the fate of rural doctors

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SUMMER 2017

Serving the Medical Meeting & Event Industry

THE FATE OF RURAL DOCTORS

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MEET MED

Summer 2017

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Cover photo courtesy of Indiana Convention Center w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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FEATURE: RURAL DOCTORS’ TRAINING MAY BE IN JEOPARDY

RURAL DOCTORS’ TRAINING MAY BE IN JEOPARDY By Michael Ollove, Stateline, April 27, 2017

Jenisus Owens, center, a first-year medical resident in rural Meridian, Miss., learns how to stitch a hand wound. Rural residency programs across the country may lose federal funding on October 1. (Courtesy of EC-HealthNet)

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n nearly two years as a medical resident in Meridian, Mississippi, Dr. John Thames has treated car-wreck victims, people with chest pains, and malnourished infants. Patients have arrived with lacerations, with burns, or in a disoriented fog after discontinuing their psychiatric medications. Thames, a small-town Mississippi native, said the East Central Mississippi HealthNet Rural Family Medicine Residency Program has been “exactly what I was looking for.” Unlike the vast majority of doctors, Thames sought a residency in a rural clinic instead of in a teaching hospital because his ambition is to practice in the sort of place where he grew up, where doctors are scarce. He wants to be able to handle anything that comes through the

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Summer 2017

door, from infections to gunshot wounds to a woman who might deliver a baby any second. But budget decisions in faraway Washington, D.C., may make it more difficult for Thames and other doctors who want to practice in small towns or underserved cities. Under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, the federal government dispenses grants to community health centers to train medical residents. The goal of the program is to address the shortage of primary care physicians in rural and poor urban areas. But under current law, the federal government will stop funding the program, which serves nearly 750 primary care

residents in 27 states and Washington, D.C., at the end of September. Without congressional action, it might be shut down. “The program is absolutely doing what it is designed to do, which is to put doctors in underserved areas like ours,” said Darrick Nelson, the director of Hidalgo Medical Services’ teaching health center program, which is training six residents in Lordsburg, New Mexico. The teaching health centers have received bipartisan support in the past. But supporters worry that because the program is new, relatively small, and not as well-known as other federally funded doctor training programs, it might fall through the federal budgetary cracks. “The greatest threat to the teaching health centers is the dysfunction in

Source: The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education © 2017 The Pew Charitable Trusts

Washington,” said Dan Hawkins, a vice president at the National Association of Community Health Centers, a research and advocacy group. EARLIER CUTS Bipartisan support didn’t protect the program from earlier cuts. In 2010, Congress allocated $230 million over five years, or about $46 million a year. But when it approved a two-year extension in 2015, it reduced funding to about $43 million a year. That reduction was enough to cause some of the teaching health centers to train fewer residents. Some have closed. Studies have found that most physicians end up practicing close to where they did their residencies. But most teaching hospitals are located in urban centers, far from rural regions with acute doctor shortages. Poor urban neighborhoods also have difficulty attracting physicians.

The American Association of Teaching Health Centers, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the ACA residency program is having the intended result. According to the organization, 55 percent of teaching health center graduates practice in underserved areas, compared to 26 percent of those who graduate from hospital-based residencies. “The program is doing exactly what we wanted it to do,” said John Sealey, director of medical education for Authority Health in Detroit. More than 60 percent of residents who graduated from teaching health centers in Detroit go on to practice in medically underserved areas, many of them in Michigan, he said. PROGRESS IN MONTANA RiverStone Health, a health care provider in Billings, Montana, was a teaching health center even before the federal w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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FEATURE: RURAL DOCTORS’ TRAINING MAY BE IN JEOPARDY program began. RiverStone started training residents in 1998, after partnering with two local hospitals. “The state was completely reliant on recruiting from other areas, which was clearly not working as well as it should,” said Roxanne Fahrenwald, a RiverStone vice president. According to the federal government, 51 out of 56 Montana counties have shortages of primary care doctors.” With the federal money awarded to it under the ACA, RiverStone has been able to add one medical resident a year to its program, bringing its number of residents to 24. About 70 percent of RiverStone graduates have remained in the state. Supporters also argue that teaching health centers expose residents to the types of ailments and health disparities, such as higher rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, that they are likely to encounter if they practice primary care in underserved areas. “Most of the patients are going to be presented with conditions or ailments more common to a primary care practice, whereas those in the hospital will be sicker, with more acute needs,” said Shawn Martin, a vice president at the American Academy of Family Physicians. The residents in teaching health centers do spend some of

