Previewing the Greater New York Dental Meeting

Editor’s Note: In order to get a taste for what to expect at the 2009 Greater New York Dental Meeting, I asked the GNYDM to hit what they perceive to be some of the highlights of the meeting. Below is their submission, as well as thoughts from the Dental Trade Alliance about the show.

Twenty-first century dentistry is now available at no charge. The Greater New York Dental Meeting is the only meeting where you can pre-register, visit the exhibit floor, and attend continuing education programs each day for free.

In 2008 more than 57,000 dentists, their families and staffs, and members of the dental trade attended the 84th annual Greater New York Dental Meeting. The GNYDM’s organization committee and staff have been hard at work to create an exhibition and congress for 2009 that is bigger and better than ever. This year’s preliminary registration results indicate attendance will again be enormous, and there is a surge in the number in dentists attending.

The 2009 meeting from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 will feature an impressive array of unique new programs on and off the exhibit floor, as well as seminars and workshops that will not disappoint. An integral part of the dental meeting experience is attendees interacting with exhibitors, who enhance the meeting in countless ways. Attendees can visit the newly expanded exhibition floor that will contain more than 1,500 technical exhibit booths offering information and demonstrations on the latest dental innovations, all while enjoying New York City beautifully decorated for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

There will be plenty of time to see every company on the exhibit floor, touch, feel, and compare products, and receive exceptional discounts not found in print or online. Products can even be delivered to attendees’ hotels, which will keep their load light when walking the vast exhibit floor. In addition, attendees will be awarded one hour of CE credit for walking the exhibit floor.

As the largest dental congress and exposition in the United States, the GNYDM feels it has an obligation to exhibitors to excel in hosting a conference that highlights the latest products and procedures modern dentistry has to offer. The GNYDM executive director, Dr. Robert Edwab, insists that new, innovative programs are created and developed each year to ensure that the GNYDM delivers the best conference possible. To that effect, multiple new auxiliary programs have been instituted on the exhibit floor and existing programs have been expanded and improved. The exhibit floor is already jam-packed with dentists, potential product buyers, distributors, and manufacturers, but these new and improved programs attract extra traffic, giving exhibitors one more reason to be excited.

This year the GNYDM will unveil Botox and dermal filler hands-on through live patient workshops on the exhibit floor, where practitioners will learn the techniques necessary to execute these procedures and get up close and personal with the latest in dental materials and equipment. To accommodate the high level of interest in this topic area, these unique workshops will be offered right on the exhibit floor for four entire days.

This year attendees will again have access to the Live Dentistry Arena, which will take place on the show floor at no cost to attendees. Participants will benefit from the unique experience of watching first-hand as world-renowned dentists perform surgeries on actual patients, demonstrations that will feature the newest materials and equipment on the market. Last year, this history-making program easily filled the arena’s seating area and also had another 100 attendees standing on the floor outside the designated seating area.

For the first time ever at a U.S. meeting, international buyers will be able to purchase products at the meeting and have them paid for offsite and delivered to their hotel before departure. The Greater New York Dental Meeting will publish a brochure indicating the companies wishing to participate in this program.

The GNYDM is again proud to partner with Align technology, which will hold its second annual national educational conference, Invisalign-Greater New York Dental Meeting Expo. This will feature eight programs that will enable dental teams to learn the logistics of tooth alignment with Invisalign® from some of the finest clinicians in the world.

Additionally, Pride Institute and the GNYDM are collaborating to show what's new and current in dental technology. The first Pride Institute-GNYDM Technology Fair will run for four days and take place right on the exhibit floor. On Nov. 29 and 30, Pride Institute will host lectures designed to highlight the “best in class” in regards to dental technology.

Among the numerous new programs — and perhaps one of the most successful endeavors of 2008 — was the addition of four glass-enclosed workshop classrooms on the exhibit floor. Given the huge success of these classrooms, two additional glass-classrooms were constructed for 2009.

These glass classrooms are constructed with walls made of Plexiglas so that anyone walking by can easily look in and see the dental products being used during the workshops. To gain the maximum amount of exposure, these classrooms are strategically placed around the exhibit floor, and the educational courses held within their walls will run throughout the day during normal exhibit floor hours. All six classrooms will run simultaneously and cover a broad spectrum of up-to-date, hands-on procedures including endodontics, implants, restorations, veneers, and composites.

“We want our valued exhibitors to recognize our continued support and the financial investments made to benefit their companies,” Dr. Edwab stated. With this rare opportunity for their products to be seen in action by everyone walking the exhibit floor, numerous companies jumped at the chance to have their merchandise showcased during the workshops in these classrooms.

Many of the products showcased are brand new, state-of-the-art tools, and afford participants the unique opportunity to touch, feel and experiment with these devices and gadgets, some of which have not yet been released to the general public.

Decorated with all its holiday finery, New York is indeed a magical place to be during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. In addition, New York City has something for everyone during this time of year, from cultural, sporting, and social events, to Broadway shows, movie theaters, restaurants, and museums.

For additional information, contact the Greater New York Dental Meeting at 570 Seventh Ave., Ste. 800, New York, N.Y. 10018-1806, tel. (212) 398-6922; fax (212) 398-6934, Web site www.gnydm.com, or e-mail [email protected].

From Fred Freedman of the Dental Trade Alliance…
Greater New York should be recognized for many innovations, including its live operatory on the exhibit hall floor. This was a huge draw in 2008 and will continue in 2009. In 2009, New York is promoting a terrific Greater New York Smiles Children’s Program on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in aisle 6000. The focus is on promoting and instructing the importance of oral health care to school aged children. I give kudos to Greater New York for taking the lead on this project. New York is also unveiling its first annual Pride Institute Technology Fair with exhibits and lectures each day of the four-day meeting. Many of these events take place around aisle 6000. There are also many superb CRE-based courses for dentists and oral health specialists. Registration is still free for dentists and dental office staff. Greater New York has also worked hard to become an international destination for the dental industry, with representatives from many international organizations and companies.

While acknowledging all the superb innovations and hard work involved in hosting the Greater New York Dental Meeting, exhibitors continue to express concern about the expense of exhibiting in New York around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Drayage charges and the cost of a four-day exhibition in New York are substantial.

Also of interest is the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation Casino Night on Nov. 30 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Harvard Club near Times Square. Hundreds of leaders from the dental trade and various dental organizations will be on hand to give thanks and raise a few dollars for the foundation. The event is virtually sold out. Boxer Angelo Dundee will be on hand to sign books and tell stories from his years with boxing legend Muhammad Ali. This is the first DTAF annual event to be held in New York. It will give many dental leaders the opportunity to network, socialize during a busy meeting, learn more about the work of the foundation, and enjoy some down time to gather as an industry.

Admission is $250 per person. Wine, drinks, and heavy hors d'oeuvres are included. For more information, contact Crystal at (703) 379-7755. For more information on the DTA Foundation, click here.