Top 8 Reasons I Love the Annual Meeting
Feb 16, 2012, 01:00 AM
Is the AADE12 "Power of Partnership" Meeting on your calendar this August? It’s August 1-4 in Indianapolis and you will not want to miss it! Early Registration for AADE ends March 30, 2012 - just a few weeks away!
My very first AADE Annual Meeting was in Indianapolis years ago, and I loved the location for multiple reasons! I live in Lexington, KY and it’s just a 3 hour drive and the convention center and hotels are all connected by tunnels so I can remember never having to get out in the summer heat to go back and forth to the convention center. I know this may sound silly, but many many years in various cities in August I felt the heat going back and forth to my hotel, wiping sweat off my brow as I sat down for the opening session. So - good location.
Now, for the really important stuff! Here's the Top 8 Reasons Why YOU Should Go to AADE12 this year.
1. It’s a great way to get over 20 hours of continuing education in one place. Many times local programs are 1-6 hours of credit. It takes a lot more energy to get those 1 hour of continuing education after you factor in traveling back and forth, taking time off work, arranging your family schedules, etc. With having so many hours all at once, I think it’s really the most efficient way to get most of your continuing education for the year.
2. Excellent presenters. I love going to breakout sessions and General sessions where the author of the book or the actual researcher is speaking. You can’t get any better than that. At a local level, I may go to a presentation where a physician is summarizing the research, but many times at the Annual Meeting you hear directly from the team who did the research, came up with the educational concept, or the person who wrote the book. I always get tickled when I see diabetes experts in the media, and I just met them at AADE Annual Meeting.
3. Find out about current products and trends in diabetes. If I skip an Annual Meeting one year, I find my patients asking me about a new food product or product marketed for people with diabetes that I have not heard of. By attending every year, I find that I am up to date on the products for people with diabetes and the items that will be advertised that year, and I can help my patients decide if a certain food or new lotion would be appropriate for them since I have tried it and spoke with the manufacture at the Exhibit Hall.
4. Learn about new medications and therapies in diabetes. Many times I have talked to the medical advisors at the company booth of the drug and watched videos of how the drug works in the body. It is so much more valuable to have these experiences when educating your patients.
5. Revitalization. After every AADE Annual Meeting, I am always filled with enthusiasm and lots of new ideas to help my patients. If you are feeling like you are in a rut or burned out in your practice, then the Annual Meeting is a MUST!!
6. Your patients benefit. Since you are now buzzing with energy and excitement about the field, it will most definitely show and you patients will perhaps be more excited too?? maybe?? If anything, with your knowledge about the newest therapies and techniques with diabetes education, your patients will benefit greatly.
7. Networking. It’s just nice to be connected with others in your field to help you along the way. I have found that every year I always meet so many great people who are in this field because they care about people - and a caring person is pretty easy to be friends with!
8. You get to visit and explore a new city in the downtime. Go to the Indianapolis travel website to find fun things to do in Indianapolis. If you plan to bring your family, there is the Indianapolis Children’s Museum which is one of the top in the nation, and there is also the Indianapolis Zoo.
Have I convinced you? You can save up to $300 by registering AND booking your housing by March 30. With that discount, it’s only $495 for the Full Program for AADE Members. Also by registering early, there is a good chance you will get your first pick of hotels before they fill up.
Registering from March 31st until June 14th, will still save you $100. On-site registration is $795. Click here to register for AADE12.
What are your top reasons for attending Annual Meetings? What do you love about them?