Welcome to 2005! That seems strange to still be saying now that we’re deep into February, but, let’s face it - my last editor’s note came out before the American Dental Association’s meeting in Orlando. Wow, much has happened since the last issue of Dental Equipment & Materials. How much? Well, let’s see - we elected a president, Florida survived four hurricanes, gas prices actually dropped, and the Red Sox won a World Series, among other things. There’s plenty to discuss, so let’s dive in.
What were your thoughts on the ADA meeting? I have a feeling if you’re a dental professional, your views of the Orlando meeting were much different than those of the exhibitors. Jim Donovan, the exhibit manager of the ADA told me recently, “Onsite, we surveyed both exhibitors and doctors to determine if it made sense to categorize our exhibit hall. We surveyed 318 dentists as they left the exhibit hall. Of those surveyed, 76 percent said the categorization made it easier for them to shop for products and services and 74 percent said that categorization of products in the exhibit hall made sense. This feedback demonstrates that the doctors liked the format change.” However, there were plenty of exhibitors who were very unhappy with the results of the Orlando meeting. As Donovan said, “Unfortunately, the four hurricanes that hit Florida in the weeks leading up to our annual session had a tremendous impact on our attendance. This fact was demonstrated throughout the convention center and overlapped into the exhibit hall traffic. Personally, I was disappointed because I don’t believe the Marketplace had a fair introduction. ADA worked for two years on this idea, but we can’t control Mother Nature.
“It is important to note that five weeks prior to the meeting our pre-registration numbers were right where we wanted them to be (around 29,000). However, the hurricanes made on-site registration virtually non-existent.”
So what were your thoughts on the ADA meeting? I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know.
- Speaking of meetings, hats off to Drs. Edwab, Seldin, and the rest of the Greater New York Dental Meeting committees for moving the Thanksgiving weekend show upstairs at the Javits Center. I remember walking out with one exhibitor who said, “Wow. It’s nice to actually see the sun when you exit the exhibit hall.” The crowds seemed happy and, other than a few leaks in the exhibit hall from some heavy rains, all seemed well in the Big Apple.
- One more meeting note - A delegation from PennWell (DE&M’s parent company) will be traveling to Cologne for the IDS meeting in April. I’m looking forward to heading back to Germany for what is truly an amazing show. If you’ve never attended a show overseas, you owe it to yourself to head to Sao Paulo, Cologne, or Milan for an international dental meeting. While attending the Greater New York meeting, I met with representatives of the shows in Sao Paulo, Cologne, and Milan, and once again was reminded of all of the learning opportunities that await American dental professionals overseas. Hey, it’s a new year, so maybe that’s something to put on the calendar for this year or put into your 2006 plans.
- I know there are some stories of interest to you in this issue of DE&M. Here are just a few of the highlights:
- If you were one of the 323 dental professionals who filled out this year’s practice-management software survey, thank you. You can read about the current state of practice-management software beginning on page 10.
- Dr. Donato Napoletano shares with you his long and winding road to laser ownership, beginning on page 20. Also included with the story is a lasers buyer’s guide that will be helpful to you if you’re looking at getting into the laser arena.
- Also, this issue marks the first time that we’ve had a cartoon grace the DE&M pages. SmartPractice will be providing a cartoon every issue, beginning this edition on page 52.
Read on, this is your magazine...
Kevin Henry, Editor
[email protected]
