One meeting challenge that never seems to change: difficulty attracting young physicians. Over a year ago, we shared some insight from surveys collected from young DPMs with the following summary:
Young physicians are drawn to conferences that have engaging speakers. My recommendation – when you are creating promotional materials (especially via email and on your website) highlight your faculty and emphasize their expertise. Also, avoid choosing the same faculty members every single conference. Get some new blood on your podium!
Young physicians are seeking educational content that they can use immediately – practical applications! Hands-on experiences are also ideal.
Young physicians find meetings that are held during the holiday season difficult to attend, so if you’re striving to get more young blood in your seats, avoid December. Spring and Fall seem to be the months that have less conflict with young physician schedules.
Young physicians prefer meetings at vacation/tourist destinations if they are traveling to a meeting (vs. online education)
Another blast from the past is an interview Ann & I recorded two years ago with Dr. Alton Johnson as we were trying to crack the code to this consistent obstacle. Check it out: https://youtu.be/3arrVRn5ghw
This challenge is not unique to podiatry. In fact, I recently stumbled upon an article at meetingsnet.com addressing this issue, confirming that this is an across-the-board dilemma.
The main points are generally summed up in the articles subheading:
“What’s in: Plenty of personal interaction, mentoring, and great storytelling. What’s out: didactic learning, packed schedules, not knowing “why.””
CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE:
https://www.meetingsnet.com/association-conventions-and-expos/attracting-and-engaging-under-40-audience
Thoughts? Questions? Email Me!
Sarah Breymeier: beheard@podiatrymeetings.com
-Sarah Breymeier