their time training in hospitals. They must complete hospital rotations in surgery, inpatient care, obstetrics and gynecology. But health center residents also see what many hospital residents never do. In Washington, D.C., for example, medical residents at Unity Health Care Inc. often work in jails, homeless shelters and HIV/AIDS clinics. Those receiving care at such sites would bear the brunt of the impact if federal money for the health center residency program disappears. “I’m very nervous,” said Eleni O’Donovan, director of the teaching health center program at Unity. “The program is not sustainable without that funding.” This copyrighted story comes from Stateline, the daily news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Stateline provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy. Since its founding in 1998, Stateline has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of non-partisanship, objectivity, and integrity. Its team of veteran journalists combines original reporting with a roundup of the latest news from sources around the country. Stateline focuses on four topics that are key to state policy: fiscal and economic issues, health care, demographics, and the business of government. Stateline content is published daily at pewtrusts.org/Stateline.

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MEET MED Summer 2017Page Horiz_MeetMed.indd 1 Breaking The Code 4th Ed_Half

8/5/17 9:42 PM

FEATURE: ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

Are We Having Fun Yet? ATTITUDE AND PEAK PERFORMANCE IN THE WORKPLACE By Psychologist, Bruce Christopher So much of what we consider success in life is simply how we look at things. The story has been told of parents who had two identical twin boys. They were identical in every way except for their temperaments. One of the boys was a hope-filled optimist who would always say, “Everything is coming up roses!” The other twin was a sad and hopeless pessimist. In fact, he was so pessimistic, he thought that the guy who invented “Murphy’s Law” (i.e., anything that can go wrong probably will) was an optimist. So, the worried parents brought their twin boys to the local psychologist in order to balance out their personalities. “On their next birthday,” the psychologist said to them, “put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Buy the pessimist the best toys you can possibly afford, but give the optimist a box of manure.” Well, the parents followed these weird instructions and carefully observed the results. On the twins’ next birthday, the parents opened the door of their pessimist and heard him audibly complaining about the great toys he had received: “I don’t like this game! I’ll betcha this computer will break! I know somebody who’s got a bigger toy car than this!” Tiptoeing across the hallway, the parents opened the door to their little optimist and they saw him laughing and giggling, gleefully taking the manure in his hands and throwing it up into the air as they heard him say, “Mom and dad can’t fool me. Where there’s this much crap . . . there’s got to be a pony!” This story underscores the difference between OPTIMISTS and PESSIMISTS: where most of us would only see a nasty pile of manure, optimists see potential “hidden ponies.” As a clinical psychologist and professional speaker,

this is what I try to teach people in my audiences whenever I speak – how to find hidden ponies in the trials and negative circumstances of our lives. Optimists know how to do this intuitively, and they practice this skill in their professions and in their interpersonal interactions. When I have the privilege of speaking to a group of professionals in your industry, I always ask them this million dollar question: Are you an OPTIMIST or a PESSIMIST? The answer to that question may have a profound impact on your life, career, and relationships, but what does it really mean to be an optimist? I have a friend and colleague whom I often tease because everything seems to go his way. Once we were out for lunch and he bumped his iced tea with his hand. The glass wavered precariously back and forth, the tea sloshing around and coming dangerously close to going all over him, and of course, as is his destiny, not a single drop was spilt. I said to him, “Jeff, what just happened is a metaphor for your life. If that had been me, that drink would have ended up in my lap! Everything just works out for you, doesn’t it?” He smiled and looked at me and said, “Yeah, I guess it does.” Is my friend Jeff an optimist or a pessimist because everything seems to go his way? No, Jeff is just lucky. Optimism has nothing to do with luck, good karma, or how the planets are aligned. Optimism has everything to do with how you respond and react when things don’t go your way. Anyone can be positive when things are going great, but the real test is how you act when things don’t go according to plan. The Attitude Axiom: The most important thing about you is NOT what happens to you, it is how you talk to yourself about what happens to you. You see, we all talk to ourselves, and this is

called thinking. Thinking is an internal dialogue that we have going on inside of ourselves all the time, and how we think creates our attitude and approach to life. Your attitude is the most essential skill which you can practice because not only does it energize you, it energizes those around you. In this brief article, let me share with you two reasons why a positive attitude is vitally important for you.

