Conferences great benefit to staff
Cut costs while increasing attendance
To host an all-day conference on patient education last May, Nancy Walch, RN, MPH, CDE, CHES, coordinator of health education and wellness at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, allowed a year for preparation. Planning professional conferences that target people outside your organization as well as those inhouse take time, she explains.
The list of tasks seems endless. They include choosing a date early so people can schedule your conference and budget for funds, booking a suitable conference facility, creating a slick brochure, developing a marketing strategy, selecting topics, choosing affordable speakers, and mailing promotional materials and registration forms to the target group.
What is the benefit of so much work?
"My goal is to increase the competency of the people who are doing the patient education," says Walch.
Others have different reasons for holding conferences. "In lieu of sending many nurses out to conferences, we are trying to bring some incredibly well-versed professionals to us, so more of our staff can enjoy the conference experience," says Zeena Engelke, RN, MS, clinical nurse specialist in nursing staff development at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. Professional conferences rejuvenate the staff and give them new information to draw from, which benefits the patient, says Engelke.
Professionalism key
To realize the benefits, organize a glitch-free professional conference, says Sandra Cornett, RN, PhD, patient education coordinator at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. Also, if your institution develops a reputation for well-run conferences, attendance will grow and increase revenues.
Patient educators from around the nation would call Cornett to get information on the two-day patient education conference she held each November in the early 1990s, she recalls. She started the conference as an activity for National Patient Education Week. [For ideas on ways to promote Health Education Week (formerly, National Patient Education Week), see story, p. 112.]
To help you plan a successful patient education conference, Patient Education Management asked these experts for their suggestions. The following are their tips:
• Investigate the competition.
To determine how much to charge for a conference and what amenities to offer, investigate the competition, advises Walch. If your competitors routinely offer breakfast and lunch, then include that as part of the conference. Also, contact organizations that compete for your audience to determine future dates for their scheduled conferences.
• Book a notable speaker.
A nationally or internationally known speaker helps attract people from outside your institution and increases inhouse staff attendance, says Engelke. The chances that your conference will be successful increase if the keynote speaker is renowned.
Yet, national experts aren’t necessarily good speakers, warns Walch. Therefore, make sure that you talk to people who have heard them make presentations before you sign the contract.
• Develop a marketing strategy.
Timely mailings are critical to the success of the conference. Send out a teaser card that announces the date, conference theme, and keynote speaker (if you have selected one) at least six to eight months prior to the conference, advises Cornett. That way, people will put your conference on their calendar. Mail the registration brochure at least two months prior to the conference.
To reach the right people, purchase mailing lists from professional organizations that have members you think are likely to attend your conference, says Walch. For example, the target audience for Walch’s May conference included nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, therapists, social workers, and health educators.
Walch e-mails the information inhouse and sends brochures to the target audience outside the institution. Also, she writes an article on the topic for the hospital newsletter and asks the marketing department to send press releases and public service announcements to the local media.
• Look for ways to keep costs down.
Costs can be kept under control without sacrificing quality. One way is to use speakers more than once. Cornett always has the keynote speaker conduct one of the break-out sessions or a round-table discussion as well.
Also, to limit travel expenses, she only hires one person outside the region to speak. Other speakers are from Ohio or from within her institution.
• Cover all bases.
Assign specific tasks to people on your planning committee, says Walch. For example, one person can be in charge of registering attendees, another securing a hotel or other facility for the conference, and another for contacting speakers.
Remember minute details as well. You will need a solid team of people to work registration the day of the conference so the process is not chaotic. You also will need to ask people to be on hand to introduce the speakers or presenters at each session.
"Think of everything that can go wrong, and make an alternate plan," says Walch.
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