July 5 Proofs Note from the Editor

By Kevin Henry
Editor, Proofs

In our last e-newsletter, we published the results of a survey we did with 100 dentists called, “What 100 dentists told us.” It was one of our most popular articles of the year (so far) and it reinforced how much you, members of the dental industry, want insight into what the dentist is thinking. Trust me when I tell you that I’m working on some surveys for dentists (and team members) that will provide you with that information. Many of you have asked me for more information on some of the questions we asked … and I know you’ll be seeing that soon.

One of the beautiful things about Proofs is that our sister publications, Dental Economics and RDH magazine, are the go-to magazines for dentists and hygienists, respectively. It also allows me, as the editor of Proofs, the opportunity to “pick the minds” of these dental professionals (as well as dental assistants through our Dental Assisting Digest) and bring you the latest information on what they are thinking and feeling at the moment. That’s an advantage that Proofs can bring to its readers that is unmatched by our competitors.

As part of our initial survey to the 100 dentists, we asked about trade show visiting patterns and time spent in the exhibit hall. Of those surveyed, 78 said they spend less than half of their time at a dental meeting in the exhibit hall, with 47 of those being there less than 25% of their time. That’s not good news for exhibitors … and it’s also probably not very surprising to any of us.

The Dental Industry Association of Canada (DIAC) recently released its own findings on trade show visitation from its 15th annual Future of Dentistry survey. Overall, 71.4% of respondents spent three hours or less on the exhibit floor during their attendance at a typical convention, with 43.8% spending two hours or less. You can check out the overview of the survey by clicking here.

What snippets can we take away from these findings?
• Dentists aren’t in the exhibit hall very long during a typical convention.
• With such a short amount of time in the hall, exhibitors need to know EXACTLY how they are going to entice potential customers to look at their products.

So what’s your game plan for the upcoming fall and winter meeting season? You have the facts in front of you. Now it’s time to make sure you know how to make the most of the meetings in San Francisco (CDA North), Las Vegas (ADA), and New York (Greater New York). While you’re doing that, I’ll be conducting more surveys with your customers and passing along the findings to you.

Read on, this is your e-newsletter…