AdvaMed 2012 Is Looking for a Few Good Panels

AdvaMed 2012: The MedTech Conference has launched its new website and opened the call for program panel proposals.

For the first time in its five-year history, the event is hitting the road. This year’s installment will be held at one of the largest medtech hubs (forgive the pun)—Boston, Mass. (For those of you who didn’t get it, one of Boston’s nicknames is “the Hub.”)

AdvaMed 2012 will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Oct. 1-3.

In addition to this new Boston location, the conference will feature an expanded e-health and health IT track, extended company presentations, an expanded “CEOs Unplugged” session on the exhibit hall floor, and a special “Salute to Massachusetts” closing reception.

The educational program will consist of 11 tracks containing a series of 75-minute panels addressing industry advancements and challenges. Program track topics include: in-vitro diagnostics; key health policies; business development and finance; compliance best practices; emerging growth company issues; executive workshops; e-health and health information technology; legal; quality; regulatory; and reimbursement.

The event is looking for prospective panelists to submit topics that are “novel, timely, relevant and valuable in educational content, impart helpful lessons learned, or share proven best practices and have a global appeal.”

According to organizers, all panel proposals should include a working title and a suggested list of senior global industry and policy experts as panelists. Executive workshop submissions should feature interactivity and may be tutorial in nature. To learn more about the panel proposal process, click here. The application deadline is March 16.

Ray Briscuso, producer of the conference, told MedicalDeviceNow that “hot topics” are the impact of healthcare reform legislation and how to prepare for it, the device tax, reimbursement and finance.

“Panels that convey value by addressing real problems or issues being faced by medical technology companies are the most compelling,” he told MDN. “We want to discuss the most critical issues, ones that will directly effect medtech firms’ return on investment. We want panels that will feature the most knowledgeable and best experts, executives from pioneering companies and ‘first-to experience’ companies.”

Briscuso says the move to Boston will give the conference some new perspective—tapping into the local healthcare and medtech experience the region is known for.

“Because we are in Boston, we are interested in sessions that feature physicians, payers and providers. This is more possible in Boston because these thought-leaders and speakers are a T-stop or cab ride away,” he said. “We want to engage with and hear from academia and hospitals—innovators, tech transfer and translational partners. There is a huge academic and teaching hospital community in Boston compared to [Washington] D.C.. We expect even more submissions from technology companies—device and diagnostic manufacturers. Massachusetts is home to about 250 medical technology companies. D.C., in comparison, helps to attract industry lobbyists and consultants but not manufacturers.”

More than 1,900 medical device and diagnostics professionals (including 420 CEOs, presidents and C-level executives) from more than 925 companies and organizations, representing 22 countries and 38 U.S. states attended AdvaMed 2011