Slow Economy? What Slow Economy?

I’m coming off of the heels of attending two of the biggest shows of the year: ASCs2008 for the outpatient facilities and today’s surgicenter, and APIC, the largest conference of the year for infection control and Infection Control Today (ICT). Both shows had record number of attendees, and to see the exhibitor floor traffic in both cases, you would never know these are tight times. I was nothing short of thrilled to see the energy and sheer number of attendees at ASCs2008 (www.ascassocation.org), thus confirming what an indisputable great move the merger was between AAASC and FASA. At one point, I ventured downstairs in the convention center to witness standing room only in the concurrent sessions, and then returned to a bustling exhibit floor with busy aisles. Congratulations to ASCA on a job well done!

It was similar success story at APIC (www.apic.org) where the enthusiasm of the nurses could only be surpassed by that of spectators at the NBA Finals. Okay, maybe not that enthusiastic — but impressive nonetheless.

Despite how encouraged I was at both events, invariably the unpleasant topic of oil prices surfaced as well as other grumblings about the tight economy in general — and, more to the point, the effect it was having on not only immediate business but also company travel guidelines.

I myself was just dinged for the first time by the $25 second bag penalty fee. I reluctantly forked over the superfluous fee, deciding that sticking to my workout regimen was decidedly worth the $50 out of pocket expense — and I had completely forgotten about the new rules prior to packing.

I know many of you are lamenting the same travel woes, but I do have a great solution for you! The today’s surgicenter conference at the Rio in Las Vegas promises to be a huge bang for the buck. As evidenced by our stellar educational faculty and outstanding agenda, attending the conference is not only worth the travel expense, but promises to be invaluable for the educational tools you need to keep your facility competitive and successful. So book your flight as soon as possible to affordably reap the benefits of knowledge from industry leaders and learn how innovative products and services from our participating vendors will catapult your facilities’ profit margin. For a complete list of our exhibitors and more information, please visit www.surgicenterconference.com.

Besides the great education that we provide at our annual conference, we also consistently deliver timely and outstanding content on http://www.surgicenteronline.com/ and in our weekly e-newsletter Surgistrategies. If you haven’t visited us online lately, take a peek today and check out the latest and greatest news that directly affects this industry — and more importantly, your facility.

Cheers!

Dana Armitstead

Publisher