Only A Few Weeks to Decide
HEALTHCARE DESIGN.09 conference is about three weeks away. Have you decided whether or not you’re going?
I was in the office of a top healthcare architecture firm a few weeks ago and a principal told me they were still making decisions on who were going to attend. They knew that they were sending people; had just not determined who.
It’s been a tough year for conferences. Attendance at most industry events has been down 20-30% from last year. People are watching their travel dollars and cutting back on “extras.”
And while we’re not out of the woods yet, there are signs that things are getting better. Someone recently described the economic crisis and where we’re at right now to me as a massive forest fire. The earth is charred and damaged, but slowly, new growth starts to happen. It takes awhile for it to mature, and it may never be what it once was.
Pulling back only works so long. You’ve got to get out there and market to new clients, sell to new clients, and keep up with where the industry is headed. Conference is a relatively inexpensive way to do that. It’s a great learning opportunity where you can tour facilities, network with your peers, earn CEU credits, meet with potential clients/business partners, kick the tires on multiple products, etc.
There’s no substitute for it anywhere else.