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More than 800 exhibitors will be showcasing their innovations and technology at the 71th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Anaheim, California. For Jason Park, MD, PhD, DABCC, chair of the Annual Meeting Organizing Committee, it’s an experience that calls for multiple trips. “A single room contains the latest commercially available clinical laboratory technologies. Between the exhibitors and attendees, the Expo floor is always buzzing with energy and excitement,” said Park, an associate professor with the department of pathology and the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
AMOC member Joshua Hayden, PhD, DABCC, FADLM, chief of chemistry at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky, loves having the full range of in vitro diagnostics vendors in one spot. “Our health network is in the midst of some large request for proposals, and the AACC Clinical Lab Expo is the ideal venue to explore our options,” Hayden told CLN Stat.
In addition to kicking the tires on equipment in which they’re already interested, for the first time Expo visitors also will have an opportunity to hear about emerging technologies in the AACC Innovation Zone. There’s also the Product Showcase, lecture series presentations, and industry workshops.
To take all this in, longtime Annual Scientific Meeting attendees have cultivated different strategies for making the most of it. Park does a pass through of the Expo floor several times, each time with a different mission. “The first time, I walk down each of the main aisles to get a general sense of the exhibitors. I also like to look for interesting exhibit designs and new products,” he said. The second time is to target specific vendors whose products he wants to learn more about. Park bases his third trip on recommendations from friends.
Hayden always reserves an hour to explore the poster section and another hour to walk the Expo. “Setting aside this time to just wander and learn new things, is always worthwhile,” he said.
Attendees are invited to use the AACC meeting mobile app to find and add exhibitors to their favorites list and help navigate their way through the Expo floor. The mobile app is available from both the Apple Store and Google Play (search 2019 AACC).
The app enables attendees to:
- Stay organized with up-to-the-minute exhibitor, speaker, and event information;
- Sync the app across all of their devices;
- Build a personalized schedule and bookmark exhibitors;
- Take notes and download event handouts and presentations;
- Rate and comment on sessions;
- Interactively locate sessions and exhibitors on maps; and
- Visit bookmarked exhibitors and more.
The app is also available via computer. Participants can create an account before the meeting, plan an itinerary, and then sync it to the app or just use the online version.
Directions for syncing to the app are as follows:
- Go into the 2019 meeting.
- Choose “Sync with my FollowMe Account.”
- Choose “First Device.” (If you want to sync to more than one device, that’s possible. But the first one needs to be “First Device.” All others would be the second option, “Additional Device.”)
- If you sync multiple devices, all will update with changes.
The app is a great tool for wayfinding through the Expo, advised AMOC member Deborah French, PhD, DABCC, FADLM, assistant director of chemistry and director of mass spectrometry at the University of California San Francisco Clinical Laboratories. Attendees should make a plan of the companies they want to visit to optimize their time at the Expo. “If there are specific companies that you want to meet with, it might be worth setting up appointments with them ahead of time,” French said.
She also suggested that attendees start their journeys with good footwear. “You need comfortable shoes since the Expo covers such a large area!” said French.
Explore everything the Expo has to offer at the 71st AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Anaheim.