1ST. ATTITUDE PREDICTS SUCCESS

In psychology today, among the things we are really interested in are the variables which predict success. Our focus used to be on traditional measuring methods like I.Q. or academic performance in school which we believed predicted success. But those of you who have children in school who might be struggling a little bit, take heart, because we now understand that academic performance and I.Q. are not strongly linked with success in life and work. Psychologists now look at another variable which has been called “Emotional Intelligence” as a primary predictor of success. Emotional intelligence has to do with your attitudes, how well you deal with setbacks and failures, and your ability to interact effectively and empathetically with people. Many studies and reviews have demonstrated the importance of attitude for success in business. In fact, research reveals that the more you love what you do, the better you will do it and the more successful you will be. One longitudinal study underscores this point: researchers followed a group of 1,500 people over a period of 20 years. At the starting point of the study, the group was divided into Group A (83% of the sample, who had w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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FEATURE: ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? started their career path based upon its potential for making money in the immediate future in order to allow them to do what they really wanted to do later), and Group B (the remaining 17% of the sample who had done the exact opposite. They decided to pursue a career that they loved now and worry about the money later). Check this out: After 20 years, 101 of the original 1,500 had become millionaires. One came from Group A, the other 100 had come from Group B, the people who had chosen to do what they loved! Clearly this points out the dramatic power of attitude: people who do what they love tend to become more successful because they approach what they do with vigor, energy, and vision. The National Retail Merchants Association conducted a survey to gather data on why businesses lose customers and found the following: • 9% of customer loss was due to competition, moving, or death • 9% was due to lower prices elsewhere • 14% resulted from unadjusted complaints • 68% resulted from poor attitude displayed by store personnel Adding the last two figures together indicates that upward of 80% of people who choose to stop doing business with your organization do it because of poor attitudes from the staff. Dr. Martin Seligman, professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the bestselling book Learned Optimism, has demonstrated in several experiments that individuals who are highly optimistic but are not as competent and trained in the techniques of selling significantly outperform those who are more highly trained but score lower on assessments of optimism. He proposes that perhaps the most predictive factor for successful outcomes in our businesses is NOT our finely tuned technical skills, but rather the intangible importance of our attitudes.

2ND ATTITUDE IS CONTAGIOUS

Imagine that you are a communicable 8

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disease and you are infecting all those around you with your attitude. We all know this happens, but why does it happen? It’s because there is a psychological principle which is active in our lives which I call “The Projection Principle”. The Projection Principle is this: The attitude I GIVE to you, I GET reflected back to me in performance and behavior. I observed this dynamic many times in the counseling office; a father might come in with his teenage son and he would talk to me about his child in a tone of anger and detachment. “This kid is so stubborn and negative!” he would yell at me. “Can you figure out where he gets this bad attitude from!?” Hmmm, I think to myself, I wonder. It seems to me that the father and child are mere reflections of one another. The father yells, “Clean your room!” The kid yells back, “No!” They sound just like one another as they mirror each other’s behavior. What do you want from your staff? Your customers? Your spouse? Your kids? You first might want to take a look at what you are projecting onto them, because chances are that they are simply reflecting your own attitude back through their performance and behavior. Now, certainly I am not suggesting that we are responsible for the attitude and actions of others. On the other hand, there is a body of research which demonstrates that emotions are quite contagious and that other people tend to mirror or match the emotional energy that we give off. In his book Emotional Intelligence, Dr. Daniel Goleman talks about the subtlety with which emotions pass from one person to another. In a simple experiment, two people filled out a pre-test of their current moods and emotional state in the moment, then simply sat facing each other while the experimenter went out of the room to score their tests. After a few minutes the experimenter returned with another mood checklist and asked them to fill it out again. The pairs were purposely composed of one person who was highly expressive of emotion and another who was deadpan. Invariably, the post-test results of their emotional states showed how the mood of the more expressive individual had been transferred

to the more passive partner. Someone once said “Attitude is everything,” and according to the latest research on the subject, this seems to be the case. When it comes to re-energizing your staff, you must realize that it all starts with you and your own attitude. The attitude that you project to your staff and your patients will be assimilated by them and reflected back to you in behavior, performance, and actions. Unfortunately, most of us are blind to the attitude projections that we give off to others. Try saying to an explosive person that they are yelling at you and you may hear them say “I am not yelling at you!!” as they tear your head off with a verbal barrage that makes you cower in fear of what they might do. Wouldn’t it be revealing to have a secret video camera on us as we go through our workday? Most of us might not really like what we see. “Who is that?” we might say to ourselves, “I had no idea that I looked so scowling and serious.” Don’t worry, you don’t need a secret video camera on you. Just ask your staff, they already know. For more information on Psychologist Bruce Christopher’s seminars, call, write,or visit his website: Bruce Christopher Seminars (888) 887-8477 www.bcseminars.com

