AANEM Tries a Resort Setting

EVENT: American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) Scientific Meeting 2007

MEETING (october 17-20): A 6 percent attendance increase over 2006.

CHALLENGE: The association had projected a 2 percent increase for the 2007 meeting, knowing the resort location could have been a turn-off rather than a draw compared to the downtown locations typically chosen.

INITIATIVEs: AANEM attributed the increased attendance to a well- attended comprehensive day-and-a-half neuromuscular update course; the change from paying for individual sessions to an all-inclusive fee; and attendees appreciated having the group stay together in a resort setting. trend: Pharmaceutical-sponsored sessions are definitely on the decline, according to Kathy Smith, CMP, director of meetings, who expects this trend to continue "as long as the scrutiny of this industry remains so high," she said. "Even though there is no abuse of this situation by our meeting, industry support is more and more difficult to attract."

AHIMA Annual Convention Goes Green

EVENT: American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Annual Convention and Exhibit

2007 MEETING (october 6-11): Organizers suspect the spike in attendance can be attributed to the large number of AHIMA members on the East Coast as well as the convenience of traveling to Philadelphia.

CHALLENGE: Attendees have increasingly expressed a desire for a greener meeting. "Our green initiative has been fueled by attendee feedback on how much waste is generated at the convention," said Sarah Lawler, exhibits manager. "A big influence has also been our vendors, quite a few of whom have their own green initiatives. That makes it easier for us to incorporate those into our convention and exhibit."

INITIATIVEs: The 2007 conference marked the first time that the exhibitor manual was made available online instead of mailed in hard copy. AHIMA's general contractor has come out with new biodegradable materials for signage for 2008. Other initiatives involve encouraging exhibitors to provide electronic press kits. It is also limiting the number of paper kits (20) exhibitors may provide. Instead of bottled water, the association may opt to provide attendees with reusable water bottles in their bags with noted locations of water fountains and stations.

special report: Boston After 10 years and $20 billion of infrastructure upgrades - the completion of the Big Dig, the introduction of high-speed rail service, the $4 billion modernization of Logan International Airport, and the opening of a new convention center - Boston and Cambridge have started a new phase of growth. In the last five years, nearly 20 hotels have opened within blocks of the new convention center. The expansion of meeting facilities has led to larger meetings, helped by the bioscience boom in the area: The largest BIO International Congress ever drew more than 21,000 delegates from 60 countries in May 2007. Q In 2007, the Greater Boston CVB initiated its BostonUSA Green Visitor Program, which includes green options for transportation, attractions, events, convention centers, and certified hotels and restaurants. n