Bookings align with strategy to seek more medical market meetings

COLUMBUS – Experience Columbus recently won bids to host future meetings with the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA), Association for Vascular Access (AVA), American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) and American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). These bookings are a result of Experience Columbus’ strategy to seek meetings in the medical market segment. Since the beginning of the year, the organization has focused on attracting more meetings in the medical, engineering, scientific and corporate industries, and has booked more than 63,000 room nights for future meetings in these key segments.

“These key segments are important because they will impact the tourism economy in Columbus by increasing direct visitor spend, which will benefit the city’s lodging, retail, entertainment, transportation and food and beverage industries,” said Brian Ross, Experience Columbus president and CEO. “The medical meetings industry is very competitive, so I’m incredibly proud of our team for successfully bidding and winning these conventions. Columbus is home to several large and prestigious healthcare organizations, which makes us an attractive city to host medical meetings.”

The American Dental Hygienists Association will convene their 2018 Center for Lifelong Learning at the 95th Annual Session June 17-26 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The conference, which is the largest gathering of dental hygienists in the country, is expected to draw 2,000 attendees who will fill over 4,300 room nights and generate $2.2 million in direct visitor spend.

An anticipated 1,500 attendees will come to Columbus September 14-17, 2018 for the Association for Vascular Access’ Annual Scientific Meeting, filling 3,400 rooms nights and generating $1.5 million in direct visitor spend.

“We were so impressed by Columbus’ accessibility, newly renovated convention center, walkable, vibrant districts and abundance of food, shopping and entertainment options,” said Tonya Hutchison, AVA director of operations. “Each year, our members traditionally make a special effort to explore their surroundings, so we place utmost importance on the overall hospitality offered. The hotels, community, the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Experience Columbus have been excellent partners to work with as we plan our most important event of the year.”

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s Annual Conference will be held October 23-26, 2018 and will bring 1,700 attendees who will fill 5,100 room nights and generate $2.3 million in direct visitor spend.

In 2021, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine will host their Annual Meeting bringing 4,000 professionals in the field of medical physics for continuing education July 23-28. The meeting is anticipated to fill 12,500 room nights and generate $6.7 million in direct visitor spend.

“We are excited to bring to Columbus the most current science, the opportunity to see the latest equipment and services on display in the exhibit hall, as well as a chance to catch up on personal and professional contacts,” said Angela Keyser, AAPM executive director. 

All four associations will hold their meetings in Columbus for the first time. 

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Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, dedicated to growing visitor spending that is generated by conventions, meetings, trade shows and leisure visitors.  Annually, visitors make more than 39.3 million trips to Greater Columbus, spending $6.4 billion generating $9.7 billion in economic impact and supporting nearly 75,000 jobs. For more information, visit experiencecolumbus.com.