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FEATURE: HECK NO — WE WON’T GO

DUNN DEAL By Barbara F. Dunn O’Neal, Esq. Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Heck No – We Won’t Go:

Addressing Legislative Developments in Event Contracts

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ou don’t have to look too far nowadays to hear about a state or local community adopting a law or regulation which has the effect of discriminating against a subset of the population due to a person’s race, sex, sexual preference, gender identity, or other protected class. No matter which side of the issue you are on, there’s one thing that we all can understand and appreciate: Meetings mean business – economic business that is. Groups looking for a location to hold their meeting or event are consumers – they “speak” with their action or inaction. If they want to show support for a location, they will hold a meeting in that location. That was the case postHurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Yet if they want to show a location that they do not support it, they will not hold a meeting in that location or will cancel a meeting previously contracted for the location. That has been the case with meetings and special events withdrawing from or choosing not to go to North Carolina because of the state’s so called “bathroom bill”. Let’s be clear: this is a business issue not a legal issue. If a group is contracted to hold a meeting in a location that later enacts legislation which has a discriminatory impact on a certain subset of people, absent a provision in the contract to the contrary, the group is legally obligated to perform the contract and cancelling the contract will result in cancellation fees. Many groups have found themselves in this situation and having to reach out to the hotels or the bureau in that area in an effort to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal from the contract with the hope that a change to the legislation will be coming and when it does, the group will consider holding its meeting in such city. My recommendation to groups is to address this issue up front. If these types of laws are of a concern to the group and/ or its members, the group should let possible locations know that if they want the group’s business, they will have to ensure that all contracts for the event include the right for the group to cancel the contract without liability. While that may “sting” for cities, it is an essential part of the group selecting that location and that even though there may not be any issues at the time of

contracting, the potential exists between the time the contract is signed and the time of the meeting, such legislation may be passed in that location. While I understand that it is not the hospitality community members’ “fault” that such legislation is in effect, that hotel, restaurant or venue has the ability to influence legislation in that state. As noted above, I recommend to groups that they include language in their contracts which permits cancellation without liability for these reasons. I do not recommend rolling that right into the force majeure provision. It is not a force majeure event. Rather, I recommend treating this as a business issue as noted above. At the end of the day, if a state was to pass such legislation and it would be going into effect 30 days prior to the event, the group may not have any other options than to hold its meeting in that location. As such, the group still has the opportunity to work with the facility as well as state and local officials to ensure all measures are taken to minimize the impact this legislation has on the event. In all cases, organizations should include in their crisis management plan situations in which the state or local authority in the meeting location adopts any laws or regulations which could be viewed as discriminatory or otherwise controversial in nature. This would include both practical measures of managing the risk as well as communications plans and strategies. As is the case in many other situations, keeping the mindset of hoping for the best but planning for the worst is critical. Barbara Dunn O’Neal is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP where she concentrates her practice in corporate law for nonprofit organizations as well as meetings, travel and hospitality law. She can be reached directly at (312) 214-4837 or barbara. [email protected]. ©Copyright 2017. Barbara Dunn O’Neal, Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Chicago, Illinois, USA. All rights reserved under both international and Pan American copyright conventions. No republication permitted without the express written consent of the copyright holder. This article shall not be construed as legal advice. In all instances, individuals should seek their own legal counsel. w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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FEATURE: DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT: MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC MEETING VENUES

Destination Spotlight: Medical By Lisa Lance

MSMA House of Delegates where doctors vote on policy and legislation

Whether your organization is rooted in the medical field or you simply want to explore a scientific venue for your next event, Missouri has some great options.

CONVENIENCE IN KANSAS CITY Benita Stennis, director of scientific affairs at the Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA), coordinates the organization’s annual conference. The event alternates between Kansas City (in odd numbered years) and St. Louis (in even numbered years). The conference attracts 600-700 attendees and includes business meetings, scientific meetings, continuing education sessions, medical school alumni receptions, and other events. “Over the years, we have been constant at two facilities,” said Stennis. “In St. Louis we go to the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel and in Kansas City for years we have been at the Westin at Crown Center.” This year, for the first time in 20 years, she said they are holding the conference away from the Westin at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. What spurred the change? “It’s managed by the same group,” Stennis ex10

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plained. “So I have the same staff person who I worked at the Westin—she will also be working with me at the Sheraton.” That consistency in staff and institutional knowledge is important when planning a multi-day conference the size of the MSMA’s. She appreciates the willingness of the Renaissance in St. Louis to provide a shuttle to take attendees on excursions to attractions such as the Missouri Botanical Garden. When the conference is held in Kansas City, Stennis said it’s convenient to be near The Crown Center with its shops and other attractions. “If people bring their children or families, there are lots of restaurants to eat at,” she said. “We’re near Sea Life [Aquarium] as well as the Legoland [Discovery Center]. There are lots of activities there.”

