How to Be the Perfect Healthcare Conference Attendee - When You'd Rather Be Somewhere Else

Attending conferences, forums and/or institutes is a lot of fun and a rewarding experience for most people. These events can be great ways to gain awareness of what’s going on in the industry, expand your network and learn actionable methods to add value via your day to day work. But for some people, sitting through a few days of presentations one after another, many of which pitch the same information liberally sprinkled with thinly-veiled company product information, conference attendance can be a real chore.

For those people who could care less about a specific topic being presented but who want to derive some value nonetheless, here are ten tips for being the perfect healthcare conference attendee – when you’d rather be somewhere else.

Ten Ways to Maximize Attendance at a Presentation

1. Sit in front, near the presenter

This applies only if you plan to stay awake; if you don't, see item #8 below. If you're going to all the trouble of attending the presentation and making a good impression, the presenter should get a chance to see your act.

2. Look alert. Keep your eyes on the presenter

If you MUST consult your watch, don't stare at it unbelievingly; or shake it.

3. Make a great show of taking notes

The presenter will believe you’re paying rapt attention. If used wisely, the gimmick of asking him or her to repeat a particularly significant statement is a good way to call out your presence. (Don't do this more often than twice in a single presentation)

4. Nod frequently and murmur, "How true!"

To you, this seems exaggerated; to the presenter, it is quite objective.

5. Tweet out some links to posts related to the topic being presented

This operation demonstrates fiery interest, and gives others some content to discuss and share with others. If you can't find anything related to the topic at hand, just share anything you find. Most healthcare thought-leaders think everything deals with their subject anyway.

6. Laugh at the presenter’s jokes

You CAN tell when a joke has been made. A clue: If the presenter looks up from his or her notes and smiles expectantly, he or she has just told a joke.

7. Ask for outside readings or special references

You don't have to read anything that may be provided to you. Just ask for it.

8. If you sleep, set an alarm to be woken a few minutes before the session is over

It may create an unpleasant impression if the rest of the attendees have left and you’re sitting there alone, dozing.

9. Ask only questions you believe the presenter can answer

This is so obvious it doesn't require any commentary.

10. Call attention to the presenter’s publications

This ploy produces an exquisitely pleasant feeling within the presenter, which becomes associated with you. Hint: If you discover your presenter has written a book or article, ask if he or she wrote it. Be sure to express appropriate reverence.

It Works. Try It.If you are a professional, do any of these thoughts bring back memories of your college days? 

For more information on healthcare conferences and events - specifically those related to information technology, products and services, consider following @HITConfGuy and @ShimCode on Twitter.

Note: The above was adapted from “How to Stay in College” by Robert Tyson of Hunter College. 

Collection of Tips, Guides, How-To's & Other Information for HIMSS Attendees

If you’re headed to the 2017 HIMSS Conference &Exhibition in Orlando, FL next month, there are some things you can do now, during the conference and immediately thereafter that will maximize the value of your investment.

This post summarizes all of the posts written about previous HIMSS conferences. If you spend a little time going through these posts I’m certain you’ll have a more valuable and productive conference.

Almost 30 Tips for Attending the 2016 HIMSS Conference (Or Any Conference)

Tips for Sharing Content at the 2016 HIMSS Conference

Questions to Ask Software Product Vendors at the HIMSS Conference

How to Gracefully Exit a Conversation That’s Going Nowhere at #HIMSS Conference

Some Tips for Making Your #HIMSS15 Tweets Memorable &Retweetable

Preparing Your Elevator Pitch & Networking Questions for the HIMSS Conference

Suggestions and Ideas for Meeting and Socializing at the HIMSS Conference

Ideas & Tips for Maximizing the Most Important Conference Asset: You!

Consider the Physical Aspects of Attending the #HIMSS Conference

More Tips for Connecting with New People at HIMSS

Six Tips for Networking at the #HIMSS15 Conference

To continue learning more about health information technology conferences and other healthcare-related events, consider following @HITConfGuy on Twitter. And for information on Healthcare Data, Technology & Services, check out www.shimcode.com and @ShimCode on Twitter.

One Way to Obtain Good HIMSS Conference-related Information via Twitter

Each year, more and more people and companies are sharing their health information technology conference-related insight, experiences, facts and opinions before, during and after the event. Whether you're able to attend the 2017 HIMSS Conference or not, following along virtually via industry newsfeeds, LinkedIn Group discussions, and social media platforms like Twitter can be a good way to maximize the informational value of the conference.

For the past five years, I've been curating, creating and sharing HIMSS-related conference 'content' via my primary Twitter account known as @ShimCode, accounts like @HIMSS12, @HIMSS13 & @HIMSS14 and also  @HITConfGuy - a "health information technology conference-only" companion account to this blog.

For 2017, I expect I'll be using a combination of the above three approaches to share with my followers.

Why Follow @HITConfGuy?

Quite simply, to get 'good' HIMSS conference-related content without having to sift through all the advertisements, spam, stale and repetitious tweets. 

Note: The official HIMSS hashtag for the 2017 HIMSS Conference is #HIMSS17 and I'm already seeing an increase in the amount of spam, and what I think many would agree are useless tweets, containing the #HIMSS17 hashtag. 

What this Account Will Do

1. Only share information related to the HIMSS conference and relevant healthcare IT topics. With some occasional deviation, the focus will be on sharing information about the following topics

#ACO – Accountable Care Organizations and programs in bundled payment, episodes of care-shared savings, and growing participant base

#consumerism - improving member’s overall well-being – medical, social, financial, and environmental

#cybersecurity - protecting the privacy and security of consumer information

#digitalhealth – digital health and connected health

#mhealth – mobile health for improving disease management, member engagement, and data collection/distribution

#pharmacy –pharma costs vs benefits to quality of care and total medical costs

#telemedicine – telehealth and telemedicine for acute and chronic care needs

#interoperability - interoperability and integration topics

2. Monitor alternative sources of information other than Twitter such as blogs, news releases to health industry media sources, content made available to me by followers, and various search mechanisms I've developed over the years.

3. Accept good information and content from others and share it out. Send info to shimcode@gmail.com.

4. Include links to supplemental content and resources associated with certain tweets.

5. Share select vendor info (whitepapers, surveys, content, offers, etc) that are not clearly a sales pitches. Veiled sales pitches may be passed along at my discretion.

6. Verify that all embedded links and embedded content can be accessed, warn about need to login to access content, and other practical considerations.

7. Spare you the excess of the “over-tweeters”

8. Share select info on "booth-bling," tweet-ups, parties and contests.

9. Keep an eye out for the off-beat, intriguing and humorous - and the edgy stuff you'll rarely see others share. 

What This Account Won't Do

1. Overuse the #HIMSS17 hash tag

The #HIMSS17 tag is already being used by spammers and way over-used by certain people who should really know better. This account will strive for judicious use of the #HIMSS17 tag.

2. Share the same tweet more than once. 

Except for periodic “public service tweets” calling attention to administrative, logistical and general information itemsal service this account provides.

3. Like and re-tweet every tweet mentioning this account.

4. Repeat the same tweet over and over and over and over and over

Good #HIMSS17 Information - Before, During & After 

So if you're planning on attending the HIMSS Conference in Orlando or want to follow along virtually, be sure to follow @HitConfGuy on Twitter and consider subscribing to this blog.