HCEA breathes new life into Annual Meeting

A new approach to educational offerings and an inaugural third-party audit were highlights of the 2011 Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) Annual Meeting, June 25-28, in Las Vegas. Held at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, the meeting was attended by approximately 700 participants and also featured giving-back activities to aid the Las Vegas community, as well as enhancements to the HCEA Exhibition experience.


HCEA debuted new learning workshops in its exhibition, providing a fresh setting for attendees’ professional growth. In addition, HCEA convened its annual Association-Only Roundtable on Saturday, June 25, giving medical society participants more time for knowledge sharing.

Other educational attributes included a heightened focus on compliance changes, with particular emphasis on the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Sunshine provisions, especially the reporting of physicians’ National Provider Identifier numbers.
Measurement and accountability were other popular discussion topics, and many sessions showcased advances in healthcare exhibition industry technologies or explored the latest industry research. In addition, husband and wife keynote speakers The O’Shea Report offered a humorous take on life in corporate America.

In addition, the not-for-profit organization BPA Worldwide is conducting HCEA’s first Annual Meeting audit, providing HCEA with complete and accurate attendance and demographic data about the meeting. The audit is a census-based, independent validation of verified meeting attendance.

Further, following the success of similar programs in 2010, HCEA featured community volunteer and charity donation programs, and introduced a charity element into its annual golf tournament. HCEA’s community service project volunteers provided support to military families through Operation Homefront, an organization that assists families of U.S. service members, by working together to assemble a picnic table, a garden planter and a swing set.

In addition, bins were made available for the collection of unopened toiletries and school supplies to be donated to the Shade Tree Shelter, a Las Vegas haven for homeless and abused women, children and pets.

HCEA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, formed in 2010 as a subcommittee of HCEA’s Annual Meeting Committee, was responsible for organizing these activities.

“We had an amazing group of volunteers who came to Las Vegas a day early in order to help improve the lives of some of our military veterans,” said committee co-chair Mike Bradley, general manager, Derse Inc. “The committee volunteers are some of the most generous people I have ever met, and I look forward to working with them again next year.”

The HCEA Exhibition also introduced the new Best Booth Contest. Winners of the contest were exhibitors Crêpes à Latte Catering and Kaon Interactive. Also, the exhibit hall featured wireless hotspots for attendees to download presentations and connect back with their offices, as well as phone charging stations.

Other meeting highlights included highly attended Vegas-style networking events, and a mobile application that helped attendees navigate the meeting.

The HCEA also announced its officers and directors at the 2011 HCEA Annual Meeting. Peggy Furman, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp, was inducted as president.

Other 2011-2012 Board officers are:
President Elect – Susan Huff, Medtronic, Inc.; Vice President – Betsy Wadas, CME/H, Genentech; Treasurer – Susan Weatherbee, Boston Scientific; Secretary – Janie Ward, CME/H, Abbott; and Immediate Past President – Karen Kingston, CMP, CME/H, B. Braun Medical, Inc.

The association’s 2011-2013 directors are:
Randy Bauler, CEM, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses; Diane Benson, GE Healthcare; Sheree Budrecki, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Anna Mosback, Covidien; Karen Prieto, Forest Laboratories, Inc.; and Michael Seymour, CME, 3D Exhibits.

The association’s 2011-2012 directors are:
Christine Farmer, Sanofi; Carol Fields, Edwards Lifesciences; Kimberly Foley, Philips Healthcare; and James Vachon, Millennium Pharmaceuticals.

The association’s 2011-2012 appointed directors are:
Michelle Turenne, American Thoracic Society; Patricia Whitaker, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; and Jeremy Williams, PHOTOSOUND.