Interview With Susan Mc Sorley - Director, Convention and Meeting Services, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
July 2007
Give Me 5
Interview With Susan Mc Sorley - Director, Convention and Meeting Services, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, located in Rosemont, near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, provides musculoskeletal education to its more than 29,000 domestic and international members. The organization will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year.
Susan McSorley oversees a staff of 14, which is responsible for the AAOS annual meeting including education, logistics, exhibits, special events and housing, as well as more than 150 other meetings (committee, board, council and VIP symposia) and the Academy’s transportation requirements.
To plan the annual meeting, which can have as many as 30,000 attendees, McSorley’s staff works closely with the AAOS’s volunteer Annual Meeting Committees. Her staff supports the committees as decisions are made on the strategic direction of the annual meeting, which include education selection, partnering with other orthopaedic specialty groups and addressing policy issues. As she puts it, “The volunteers provide the direction and we implement their vision.”
WHAT’S PLANNED FOR YOUR 75th ANNIVERSARY?
We have a large celebration planned in San Francisco, the site of our 2008 meeting in March. We’re doing a timeline that commemorates activities and advances by orthopedic surgeons through the decades. We also have an art show, exhibiting work by physicians, patients and others—including both adults and children. They are significant and beautifully done pieces of art. Several coffee table books and a film have been developed. We’ll have a traveling and a permanent exhibit.
At the meeting there will be evening receptions with the art show in Moscone West. To pull it all together, we had a 75th Anniversary Project Team that was formed in 2003 to begin planning for 2008. And, we couldn’t do it without the support of sponsors.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO YOU PLAN?
Right now, we have tentative dates through 2024. We do have confirmed dates and locations all the way through 2012. Ideally it’s good to have space on tentative hold for at least 10 years. That way we ensure that we have enough hotels, enough space, on the dates that we’re looking for, in the cities that we’re looking to go to.
HOW DO YOU SELECT THE SITE?
We use several components in selecting a site. We’re not just looking at one site, we are looking at future city rotation at the same time. We are also considering where we see growth in our meeting and how that growth can be accommodated. Key components are space and housing. Can our meeting fit into the convention facility—exhibits, meeting rooms, lobby space and are there enough sleeping rooms? The 2007 Annual Meeting in San Diego drew more than 31,000 attendees. This is a large meeting requiring significant resources. We are also looking for evening and social activities for attendees. Is there good dining, a nightlife, cultural events, shopping?
WHAT HELPS ANNUAL MEETING ATTENDEES CONNECT?
A goal from our recent strategic planning session is to provide more networking opportunities at the meeting. We do provide several lounge areas specifically for our leadership, volunteers and veterans. We also provide additional seating—rounds and chairs—for attendees to sit down and relax, review their meeting materials and strike up a conversation. In the exhibit hall, we identify locations for benches and dress them up with some greenery. We utilize the placement of restaurant areas, redemption centers and our complimentary beverage stations to network and drive traffic into the hall.
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
It’s the magnitude of the logistics and making sure we have good, clear communication with all of our parties, whether it’s a physician giving the presentation, the convention center reading our specs or the hotels on affiliate meetings. We put together a phenomenal spec guide; we’ve been complimented on it. In it is everything you’d ever need to know about our meeting. We continuously look for ways to improve it, so it’s more valuable.
Three months before our meeting we do a tie-down site visit. We go through the spec guide, page by page, with the convention center staff and key vendors—some might be via phone to answer questions and clear up any confusion. We address move in/move out schedule, resets, etc. It’s a great time for discussion on things that may not be in place, to answer “How are we going to do that?” After our two-day meeting, we have crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s. This allows us to update the spec guide to match the meeting’s expectations and send it out to everyone about 45 days before the meeting begins.
SO WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?
First of all I have a phenomenal team. They’re smart, creative problem-solvers, who bring solutions to the table. Having a seasoned team—several CMS staff have been with the AAOS more than 15 years [Susan will be with the AAOS 29 years this month]—provides a solid foundation for managing the basics of the meetings. Our focus is on enhancing the meeting and moving it forward to generate a positive meeting experience for the members.
Each meeting is different; there are no cookie-cutter meetings. We were scheduled for New Orleans in February 2006. However, when Katrina hit in August 2005, we moved the meeting to Chicago. Working with professionals made this transition a reality. We quickly established housing and planning of space at McCormick Place. Exhibitors were notified that a new exhibit floor was being prepared. Presenters were communicated the date change and we asked them to re-confirm their participation. Special events, transportation and social programs were re-contracted for Chicago. Registration and housing opened four weeks later than originally scheduled. This was the first time AAOS was in McCormick Place and we learned quickly the layout of the convention facility. This venue change, couldn’t have happened without the commitment from my staff, vendors, McCormick Place and the hotel community. We are really proud of our accomplishment in making this a successful annual meeting for our members.
WHAT’S YOUR DEPARTMENT’S TOP GOAL RIGHT NOW?
For the annual meeting, it’s to continue to explore technology. We want to utilize technology to enhance the meeting for presenters submitting handouts and/or their audiovisual presentations. Also looking at what technologies are available to enhance the experience of our exhibitors, like webinars. We currently use the Web and e-mail blasts to promote the meeting. We need to ask: How do we utilize the technology of today to reach our members and others?
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR NEWER PLANNERS?
Besides wearing comfortable shoes on show site—maintain a positive attitude and look for alternatives. I get my positive attitude from my parents as they have taught me to look at a challenge from several angles and identify more than one solution. The other thing is, ask for help, and reach out to your colleagues for assistance. Be open to new ideas.
