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.

The Totally Unofficial #HIMSS16 Hashtag Guide

Here’s this year's Unsanctioned, Probably not Approved by the Lawyers, and Certain to Offend Someone, Totally Unofficial #HIMSS16 Hashtag Guide for the 2016 HIMSS Conference in Las Vegas. These hashtags are intended to supplement the Official #HIMSS16 Hashtags.

General 

#HIMSS16Hacks

Identifies tips, ideas, practices and/or tactics enabling an attendee to get the most out of their HIMSS conference experience.

#HIMSS16Newbie

Identifies a first time HIMSS conference attendee. Must be used with utmost respect as #HIMSSNewbie’s represent the future of health information technology.

#HIMSSVegasBaby

General exclamation of excitement that can be used before, during and after the conference. Heard often at the McCarran International Airport’s baggage claim area.

#HIMSSSMA

Identifies a HIMSS Social Media Ambassador (SMA) and/or something wise and newsworthy uttered by a SMA.

#HIMSSSanity

A tag used to identify the general craziness generated by 40,000 health IT-crazed individuals converging for the HIMSS conference. Origination of this hashtag is attributed to Larry Lin – a former #HIMSSLuminary who has gone undercover or into the witness protection program. Shhh…

#HIMSSSpeedDating
The process of hitting up as many vendors, exhibits and meetings as you can during the actual conference. 

Attributed to Neil Versel aka. @nversel

Conference

#HIMSSBestSpeaker

Used to note a particularly good conference speaker or presenter. Must be used sparingly.

#HIMSSMeetup

Identifies meetup’s and conversations held before, during and after the conference.

#HIMSSInterview

Flags scheduled or impromptu interviews conference attendees want to to share with others.

#HIMSSMustSee

Identifies a booth, session, restaurant or other place that is a must-see for all attendees. See also #HIMSSMustAvoid

#HIMSSMustAvoid

Identifies a booth, session, restaurant or other place that must be avoided at all costs. See also #HIMSSMustSee

#HIMSSXXWrath

A form of negative attention that might be put upon the author of this blog if timely clarifications are not made to certain Unofficial Hashtag definitions.

Bling, Swag & Such

#HIMSSBling

Calls out vendors giving out good booth swag or prizes. See also #HIMSSSwag and #HIMSSSwagRat. Note: Identify exhibitors offering lame swag with the #HIMSSMustAvoid hashtag.

#HIMSSBlingRat

A person who visits vendor booths solely for the handouts/bling/swag. Typically identified by someone carrying multiple bulging bags and running from booth to booth. Often seen multiple times at the same vendor booths tagged with #HIMSSSwag and #HIMSSMustSee. See also #HIMSSSwagRat.

#HIMSSSwag

Used to identify a vendor handing out good stuff. See also #HIMSSBling, #HIMSSBlingRat and #HIMSSSwagRat.

#HIMSSSwagRat

A person who visits vendor booths solely for the handouts/swag/bling. Often seen running through the exhibit hall and cutting in lines. See also #HIMSSBlingRat

The People of HIMSS

#HIMSSHotties 
Describes pleasantly pretty HIMSS Conference attendees of the female variety. Not to be confused with #HIMSSBoothBabe

Attributed to @ErinEWold via this tweet

#HIMSSSwagger
A confident HIMSS attendee. Not to be confused with #HIMSSSwag

Attributed to @dz45tr  

#HIMSSBoothBabe

An attractive or nice looking female booth attendee. See also #HIMSSBoothStud. 

#HIMSSBoothStud

An attractive or nice looking male booth attendee. See also #HIMSSBoothBabe. 

#HIMSSChick

Any female conference attendee who wants to be at the conference. Not to be confused with #HealthITChicks who are a superset of #HIMSSChick’s due to their above average health IT intelligence, exceptional poise, inner beauty AND their likely association with the #HealthITChicks LinkedIn Group. See also #HIMSSBro.

#HIMSSBro

Male conference attendee who often participates in healthcare-related tweetchats. See also #HIMSSChick.

#HIMSStud

A handsome HIMSS conference attendee. Often seen with a #HIMSSChick. Or two.

#HIMSSKid

The offspring of HIMSS conference attendees. Usually the primary consumers of all #HIMSSBling or #HIMSSSwag collected at the conference. 

#HIMSSLuminary

A famous or semi-famous person in the healthcare IT sphere. 

