The Type of Event, Its Mission, and Objectives
The business event to be described in this brief is the technological innovations trade show for healthcare specialists. The selected industry, thus, is the medical one, and the event will be interesting for a wide range of professionals. A trade show as a business event offers a number of benefits. First of all, it gathers many people in one place and allows them to share their products, feedback, experiences, and suggestions. Secondly, healthcare professionals, who are always rather busy, can save time by viewing different options in one place rather than browsing the internet or attending a variety of small events in search of the item they may be interested in buying. Thirdly, trade shows enable professionals from different parts of the country or even different countries to meet and exchange experience.
The identified event is rather significant for present-day medical specialists. Many breakthroughs have been made in the healthcare sphere lately, but technology continues evolving. Due to the rapid development of new devices and equipment, there is a possibility to increase patient safety and satisfaction and alleviate the number of duties that doctors and nurses perform, leading to better outcomes. Research indicates that many common healthcare problems can be resolved or relieved with the help of technology. For instance, laparoscopic surgery allows faster healing and reduces the length of stay in a hospital (Pascual, Salvans, & Pera, 2016).
However, the technology has moved beyond that, creating the possibility to obtain 3D images with minimal invasion (“Interview with MedicalTek Co., “n.d.). Another innovation, which enables surgeons to see the operating area better with the help of augmented reality, has been recently presented by Taiwan Main Orthopedics Biotechnology (“Surglasses,” n.d.). Bioengineers work on the development of electronic health monitoring patches that will enable patients to stay at home instead of spending much time at a hospital due to the need to be monitored by the hospital staff (Coleman, 2015).
As scholarly studies and industry references demonstrate, it is viable to assume that the evolution of technologies has the potential to decrease healthcare professionals’ duties and simultaneously increase positive patient outcomes. Even for such serious diseases as HIV, there is hope due to technological progress (Platteau et al., 2018; Ragsdale & Rotheram-Borus, 2015). Recently, scientists started working on the idea of utilizing lasers to optimize the process of delivering drugs to HIV patients (Mthunzi, 2015). Therefore, the implementation of innovations has much potential and offers beneficial changes for healthcare facilities and their clients. Hence, the technological innovations trade show for healthcare specialists is a rather significant event, which can affect these professionals’ work and outcomes.
The event’s mission is to organize an exhibition of the achievements gained by the developers of technological innovations in the sphere of medicine. As such, the trade show will strive to promote the best healthcare solutions to professional medical workers and hospital leaders. Taking into consideration the type of the event and its mission, the following objectives may be set for the technological innovations trade show:
- to arrange a meeting of healthcare practitioners, medical students, and hospitals’ leaders with engineers, technologists, and biochemists working on the development of innovative technologies in health care;
- to make the information about the enhancements in medicine accessible;
- to organize a dialogue between medical professionals and technological innovation specialists where they could ask and answer questions to understand the needs of each other’s area better;
- to give way to mutual ideas;
- to make it clear to both parties that their cooperation is vital for the future enhancement of their industries;
- to create sustainable communication between the target audience and technology innovators in order to allow them to exchange information about any emerging needs, problems, or suggestions in their fields.
The Venue
The technological innovations trade show will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York. This venue has been selected not only because of its convenient location but also due to its rich and successful history of holding major events. The Javits Center is situated in New York, New York, which makes it comfortable for attendees to visit (“The convention center,” n.d.). Many of the biggest hospital facilities in the USA are based in New York, so their employees could easily attend the event. What is more, some of the major medical colleges and universities are located in this city, which is another advantage. Participants from other US cities, as well as from countries all over the world, will not find it difficult to get to the trade show since the city has several airports. Another advantage of the Javits Center is its extensive exhibition space of 760,000 square feet (“The convention center,” n.d.).
There is no doubt that all the necessary exhibits will fit in such an area. Additionally, the center is situated along the Hudson River (“The convention center,” n.d.). Thus, the attendees of the trade show will be able to spend their time both with usefulness and pleasure.
When planning such an event, it is necessary to make sure that there is a backup plan for the venue. Hence, one of the alternative sites where the trade show might be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), located in Los Angeles, California. This facility is a prime venue for exhibitions and trade shows (“Quick Facts,” n.d.). The LACC has 720,000 square feet of exhibit hall space and 147,000 square feet of meeting room space (“Quick Facts,” n.d.).
