Forum - January/February 2011

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

Put Meetings in the
Palm of Your Hand

BY MARILYN RUTKOWSKI

Held in May 2010, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ 78th Annual Meeting at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center was the first medical meeting in North America to deliver its content paperless via Apple’s iPod touch.

The idea began with a suggestion from a member neurosurgeon, who’d seen iPods used effectively at another meeting. AANS agreed: Because it was mobile, interactive and familiar to attendees, the iPod touch was a good platform for delivering content. So good, in fact, that AANS decided to test-drive the device by giving one that was pre-loaded with content to each of its approximately 3,500 annual meeting attendees — even though the meeting was only 49 weeks away.

Pre-Loaded With Success

AANS worked with a developer to design a customized mobile application to update its meeting program on the fly. If a session time changed, for instance, AANS could use the app to update the program, as well as the personal schedules of attendees. The app also allowed attendees to communicate with one another using a social networking and messaging feature, and to design their own conference schedules using an interactive search tool that helped them find breakfast seminars, practical clinics, oral presentations and more.

Apple’s portable media player, personal digital assistant and Wi-Fi mobile platform was integrated with every aspect of AANS' meeting, from scientific education to social events, plenary lectures, seminars and exhibitions. Among the favorite features were electronic posters that attendees could review at their convenience, then take back to the office to share with their colleagues.

Members also could use their iPods to access AANS products, including an AANS clinical guidelines summary, as well as maps of the convention center, including the exhibit hall and individual

In addition to its custom annual meeting app, AANS pre-loaded each of the iPods it gave to attendees with a welcome video from AANS President Troy M. Tippett, M.D., FACS; audio podcasts featuring seven masters in neurosurgery; seven educational video presentations; and Open Table, a popular third-party app that attendees could use to search for Philadelphia restaurants.

Attendees could use the device not only for live and virtual networking, but also for participating in audience feedback activities during education sessions.

“[The iPod touch] was a huge hit for
the 3,383 medical attendees, from the
techno savvy medical students to veteran
neurosurgeons unaccustomed to using
such devices,” says AANS Executive Direc-
tor Thomas A. Marshall. “The cool factor
wasn’t lost on them.”
Exhibitors were equally enthusiastic,
as the customized iPod touch platform
enabled them to change their usual pro-
motional door drops to purchased e-mes-
sages. According to AANS, 40 messages
with company banners were sent out over
four days. While most messages were
sent to all medical attendees, there was
the potential to target nearly 50 different
groups based on registration and subspe-
cialty categories. In addition, sponsors
purchased full-screen and banner ads that
rotated on attendees’ devices.

Technical Difficulties

Despite its success, AANS’ first paperless meeting wasn’t without a few glitches.

“Part of the success of this meeting
is attributed to the exhaustive technical
preparation,” says AANS Deputy Executive
Director Ronald W. Engelbreit, the iPod
touch project leader. “Being the first time
out, there was naturally a learning curve.
Among the challenges were figuring out
with the developer how all the technical
elements of a complex, customized app
would work, advanced coordination and
onsite visits with the convention center
to ensure that the facility could accom-
modate bandwidth, and the creation and
download of the impressive amount of
content onto 3,500 devices. We were for-
tunate; the Pennsylvania Convention Cen-
ter was outstanding to work with."

Paperless 2.0

Because its first run was such a success, AANS is bringing the iPod touch back for round two at its 79th Annual Meeting in Denver, scheduled for April 9 – 13, 2011. And when it does, it will include more bells and whistles in response to post-conference feedback from members.

One of the new features this year will allow attendees to use their iPods to take notes. Others, meanwhile, will allow them to use the device to take the post-confer-ence survey and participate more actively in education sessions. AANS also expects to further extend the reach of its meeting with podcasts and a video series.