Numbers up for Ophthalmology Meeting
From East to West (and Everywhere in Between)
The 2006 American Acade- my of Ophthalmology (AAO) Joint Meeting drew the highest registration numbers ever - 32,574 - with 27,249 in attendance. The AAO and the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology held their meetings jointly Nov. 11-14, 2006 in Las Vegas, offering attendees the chance to compare how the East and West manage various ophthalmic conditions.

The Academy often pairs its annual meeting with another regional society, such as Asia Pacific, European, or Pan-American. The overlap helps draw additional attendees from a particular region.

"The outstanding event is a testament to the combined effort of both organizations, and thousands of ophthalmologists benefited from an unsurpassed scientific program," said H. Dunbar Hoskins, M.D., the academy's executive vice president.

Attendance on the meeting's Subspecialty Day also spiked noticeably: Registration for retina topics was up 18 percent, refractive was up 34 percent, and glaucoma was up 47 percent. Even the spouse/guest program had the best attendance in more than a decade.

In part the increase in attendance can be explained by a continual climb after the Sept. 11 slump; every year since 2001, attendance has increased. But organizers attribute the larger-than-average increase to the destination.

"We have not been in Las Vegas since 1988, and everyone was very excited to be going back, particularly the internationals," said Debra Rosencrance, AAO's vice president of meetings.

Certain specifics of the meeting generated excitement as well. The academy typically showcases a surgical video theater that plays selected videos in a loop. In 2006, for the first time, the meeting also offered the same videos on computer terminals so that attendees could watch any video at any time. The Web-based Video-on-Demand system also allowed attendees to watch the videos in Wi-fi areas or in their hotel rooms.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Meeting Grows Bigger and More Dynamic
Nearly 18,000 pharmacy professionals filled the Anaheim Convention Center during the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition held Dec. 3-7, 2006. The meeting was a short-lead rebooking of a major citywide event originally scheduled for New Orleans. The association hadn't been to Anaheim in 30 years, but was confident about returning.

"We feel our meeting has become a 'must-attend' event, and location is no longer a determining factor," said Tana Stellato, ASHP conference and convention division director. "Our marketing efforts focused on the 'campus' environment presented by close-by hotels and a well-configured convention center with a smart layout. The weather was perfect and the relaxed setting of palm trees and warm weather helped position Anaheim as a keeper in our rotation." The meeting went so smoothly that ASHP committed to return in 2014 and 2018.

The association worked closely with the Anaheim CVB's marketing team, creating a customized micro-site that linked visitors from the ASHP Web page to information about Anaheim. ASHP also decided to invest in well-known presenters Dana Carvey (as a keynoter) and Jim Belushi (for entertainment). Those popular performers were also aimed at a rising sub-group of attendees - younger, new practitioners of pharmacy, pushing for more upbeat and interactive social events. Evening events have become so popular that finding a single venue to accommodate everyone has become a challenge.

"We still have quite a range in the demographics of the groups that attend our meeting so the challenge is to provide activities that will be well received by many," Stellato said.

Meanwhile the association has faced how to handle the trend of exhibitors blocking their rooms early, causing major hotels to sell out within days of opening registration, and leaving attendees to face sold-out hotels, waiting lists, and less convenient options. ASHP has informed the exhibiting community that blocks at headquarters properties will be further limited, plus have earlier cut-off deadlines and stricter penalties for canceling.

"Our emphasis is to protect the blocks so that attendees are not inconvenienced ... and so the society will not have to contract with overflow properties unless absolutely necessary," Stellato said.