Last week, HCI posted a poll asking CIOs if attending next month’s HIMSS conference holds the same value as it has in past years, in light of the current operating environment. The results were as follows:
· 66.67% said no
· 19.05% weren’t sure yet
· 14.29% said yes
That’s some pretty definitive data.
A few days after the poll was posted, I got an email with the subject line “19 Billion reasons why you can’t miss HIMSS09.” The catchy line was referring to the $19.2 billion dollars the federal government is investing in the healthcare industry to advance EHR adoption. HIMSS is wisely focusing a large portion of its educational sessions on the implications of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, along with other topics relating to the economic downturn.
I think it’s safe to say that other conferences and events are going to follow suit and make the economy/stimulus package a key focus. Judging by how interested our readers are in the topic, it just might get a few more bodies in the door.
If that doesn’t work, then the conference circuit could be looking at a very grim 2009.
What do you think? Are economy-focused sessions enough motivation to get CIOs and other executives to the shows, or is it just not feasible in these tough times?
