My KPhA Rx

KPhA Annual Meeting & Convention Goes Virtual –Don’t Miss It!

I’m sure you’ve heard KPhA leadership decided to move the Annual Meeting & Convention to a completely virtual format November 13- Mark Glasper, 14, 2020 out of an abundance of care for our attendees, speakers, exhibiKPhA Executive tors & sponsors, special guests and Director/CEO staff. We continually monitored the evolving factors related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to arrive at this difficult, but correct, decision. However, we still look forward to having you join us for this fully online event complete with quality continuing education, great networking opportunities and our annual exhibition –all virtual!

Re-imagine Our Event

KPhA staff members are busy now finding the right virtual event vendor to offer the most flexibility for our needs. You would think there wouldn’t be too many of these companies available given the recency of the COVID-19 pandemic –but there are! In actuality, virtual event companies have been around a long time, offering many of the features we need. And, virtual meeting products such as Zoom have existed in the marketplace as well. However, now you see a marrying of the two concepts to bring about the current array of virtual and hybrid events.

I know this Annual Meeting & Convention will seem differ

ent. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised “attending” virtual events arranged by other associations. They’ve been down right fascinating to follow. True, I have an ulterior motive when viewing these events because I want to learn as much as possible for our event. However, I still find the combination of technology and human creativity can create a useful and entertaining product.

I like to say that every problem creates an opportunity. And, that’s exactly what’s happened with COVID-19 and the meeting and event community. Yes, the pandemic has forced us to move away from the norm and our in-person events. However, we’re able to create new opportunities to enjoy by attending these new online forums.

“We will appreciate not only your participation in this year’s Annual Meeting & Convention but also your feedback after the event.”

CE, Networking & Exhibits Oh My!

You’ve probably already taken online CE, so offering CE during our virtual Annual Meeting may not seem so unusual. We will offer the same number of CE hours as we always do through the use of concurrent sessions. You will also have on-demand access to all of the offerings through November 30, 2020, so you don’t have to be concerned about missing a valuable session. And, you can even chat with other participants during the “live” versions.

But, how on earth do you network online? This isn’t Facebook or LinkedIn after all. That’s where the technology and human ingenuity come in. You can look forward to attending a coffee hour each morning where you can interact with your friends and colleagues. Just grab a cup of coffee and enjoy good conversation. The same goes for a happy hour on the first day of the event. Pour yourself your favorite beverage and share stories of how you’re enjoying the event.

Ok, so now you understand the networking component of a virtual meeting. But, you’re still having problems grasping how we’re going to achieve an online exhibition. Not to worry. We’ve got that covered as well. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to interact with exhibitors through prearranged meetings or chats. And, you’ll also be able to view videos and download their product brochures.

PharmD student and Miss America Camille Schrier will appear at the KPhA VIRTUAL Annual Meeting & Convention November 13-14, 2020. Save the Date now! But, what about the Ray Wirth Awards Ceremony & Banquet you ask? Well, the banquet is a casualty of moving our event to a virtual format. However, we will still have an awards ceremony and I hope you tune in to watch this year’s worthy nominees receive their awards.

Miss America Camille Schrier to Appear

One thing for sure hasn’t changed about the Annual Meeting & Convention. PharmD student, Miss America Camille Schrier, is still planning to make an appearance at our event! You won’t be able to meet her up close and personal as we had planned but she will still grace our event with her virtual presence. Stay tuned as we finalize her schedule.

As I mentioned, we’re working hard to deliver a quality program for your CE and networking needs. It’s definitely a challenge but your KPhA staff is up to it. We will appreciate not only your participation in this year’s Annual Meeting & Convention but also your feedback after the event. Virtual and hybrid meetings are going to be a part of our future and your input will be valuable to us.

I look forward to “seeing” you at the KPhA Annual Meeting & Convention November 13-14, 2020!