1. 12 April 20081 Is Medical Conference Coverage for You? AMWA DVC Freelance Workshop 12 April 2008 Maria B. Vinall

2. 12 April 20082 Objective To provide an overview of an interesting area of medical writing To provide you with information to help you decide whether conference coverage is a fit for you

3. 12 April 20083 Types of Writing Journalistic Clinical/Scientific

4. 12 April 20084 Journalistic Characteristics Less detail Mostly late breaking clinical trials Not usually referenced Liberal use of quotes Often due same or next day Focus on highlights

5. 12 April 20085 Clinical/Scientific Characteristics More detailed Usually referenced Compilations of several presentations from one or more sessions Limited use of quotes Generally due post conference Focus on clinical applicability

6. 12 April 20086 Media Elements “Live” and recorded interviews and webcasts

7. 12 April 20087 Types of Stories Late breaking clinical trials Selected updates Features News Satellite sessions

8. 12 April 20088 Types of Organizations General news Society newspapers Specialty medical tabloids Medical web sites Conference specialty Pharmaceutical Consumer publications Wire services

9. 12 April 20089 Assignments Pre-assigned by editor Developed on site in conjunction with editor Combination On the fly Depends on experience

10. 12 April 200810 Work Load Depends on the client and the percentage of their coverage you’ve been assigned to handle My typical assignment: 6500 - 8000 words per conference, which is 7-10 stories of varying length), or, about 13 pages of text Usually one 750-1000 word article due in 5 days after close of conference with balance due in 10 days

11. 12 April 200811 Work Load One news magazine requires the following for dedicated coverage: Three days of coverage, 3 to 5 stories per day, 50% due on site, balance due one week to 10 days, Average word count per story 500 -700

12. 12 April 200812 Timelines On site Usually the day of presentation but some extend to 24 or 48 hours (rare) Mostly journalistic Usually require interview with presenter Post Conference Depends on deadline for the publication Can vary from 5 days to a month

13. 12 April 200813 Skill Set

14. 12 April 200814 Skill Set Interviewing Speed Time management Flexibility News judgment Initiative Statistics Writing short Science background Accuracy Persistence Note taking Quick thinking Stamina

15. 12 April 200815 Skill Set “The ability to sit in darkened rooms listening to boring talks for hours without falling asleep or at least without snoring too loudly” Roueche http://medmeeting.blogspot.com

16. 12 April 200816 Tools of the Trade A high quality digital camera that can be used without a flash A good digital recorder that –can be set to either dictation (for interviews) or meeting (for sessions) –allows you to download to your computer Lots and lots of batteries A laptop

17. 12 April 200817 Practicalities

18. 12 April 200818 Payment Per project Per diem Per story Per word Combination Expenses

19. 12 April 200819 Registration Press Free BUT requirements vary from conference to conference Attendee Can be costly

20. 12 April 200820 Registration Typical Requirement for Press Registration Journalists –Assignment letter on the letterhead of the news organization being represented –Media identification (such as an international accredited press pass), or a business card issued by a recognized news organization. Freelance Journalists –Copies of three bylined cardiology-related articles –An official letter of assignment from an accredited news organization. Freelancers who do not have 3 bylined articles are not eligible for registration.

21. 12 April 200821 Registration +’s of press registration Access to all of the materials in the press room (press releases, handouts, meals!!) Access to embargoed material Access to press room personnel to arrange interviews Interview rooms Quiet place to work Quiet place to get off your feet Opportunity to network with colleagues -’s of Press Registration Exhibitors are not permitted to speak with the press

22. 12 April 200822 Add-on Responsibilities Obtaining presenter review Requesting permission to use slides –author’s own –published Reference checking

23. 12 April 200823 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Good Access to the most current medical information Networking opportunities for future work Pays relatively well Travel Improves your writing skills

24. 12 April 200824 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Bad Demanding work with short timelines Travel, though at times interesting, can also be exhausting, especially foreign travel Technology failure Last minute schedule changes Accents

25. 12 April 200825 Ugly Last minute cancellations 12 hour working days Ego issues Web casts that never show up Major technology failure The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

26. 12 April 200826 Useful Links

27. 12 April 200827 Links http://medmeeting.blogspot.com A medical conference blog As described by the blogger “An opinionated, occasionally cranky, occasionally snarky blog on medical meetings from the viewpoint of a medical journalist.”

28. 12 April 200828 More Links http://www.medscape.com/welcome/conferences http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ www.trends-in-medicine.com http://www.docguide.com/crc.nsf/web-bySpec http://www.hittmedicalwriting.com/

29. 12 April 200829 Thank you for your attention Questions?

30. 12 April 200830 Some Ads from The HittList We will be covering the ECCMID meeting in Barcelona next month. We have secured one writer but need another for our project. ECCMID, Barcelona, Spain 19th - 22nd, APR. http://www.akm.ch/eccmid2008/ Masahiro Matsumoto Medical News & Conference Systems, Inc. Planning & Sales Division matsumoto@mncs.co.jp matsumoto@mncs.co.jp

31. 12 April 200831 We need two local freelance writers for the May 16-21 meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto. Please let me know. Thanks.mzittel@dothenpress.com