Conference presentations a bittersweet honor
Every once in awhile, as part of our overall marketing plan, we try to present at select conferences. One upcoming conference - the Healthcare Internet Conference - aligns well with our hospital practice and is a good choice.
In its twelfth year, this conference has grown to be a large event for those interesting in building and maintaining hospital Web sites (and those interested in marketing to them).
One goal for presenting at this conference is to raise the awareness of Imaginary Landscape to those seeking Web development services. Presenting versus boothing imbues a higher sense of credibility and expertise. This leads to our main goal which is to sell more products and services to more hospitals.
The organizers want to fill the sessions will high ranking staff from prestigious hospitals, not vendors. But, in many instances, the hospital's vendor is the driving force behind the presentation for the reasons stated above. So vendors provide much of the sweat and the drive to create the presentations in exchange for co-presenter billing.
For this year's Call for Speakers, I had two good topics I wanted to float. One each in conjunction with our clients OSF HealthCare and Advocate Health Care, two large health systems. Each client was game to give it a try so I submitted two applications, figuring it would increase my chances of having at least one selected.
A couple weeks later, I get the call. The conference organizers really like the presentations and want them both. Great, I think to myself - both truthfully and ironically. Truthfully, because I'm honored that they want both presentations. Ironically because I now have a lot of work to do.
Then came the zinger.
To avoid the appearance of favoritism this conference has a rule - albeit unwritten - that vendors can only present once. And although I am free (and encouraged) to put together both presentations, I am only allowed to co-present one. The other one I can neither co-present nor receive any official credit.
Against my protestations, they stood firm. Regardless of how well conceived the sessions were, the appearance of vendor bias would result in cries of favoritism by other vendors, something the conference organizers were unwilling to field.
And so I had to pick.
I remain jaded by the experience, my sense of fair play bruised. But we are a small firm and presenting at this conference trumps any feelings of poor officiating. So I will do my part in preparing both presentations. One I'll present and the other I'll sit silent, quietly rooting my team.
In the end it is their conference and consequently, their rules. Nothing I can do about it, if I want to participate.
And at least they had the decency to not schedule them concurrently.
In its twelfth year, this conference has grown to be a large event for those interesting in building and maintaining hospital Web sites (and those interested in marketing to them).
One goal for presenting at this conference is to raise the awareness of Imaginary Landscape to those seeking Web development services. Presenting versus boothing imbues a higher sense of credibility and expertise. This leads to our main goal which is to sell more products and services to more hospitals.
The organizers want to fill the sessions will high ranking staff from prestigious hospitals, not vendors. But, in many instances, the hospital's vendor is the driving force behind the presentation for the reasons stated above. So vendors provide much of the sweat and the drive to create the presentations in exchange for co-presenter billing.
For this year's Call for Speakers, I had two good topics I wanted to float. One each in conjunction with our clients OSF HealthCare and Advocate Health Care, two large health systems. Each client was game to give it a try so I submitted two applications, figuring it would increase my chances of having at least one selected.
A couple weeks later, I get the call. The conference organizers really like the presentations and want them both. Great, I think to myself - both truthfully and ironically. Truthfully, because I'm honored that they want both presentations. Ironically because I now have a lot of work to do.
Then came the zinger.
To avoid the appearance of favoritism this conference has a rule - albeit unwritten - that vendors can only present once. And although I am free (and encouraged) to put together both presentations, I am only allowed to co-present one. The other one I can neither co-present nor receive any official credit.
Against my protestations, they stood firm. Regardless of how well conceived the sessions were, the appearance of vendor bias would result in cries of favoritism by other vendors, something the conference organizers were unwilling to field.
And so I had to pick.
I remain jaded by the experience, my sense of fair play bruised. But we are a small firm and presenting at this conference trumps any feelings of poor officiating. So I will do my part in preparing both presentations. One I'll present and the other I'll sit silent, quietly rooting my team.
In the end it is their conference and consequently, their rules. Nothing I can do about it, if I want to participate.
And at least they had the decency to not schedule them concurrently.
posted by Imagescape @
3:22 PM
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