Efforts by CAP Pay Off in GenX And GenY Attendance Numbers

Solid numbers at the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Annual Meeting reflected targeted efforts to fine-tune the member experience. Attendance was almost in line with the number forecast for the meeting, held Sept. 10 -13 in San Diego. West Coast venues tend to draw lower numbers than the East Coast or Midwest due to membership concentration, but the attendance was up by 30 percent from when the College met in San Diego in 2003.

The increase can be attributed in part to CAP's substantial redesign of its annual meeting over the past three years. All education content is focused on practical take-home-and-use information. A record number of medical school residents attended the 2006 meeting. Attendance appears to be growing for Gen Xers and Yers within CAP, paralleling national data that shows those age groups currently account for the largest increase in association membership.

"While there is not an overall increase in that specific age group going into pathology, the CAP is strategically focusing on generational needs of our entire membership," said Kevin Dole, MD, FCAP, chair of CAP's Council on Membership and Professional Development. "Data shows that Gen Xers and Yers want meetings to offer immediate and tangible benefits with a very solid WIIFM (what's in it for me) bottom line."

NYC Meeting on Sept. 11 Anniversary a Big Draw for LES

The largest annual meeting turnout ever for the Licensing Executives Society (LES) came as a surprise at the 2006 Annual Meeting, held Sept.10-14 in New York City. With the dates of the meeting on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, organizers worried that members wouldn't want to travel to New York. "As it turned out, many of our members felt there was no better place to be than New York City on such an occasion," said Eleanor de Leon, meetings director for LES. LES policy had been to request pre-registration for workshops, but many attendees changed their minds at the last minute. To assign workshop rooms, the society relied on pre-registration numbers and planning committee members. "Although we knew breakout sessions would be tight this year, we did not anticipate the extent of the overflow and the negative impression it gave our attendees about the hotel, the meeting staff, and the meeting in general," de Leon said. The experience has led to a new policy. "While we will not require pre-registration for workshops, tickets will be issued to those who pre-register and will be collected on site," de Leon said. "Those without a ticket will be asked to wait outside until a few minutes before the session."