else."
Save the Date
Quality and consistency will keep attendees coming back, so
beware of shuffling association meetings to different dates on the
calendar. "Our meetings are usually the first week or two of
November," Silvestri says. "People know that, and they can plan for
it and clear their schedules. If you change the date, it can throw
some people off."
More than anything else, however, keep an eye on the big guys. A
meeting could be slated for the same time, same day, and same
location every year, but if it butts up against one of the national
meetings, well...good luck. "It's a matter of trying to find a spot
on the calendar so you're not competing with other meetings," says
Carl Brenner, CPO, FAAOP, president of the Michigan Orthotic and
Prosthetic Association. "You don't want your meeting to be too
close to the national meeting because people will go to the
national and not the state." Others like Farabi fully agree, saying
that Ohio's meeting dates are "driven by national meetings."
What's for Lunch?
While quality speakers and a metropolitan location are the main
elements needed for a successful meeting, one of the best ways to
keep attendees happy--and coming back--is to feed them well. "If
the food is bad or there is not enough of it, people will remember
that and won't come back," says Edwards, who estimates the cost of
a regular sandwich lunch buffet at about $25 per person.
Cost can be prohibitive when deciding on a menu, but Silvestri
says this is not the area to cut corners. "Some meetings you get a
sandwich, coffee, and Danish, if you're lucky," he says. "At our
meeting we do coffee breaks in the morning and afternoon, a little
snack in between, and a nice lunch. And we'll do things like a
two-hour cocktail hour where we will basically foot the bill."
But Silvestri is quick to point out that while no organization
can work in the red, profit is not a goal when putting on an
association meeting. "These meetings are expensive, and they take a
lot of help and coordination," he says. "But we do it for the
betterment of the profession."
Brady Delander can be reached at 303.255.0843 or brady@opedge.com 
Table Of Contents - May 2008
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