EMRupdate Annual Conference

VENDORS: Please post if you would support attending an EMRupdate Conference.  GIve us your vision of what you want in a fair and balanced exhibit hall.  What kind of friendly competition would you like to see?  Head to head challenges etc.  What topics would you like speakers to address?  Who would like to speak?  Who is going to get the word out to physicians who don't have EMRs?

In another thread I wrote the following and it got lots of attention:

Whatever happened to EMRupdate weekend in Las Vegas Road show ?   That sounds appealing.  Where we create our own topics and test case comparisons. 

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Dr. Winn responded:

emrupdate has become the authorative, 'credible' site for EHR information.  A large part of the world is still oblivious to it's existence.  I vote that emrupdate host a conference in some convention city and rent floor space to vendors.  If you want to avoid the 'commercial' contamination of some organizations that permit enormous 100 x 100 foot booths, you limit the booth size to 20 x 20 so that all vendors can show their wares on equal footing (and you can still charge a decent admission)....

I believe the vendors would jump all over this and the public could have a new venue to study and compare EHRs side by side without the gross distortion of "awards" and huge commericial vendors monopolizing floor space with gargantuan booths.  emrupdate could start to make a respectable income and provde a valuable service to it's patrons.  Think about it.  If you guys decide to try this out, I will do what I can on my end and with my contacts to make it a success.

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John writes:

The UNLV offer in Vegas is still open.  I now have contacts with some teachers in the school of healthcare administration that might be interested in co sponsoring it too.
[Save $ from expensive Casino exhibit rooms]

I could probably put together a web form where interested people could submit interest.  What other things would be want to ask?

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Robert Writes:

Perhaps a vacuum is about to be created in the organization of EMR trade shows. By the way, I favor free admission for doctors. Can you imagine the EMR Update organization taking over for TEPR? I can.

Although she created an infinity of it, nature is said to abhore a vacuum.

If we took over the functions of TEPR, I guarantee our forum-based structure would maintain a system of fairness unmatched by any past organization. We are a true working example of what can be accomplished by democracy, free speech, and cooperation among competitors. Like the bee, we are not supposed to be able to fly. But we do.  

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I lived in Las Vegas for 2 years.  Lets plan it at a time where its not scorching hot there and a time where vendors have some down time from all their other roadshows.  I'm thinking end of October ?

Here is an important date to remember:  October 16-20, 2006  That is the American Osteopathic Association Convention (111th) - in Las Vegas.   Thousands of primary care physicians attend each year.  The smart EMR vendors show up each year in the exhibt hall.  I've seen you !     THOUSANDS OF PHYSICANS WITHOUT AN EMR AND LOOKING.   

(If you wanted to piggy an EMRupdate convention to the back of that convention, WoW, would you get lots of physicians at your booths). 

http://www.do-online.osteotech.org/virtual_convention.cfm?PageID=conv_main

BESIDES the AOA convention, look at all the other Specialty Colleges who will be present.

http://www.do-online.osteotech.org/pdf/conv06poster.pdf

 

I just sent the following email to the AOA:

I am all for a conference but honestly, there has to be a better place than Vegas. We couldn't pick a place that better represents everything we are combating each day in our offices. Tobacco addiction, indulgences that cause 99% of the morbidity and mortality, etc. A place that advertises that it's ok to cheat on your spouce because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Yes, I realize that all of vegas is not like what we see on the strip. I am quite familiar with the place and the suburbs are nice. But let's face it, people are not attracted to conferences in Vegas because the suburbs are such a nice place to visit.

Basically, aside from TechGuy, his family, everyone he knows and works with, and anyone who is insulted by this post written just the way Cyath told me to write it, Vegas does not have a lot to offer in the way of sponsoring our first EMR conference.

I've taken a big gamble writing this post and I am going to let the chips fall where they may. I'm betting someone is going to cast an arrow my way. 2 to 1 says it's going to happen before 10 Am tomorrow. You could actually create a bet like this in Los Wages...I mean Las Vegas.

Lowell

Lowell,  sounds like Vegas would be a great place for you to branch out your business model !

How about a place where the air is crisp ?

Yellow Stone National Park - Idaho

Park City - Sundance - Utah  ( or in Salt Lake for cheaper prices and have it in the winter time for skiing)

Jackson Hole - Wyoming  ( plus  White Water Ride the Snake River and Yellow Stone is only 50 miles away)

A central location in the US:  Missouri

The advantage of having it in conjunction with the AOA conference is for the vendors to get exposure to thousands of doctors wandering the booths.  Makes it even more worth it for the vendors to attend.

Does it work to associate with another conference? I am not sure, however when I go to an AAFP conference there is usually enough to keep me there and it would be hard to attend other sessions from another conference. Plus, there are usually EMR vendors at the conferences I attend.

Maybe there are EMR vendors already planning on attending the AOA??? Is the AOA in Vegas?

Well Dr. Quit, I have to admit I was taken aback a little by your comments; however, I won't hold that against you.  I am a resident of Henderson, NV and frankly, Vegas has much more to offer then smoking, gambling, drinking and other forms of debauchery.  1.5 million visitors a month can't be wrong. 

