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ORTHO TRIBUNE | JUNE & JUly 2010 Upcoming Events 17 By Kristine Colker, Managing Editor I f you were to plan your own orth- odontic convention, what would you want it to have? More time in the exhibit hall without conflicts with educational sessions? A new generation of speakers who haven’t yet shared their stories with others? A way to have dinner at some great restaurants and meet new friends without having to put in so much effort to make those new friends? These are just some of the things Dr. Clarke Stevens had in mind when he planned OrthoVOICE, a new type of orthodontist convention taking place in Las Vegas from Sept. 16–18. “I’ve been to several orthodon- tic meetings around the world and seen the different ways people have presented academic programs,” Stevens said. “European meetings often have more people involved than the regular list of speakers. We thought it would be interesting and creative to invite different types of people.” For instance, Dr. Scott Law is a practicing orthodontist in Killeen, Texas, who just finished his resi- dency in 2009. He will speak on “Hit the Ground Running While Training for a Marathon — Know When to Pass the Baton and Win the Relay.” Dr. Jennifer J. Garza started her career as an orthodontic assis- tant and now has her own paperless practice and is a biologic orthodon- tist. She will share how her experi- ences have shaped her philosophies for her practice. Each day of the meeting, there will be sessions for orthodontists and sessions for staff, with two to three tracks going at the same time. However, attendees aren’t limited by their job descriptions — if an orthodontist wants to attend a staff- focused presentation or vice versa, he or she is more than welcome to do so. Another idea taken from Euro- pean meetings, Stevens said, will be a more creative use of exhibit hall space. Not only will attendees have one-hour breaks to explore the exhibits, but vendors are encour- aged to have entertainment or themes in their booths. One exhib- itor, Stevens said, is considering offering a coffee bar in the morning with pastries. Of course, a meeting is never complete without an array of social activities, and OrthoVOICE has plenty of those. A cocktail party kicks off the first night with enter- tainment, while a cocktail party the second night is more of a wine-and- cheese affair. Two unique events are the breakfast roundtable and Dinner With Strangers. For breakfast, every table will have a moderator and A new type of meeting a topic, from how one conducts a new patient exam to how one closes spaces where there’s been an extraction. Orthodontists and staff are encouraged to pick a topic they want to discuss and spend their meal sharing information with oth- ers. For Dinner With Strangers, attendees will find a list in their reg- istration materials of various res- taurants around Las Vegas where OrthoVOICE has made reservations for eight to 10 people. Attendees will pick a restaurant they want to go to and will then show up for din- ner with other attendees who they haven’t yet met. “Sometimes I go to a meeting alone, and I wonder where I’m going to eat,” Stevens said. “But this way, you can go to a great restau- rant and have a great evening with some new friends.” Stevens said he likes that Ortho- VOICE is being held in Las Vegas and plans to keep it there every fall. “Vegas is a great place to have a meeting because it’s sort of an entertainment capital, and people love to come there,” he said. “It’s also nice to have stability and have a meeting in one place every year, so if someone can’t make it to the AAO one year, they know they will have this nice alternative.” OT AD To register for OrthoVOICE, go to www.orthovoice.com. Orthodontists and staff members are $250 each and residents are $200. To make reserva- tions at Planet Hollywood from $129 per night, call (877) 244-9474 and use code “smovo0.” To registerOTOrthoVOICE sets itself apart with different speakers, social events