THE DONALD DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER EXPANDS ITS OFFERINGS The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis recently underwent an expansion that included the new William H. Danforth Wing, which was dedicated in April of 2016. The addition cost $45 million and the result is a 79,000-square-

Doctors mingle in MSMA Exhibit Hall

foot wing with four levels, three of which contain flexible labs, gathering spaces, open office suites and computational facilities for up to 100 scientists. The expansion features a 95-seat theater with state-of-the-art audio, video, and teleconferencing capabilities for seminars, community programs and training. “The reason we expanded is for the growth of the center—it’s going to allow us to hire up to 10 additional principal investigators and their supporting staff,” said Tamera McGuire, director of events at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. “So we’re going to be hiring 400 to 500 people within the next five years.” The wing has a new café that is run by Danforth employees. With a chef and support staff, McGuire said the café can handle internal meetings, as well as daily dining options for staff. “We went after the ability to keep science moving,” she said. “So somebody can be working on a project, go to their computer, order food online, pay for it and then go down and pick it up.” She said the café was a collaboration between departments, with input from employees ranging from leadership to post-docs to interns.

FEATURE: DATA MINING

and Scientific Meeting Venues

Danforth Center Café catered by Butler’s Pantry

In addition to serving employees, the café serves as an event space with a capacity of 200 for a cocktail reception or 150 for a sit-down dinner. The space recently housed sponsor tables and booths as a sort of “sponsor hall” for a conference. Event attendees can get a feel for the work that goes on at the center. “If you walk down the hallway you can look into our lab space on the first floor,” said McGuire. “You can see science at work, if you will.” That hallway ends at the Danforth Center’s new 2,191-square-foot, 95-seat lecture-style theater. The theater is a new space in addition to the Danforth Center’s AT&T Auditorium, which offers 3,700-square-feet of space and can accommodate 302 in stadium-style seats. “The tables [in the theater] are great,” McGuire said. “People love them because outlets are built into the tables. So it’s truly state of the art for those who like to stay connected during a meeting.” The new theater space does not require the use of microphones or other amplification. “The acoustics are amazing in there,” said McGuire. “It’s truly the design and the architecture and the materials that make

it so fantastic. McGuire said one benefit of the Center’s state-of-the-art technology is that a group can have an event in the auditorium with overflow space set up in nearby conference rooms and streaming to the new theater and to screens in the café and other spaces. The Danforth Center also offers a variety of outdoor options, such as the Miller Terrace, which is available in the warmer months. The Kemper Reflecting Pool was recently converted to the more sustainable water feature, the Kemper Water Gardens. “There’s a beautiful teak boardwalk from one end to the other, which is our way of connecting the work of the Danforth Center to the community,” explained McGuire. The Center is also adding a prairie landscape to its grounds. “It’s something we’re very excited and very proud about,” said McGuire. “It’s going to contribute not only to our landscape but it’s going to contribute to the environment within the St. Louis community.” In addition to the on-site café, the Danforth Center uses Butler’s Pantry as its exclusive caterer.

Danforth Center Theater

“With a variety of event/meeting spaces at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, guests have diverse catering requests,” said Richard Nix Jr., president of Butler’s Pantry. “We always try to incorporate fresh, healthy, and seasonal items on our menus. Butler’s Boardroom (our drop off service) offers boxed lunches or coffee and pastries for early morning/ boardroom meetings. We offer convenient, full-service corporate packages and menus for groups that prefer a hot lunch buffet or light appetizers after a long day (of meetings). We also have guests that enjoy the personalization of customized menus, which are designed with careful attention to detail by our talented culinary team.” Like the views of the Kemper Water Gardens and new prairie landscape, the connection to science and nature is carried through in the food presentation, as well. “It is important for us to highlight the mission of Danforth, which is to feed the world,” said Nix. “We incorporate green/renewable “smart” options in our menus whenever possible. Guests truly enjoy that connection, and our chefs are thrilled to create w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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FEATURE: DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT: MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC MEETING VENUES new menu ideas and methods that jive with the venue.” Michelle Ritterskamp, an event planner at law firm Stinson Leonard Street, started working with The Danforth Center in 2012 for larger client events, primarily for an annual Estate Planning and Fiduciary Litigation seminar. She said the Danforth Center was a perfect fit for a seminar with multiple speakers in an auditorium format with state-of-the-art AV, excellent parking and a valet option and space for a cocktail reception. Ritterskamp said Stinson Leonard Street held an event for just under 100 people in the new theater last fall. “The new facility is great for a smaller group,” she said. She praised the theater’s acoustics, pointing out that unlike other meeting spaces that require microphones for speakers to be heard, the Danforth theater was designed for acoustics. “The presenters came in and were hesitant, but

