What is this conference?
Connections 2012 is the Annual Conference for the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association.  The Annual Conference provides comprehensive educational programming and networking opportunities for healthcare executives in the areas of business development, communications, marketing, planning, physician strategies and public relations.  
           
Connections 2012 is the premier venue for healthcare strategy knowledge acquisition. The four days of the SHSMD Conference is the most cost-effective professional development choice I have all year. I experienced a full year of benefits in the form of new and greater knowledge that I can apply directly to my position.

Why this conference?
It is difficult for healthcare strategy professionals to find meaningful training that can provide both breadth and depth in targeted disciplines. SHSMD’s Annual Conference has proven, for many healthcare professionals, to deliver the best value of professional development. The quality and quantity of educational value of the SHSMD conferences has been consistent and cost effective, over the years.

Over four exciting days, attendees will trade ideas with peers and learn from today’s foremost leaders and thinkers. They will have the opportunity to evaluate current practices, all while building a powerful community of colleagues, business partners, and friends.

Over 60 concurrent sessions, 4 general sessions, 10 optional workshops, and numerous networking events promise to develop career and boost organizational success. Essential topics such as quality and patient satisfaction, innovative new media, physician relations, economic challenges, and healthcare’s future in this era of reform will be explored.

In addition to the conference content, there are ongoing opportunities to discuss emerging issues and best practices with other colleagues, vendors and consultants across a broad continuum of healthcare issues. For example, in a single venue, attendees can discover best practices from leading healthcare institutions, investigate possible new service lines and talk one-on-one with experienced vendor experts. In Special Interest Group sessions, attendees can swap implementation tips and techniques and listen to others describe their experiences implementing new ideas they might be considering.  As past attendees have described to a colleagues, the value of the networking opportunities alone exceeds the price of admission.

Why you should attend?

• Network with your peers and leaders from all segments of healthcare.
• Share your ideas and visions at interactive workshops and round-tables.
• Learn from leaders in the field. Sixty-six concurrent sessions in eight interdisciplinary tracks give you invaluable access to the most distinguished faculty in healthcare strategy today.
• Explore new and innovative solutions at the general sessions, with speakers and topics to intrigue, inspire, and entertain you.
• Delve into healthcare’s hottest topics at any one of the 10 optional workshops designed for in-depth learning.
• Exchange ideas with conference speakers before the conference through e-mail discussions. Tell them in advance what you need to know!
• Evaluate the latest products, programs, and services in the largest Exhibit Hall dedicated to healthcare marketing, communications, and planning.