If you have ever wondered about these exclusive executive summits this article will give you the skinny.

Last week I got an email from a LinkedIn friend wanting to know if I had heard of a company called Marcus Evans and wondering if I thought their very expensive CXO Long Term Care Summit sponsorship  program was worth it.   It was a good question. I attended my first Marcus Evans Long-Term Care summit last July in Florida with the same question in mind.  After my first experience the short answer is yes. It’s a great value for both vendors and delegates (attendees). Delegates I need to start by saying the label Long-Term Care conjures or implies skilled nursing and these summits are a very nice mix of topics that apply to Memory Care and Assisted Living as well as skilled nursing professionals.  Here are the nuts and bolts.

  • The summit is only open to senior living executives who have responsibility and purchasing authority for at least 500 units or residents.  Though I would add, there seems to be some flexibility in this area if you are heading that direction.
  • There are only around 100 total delegates and all have similar profiles, which means similar challenges and opportunities.  It is likely that you will come away with some new lifelong professional friends.  You will be meeting with and talking with some of the brightest, most creative thinkers in the senior living industry.
  • The cost of meals and hotel are paid by Marcus Evans, but you still need to get yourself there.
  • You will be expected to meet with vendors, but only those who are providing products and services that are of interest to you.  This is not a high pressure event.

When I first started talking to Marcus Evans about these events, it was my impression that these vendor meetings were akin those high pressure vacation timeshare pitches, but I was wrong.  After talking to executives about the experience it turns out they find huge value in these vendor meetings.  It gives them an opportunity to reconnect with senior executives from their current vendors and the opportunity to see what new products and services are available in a controlled and concentrated low pressure environment.

Universally they found this part of the event to be as valuable as the networking and presentation segments.

  • As a measure of the quality of presentations, I am still publishing stories based on presentations that were given in July and those articles are some of the most read articles I have published.
  • Finally the January Summit being in Las Vegas which for many people provides an additional draw.

If You Are a Vendor

Yeah I know this is a senior living leader facing blog, but about 10% of my readers are vendors and they occasionally need some love too. At first blush, this this looks way more expensive than exhibiting at an ALFA, LeadingAge, AHCA or other big national or regional event.  

But I am not quite so sure that is really true.  There are lots of hidden or extra costs including, hotel rooms travel costs for multiple staff, booth shipping costs and those little trade show extras like scanners, double padding and trash service. 

They all add up. Most importantly you need to look at the number of contacts you make and the quality of those contacts. I am pretty well convinced that if you were to take a look at number of new serious or significant leads you get per dollar spent, I suspect you would find the big traditional events to be significantly more expensive.

The question really is how many deals would it take to make their fee be a bargain? Do you qualify as a delegate?  If so you can register to receive a detailed brochure on the Las Vegas CXO Summit here.

Are you a vendor intrigued by the getting in front of several dozen senior living executives you can register for more information on the Las Vegas CXO Summit here. If you have participated one of these events, what was your experience?

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