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were amazed when we tested in advance and the sound was good in the front or back of the theater with the use of no microphone,” she said. Ritterskamp also praised the Danforth Center and Butler’s Pantry team’s courteous service and willingness to work with clients to create a successful event. McGuire said one thing that sets the Danforth Center apart from other venues is that it only hosts one outside event per day, so her team can completely focus on the success of that event and work with the planner to customize the best solution. For example, an organization might utilize the AT&T Auditorium for a large presentation, hold a workshop in the new theater, and connect the two through a poster session in the hallway. “We’re very lucky that our clients allow us to get involved and we really try to help elevate and lift their events.”

Sources: Tam McGuire, Director of Events Donald Danforth Plant Science Center 975 North Warson Road St. Louis, Missouri 63132 Phone: 314-587-1403, Fax:314-587-1503 [email protected] www.danforthcenter.org Richard L. Nix, Jr., President Phone: 314-664-7680 [email protected] butlerspantry.com Michelle Ritterskamp, Events Specialist Stinson Leonard Street LLP 7700 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 1100 St. Louis, MO 63105-1821 Phone: 314-259-4572, Fax: 314-259-3954 [email protected] www.stinson.com Benita Stennis Missouri State Medical Association 113 Madison Street P.O. Box 1028, Jefferson City, MO 65110 Phone: 573-636-5151 [email protected]

INDUSTRY UPDATE: IACC / MPI PARTNERSHIP

IACC and Meeting Professionals International Form Global Alliance CHICAGO and DALLAS, April 4, 2017 – IACC, the only association to certify conference and meetings focused venues on a global basis, and Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the leading global association for meeting professionals, have announced a five-year global partnership for the mutual benefit of their members. The two associations will share event and learning platforms, including education delivered at annual conferences, regional events, and online as well as research initiatives. In the last year IACC has delivered education at European and US MPI events, including more recently at the Southern California Chapter Conference and MPI Philadelphia Area Chapter Education Institute, and the two associations are exploring opportunities for additional MPI chapter events. In addition, MPI presented two workshops at the IACCAmericas Connect conference this week in Los Angeles. IACC’s CEO Mark Cooper commented, “The leadership teams at MPI and IACC have been collaborating on several successful initiatives over the last two years and now seems the perfect time to bring all this great work together under one strategy to allow us to seize more opportunities and provide more for our respective members. Just as MPI is passionate about designing great meeting experiences, IACC is passionate about venues delivering an exceptional meetings experience. It’s the perfect marriage”. One new project slated to roll out in 2017 will entail MPI conferences streamed live to IACC venues, where MPI members can come together, learn, and experience valuable networking. The venues will all be IACC certified and capable of delivering a quality event with live streaming of content, supported by IACC member staff. MPI’s 2017 World Education Congress (WEC), which takes place June 19-22 in Las Vegas, will be the first conference featured. “One of our top priorities at MPI is to continuously enrich our portfolio of professional development offerings and this collaboration with IACC will certainly help us deliver more value to our mem-

bership community,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. “We are especially excited about the opportunity to live stream WEC to members that are unable to make it to the conference this year and in an environment that encompasses peer-to-peer engagement and networking.” MPI will also take part in the next phase of the IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ research project, which aims to transform the meeting experience through a global collaboration of leaders in conference and meeting space design, technology, hospitality, delegate collaboration, experience and conference management. The first phase surveyed meeting planners including MPI planner members and was published in 2016, and the second phase will focus on the venue buyer community and look to draw parallels with the initial research. The results will be unveiled at MPI’s WEC 2017 this June, with IACC conducting a Research Showcase at the conference. A full copy of the initial report and infographic can be downloaded from the IACC website. Alex Cabañas, IACC president and CEO of BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, comments, “This is the perfect project to use as an example of the power of the alliance, as it combines venue innovation and entrepreneurialism with the expertise of meeting industry professionals”.

