CME Training Events

Overview -

For our clients, CME training events often involve fewer than 50 participants. These meetings are usually held in restaurants or hotel meeting rooms.

Services –

Planning

Usually our client has determined the time and location of the meeting, so our participation in the planning process usually is limited to technical planning only.

Equipment

Computer Graphics –

For the CME Training meetings we are involved with the most common element is the computer graphic projection of PowerPoint. These files are usually generated by our clients and sometimes their supplier(s). Often these files are already located on our clients laptop computer, which they bring to the meeting.

Audio –

An audio system for an event of this type will sometimes include a podium and lavalier microphone(s) for the presenters. Of course, audio for the various video elements are also included.

Video Playback –

Some CME training events make use of video tapes illustrating new products available to the medical community. These can be played in a variety of formats included VHS, Mini-DV, BetaCam SP, or from computer files.

Teleconferencing

These meetings normally have an expert in their field making the presentation in person. However, by making use of teleconferencing equipment, one expert can address thousands in many cities at once. This allows each attendee to listen to the lecture (often supported by a PowerPoint file) and then ask questions of the expert right from their seat. No travel is involved, no hotel stays, and often no time out of the office (many of these are after hours sessions). These teleconferences usually have a moderator involved so that the questions are handled in an efficient manner.

Audience Response

Adding audience response to a meeting makes the meeting much more interactive. Each participant (or each table) is given a response terminal, which is a small wireless, handheld device with ten buttons. When the presenter asks a question (and often puts it on the screen with PowerPoint) the audience is given a pre-determined amount of time to make a response, or vote. When the time is up (usually 10-30 seconds) the result is shown as a bar chart on the screen in PowerPoint. This tends to keep the audience much more involved in the presentation, and information retention is greatly increased.

Our clients generally create the initial PowerPoint presentation with the questions of their choosing. They then send this file to us, either via e-mail or FTP. We then add the audience response software to their file. At this point we would send the completed file back to the client for their approval. After the file has been used at the event, the bar charts created during the presentation are saved into the file under a new file name. The original file is still available to show to another audience.