A quick poll to see who all is planning to attend, attempting to plan or not coming.
I would love to go, but I just can’t afford it. If it were closer, say Chicago or St. Louis, I’d be there in a heartbeat, but I just can’t afford airfare, hotel, and conference fees this year.
My loss, I know.
Depending on getting an exam resecheduled and research . . .
I’m hoping to make it, at least for part of it!
Dave, you know I’ll be there! Even if my surgical wound isn’t totally healed by then, there is just no way I would miss this year’s conference!!
To those of you still thinking about it. . . . just do it!! You’ll see afterwards that it was worth every cent it cost you and you will find that it is worth so much more.
Hope to see a lot of you there! And, by the way, I will definitely be bringing a portable OMT table and will offer some simple techniques for relaxation and/or pain relief!
Linda
Hey, all OPMs,
I just signed up for the conference. There is no way I would miss it!!! If you have never attended an OPM conference, beg or borrow the money to go–it is worth every penny! The information, help, and friendships gained are PRICELESS!!
See all of you in DC
Lu
I’ll be there! This will be my 5th conference and I wouldn’t miss it! Granted, traveling from the west coast is definitely a financial hardship. However, the conferences have always been a priceless source of information and so I’ve always looked at the conferences as an investment in my education. 
Hey all,
I am moving out of Cleveland and I will be there if humanly possible. I have budgeted for both the move and the conference so I am optimistic.
Natalie 
It will be my first and I am psyched! See ya all there!
Otherwise known as "Type A" (SDN)
Depends when the baby gets here and if we can part from her. I want to go, I hope to go.
Probably I’ll pass this year and see how next year looks. I’d like to go, but I also plan to buy a condo this summer, and I won’t be having a regular paycheck for a few months before school starts, so it’s not the greatest time for me to plunk down several hundred dollars to run up to DC…Is the OPM conference always held in DC? Any chance that in the future you could change the location around among a few cities in different areas of the country so that everyone gets a turn to have the conference held closer to them? Or, could you pick a more geographically centralized city that has a lot of discount airline flights, like Chicago? Just thought I’d throw the idea out there.
I am!!! Hubby says it’s okay, so I just have to get my finances in order. I’m thrilled to finally have something tangible to which I can look forward!
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Probably I’ll pass this year and see how next year looks. I’d like to go, but I also plan to buy a condo this summer, and I won’t be having a regular paycheck for a few months before school starts, so it’s not the greatest time for me to plunk down several hundred dollars to run up to DC…Is the OPM conference always held in DC? Any chance that in the future you could change the location around among a few cities in different areas of the country so that everyone gets a turn to have the conference held closer to them? Or, could you pick a more geographically centralized city that has a lot of discount airline flights, like Chicago? Just thought I’d throw the idea out there.
Hey Q, we hear ya and we do intend to branch out at some point. As a fledgling organization run on a shoestring, right now we’re sticking with the locale that has reliably attracted more attendees and vendors. But we keep it in mind that we want folks all over to enjoy the unique fun and education of an OPM convention.
Mary (OPM Board)
We have chosen the conference sites based on where the “majority” of our members are located. It would be financially foolhardy for OPM to proceed any other way. In the future when our membership is more dispersed we may branch out to different areas.
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We have chosen the conference sites based on where the “majority” of our members are located. It would be financially foolhardy for OPM to proceed any other way. In the future when our membership is more dispersed we may branch out to different areas.
How can you tell how dispersed the membership is? Aren’t there a lot of OPMers in Minnesota? Add Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago and you’ve got a lot of people. Also, the membership would probably expand as more people from around the country got to attend at least one conference.
Also, we’ve got at LEAST one member in Hawaii.
I’m happy about DC though–especially now that it’s not that far away from me.
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We have chosen the conference sites based on where the “majority” of our members are located. It would be financially foolhardy for OPM to proceed any other way. In the future when our membership is more dispersed we may branch out to different areas.
How can you tell how dispersed the membership is? Aren’t there a lot of OPMers in Minnesota? Add Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago and you’ve got a lot of people. Also, the membership would probably expand as more people from around the country got to attend at least one conference.
Also, we’ve got at LEAST one member in Hawaii.
I’m happy about DC though–especially now that it’s not that far away from me.
A couple of years ago the conference was held in Denver and attendance was poor–a good thing for those of us who won lots of stuff from raffles/door prizes, but bad news for the organization.
On the one hand it’s nice that the organization is willing to accommodate different regional needs and relocate itself but there’s something to be said for continuity. Lots if not most conferences pretty much stick to the same spot–same city, same hotel or convention center, same time of year. People sort of get used to it and plan their lives around it.
Or else a conference (I’m thinking of several computer conferences I have attended) might bounce between 2 or 3 cities, alternating each year, so for example this year everyone flies to San Francisco and the next year everyone flies to Boston or New York.
Another advantage of continuity is that the organization develops a relationship with the facilities, as I imagine Jeff can testify. They know us, they get used to our particular needs and concerns, and each year the system runs a little more smoothly, making it easier for the organizers. (one hopes!)
Every year we do membership survey to see where our membership is located. (In fact I’ll be putting up the next one this month). However, simply because we might have a good number of members located in one area does not mean everyone in that area will attend! Based on past conferences, the majority of members attending have been within a 3 to 4 hour drive of the conference site. Only very small percentages actually fly in from distant locations meaning we are pretty dependant on the local population for attendance. Basically we need to be in an area with a large enough membership base that a good percentage of those folks will attend. It’s also nice if there are a good number of local schools (universities, post-bac programs, med schools etc) to draw new membership from. We need to be in an area where there is a strong guarantee we can attract 100+ attendees. This has been accomplished twice in DC. As Terry previously mentioned, we decided to have the conference in Denver in 2004 and nearly lost our collective asses financially!!! OPM simply cannot afford to take that gamble again.
As much as we would all like a change of scenery or to be closer to home, OPM is not yet in a position financially where we can “take a chance” on a location and hope for a good turnout. Maybe in the future as our membership grows (as well as our bank account) location will not be a problem and we can rotate more often, but for the time being the first priority is for OPM to remain financially solvent.
Yes, I will be at the 2006 conference! This will be my 4th OPM conference and the best yet!
To those who are on the fence about going, I can’t even tell you how much you will get out of an OPM conference. You will be in a room full of like-minded people who have overcome the same struggles you have in their quest to be great doctors, and you will meet people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds/occupations. You will also get a chance to mingle with some recruiters from various medical schools and ask them questions at our vendor fair. We will also have a raffle and will be offering great prizes. For the pre-meds, the two major test prep companies (Kaplan and Princeton Review) will discuss their programs. We also have great speakers lined up, including the doctor who wrote “the bible” on getting into residency. AND, you will have a ton of fun!
I hope to see you all in D.C. June 8 - 11th!
Love,
Stacy
I understand. I know the logistics for this thing have to be tremendously complicated, and I think it’s great that there is any meeting at all. I guess there is not going to be one perfect solution.
I’m sure you guys have thought about this, but I thought I would mention it anyway. With my insurance agency I do a lot of seminars. I have actually turned one of them into a video series for people who can’t attend, or who would rather just receive the information at home. I did this with a camcorder, a lapel mic, and one light. It turned with acceptable quality, it’s certainly not professional grade, however it serves my purpose. I send the tape to a video dubbing facility which dubs them into vhs, or dvd’s. Have you ever though about doing something like this with your conference? I won’t go into the details, but assuming the guest speakers don’t want too much of the pie, you can take pre-orders so you don’t wind up with a closet full of dvd’s or videos. They can be sold for a profit of course as a little bit of a fund raiser.