A supply chain conference from a creative point of view

Michelle Davis, graphic design specialist for Customer Support & Delivery (CSD) at the AMER Support Center (SC) in Bloomington, attended the 2018 AHRMM (Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management) conference at McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago. As a first-time conference attendee, she was busy observing, learning, and meeting new people, along with 15 other Cook colleagues – account executives from BusinessCare Integration and fellow members of the CSD team.

The Lakeside Center location was filled with approximately 2,000 AHRMM conference attendees, including supply chain professionals and suppliers. The conference provided attendees with a forum to discuss and discover best practices, products and technology solutions that reduce costs, improvements to patient care, and ways to drive greater financial outcomes. It was the perfect exhibitor setting for Cook. It was exciting, and Michelle couldn’t wait to see the exhibit booth she had designed with the help of Joni Callis, marketing manager–AMER, CSD, and intern Tyler Moore, who took the lead on the project during his internship.

“My role at the conference was mainly to observe booth interaction and experience the camaraderie of attending the conference with my peers. I attended one educational session, but primarily, I was in designer mode,” says Michelle. “Throughout the conference, I took note of how people reacted, what motivated them to visit a booth, and how our competitors designed their booths.”

A design view

Not only was Michelle a first-time conference attendee, she was also viewing the booth design fully set up in a conference environment for the first time. This was the second year for the booth.

“We had 200 square feet to work with. Our goal was to create a conversation space where people could sit and relax,” she said. “We are there to talk and communicate with our customers. We didn’t want anything gimmicky in the design or messaging. We simply wanted to create an inviting space for people to feel comfortable.”

Michelle was pleased with how the booth reflected their design and messaging goals. A white armchair and sofa set off by glass-topped tables added an inviting tone, and the standard Cook color palette in hues of gray, blue, and black created a contemporary look. The artistic visual presence in the booth, Michelle says, was a transparent, flexible fabric illuminated from behind to create a subtle backdrop effect.

Messaging was intentionally less detailed, yet it made a strong statement. “We understood that many people know of Cook, but aren’t necessarily aware that we are a medical device and technology company,” Michelle said. “We were also keeping in mind our company was still undergoing a transformation. We wanted to convey a lasting message on the backdrop. A message that would resonate with our audience, but not be too detailed due to changes within our company.” The design team chose “Making a difference for patients” as the theme, and the design elements surrounding that were renderings of our products magnified 1000% to add an abstract modern flair to the backdrop.

To motivate attendees to visit the booth, a video screen added movement and color. The screen played company videos and flashed brief messages.

“We were very strategic to use the video screen to promote our messaging. We can easily update the messaging without printing costs or redesigning the booth. And at this transformational stage in our company, that worked wonderfully,” Michelle said. “However, in the future, our marketing in the booth will be more supply chain specific instead of corporate branding, and we plan to update the booth design for 2019.”

Opportunity for comparison

Cook’s booth at AHRMM was located in a central location in the exhibit hall. “You would think the best spot for a booth would be at the entrances, but the highest traffic areas are centralized near popular meeting areas or by drink or beverage stations. You also want to avoid positioning your booth directly next to a major competitor, so that is taken into account as well,” Michelle explained.

The exhibit hall was a prime opportunity for Michelle to see what design elements and strategies were being used by our competitors.

“Seeing other booths boosted my confidence in our design. We used the space well by keeping it inviting and uncluttered. I like that we were being more sustainable as well by keeping our broad message printed and our new materials digital,” she said.

Major takeaways

CSD team members and account executives took turns manning the booth in groups of four, following a rotational schedule. Through listening to customers, educational sessions, and networking events, several key topics became apparent.

UDI standards
UDI (Unique Device Identifier) standards were hot topics of conversation at the conference. To learn more about this issue, read the article, “Thoughts from a UDI Expert . . .” The UDI system has been implemented across Cook’s entire portfolio. The entire industry will eventually need to implement this bar-coding system according to regulations. The bar-coding system provides order automation and adds another level of patient safety and inventory management.

Supply and provider collaboration
The AHRMM conference gives Cook an opportunity to engage with our supply chain customers to help us understand their initiatives and build relationships. We can help customers understand efficient transaction processes and how we package products to bring efficiencies into how they work. Cook wants to be seen as an expert in the supply chain space. One of our goals is to build efficiencies and drive cost savings for customers.

Industry changes
We are seeing an evolution in the healthcare environment. It used to be that Cook would show potential customers our product, and they would buy it. Now, we work through supply chain professionals to get our customers to use our devices. A new product now undergoes a process of review before it reaches the customer. It goes through a value-analysis team composed of members of the supply chain team and clinical representation. The team reviews the new product proposal and evaluates the product’s cost effectiveness and clinical advantage.

 

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 Getting involved and making connections at AHRMM

• Cook was recognized as a Gold Sponsor for this meeting.
• Cook sponsored the CQO (Cost, Quality, and Outcome) Movement, which frames the critical role supply chain professionals play in driving high-quality care at a more affordable cost in an effort to deliver greater value to patients.
• Cook sponsored the welcome reception which was open to all AHRMM attendees. Everyone appreciated the time and effort we put in to make the reception a great networking opportunity.
• Several Cook staff attended the chairman’s reception, which was an opportunity to better connect with meeting executives, other sponsors, and key influencers in the healthcare supply chain space.
• As a sponsor of AHRMM 2019, Cook will be working with the planning team as they develop an educational track for the meeting focusing on clinical integration of the supply chain. Often, supply chain teams and clinicians (hospital staff) are not as integrated as they should be. Integration is critical for both sides to be successful. Our educational track will promote an efficient and good quality process.

 

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The 2018 Fall IDN Summit: Another success

CSD and account executives attend many supply chain conferences. The Fall 2018 IDN (Integrated Delivery Network) Summit is another opportunity for us to connect with this side of the healthcare industry. The Summit was held on September 17-19, offering Cook unique opportunities for networking.

• A reverse expo – The Summit provided a venue for many of Cook’s supply chain customers to exhibit.
• A partner with providers – At the reverse expo, Cook’s goal was to partner with customers to discuss industry topics. This helped position Cook as a collaborative partner with customers as opposed to pushing sales.
• A sponsor – Cook was one of the sponsors of the Summit, which gave us a networking advantage and more visibility with our customers.
• Access to GPOs – The three major group purchasing organizations (GPOs) attended the event. These organizations influence how our customers gain access to our products. Through the Summit, Cook’s ability to engage with the GPOs was heightened.