#HIMSSCameo

Used to note the appearance of a famous or semi-famous person like keynote speakers Peyton Manning or Michael Dell. Might be used to identify a Health IT Luminary like Brian Ahier , Brad Justus or a Las Vegas entertainer like Wayne Newton

#HIMSSLackey

A HIMSS staffer who works behind the scenes with little to no recognition or praise. Likely highly intelligent, low paid and humble. See also #HIMSSPawn.

#HIMSSPawn

Identifies any HIMSS conference attendee, vendor person or support staff that does a lot of work without any attention, recognition or glory. See also #HIMSSLackey

#HIMSSBrownNoser

A session attendee who tosses out over the top compliments to session presenters, vendors, attendees or others like kids tossing peanuts to elephants at the circus.

#HIMSSStalker

A HIMSS attendee or person who stealthily hunts or relentlessly pursues a specific person, vendor or topic in the realm of health information technology. Origination of this hashtag is attributed to the complex, yet adaptive theorist Ryan Lucas @dz45tr

#HIMSSMakers

A movement that creates physical or virtual objects –most often using 3D printing technology – and somehow associated with the HIMSS Conference.

Attributed to Charles Webster aka. @wareflo

#HIMSS16TweetHog

A person who over shares and abuses the #HIMSS16 hashtag. Not to be confused with a #HIMSSSeatHog

#HIMSSSeatHog

A person who takes up more than one seat and/or reserves more than one seat at a keynote address, education session or other in demand location. Show your scorn for #HIMSSSeatHog's by taking and posting a picture of their hoginess. Be sure to include the #HIMSSPic hashtag too.

Fashion, Styles & Art

#HIMSSArt
Used to identify artsy, crafty items ranging from the sophisticated to kitschy. Be sure to visit @XeroxHealthcare's booth 8005 to see the sophisticated art of @ReginaHolliday.

Origination of this hashtag is attributed to Surfer Dude HealthIT Media Guy @2healthguru Gregg Masters.

#HIMSSFashion

Used to note the classy, stylish wardrobe, accessories and/or manner of behavior of certain select HIMSS attendees. A HIMSS attendee tagged with #HIMSSFashion demonstrates that fashion, form and function are not mutually exclusive.

Origination of this hashtag is attributed to the classy, stylish and well-behaved (as far as one can tell) Dr. Geeta Nayyar @gnayyar.

#HIMSSShoes

Used to identify cool, classy, nice, crazy and/or otherwise extraordinary footwear seen around the conference center. As in "Did you see those #HIMSSShoes @MandiBPro is wearing?”

#HIMSSPapaNeedsNewShoes

Notes a male attendee needing to get some comfortable walking shoes.

Attributed to Joe Lavelle aka. @Resultant

#HIMSS16Shopping

Used to describe a form of retail therapy. Respectfully associated with the female gender. Also used to call out a screaming bargain that must be shared with fellow HIMSS conference attendees.

Attributed to John Lynn aka. @techguy

#HIMSSChaChing

Used to express a big HIMSS conference win – on the exhibit floor, in a conference session or in one of the many casinos.

Eat, Drink & Be Wary

#HIMSSFood

Used to call out an on-site or off-site eatery. Include the optional #HIMSSMustSee or #HIMSSMustAvoid to further qualify the eating opportunity. See also #HIMSSTreat

#HIMSSJava

Identifies locations for obtaining coffee and other fuels to keep you going during the conference. See also #HIMSSDrinks

#HIMSSDrinks

Identifies locations for obtaining water and other beverages. Keep this one handy! Remember what happened in New Orleans in 2013? See also #HIMSSJava and #HIMSSTreat

#HIMSSTreat

Identifies edibles and where they're available. Be sure to include clear directions to the location. See also #HIMSSJava and #HIMSSFood.

Techie Stuff

#HIMSSelfie

Used to identify a "selfie" - which is a picture taken by an individual of themselves or a group surrounding the picture taker. Per Brian Ahier @ahier, a selfie MUST be taken by one of the individuals shown in the picture.

#HIMSSPic

Any picture of the HIMSS Conference Event. See also #HIMSSSelfie

#HIMSSGadget

Identifies cool gadgets and/or other mechanical things that should be called out to others.

HIMSS State of Mind

#HIMSSHaze

A slight obscuration of mental acuity occurring prior to and/or often during the HIMSS Conference, typically caused by well-meaning but misguided vendor PR people inundating media with last minute requests for meetings. Synonyms: #HIMSSMist, #HIMSSFog.

