CHICAGO--The Midwinter Meeting, the Chicago Dental Society's annual dental conference and trade show, consistently has ranked among the country's top conventions.
The meeing earned the distinction as one of the top four medical trade shows in the U.S. last year, according to Expo magazine.
Held Feb. 26-March 1, the 2009 meeting once again attracted dental professionals from around the world, including nearly 7,000 dentists.
Total attendance for the meeting was 31,333, representing a 9% drop as compared to the 2008 figures, which were an all-time high in the meeting's 144-year history.
"I think we all went into this meeting holding our breath a little," Dr. David Kumamoto, CDS president, said, "But the feedback from exhibitors and the number of sold-out courses reveal just how strong our meeting is."
Nearly one-quarter of the conference's 240+ courses were sold out, and the vast majority of courses were near capacity.
The exhibit floor, which showcased 570 companies, was sold out months in advance. The Midwinter Meeting was recently chosen as offering the best cost-to-value benefit of any dental trade show in the U.S., according to 66 percent of exhibitors responding to a postshow survey.
According to the survey of exhibitors:
* 82 percent said they generated new business at show
* 32 percent said the Midwinter Meeting was as good as other meetings they had attended in the last 12 months; 45 percent said it was better
* 90 percent said they plan to exhibit at the 2010 meeting; 10 percent were not yet sure
* 73 percent said that they will continue with the same booth size; 10 percent said they would enlarge their booth space at 2010
While attendance in general declined by 9 percent, a review of the attendance figures shows that the number of dentists attending decreased by only 7% and dental hygienists by 8%.
Below are the attendance numbers for select categories. 2008 figures are listed in parentheses for comparison:
* Dentists 6,983 (7,515)
* Dental hygienists 3,883 (4,216)
* Dental assistants 3,161 (3,699)
* Dental office personnel 2,248 (2,642)
* Dental technicians 369 (464)
* Dental students 675 (820)
* Dental hygiene or dental assistant students 1,603 (1,398)
* Dental trade 871 (1,262)
* Exhibitor attendees 9,061 (9,991)
The category showing the steepest decline was dental trade, which includes dental product manufacturers and distributors. But this 30% drop was not unexpected since attendance among this group usually falls during years in which the biennial International Dental Show in Cologne, Germany, is held.
International attendance was 1,457. Although this represented a 26% drop from 2008, it was keeping with a decade-long trend in which international attendances waxes and wanes based on when the IDS is held.
The top five countries most represented at the meeting were:
* Canada 411
* United Kingdom 241
* Mexico 143
* Germany 66
* Japan 60
In comparison, the top five states most represented at the meeting were:
* Illinois 12,047
* Wisconsin 1,987
* Indiana 1,749
* Michigan 1,691
* Ohio 561
For full geographic distribution, go to geographic distribution.
In 2010, the Chicago Dental Society will be moving to the west building at McCormick Place and shortening its meeting to three days. Exhibits and courses will open on Thursday morning and close on Saturday evening. With the new facility in the west building, CDS will house all courses and exhibits in one building.
"These changes will make the meeting even more cost-effective and convenient for our attendees and exhibitors," Randall Grove, executive director of the Chicago Dental Societ,y said.
The society's new plans have already earned kudos from the Dental Trade Alliance, which called CDS "one of the most forward-thinking [show organizers]".
The 2010 Midwinter Meeting will be held Feb. 25-27 in Chicago. More information is available at Chicago Dental Society.
To read more about the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, go to Midwinter Meeting.
To comment on this topic, go to PennWell Dental Community site.
