Were you there?!
PodiatryExpo took place on August 12-13 and was created to provide a much-needed VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL to keep DPMs connected with their trusted vendors… and to introduce DPMs to new products and services available – directly from the home and/or office!

This two-day live event (followed by two-weeks of on-demand access) featured an interactive exhibit hall where DPMs were able to:
  • Browse Exhibitor Virtual Booths
  • Download Exhibitor Collateral, Resources and Tools
  • Chat With Booth Representative(s)

If you attended or exhibited at PodiatryExpo, please take a quick moment to tell us how it went for you by taking a quick survey below!
NOTE: If you have attended or exhibited at any other recent meetings, please take a survey describing your experience there as well!
NEWSLETTER FEATURE
Voice of the DPM
Your peers and industry leaders are not only running successful practices or publishing the latest research of the lower extremities... they are running meetings too!

Take a moment to listen to some short interviews with DPMs and meeting planners to learn more about

  • Where/how their meetings originated
  • What they're offering in the new normal
  • Where they're headed beyond 2020
Lowell Weil, Jr. DPM - FABI
TJ Ahn, DPM - MIFAS
Karen Lambert - FPMA
Annette Joyce, DPM -DERMfoot
Alan Sherman, DPM - PRESENT eLearning
NOTE: These interviews took place between July 15th and August 10th, 2020. Due to the ever-changing meeting environment of postponements and cancellations, some of the meeting details shared in these interviews have changed! Please visit each meeting website to find real-time updates.
90-Day Meeting Outlook
SEPTEMBER 2020

15th Annual Montana Meeting – Goldfarb | Missoula, MT
September 2 - 6

Ontario Society of Chiropodists Spring Conference | VIRTUAL
September 10 - September 12

AOFAS Annual Meeting | VIRTUAL
September 10 - September 12

IFAF Annual Las Vegas Seminar | VIRTUAL
September 10 - September 12

Advanced Peripheral Nerve Course – AENS | Kennebunkport, ME
September 11 - September 12

Mastermind Practice Management Retreat | Costa Rica
September 16 - September 19

Texas PMA Southwest Foot and Ankle Conference | VIRTUAL
September 24 - September 27

PRESENT Podiatric Residency Education Summit East | VIRTUAL
September 25 - September 27

PRESENT Podiatric Residency Education Summit Midwest | VIRTUAL
September 25 - September 27

Tennessee PMA Annual Conference | VIRTUAL
September 25 - September 26
OCTOBER 2020

DERMfoot | VIRTUAL
October 1 - October 5

Diabetic Foot Global Conference | VIRTUAL
October 9 - October 10

APMA 31st Kaplan-Clarke-Foster Golf Tournament & Practice Mgt Seminar | Williamsburg, VA | October 14 - October 18

Mid-Atlantic Podiatry Conference – Podiatry Institute | Hyattsville, MD
October 16 - October 18

Top Practices Marketing and Management Summit | Denver, CO
October 16 - October 18

APWH Annual Conference | VIRTUAL
October 16 - October 18

Superbones Superwounds West Conference | Las Vegas, NV
October 22 - October 24

The Fall Classic Seminar – NEOAPM | VIRTUAL
October 22 - October 24

Reconstructive Surgery of the Foot & Ankle – Podiatry Institute
Atlanta, GA |October 22 - October 25

IFAF Annual Hawaii Seminar | VIRTUAL
October 23 - October 25

OKPMA Fall Symposium | Oklahoma City, OK
October 23 - October 24

ACLES Annual Program | VIRTUAL
October 24 - October 25

Midwest Podiatry Conference | VIRTUAL
October 29 - October 31

SAWC Fall | Las Vegas, NV
October 30 - November 1
NOVEMBER 2020

Hallux Valgus and Related Forefoot Surgery – Podiatry Institute
Fort Myers/Sanibel, FL | November 4 - November 7

Fundamental Peripheral Nerve Repair Course – AENS | Phoenix, AZ
November 4 - November 6

Goldfarb Clinical Conference | King of Prussia, PA
November 5 - November 8

Minnesota PMA Annual Conference | VIRTUAL
November 5 - November 7

Annual Symposium – AENS | Phoenix, AZ
November 6 - November 8

AAPPM Fall Conference | Spring, TX
November 12 - November 14

IFAF Ankle Arthroscopy Course | Fremont, CA
November 13 - November 14

Stepping Forward – Leading the Way
Podiatry Institute Women-Centric Conference | Nashville, TN
November 19 - November 22
DPM Quick Poll
Take our quick poll and receive a free gift in the mail from Ann & Sarah of PodiatryMeetings.com!
What Organization Has Put On Your Favorite Virtual Seminar During COVID-19
CPMA - The Western
Podiatry Institute
OHFAMA
IFAF
PodiatryMeetings.com - PodiatryExpo
Other
NEWSLETTER FEATURE
Tricks of the Trade from Ann & Sarah
DPM Trick of the Trade
Get Your Voice Heard.. and Create Positive Change

Now more than ever, your feedback regarding meetings/conferences/seminars, whether online or in person, is critical. Unfortunately, many good suggestions get buried underneath harsh criticism (or you may just be too hesitant to share) and meeting planners are less likely to pay attention... or they simply won't know how you feel!