With many meeting rooms, a large parking lot, Wi-Fi access throughout the building, and many other features, the LACC host over 350 events each year. The location of the venue is rather convenient: it is easy to get to the center from anywhere in Los Angeles, and there are also shuttle buses for the attendees’ convenience that pick people up and drop them off next to the LACC. Situated among numerous historical and cultural attractions and convenient hotels, the venue is highly suitable for the event selected.
Another alternative site for the trade show is McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. This venue is the largest of its kind in North America, having over 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space (“Welcome to McCormick Place,” n.d.). The location of McCormick Place is rather advantageous since it is very close to the center of the city. What is more, the place is surrounded by beautiful buildings and breathtaking scenery, which makes it a recreational site in addition to a business center.
There are many hotels within a short distance from McCormick Place, so the attendees of the trade show will be able to stay close to the venue. With its world-class facilities, McCormick Place is one of the best solutions for organizing a trade show (“Welcome to McCormick Place,” n.d.). Therefore, there is a primary venue for the event, as well as two alternatives that may be considered.
The Target Audience
Professionals working in different spheres of health care, irrespective of their experience, will be interested in the event. The target audience will include doctors, nurses, nursing managers, hospital leaders, and medical students. The trade show will be useful for each of these groups due to various reasons. First of all, practicing physicians and nurses will be able to learn how their work could be enhanced and, as a result, how they could increase patient satisfaction. Hospital leaders and nursing managers will find out about the new approaches to treatment, patient data collection and storage, health monitoring approaches, and other crucial issues. Consequently, these audience groups may be engaged due to the opportunity to optimize their facilities’ functioning and development.
To promote the event to the target audience, several marketing strategies may be employed. First of all, it is necessary to make announcements on professional websites related both to medicine and technological innovations. For instance, one could publish an advert about the upcoming event on the US and international medical trade show forums (“Medical trade shows,” 2019, “Medical trade shows in USA,” 2019).
Also, there is a website focused on the distribution of information about medical devices conferences and trade shows (“The best medical devices,” 2019). Each of these websites is a powerful tool for reaching out to the target audience since individuals interested in similar events visit the websites regularly. Additionally, search engines direct internet users to these web addresses if they look for trade show specialized in innovations in medical technologies.
Another option for spreading the news about the event is advertising it on the media, such as television, radio, and newspapers. There are many professional TV and radio shows, as well as newspaper columns reflecting innovations in the areas of medicine and technology. It is viable to assume that placing adverts in such media will help to reach the necessary audience. Next, announcements about the events may be made at scientific and healthcare conferences and seminars.
Many representatives of the target audience attend such venues, so it will be useful to share important information there. Finally, it is necessary to promote the event in scholarly environments, such as journals and websites specializing in healthcare and medicine. The employment of such promotional measures will increase the likelihood of potential attendees’ awareness of the event.
Vendors and Suppliers
The most important vendors will be the ones producing innovative technological devices and equipment for the healthcare industry. These may include:
- companies creating minimally-invasive equipment for surgeries;
- bioengineering institutions producing equipment aimed at alleviating the inconveniences in people suffering from various diseases (diabetes, headaches, cancer, congestive heart failure);
- organizations making breakthroughs inpatient data recording and monitoring techniques;
- suppliers of the innovative equipment for patient examination;
- producers of medicine distribution applications;
- creators of innovative device applications that help to monitor patients’ condition both during the hospital stay and after discharge.
For each of these vendors, there will be enough space in the selected business center where they will make a presentation of their product. It will be possible to do this in a video format, by creating a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, or by demonstrating the innovation directly if it will be accessible to transport to the venue. Every display should have enough space for attendees to come closer and examine. Also, there will be several representatives at each booth to answer the questions that visitors may have. The exhibit will be organized in such a way that every vendor will have an opportunity to show their product and describe it to potential buyers or users.
Since the trade show is quite an extensive endeavor, it will also be necessary to invite suppliers to make the event well-organized and leave a good impression on the visitors. Hence, there will be the following major types of suppliers:
- stationery suppliers: the attendees and vendors should be able to exchange information, put down the most important issues, and keep those notes secure;
- water, snacks, and hot beverage suppliers: the attendees will need to have something to eat and drink since they will be spending much time on the venue;
- toiletries suppliers: it is necessary to make sure that every attendee feels comfortable and knows that he or she can use the bathroom for sanitary and hygienic needs, as well as to make oneself look neat and presentable;
- furniture suppliers: in case the venue does not have enough chairs, tables, or any other necessary items of furniture, it will be necessary to arrange for their delivery;
- technical equipment suppliers: screens, projectors, and any other equipment necessary for vendors to make presentations of their devices;
- additional equipment: transportation equipment to move around the devices which vendors bring to the trade show, special chairs for people with disabilities, and other similar things.