#HIMSSomnia

A condition created by the excitement of preparing for and attending the HIMSS conference. Usually wears off a few days after the conference. (What @MandiBPro won’t have after 18:00 Vegas time)

Attributed to Mandi Bishop Meyer aka. @MandiBPro

#HIMSSMist

Used to identify a vendor employing savvy marketing intended to mask the reality of the vendor’s under-developed and over-hyped offering.

#HIMSSPeasouper

See #HIMSSMist

#HIMSSPickupLines

A line that can be used in an attempt to meet a member of the opposite sex.

Now It's a Party!

#HIMSSParty
Identifies parties of any nature held before, during or after each day of the conference

#HIMSSScavangerHunt
A game where typically mature, reserved adults go all out in search of illusive #HIMSSSwag or #HIMSSBling.

Attributed to Colin Hung aka. @Colin_Hung

#HIMSSDanceOff

A challenge to prove the HealthIT-niess of two or more HIMSS attendees. Often used to challenge someone to prove his or her HealthIT-niess; as in "I am NOT a #HIMSSTweetHog! I challenge you to a #HIMSSDanceOff - right now @TechGuy!"

New Tools

#HIMSSBlab

A HIMSS-related event or happening shared via the popular video streaming platform Blab. See also #HIMSSPeri.

Attributed to Charles Webster aka. @wareflo

#HIMSSPeri

A HIMSS-related event or happening shared via the popular video streaming platform Periscope. See also #HIMSSBlab

Attributed to Charles Webster aka. @wareflo

Everything Else

#HIMSSNoMoICD10

Declaration that ICD-10 will no longer be a hot topic at the HIMSS conference. Thank God!

Attributed to Joe Lavelle aka. @Resultant

#HIMSSNordic

A HIMSS attendee from geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic

#HIMSSDutch

A subset of the #HIMSSNordic class

#HIMSSWorkflow

Special tag reserved for the exclusive use of Dr. Charles Webster aka @wareflo. Unauthorized use of this tag on any tweet or other social media post without pre-authorization by Dr. Webster will result in denial of your claim as a HIMSS attendee.

#DownWithHIMMS

Used to express dissatisfaction with a ‘misspelled’ HIMSS hashtag. Ex. #HIMMS2016

Using #HIMSS16 Hashtags

Tags can be combined to create very powerful tweets. For instance, one might tweet: 

Did you see that #HIMSSLackey clothesline that #HIMSSBlingRat running off w/ the #HIMSSSwag? Wish I had a #HIMSSBlab of that!

Or…

I’m off for some #HIMSSShopping to get some #HIMSSShoes so I can be a #HIMSSBro who's a #HIMSSMustSee!

What Else?

To get all the official and unofficial scoop on the 2016 HIMSS Conference, be sure to follow the HIMSS Social Media Ambassadors. Personally, I'm partial to @ShimCode so be sure to follow him. You can also follow ALL of the SMA's via this Official List of 2016 HIMSS Social Media Ambassadors. 

Why should you follow the @HITConfGuy Twitter Account before and during #HIMSS16?

Why? To get the good HIMSS conference-related tweets without having to sift through all the advertisements, spam, stale and repeated tweets. That’s why!

HIMSS conference attendees can be freed from being glued to a popular hashtag that’s experiencing increased levels of spam and abuse so they can focus on the conference, presentations and vendor booths. Those who aren’t attending the HIMSS conference will have an enhanced means to eavesdrop on the proceedings remotely.

How are Tweets Selected?

Twitter, popular blogs and other sources of information are monitored using various automated and manual methods using terms and phrases expected to describe the HIMSS conference. A human with 20+ years of experience in the healthcare IT and services industry will review each tweet before it’s surfaced in Twitter.

What This Account Will Do

1. Only share information related to the HIMSS 2016 conference and only share relevant healthcare IT topics. I’ll focus on the following:

#digitalhealth – Mobile health, Digital Health and Connected Health

#telemedicine – Telehealth and telemedicine
#mhealth – Mobile Health
#ACO – Accountable Care Organizations
#ehr – Electronic Health Records
#hix – Health Insurance Exchanges
#icd10 – ICD-10
#interoperability - Interoperability and integration topics

2. Monitor alternative sources of information off Twitter’s oft beaten path. This includes blogs, content made available to me by followers, various search mechanisms I use, etc.

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

4. 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.