EDUCATION, EDUCATION AND MORE EDUCATION

With IACC leading the field in representing the top one percent of small to midsize meetings focused venues in 25 countries over four continents and MPI representing the largest community of meeting professionals worldwide, this alliance is a natural one and comes following many years of working together. This is an era where the industry sees a significant increase in the number of parttime meeting planners, who with busy jobs look at professional development a little differently. IACC certified venues, which host smaller conferences and meetings, have a large number of part-time

planners booking space, and one objective of this alliance is to provide relevant education to this important group. Additionally, IACC venues consist of many individual and small specialist conference group venues, which MPI and IACC will make more accessible via simple venue search tools on their respective websites.

ABOUT IACC

Founded in 1981, IACC is a not-forprofit association dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the meetings venue industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional IACC meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Quality Standards and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 370 members from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mongolia, Kenya, Nigeria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, England, Scotland, Wales, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Hungary and the Philippines. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org. “There are meetings and then there are IACC meetings.” Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 19 countries. “When we meet, we change the word.” www.mpiweb.org Media Contacts: Mark Cooper, CEO, IACC [email protected] www.iacconline.org / www.iaccmeetings.com Ken Ellens Ken Ellens Communications 201-758-2864 [email protected] Sonya Thorpe Cobb Meeting Professionals International 972-702-3098 [email protected].

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INDUSTRY UPDATE: PHILADELPHIA BREAKS RECORD

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Announces Highest Convention Booking Year Ever American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and National School Boards Association among Major Conventions Secured For Philadelphia

Photo courtesy of PHLCVB

T

he Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) reported 2016 as its highest convention booking year ever with 713 events using 903,199 hotel room nights secured for future years. Those figures represent an 18.2 percent increase in the number of events and a 5.8 percent increase in room nights secured over 2015 Among the booked groups are the 2022 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery/American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASCRS/ ASOA) Annual Symposium & Congress, the 2019 and 2025 National School Boards Association Annual Conference and the 2026 Leading Age Annual Meet-

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ing & Expo. ASCRS/ASOA was last held in Philadelphia in 2002, and at that time expressed dissatisfaction with their experience at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC). Since then, the Center has undergone a dramatic transformation which includes simplified work rules and a renewed spirit of cooperation among SMG, the PCCA and the labor unions working in the building. The National School Boards Association is a first time group for Philadelphia and Leading Age was last held in Philadelphia prior to the changes made at the PCC. “We are extremely proud of our teams at the PHLCVB and the PCC who have done significant work to secure both new groups and those who in previous years

had said they would not return to Philadelphia,” said PHLCVB President and CEO Julie Coker Graham. “As our Center, our labor unions and SMG continue to cultivate a strong customer-focused environment, Philadelphia can continue to look forward to a robust convention calendar for years to come.” The PHLCVB’S 2016 bookings include 28 citywide events versus 25 in 2015. Almost 70 percent of the room nights secured for future years are related to meetings and conventions taking place at the PCC, with the rest tied to meetings taking place at regional hotels and other venues. In total, the meetings, conventions and events booked in 2016 are estimated to generate $1.3 billion in

In 2017, PHL CVB-booked conventions and events are projected to consume more than 620,000 room nights and generate over $900 million in economic impact for Philadelphia. Some of those groups include the NFL Draft, LIGHTFAIR International and the National Black MBA Association among others.

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has three business development divisions PHLDiversity, PHLSports and PHLLifeSciences dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.

Photo courtesy of PHLCVB

economic impact for Philadelphia and the region. “Our commitment to efficient management and value for our customers is allowing the PCC and PHLCVB to bring groups back to the table for future years,” said PCC Chairman Gregory J. Fox, Esq. “The Center is fulfilling the Board of Directors’ vision for first-class experiences.” “We are delivering on the promise of customer service and performing at a very high level for great customers such as World Meeting of Families, the Democratic National Convention, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, and most recently, for a record-setting Philadelphia Auto Show,” PCC President & CEO John J. McNichol said. The large citywide conventions booked by the PHLCVB are major contributors to driving hotel occupancy in Philadelphia. In 2016, convention and group business represented the largest market segment influencing hotel room demand with 1,062,000 room nights contributing to record-breaking 78 percent hotel occupancy (+1.6 percent YOY), Average Daily Rate (+5.0 percent YOY)) of $191 and Revenue per Available Room of $149 (+6.7 percent YOY) for Philadelphia. “We are immensely pleased with the positive strides being made by both the PHLCVB and the PCC,” said Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association (GPHA) president Greg Stafford. “We feel confident that Philadelphia is on the right track and are looking forward to another terrific year with the NFL Draft coming to our city next month.” w w w. M e e t M a g s . c o m

