For those of you who have attended the Virginia Meeting, you know that Megan Wyman (our Director of CE and Meeting Planning) is a seasoned pro at putting on a conference. I’ve learned a lot from her in the past year and we’re both continuing to listen and learn from you about how we can create great experiences for our members.

The 2018 New Dentist Conference was my first and, by all attendee accounts, a big hit! We had a great turnout, exceptional CE, and several fun social events! In fact, we heard from one attendee who was planning to leave early on Saturday yet they opted to stay because the CE was so compelling. Thanks to Richmond-based implantologist, Dr. Kenyon Keeney, and Dental Economics Editor-In-Chief, Dr. Chris Salierno, for your presentations! We also heard from several exhibitors who enjoyed their conversations so much that they’ve already signed up to exhibit at the ​Virginia Meeting. And lastly, as advertised, the 80’s themed costume contest was totally tubular.

While I hope that the CE was helpful to you, please know that seeing each of you in person is equally helpful to our VDA staff.  Something as short as a 5-minute chat can help me identify VDA or ADA resources that may be helpful to you, or to make an introduction and help you build your network.  And while my primary charge is to help each of our members as individuals, our conversations can also highlight issues that affect broader membership segments. The steps we make together will continue to make the VDA one of the ADA’s strongest state associations.

We hope that the mix of clinical and practice management CE with laid-back networking opportunities is something you’ll continue to enjoy, but we’re always open to suggestions! And on that note, we couldn’t host a great conference like this without our exceptional New Dentist Committee, led by Dr. Stephanie Vlahos. Our members in leadership roles help set the direction for our events, so if you’re interested in getting involved or have other ideas on how we can improve our events, please let me know!