You don't have to be on the strip to enjoy the area.  The golf is fantastic, the mountains are plentiful, (there's still snow on Mt. Charleston, took my kids there over the weekend and we had a blast, 45 minutes away).  Hoover Dam is an engineering masterpiece and the Northwestern rim of the Grand Canyon isn't too much further.  Besides, Vegas has become Broadway West.  Every hotel has great shows. 

In terms of an EMRupdate conference, it would be an ideal place to hold the show, airfare is cheap and you you can utilize some of the hotel/casinos in Henderson to hold your conference away from the glitz, glamour and sleaziness of Las Vegas Blvd.  Sunset Station, Green Valley resort, just to name a couple.  If you really want to impress the masses, why not take them out to Lake Las Vegas.  Doesn't get any more beautiful or out of the way, and for the record it's 9:55AM pacific time....I guess I won't take those 2 to 1 odds.

 

I screwed up. I thought TechGuy was from vegas. I knew the name began with a T. It was you I meant to include in the post of who I didn't want to offend.

I guess all areas have there good and bad including my hometown of New York. But then again, there is no place as bold as Vegas in advertising that's it's ok to behave really bad here because nobody will find out.

I have relatives in Henderson which is a really, really beautiful place. Giant homes that used to be affordable. Nice golfing as well.

I guess I am at a point where I can't overlook the sleaziness factor. The area preys on the worst mankind has to offer from underaged pornography to making it easy for people to spend their paychecks gambling. That's really obvious when you leave the strip and see some of the other casinos.

Yeah, I know, we all have choices to make. However, being humans our choices are heavily influenced by our envirionment. Vegas' environment is quite purposeful.

Just look at the billboards when you arrive in the airport. It's big breasts, scanty clothing and pronography until you get to nice places like Henderson. By the way, I hear all of the expensive call girls live in Henderson .

Shutting up now...

Well I'm all for it. The EMRUpdate.com community is a fantastic resource and I can almost guarantee we'd be there.

Speaker wise - make it interesting and relevant. Everyone already knows the benefit of EHR/EMRs, but not many want to take the plunge. Have real-life MDs talk about their experiences with implementation.

$$ wise - make it cheap, real cheap. Add a $200 premium onto vendor registration so as to keep costs down. Docs shouldn't have to pay to see these shows (well, they shouldn't have to pay much).

Location - NYC, SoCal, put it where the people are. OR, have two (east & west coast).

Vendors - everyone gets a 10 x 10 booth. We all know Misys, Cerner, Epic have stacks of cash, but level the playing field so the products can speak for themselves. And ban pushy salespeople - nothing will drive a doc away faster. Instead maybe allow vendors to have 1 salesperson and 1 tech support person - this'd stop the "being watched by vultures" feeling when walking down a tradeshow aisle.

Get HIMSS, AAFP, SMA on board then see if Dr. Brailer will come along. Honestly, this could be huge guys.

thanks,

I agree that there should be no hint that one vendor is better than the next. Remove all of the marketing hype and let the attendees decide based on the merrits of the EMR.

Lowell

Todd:

gambling, drinking and other forms of debauchery.

Well I packed in the smoking so that only leaves the two defined and one optional hobby listed above.

Vegas works for me, mainly as dear Mrs Harrington will accompany me!
Nick

DrQuit:

I screwed up. I thought TechGuy was from vegas. I knew the name began with a T. It was you I meant to include in the post of who I didn't want to offend.

I'm definitely not from vegas, but I currently call Vegas home(although I really live in Henderson).

I of course appreciate your comments on Vegas since I'm right near the top of the conservative chart (next to the guys from Delta and Draper UT).  Todd did describe the advantages of a conference in Vegas.  My reasoning for Vegas is completely selfish since if it isn't in Vegas I'm not sure I'll be able to make it.  Although I could probably do Utah and Sundance is nice, but expensive.  Skiing would be great though.

I'd also be interested in meeting people from the board.

So, Todd and TechGuy are both from Henderson. Wow, small EMR world.

WOW!  Todd and I are practically neighbors.  It is a small world.

Todd:

In terms of an EMRupdate conference, it would be an ideal place to hold the show, airfare is cheap and you you can utilize some of the hotel/casinos in Henderson to hold your conference away from the glitz, glamour and sleaziness of Las Vegas Blvd.  Sunset Station, Green Valley resort, just to name a couple.  If you really want to impress the masses, why not take them out to Lake Las Vegas.  Doesn't get any more beautiful or out of the way, and for the record it's 9:55AM pacific time....I guess I won't take those 2 to 1 odds.

 

I second Vegas.  There is a GI show there in October.  Perfect season to go there.  Why don't we piggy back on that?  The only problem with a 10 x 10 booth suggested here is if there is a lot of interest and traffic, some times you need 2 or 3 concurrent demos going.  A 10x20 booth gives you a little more room to show your thang.

don't know if I could make it (though I would definitely want to).  so not sure my comments are valuable but:

a: I also prefer conferences that aren't in places primarily known for their vices. Being in a casino nearby doesn't fix the problem for me. Thanks (artist formerly known as) Dr Quit for expressing that preference--by the way, what is it you used to Quit?

b: I agree with the level playing field idea, but also that 10x10 may be too small. And only two people to a booth could be too limiting if there is much attendance. Yes it can be irritating to have a salesman all over you when you want to just look, but much more irritating to go all the way to a show and spend most of your time waiting for someone to have time to help you.

 

Andy