Although vendors are the most important figures at the show, it will not be possible for them to arrange their presentations well enough without reliable suppliers. The venue is likely to help find suppliers since it has cooperated with many firms during the years of its operation. However, it will be necessary to make sure that all activities are coordinated, and no technical problems may prevent the event from happening.
Indicative Budget
The expenses anticipated for the event are reflected in the following table:
Activity
Anticipated expenses
Advertising the event $2,000
Renting out the venue $15,000
Decorating the venue $3,000
Paying the suppliers $5,000
Printing out the program of the event $900
Miscellaneous $7,000
Total $32,900
The indicative budget includes the major aspects of expenditures needed to be made. The initial function of the event manager will be to arrange publicity and make the event advertised for the potential vendors and attendees. Further, it will be necessary to plan the event, starting with renting out the venue since each of the selected business centers is quite a popular place. The manager has to plan each step carefully, double-check the decisions made, and confirm every significant decision with the partners (Event planning business, 2015).
After securing the venue rent, the manager will need to take care of the appropriate decoration of the place. Next, the manager will find suppliers and, consequently, pay for their services. Upon doing this, it will be time for creating the list of participants and preparing and printing out the event’s program for each of them. Finally, the budget includes the ‘miscellaneous’ column, which will include unpredictable expenses.
Timeline of the Critical Activities
The timeline of the main activities is reflected in the table:
Activity Starting date Ending date Duration
Planning the event 5 October 2019 31 October 2019 27 days
Collecting data on vendors 1 November 2019 20 November 2019 20 days
Setting roles 21 November 2019 30 November 2019 10 days
Advertising the event 1 December 2019 23 December 2019 23 days
Collecting data on the participants 15 December 2019 15 January 2020 1 month
Early-bird registration 1 February 2020 15 February 2020 15 days
Regular registration 16 February 2020 29 February 2020 14 days
Renting out the venue 13 January 2020 13 January 2020 1 day
Sending out the invitations 1 March 2020 15 March 2020 15 days
Holding the trade show 1 April 2020 3 April 2020 3 days
The above table indicates the division of activities and time necessary for the preparation of the event. The timeline covers six months and includes the major milestones needed for the successful implementation of the project. The dates may be altered in the process of work, but it is expected that the timeline will help to make the process flawless. The manager will allocate staff members for each of the activities.
A Proposed Schedule for the Event
The suggested schedule for the trade show is as follows:
Event Date
Meeting the attendees and transferring them to the hotels 31 March ? 1 April 2020
The opening ceremony 1 April 2020
Presentations of vendors, exchanging ideas and feedback 1 April ? 3 April 2020
Closing ceremony 3 April 2020
Summing up the results 4 April ? 10 April 2020
References
The best medical devices trade shows and conferences in 2019 & 2020. (2019). Web.
Coleman, T. (2015). A temporary tattoo that brings hospital care to the home. [Video file]. Web.
The convention center of the future is here. (n.d.). Web.
Event planning business: Step-by-step startup guide. (4th ed.). (2015). Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Media.
Interview with MedicalTek Co., Ltd. (n.d.). Web.
Medical trade shows ? Appointments from September 2019. (2019). Web.
Medical trade shows in the USA ? Appointments from October 2019. (2019). Web.
Mthunzi, P. (2015). Could we cure HIV with lasers?. Web.
Pascual, M., Salvans, S., & Pera, M. (2016). Laparoscopic colorectal surgery: Current status and implementation of the latest technological innovations. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 22(2), 704?717.
Platteau, T., van Lankveld, J., Apers, L., Fransen, K., Rockstroh, J., & Florence, E. (2018). HIV testing for key populations in Europe: A decade of technological innovation and patient empowerment complement the role of health care professionals. HIV Medicine, 19(Suppl. 1), 71?76.
Quick facts. (n.d.). Web.
Ragsdale, A., & Rotheram-Borus, M. J. (2015). Re-shaping HIV interventions with technology. AIDS and Behavior, 19(S2), 77?80.
Surglasses: Surgery with perspective: Interview with Taiwan Main Orthopedics. (n.d.). Web.
Welcome to McCormick Place. (n.d.). Web.