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INDUSTRY UPDATE: MPI OUTLOOK REPORT

MPI Spring 2017 Edition of Meetings Outlook Report Now Available WHAT: Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has published its Meetings Outlook TM, 2017 Spring Edition. The latest installment of the quarterly report shows the forecast for business conditions and budgets continues to improve at a healthy rate. It also reveals how audiovisual partners have an increasingly powerful role in the outcome of successful events, while planners are driven to focus more on myriad aspects of contingency planning. Key findings include the following: • 69% of respondents predict favorable business conditions— up 11% since last quarter. • 48% of respondents report good availability of space for 2017 meetings; 61% say the same for booking 2018 meetings. • 21% of respondents have significantly increased sustainability practices in the past five years; 28% have either decreased or not increased such practices. • Attendance at live and virtual events is expected to grow by 1.8% and 2.7%, respectively. To view the revised full report, visit www.mpiweb.org/meetingsoutlook. The report is also included in the print and digital versions of MPI’s The Meeting Professional ® magazine, May 2017 issue. Meetings Outlook is developed in partnership with MGM Resorts International and supported in partnership with the IMEX Group.

DETAILS: Meetings Outlook presents future industry trends and predictions from MPI members, including meeting professionals on MPI’s Business Research Panel. Every quarter, research firm Association Insights surveys the panel, asking a short series of quantitative questions related to the economy and a qualitative question regarding the individual’s professional outlook. Phone interviews are also conducted with randomly selected MPI members. The report provides a quarterly tracking of current business conditions and future outlooks. ABOUT MPI: Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities, and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 19 countries. “When we meet, we change the word.” www.mpiweb.org

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Critical information for life sciences meeting professionals:

MPI CMP Healthcare Training Manual MPI and Publishing Concepts LLC present the first edition of the MPI Certified Meeting Professional Healthcare Subspecialty (CMP-HC) Exam training manual. This manual complements the first-ever preparatory course designed to prepare meeting and event professionals in the life sciences sector to sit for the CMP-HC exam. Obtaining the CMP-HC designation is a sign that planners understand key topics in healthcare event management, including attendee tracking, data capture, and the reporting of medical meeting spending. Contents The manual features sections on business rationale, planning, risk management, implementation and audit, and key terminology. Section quizzes help users evaluate their knowledge before taking the CMP-HC exam. Contributors Executive editor Pat Schaumann, CMP, CSEP, DMCP, HMCC, is principal instructor of the HMCC program and MPI’s director of professional development, healthcare sector. More than 25 meeting professionals representing segments such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biologics, biopharma, clinical research, hotels, destination management, exhibit management, and third party meeting planning have taken time out to contribute their knowledge and experience to the CMP-HC Training Workbook. Ordering Details ISBN 13: 978-1-933635-23-1 ebook $140.00 paperback $149.99 Publishing Concepts LLC 6590 Scanlan Avenue St. Louis MO 63139 http://www.meetingcompliance.com

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“In order to obtain the CMP-HC designation, life science meeting professionals are required to understand myriad topics such as attendee tracking, data capture, and how to report information. This manual provides the information and tools to help professionals develop this knowledge.” Paul Van Deventer President and CEO Meeting Professionals International

INDUSTRY UPDATE: U.S. GUN LAWS MAP

MEDIA ADVISORY:

INTERACTIVE U.S. GUN LAWS & EVENT VENUES MAP AVAILABLE

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lan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is pleased to offer a free, interactive U.S. map showing state-by-state gun laws as they relate to meeting and event venues. The Gun Laws & Event Venues map was created as a simple starting point for planners looking into the matter of firearms possession at their meetings and events—a follow-up to a series of gun-related articles released over the past six months, which was designed to educate meeting and event practitioners on myriad factors associated with firearms, such as safety, security, and the attendee experience. Select a state and you’ll immediately see the general status of handgun and long gun possession in the state, including whether or not permits are required. You’ll also get information related to exemptions in the law that apply specifically to potential meeting and event venues. Read more at: http://planyourmeetings.com/gun-laws-eventvenues-interactive-state-by-state-map/.

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