If we don't speak up about areas that are in need of improvement... nobody will know how to fix them. On the same token, if we don't speak up about areas that were awesome, we won't know if we should continue to incorporate them.

Here are a few tips on how to craft a helpful, constructive review that may have a higher chance of being noticed and acted upon:
  • Provide useful feedback and include possible suggestions (vs. just complaining). For example, “The parking fee per day was too high. Perhaps next time consider a different hotel or locate an alternative parking area. You could offer a courtesy shuttle and have it sponsored by an exhibitor.”
  • Be specific. Explain what areas you really feel need improvement and which areas you really feel were great - directly and specifically. General statements can be lost in translation and real change isn't likely.
  • Proofread your review for spelling and grammatical errors. We naturally take people more seriously when we feel they took the time to accurately formulate and organize their thoughts.
  • Discuss all the aspects that affected your experience. State how you feel about many areas that go into putting on a successful meeting, including organization, scientific content, scheduling, location, and more.
  • Use the “management sandwich”. Hide a complaint between two compliments. “I loved the lecture content. The sessions started too early and went too long. The speakers were very engaging.” It's hard for anyone to hear criticism... so make sure you don't get "blocked" by only bringing up the bad... be sure to point out the areas of good too!
Is there a meeting/event you've recently been a part of? Tell us how it was and start helping our profession grow in a positive direction!
Exhibitor Trick of the Trade
Build Excitement Even When You Feel You Have Nothing New to Offer

You can't always be creating brand new products and services... in fact, you are probably going to be just as (or more) successful if you "stay in your lane" and continue to provide the top products/services that your company is known for.

But still - every company fights this battle at some time or another. How do you actively create excitement for your product or service when you have nothing new to offer?

Here’s a few ways you can refresh your offerings:
Create new marketing materials
Create an updated and modern look with updated packaging, product images, flyers, etcs.
Recruit Key Opinion Leaders
Bring on successful physicians as consultants to use your products in their office, give you their feedback and then tell their friends what they think.
Let your Clients/Customers Do the Talking
Gather new testimonials and promote them with a testimonial campaign.
Get Interactive
Produce webinars that can run on demand and promote them via email marketing and social media.
Provide Patient Materials
Develop a patient-facing marketing toolkit for your buyers to use to promote your items in their office and to their patients.
Create a comprehensive training library with studies, videos, coding info, patient facing marketing scripts, images, forms and infographics.
THEN TAKE ALL THESE GREAT NEW ITEMS AND SHOWCASE THEM AT YOUR NEXT MEETING!
Meeting Planner Trick of the Trade
When You Must Pivot to Virtual... Don't Forget About the Exhibitor Experience

We’ve said this many times… exhibitors and sponsors are the backbone of podiatric conferences. They pay the bulk of the fees so meeting planners can offer a 5-star program to attendees while still keeping their registration costs low. As the need for virtual/online seminars grows to deliver continuing education credits to DPMs, don’t forget to provide value to your exhibitors.

Think about how hard it has been convincing attendees to walk the exhibit hall at a live, in-person conference. Oh Boy! It seems to be 1,000 times more difficult to drive meaningful engagement to a virtual exhibit hall.

Exhibitors depend on their ROI and exposure to attendees, just as meetings depend on exhibitor fees to execute a successful event. A simple webpage with logos and links is not going to cut it any longer. There must be excitement generated inside the virtual exhibit hall.

There are lots of ideas out there... ask your exhibitors for their feedback! Many have already participated in virtual exhibits and can offer suggestions on what worked and what didn’t.

PodiatryMeetings.com recently held the first ever PodiatryExpo - an online virtual trade show. We limited our exhibit hall to only 19 vendors so each one received attention from attendees. Our goal was 100 paid attendees and we exceeded with 131. We offered live and recorded webinars from our sponsors so that attendees could learn about incorporating new products into their practice. All the feedback we’ve received from both attendees and exhibitors has been overwhelmingly positive.

If your organization is considering a virtual event and is looking for some ideas, please reach out to us!
We are here to help the industry and that includes meeting planners. 

Exhibitor Quick Poll
Take our quick poll and receive a free gift in the mail from Ann & Sarah of PodiatryMeetings.com!
What Organization Has Put On Your Favorite Virtual Seminar During COVID-19
CPMA - The Western
Podiatry Institute
OHFAMA
IFAF
PodiatryMeetings.com - PodiatryExpo
Other
provides physicians and industry partners with valuable reviews, ratings, and testimonials in an effort to enable both of these parties to make stronger, informed decisions about which Podiatric meetings, conferences, seminars and trade shows to budget for and attend in the future.

PodiatryMeetings.com features information about upcoming podiatry events, vendor information, meeting and traveling tips, and more!

Contact us by hitting "reply" or email us directly at BeHeard@podiatrymeetings.com