The Medical Panel is thrilled to have recently joined the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) and supports their vision for quality, ongoing education, leading market research, strategic resources and networking. Most all of us in the healthcare industry want to attend the events that provide us the optimum return on our time and investment. HCEA strives to help the industry do just that by representing organizations with the common desire to improve the effectiveness and promote the value of appropriate conventions, meetings, and exhibitions. Originally launched as the Medical Exhibitors Association (MEA) in 1930, it has since grown and gone through multiple changes until becoming the HCEA in 1973. The association hosts the annual Healthcare Convention Marketing Summit and has a great searchable database of medical meetings.

During this year’s annual meeting, they announced the president as well as the lineup of officers and directors for the 2014-2015 season. Announcement below:

ATLANTA — Diane Benson, CTSM, Americas Exhibits Leader, GE Healthcare, was named President of the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) for 2014-2015. Benson assumed the role of HCEA President during the 2014 HCEA Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, June 21-24.

Benson’s more than 25-year career in trade show marketing spans both the exhibitor and supplier sides of this industry. Currently President of HCEA and a member of EXHIBITOR magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board, Diane holds a BS degree in Business Marketing from the University of Phoenix. As one of the earliest CTSM’s in the industry, Diane was awarded her Diamond upgrade in 2012, and is currently one of only seven Diamond-level CTSM’s in the world.

During her acceptance speech at the HCEA Annual Meeting, Benson emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge with one another to ensure the continued success of HCEA as an organization and the industry: “HCEA is a community unlike any other. No one else offers the unique blend of corporate healthcare exhibitors, association meeting planners, and trusted business partners, where we collaborate to share best practices, learn whatever is important to move our businesses forward and learn how to compliantly and consistently deliver strong, successful results to our stakeholders.” Benson continued, “In all my years in this industry, I have received more encouragement, more support, more answers to my questions from HCEA than with any other group of people in my professional career.”

Benson has been involved with HCEA since the late 1980s and has served on the HCEA Board of Directors since 2010. Benson served as HCEA President-Elect during 2013-2014.

The Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) also announced its officers and directors at the 2014 HCEA Annual Meeting, June 21-24, in Cleveland, Ohio.  Diane Benson, CTSM, GE Healthcare, was inducted as President. Other 2014-2015 Board officers are:

President-Elect– Christine Farmer, Sanofi; Vice President – Don Schmid, MBA, CME/H, Hospira, Inc.; Secretary/Treasurer – Christine DiDomenico, MBA; and Immediate Past President – Sue Huff, Medtronic, Inc.

The Association’s 2013-2015 Directors are:

Ann Marie Bermudez, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.; Cassandra Costello, Actelion Pharmaceuticals; Carol Fields, CME/H, Edwards Lifesciences; and Julie Wojda, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

The Association’s 2014-2015 Directors are:

Laine Mann, Pfizer; Kyle Wood, Group Delphi; Neketa Argrow, Alcon; and Stacey Chandler, CEM, American College of Rheumatology.

The Association’s Appointed Directors serving a one-year term are:

Teresa Lerch, American College of Physicians; and Chip Carman, Blue Telescope.

About HCEA:

The Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) is the only association solely dedicated to improving the effectiveness and promoting the value of all conventions, meetings and exhibitions for the healthcare industry. HCEA represents organizations involved in healthcare exhibitions and conventions.