Four Key Aspects of the Best Dental Events for Greatest ROI

As a lifelong learner and someone who cares about the future of dentistry, you are always searching for upcoming dental education events that will provide value, and balance the time away from your practice. In this article, we will explore the four aspects of what makes a dental conference successful and illustrate how Spear Live follows these aspects to ensure a fantastic event for anyone who attends.

So, before you sign up for another event, ask yourself, what makes one dental event more successful than another?

Four Key Aspects of the Best Dental Events

1 – Common Goal

We have all been to tradeshows where you meet with vendors, eat at nice restaurants and take some courses for continuing education.= These are great for general purpose audiences, but do they really provide the concentrated learning experience that you are looking for?

There is something validating and significant about surrounding yourself with a group of people who have the same goals and experiences.. What makes this experience even more meaningful is when the organization hosting the event also shares those same goals. Participants come away from this kind of learning environment energized, validated and in mind cases, their perspective and plan for their practice has been expanded.=

You can determine whether an event will meet your goals by asking:

• What will I bring back to my practice from this event? Is it something I think is important?=
• Does this align with what I have been hoping to improve or implement in my practice?
• What is my goal for attending this event? Will this event meet or exceed these goals?

2 – Expert Speakers

You want to learn from the best. You want to learn about state-of-the-art equipment, materials, and innovative techniques. The speakers need to be experts in their fields who know everything you know and more. When you are looking at a dental event to attend, look at the course offerings and who will be presenting the content. Make sure that the courses align with your goals and are taught by the highest caliber speakers.

Review the conference schedule and ask:

• Is the speaker known as an expert in their specialty?
• If I Google the speaker, am I impressed by their resume?
• Will the speaker bring something new to this topic?
• What am I looking for as a takeaway?

As an example, during Spear Live, you learn from the most respected dental educators in the industry including:

• Frank Spear, D.D.S., M.S.D.
• Gregg Kinzer, D.D.S., M.S.D.
• Jeff Rouse, D.D.S.
• Ricardo Mitrani, D.D.S., M.S.D.
• Gary DeWood, D.D.S., M.S.
• Darin Dichter, D.M.D.

3 – Networking Time

Dental conferences are the best way to step away, get excited about dentistry and bring new value= to your practice. Combining networking and continuing education provides the best mix for optimum professional growth and increased profitability of your practice. The connections you make during the conference will function as a resource moving forward. If you have a complex case or just need a pep talk, the person sitting next to you at the conference may be a person you will lean on.

To determine if a conference has good networking potential, ask yourself:

• Do they have a networking event?
• Are the attendees required to have similar qualifications?
• Do I know anyone in my networking circle who is attending?

4 – All Inclusive Location

Even though you will be attending a conference for networking and continuing education, it is an added benefit to be in a location that is easily accessible and provides everything in one place. The conference should be walkable (or a short, conference-provided shuttle) between the hotel and dental events.

Spear Live in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Boston, Massachusetts, are both fully contained with a concise two days of continued education and networking all within a walk or short shuttle from the hotel. Conferences with this format keep all the attendees together to allow even more time for socialization and networking. Walking to and from the hotel or spending time in an elevator with a peer may result in some of the most interesting conversations.

Choosing Your Next Dental Event

Before choosing your next dental event, look deeper into the key components of the conference and answer the questions above. The more aligned the event is to your needs, the more likely it is that= the value and the cost of the event will exceed your expectations and provides the highest level of ROI.