Cities focus on medical meetings

By Don Sadler

Medical and health care industries are key target markets for many cities when it comes to hosting large meetings and events. Some destinations are even concentrating sales and marketing resources solely on this group segment. As a result, a mutually beneficial relationship has formed between planners and these cities.

In 2008, Florida’s Visit Jacksonville launched a medical tourism initiative branded “America’s Health Center” that focuses on drawing more medical and health care meetings and conventions to the city, explains Lyndsay Rossman, senior director of corporate communications for Visit Jacksonville. “Jacksonville is well known as a city that’s very rich in its health care offerings,” she says. “Through our America’s Health Center initiative, we’re branding Jacksonville as a great city for medical conferences and meetings and working hard to communicate this message to meeting and event planners.”

According to Rossman, Jacksonville is home to roughly 30 major medical facilities, including the Mayo Clinic, University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. In addition, major universities like Jacksonville University, Florida State College at Jacksonville and the University of North Florida boast nursing and research programs that often attract medical meetings and events.

“There is no question that planners of medical and health care events are looking for cities that can offer outstanding health care resources,” says Rossman. In the past year, she notes, hotel room nights for medical meetings have increased nearly 260 percent, representing more than 7,100 room nights over the same period last year. “There are many opportunities for planners to utilize the rich talent and resources in Jacksonville as part of their events” she adds. Planners can organize on-site medical facility tours and then recruit experts from area facilities as trainers and speakers at events. Rossman anticipates the city will book the 2011 annual conferences for the American Hospital Association and the Association of Oncology Social Work, as well as the 2013 American Association of Neurological Surgeons meeting.

Barbara Jones, coordinator of Continuing Medical Education (CME) for the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, says she has planned a number of meetings and seminars in Jacksonville and is scheduling more in the city next year. “All the health care resources make it such an attractive city for us that we just naturally hold events there. There’s a large audience of physicians and staff for continuing education, both as attendees and faculty.”

Since support businesses in the city are used to dealing with the unique demands of the industry, they are prepared to work with medical and health care meeting planners who come to town. “I’ve spent many a night at the all-night FedEx [Office] in Jacksonville, or picked things up at 6 a.m.,” says Jones. “Services like this make a big difference to our industry.”

Cleveland, Ohio is another city that’s making a big push for more medical and health care meetings. Eric Julian is Positively Cleveland’s national sales manager who recently took over the role of bringing more medical events to the city.

Julian says the health care industry is now the city’s largest employer. “Cleveland has transformed itself from an old Rust Belt city into a world-class center for medical services, research and biotechnology. Medical meeting planners recognize that our resources, including world-renowned physicians and specialists, can help draw more attendees to their events.”

The Cleveland Clinic, the city’s most recognized health care resource, often partners with Positively Cleveland. Medical professionals from the Clinic often meet with planners, trying to convince them to bring their events to the city. Other major medical resources in Cleveland include Case Western Reserve University and the MetroHealth System.

As the national advocacy director for the Hydrocephalus Association, Marybeth Godlewski helped plan the association’s biennial conference before starting a new nonprofit in June. She says the list of finalists for the 2010 conference was narrowed to three cities — Cleveland, Boston and Philadelphia. The planning committee chose Cleveland, primarily due to the Cleveland Clinic, which specializes in hydrocephalus.

“Our hotel was actually connected to the Cleveland Clinic, so we were able to encompass the facility into our conference, instead of just having doctors come over to the hotel,” she explains. “They had the technology to help us pull off a great conference.” Physicians performed surgeries in the Clinic that were broadcast live on giant screens to conference attendees. “Immediately after the surgeries, the doctors came over to the conference to answer attendees’ questions in person.”

Ground will break this fall on what will become another big Cleveland draw for medical meeting and event planners: the 120,000-sq.-ft. Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, which is slated to open in 2013. “This will help us tremendously when it comes to attracting more health care meetings and events,” says Julian.