5. Verify that all embedded links and embedded content can be accessed

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

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

Keep an eye out for the following “unofficial HIMSS16 hashtags” suggested by others:

#HIMSS16GoodStuff - Identify good presentations, speakers, etc
#HIMSS16DanceOff - See #HIMSSanity
#HIMSSanity - General craziness
#HIMSSFood - Places to eat – good and bad – note them!
#HIMSSPickuplines - See #HIMSSanity
#HIMSSTips - Tips and How-to’s to maximize conference value
#HIMSSwag - Booth bling and handouts worth noting

What This Account Won't Do

1. Share the same tweet more than once. Except for periodic “promotional tweets” to call attention to the service this account provides.

2. A primary value of this account is that you can just periodically review its timeline and get the scoop as to what’s going on at #HIMSS16. No need to do special searches and/or monitor the #HIMSS16 hashtag - that's my job. :)

3. Retweet every tweet mentioning this account. This isn’t about me. I really didn't even want to have my real name on this blog but it's a Google term of service item. I'm doing this because I want to share good good healthcare IT info related to the HIMSS conference.

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

5. Post content requiring login or special add-ins unless a warning is given – such as [requires login] or [Requires yada yada add-in]

So click here and follow @HitConfGuy 

How to Promote Your Technology Conference Event Using Social Media

One of the guys I work with is involved with the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference. He had asked me about some ideas for promoting their 33rd Annual Software Quality Conference held October 12 through the 14th in Portland. Well I’m not an expert in conference event marketing by any stretch of the imagination but I do know how to do research, what appeals to me as an IT professional and how to present information. I found a lot of good information about how to market your conference event using social media so I’m sharing it in a two-part post. Here’s part one.

Note: The information presented here is a combination of others work and my own ideas. I’ve noted the sources where I directly copied information.

Lay the Ground Work

1. Create a hashtag for your event. Make it short and easy to remember. Balance the uniqueness of using a “year” designation in the tag vs. the ability to use the tag for events held in future years. Include the hashtag on all tweets. For instance, do you want to use #EventName15 to identify this year’s event? Or #EventName to be more generic and allow for future use? I’m not sure which is best.

2. Create a template with branded images and consistent color palette to make it easy to share quotes, comments and other information about the event in a consistent, branded manner. Include these images with each tweet in a manner in which the image is displayed in its entirety and doesn't require the user to click on a link

3. Try to include an image in each tweet. Besides the events logo or graphic, you might include a vista of the city in which the event is taking place or the venue in which it is held.

4. About 3-4 weeks before the event, add information about the event to the email signatures of all those people who are organizing the event or otherwise involved.

Share Information about the Event

5. Call out agenda items in a tweet and include a link to conference tracks.

6. Share news and other content related to the topic of the event

7. Share photos of the event’s venue and the setup of the event

8. If it’s a multi-day event, include tweets about any events held in the evening. Or Local Things to Do in the evening if no event-sponsored activities are planned.

9. Respond to any inquiries about the event and consider re-tweeting and favoriting tweets made by others.

10. If financially feasible, hold a contest for everyone who tweets about the event and give away a ticket or two

Use What You Already Have

11. Either link to existing pages or consider creating a page on your web site with information about last year’s event. Then tweet information about this year’s event and the link to that page

12. Create a page on your web site with information about last year’s event and tweet information about this year’s event and the link to that page.

Share Content from Previous Year’s Events.

13. Tweet info about the conference/event on a daily basis; better yet several times a day: morning, noon and night. You have a better chance at reaching people who operate on different time cycles. Just mix up the tweets as suggested later in this post.

14. Do you have any good comments from previous events? Maybe you’ve interviewed attendees or speakers and captured statements of excitement about specific sessions, speakers or your event in general.

Hashtag It Danno!

15. Include a hashtag pertaining to the general content of the event on EVERY tweet. There are several good tools out there to help you ascertain the good tags. Here are some good sites:

https://ritetag.com
http://topsy.com
http://hashtagify.me/
https://www.hashtags.org/

It’s Halftime

So there’s the first half of what I came up with on How to Promote Your Technology Conference Event Using Social Media. I’ll post the second half tomorrow. If you’re interested in conferences and events related to healthcare information technology, consider following @HITConfGuy on Twitter.

Summary of Today's #HITMC Tweetchat - Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I missed the #HITMC tweetchat hosted by HIT Marketing and PR (@HITMarketingPR) this morning so I grabbed the tweets and culled out all the responses. Here they're for those who also may have missed it:

Here's @Symplur's analytics on the #HITMC Tweetchat.

