Welcome to the new face of the ASPSN! The reviews and comments from "the unveiling" of our new logo at the September national meeting have been nothing less than enthusiastic! The change to the newer contemporary and clean look of the ASPSN has been fascinating and well received thus far.
Speaking of change, September's annual ASPSN national meeting marked a "change" in leadership, and with that comes a change that the ASPSN Board hopes you will enjoy: a monthly e-blast update on the significant happenings of our society. These updates will be very succinct in nature and will simply highlight news or projects that are being worked on for the society's benefit and growth. A few of the many happenings so far include the following:
* Postconvention surveys being reviewed, with the results being integrated into the 2017 meeting and planning.
* Committees are being organized and Chairs are being identified.
* The Scientific Sessions Planning Committee is already fastidious at work, brainstorming on topics, workshops, and presenters for the 2017 fall meeting in Orlando.
* @ASPSNPresident Twitter handle has been established for all to follow on social media for the latest plastic surgery-related news, updates, research, and some Friday Fun Facts.
* And last, but certainly not least, a formal welcome to the newest ASPSN Board member: Connie Brennan. With Connie's expertise and passion for aesthetics, the ASPSN is poised to make substantial influences toward our vision of being The Definitive Voice for Plastic Surgical Nursing. I anticipate that Connie's adept skills and experience will clearly be a valued asset and voice to the ASPSN leadership and society overall.
This time of the year is clearly bustling with social as well as professional commitments. But before we enter our next season of promotions for the ASPSN Annual Convention, we thought it would be helpful to share with you the details of how the convention venue selection takes place:
The ASPSN historically holds its Annual Convention at the same time of the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) meeting. However, we are not run by the ASPS; we are a collaborative Society and we organize our convention in the same city as the ASPS to help leverage excellent plastic surgeon faculty and make it possible for our members to attend the ASPS Annual Meeting if they would like. We also have the opportunity at times to collaborate on programming, making the entire "plastic week" experience the most beneficial for our members.
* The ASPSN Annual Convention on its own also has a unique character, and holding the convention in a dedicated hotel allows for a camaraderie among our members, with plenty of social as well as professional interactions.
* We encourage our members to all stay at our host hotel to help avoid travel among different hotels and the potential to "get lost" in a large congress atmosphere. Yet, by being in the same city, we have access to the larger meeting for anyone who would like to participate.
* Regarding our specific hotel venue, our staff team researches hotels in the ASPS host city-looking for appropriate convention space for our educational, exhibit, and social programs and also seeking to get the best possible hotel room rate for our members. "First-tier" cities usually come with a higher price tag for rooms, and it makes hotel selection difficult at times. When they can, the ASPS will point our team to certain hotels, but many times their own room rates are locked in, even with many properties. Popular convention cities such as Chicago are especially challenging-their standard room rates are very high, and even with a large congress in town, they only lower room rates so far. With a strong economy, the hotel and convention business is in a "seller's market."
* For 2017 in Orlando, we have an excellent room rate of $225 at the Rosen Centre, our host hotel. This applies for both single and double rooms. For 2018, our team worked extensively with the ASPS, and independently, to identify properties appropriate for our Annual Convention in Chicago. But Chicago is an expensive city, and fall conventions are very popular there. After much negotiation, our team was able to get the same hotel, the Westin River North, with the same room rate as we had in 2014. We realize that this price is higher than some other cities, but considering we will be at the same rate as we were in 2014, it's not that bad! Also, the Westin River North is only about 5 miles from McCormick Place, the Chicago Convention Center. Therefore, to anyone who wants to attend the ASPS sessions, it is about a 15-min cab ride away.
In addition, in the spirit of season's surprises, we thought we would provide you a "sneak peek" into the new programming structure, which will take place at the upcoming 2017 and 2018 Annual Meetings:
* The convention will now start on Thursday with the CPSN and CANS Review Courses. The preconvention workshops will also be presented for attendees on Thursday. The program will then continue with three full days of convention programming from Friday to Sunday. The meeting will officially conclude with the CPSN and CANS Board Certification Exams being given on Monday.
* The new program format reflects the recommendations from the membership as well as the suggestions from the Scientific Sessions Planning Committee. This structure will provide alternating days for reconstructive and aesthetic programming, thus allowing attendees some free time to interact with their colleagues and to see the local area attractions of the host city.
In closing, please remember, the ASPSN isTHE Definitive Voice of Plastic Surgical Nursing! State it and believe it!
Warm regards,
Georgia Elmassian, MSN, MA, APRN, CPSN, CFLE
ASPSN President