T1: How does healthcare buyer engagement differ from sales and marketing in other industries? #HITMC 

@billians	T1: Security and compliance are a bigger priority in healthcare; Patients = very precious cargo buyers entrusted with! #HITMC
@jslentzclifton	T1 Wide array of stakeholders, very busy professionals w/ limited desk time - need new creative ways to engage. #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T1: One major difference from many (although not all) industries is how regulated healthcare is. #HITMC
@cnluken	T1: differs in the buyer dynamics... doctors, boards, C-levels & some floor staff all may have influence #HITMC
@porterresearch	T1: Credibility, while important in all industries, is especially of concern to potential buyers in the healthcare industry. #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T1: I think the complications come from the complexity of the systems. Many stakeholders get to say "no."
@askjoyrios	T1: Healthcare buyers want to avoid the services vs. other industries where they're actively looking to use products/services. #HITMC
@billians	T1: Security concerns in the healthcare industry too are very important whereas other industries may not need to worry about this #hitmc
@nateksu	T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anything else #HITMC
@ehrandhit	Docs trust docs more. Med school bonds people. RT @NateKSU: T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anything else #HITMC
@shilling_brian	RT @ehrandhit: Docs trust docs more. Med school bonds people.  RT @NateKSU: T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anyth…
@dz45tr	#HITMC T1: It's more than #providers, though. Many systems have to consider #Patient, #Peer, #Payer, #Purchaser = different messages.
@porterresearch1	@HealthcareScene @dz45tr T1 HIT specifically is a very complex arena, often w/ multi-org impact; longer sales cycles. #HITMC

T2: What are effective ways to succinctly present complex healthcare solutions in marketing? (videos, case studies, etc) #HITMC 

@porterresearch	T2 A brief client story w/ clear benefit/outcome as bottom line required to snare initial attention #HITMC
@billians	T2: case studies, to me, seem to be the best way to showcase solutions. Good to learn from a been-there-done-that situation. #hitmc
@jslentzclifton	T2 Personally a visual learner; Into diagrams, charts, drawings more than video (maybe an age thing?) #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T2: A well done video can do an amazing job at describing complex solutions. Doing it well is a major challenge though. #HITMC
@nateksu	T2:well placed video for a high level hook followed by case study #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T2: key to any marketing is understanding and planning for audience. Match the channel to the receiver. Good planning = success.
@dz45tr	#HITMC T2: writing out your key points in your messaging plan helps provide framework for how you channel.
@cnluken	T2: We demonstrate subjectmater expertise; when they want2 no more-weLISTEN 2their issues&make specific plan #HITMC #IfYouBuildItTheyWillCome
@ehrandhit	T2: Regardless of the method you use to tell your story, you have to invest in the distribution of the story as well. #HITMC

T3: In your experience, what’s been the single best marketing resource for building trust with healthcare providers? #HITMC

@porterresearch	T3: This is a really good question. I'm excited for the answers! #HITMC
@nursenadeen	T3 Word of mouth references from THEIR peers plus caring about end user feedback #HITMC @billians
@jslentzclifton	T3 Market education; Studies that bring trends, adoption benchmarks to light. Providers largely in uncharted territory! Want insight #HITMC
@porterresearch	T3 Our clients report success validating solution #ROI w/ objective 3rd party & using that to establish trust from word go. #HITMC
@cnluken	T3: Setting expectations & Meeting/Exceeding them. #HITMC
@billians	T3: Providing thought leadership too can be important, you need to show you KNOW what you're talking about. #hitmc
@dz45tr	#HITMC T3: Definitely word of mouth, but finding your champions and getting them to your audience is key. & getting over barrier to change.
@porterresearch1	@PorterResearch T3 Clients report success validating solution ROI w/ objective 3rd party & using that to establish trust from word go #HITMC

T4: How important is it for companies to quantify solution ROI with hard numbers in marketing collateral? #HITMC

@billians	T4: Very important. #ROI can justify a marketing expense. #hitmc
@jslentzclifton	T4 People love stats, numbers. Quick way to cut through the healthcare sales & marketing noise, IMHO. #HITMC
@nateksu	T4: Suspicious buyers poke holes in ROI alone, they need to want to believe… then the ROI collateral is just confirmation #HITMC
@bryan_pasaribu	#KCA #VoteJKT48ID dz45tr: Not to mention #HealthIT is developing so quickly, by the time you get to market, you're probably too late. #HITMC
@porterresearch	T4 Sellers will be cautious re: over-promising, but ROI (transactional & otherwise) should always be part of the pitch. #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T4: I think some ROI numbers are fine, but better to anticipate ROI for prospect can be more powerful
@cnluken	T4: Quantifying ROI is key. Putting it in different terms is good too tho, like increased efficiency by X, #clicks, hours, etc. #HITMC
@shilling_brian	T4: Buyers gravitate to ROI numbers. ROI calculators are a great asset and marketing tool. #HITMC

T5: What marketing initiatives offer the best channels for building brand credibility? (blogs, research, testimonials, etc) #HITMC

@porterresearch	T5: providing thought leadership via blog or other source where you can showcase knowledge in concise, but thoughtful manner. #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T5: I'm somewhat partial to blogs ;-) Although, look for blogs tied to a solid email list, social reach, and SEO profile. #HITMC
@jslentzclifton	T5 Horns are louder when someone else is tooting them ;) Client endorsements, research citations stand out. #HITMC
@nateksu	T5: Well written blogs develop brands over time #HITMC
@nursenadeen	T5 #HITMC Strategic partnerships, research blogs, bulletin board focus groups @billians
@cnluken	T5: Weve been seeing gr8 results from educational webinars (showcases expertise). Going 2start blogging (this month fingers crossed) #HITMC
@ehrandhit	Too many people miss the "over time" part and fall short. RT @NateKSU: T5: Well written blogs develop brands over time #HITMC

An Agile Retrospective on Last Week’s #HIMSS15 Conference

Those who work in an “Agile Environment” know that a Retrospective review is often held after each sprint. The purpose of an Agile Retrospective is for team member’s to share three categories of information:

1. What worked well?
2. What did not work well?
3. What actions can we take to improve things going forward?

Click here to submit your thoughts on the above three questions.

Alternatively, some people like to use the Mad, Sad, Glad format where participants share what made them Mad, Sad or Glad about the sprint – in this case – the HIMSS Conference.

In this case, I’m thinking that “team member” means “HIMSS Conference Attendee.” One of the key benefits of a retrospective is that the recent events should be fresh in everyones mind and easier to recall and share.

If you’re willing to participate in a retrospective on last week's HIMSS Conference in Chicago, I’ve set up a Survey here. You do not have to enter any personal information unless you want to receive the survey results. And the survey is not unique to anyone so please feel free to share this survey.  I’ll publish the results next week and provide the entire detailed results to anyone who participates and gives me their email address.

If you have any questions on this survey, please contact me at HITConfGuy@gmail.com.

23 Listicles Shared During the #HIMSS15 Conference in Chicago

In case you missed them, here are some "listicles" I shared during the 2015 HIMSS Conference in Chicago.

Conference Tips

12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Attending a Conference 

15 Tips to Increase Your Social Engagement at HIMSS (Really good tips!)

5 More Tips for Connecting with New People at HIMSS

5 Secrets for Effective Networking at Your Next Conference Like #HIMSS15

5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences Like #HIMSS15 

6 Tips to Get the Greatest Return from Your Conference Investment 

5 Tips for Optimizing Your Next Business Conference Like #HIMSS15 

6 Tips for Networking at the #HIMSS15 Conference


HIMSS Conference

11 things to know before HIMSS15 (#5: Guess who has the biggest booth?) 

3 Hot Topics that Have HIMSS15 All Abuzz (#analytics #security & #patientengagement) 

6 Must-Attend Social Media Happenings 

7 Buzzwords to Watch at HIMSS 2015 

7 Must-See Sessions at #HIMSS15 for Clinicians

5 Things to Watch at #HIMSS15

Top 10 Things to See and Do at #HIMSS15 

9 different special interest focus groups at #HIMSS15 (See #9) 

Functional

3 Patient Engagement Trends to Watch at #HIMSS15 

4 hot topics CIOs will be talking about at #HIMSS15 

4 keys to core measure #compliance  

5 Considerations in Starting an #mHealth Program 

5 Mobile Health Tools for Practices to Consider 

Miscellaneous

5 health IT billionaires you know

10 Places Everyone's Talking About And Dining At in Chicago (In Order Of Heat) 

If you're interested in getting more information about Health Information Technology Conferences in North America, consider following @HITConfGuy on Twitter. For general information on Health Information  Technology, consider following @ShimCode on Twitter.