Submit an Abstract to Present at CMEpalooza Spring 2024

Transcript from the recent CMEpalooza 2024 planning meeting

Scott: OK, it’s the 10th anniversary of the original CMEpalooza. Do you have any bright ideas for how we can celebrate?
Derek: Yes, sir! I am positively brimming with ideas! I got ideas coming out of my ears, I have so many.
Scott: [rolls eyes] Great, let’s hear them.
Derek: OK, picture this: A session-by-session remake of the entire agenda from the first Palooza, including all the delays and glitches.
Scott: [stares directly at Derek without blinking]
Derek: I can see you are at a loss for words and unable to respond to my brilliance. It will be great. We can dress like it’s 2014. I’ll grow out another terrible goatee to match-…
Scott: [still glaring] The original CMEpalooza was 2 days long. There were 22 sessions. Some were only 15 minutes long.
Derek: I know! It will be great! We’ll have to adjust our timing and…
Scott: The content is 10 years old. Some of the speakers have retired or no longer work in CME.
Derek: Well, sure. I guess we’ll have to put on our detective hats and try to track them do-…
Scott: No. Next idea.
Derek: OK, picture this: We could ask people to submit abstracts again.
Scott: [standing up to leave] Perfect, let’s do that.

(Note from Scott: I know you all think that Derek is exaggerating in his replay of our conversation, but this is pretty much spot-on. At least the part where I stood up to leave 5 minutes into our discussion.)

Yes, it’s that time of year, and the planning has begun for CMEpalooza Spring (it’s on Wednesday, April 24. Save the date in your calendar if you haven’t already.) As in the past few years, we want to include a broad range of the CE community in the planning and development process of the CMEpalooza agenda. Anyone is welcome to submit an idea for a CMEpalooza Spring session, though it’d probably help if it’s a good idea (we tend to like those).

The process is fairly simple. If you have an idea for a session that you would like to lead at CMEpalooza Spring, just complete the CMEpalooza Spring 2024 Abstract Submission form by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 14 (yes, Valentine’s Day – nothing more romantic than a CMEpalooza abstract). After that, Scott and I will review all the proposals we receive and select at least five for the official Spring agenda. If there are more that we like, we may hold onto some ideas for the Fall event as well.

Here are a few guidelines:

1. This is a virtual conference and all sessions are done via StreamYard. It’s easy.
2. Proposals will only be considered if they are submitted via the abstract submission form. Or if you hire a wagon train and deliver them in writing to my front door. Whichever is easier.
3. The deadline for proposals to be submitted is 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 14.
4. We are open to pretty much any idea as long as it relates in some way to CME/CE. The more creative, the better. My dream is for someone to propose a musical (this is not Scott’s dream).
5. Interactive formats with multiple presenters, such as panel sessions and interviews, are encouraged. If you want to figure out a unique way to incorporate Poll Everywhere into your session, that’s totally fine too.
6. Please verify the availability of all presenters for the date of CMEpalooza (Wednesday, April 24) before submitting their name in your proposal.
7. We don’t want to limit creativity, so there isn’t a limit on the number of proposals you can submit, but use common sense and be reasonable. We will likely only choose one proposal for which you are listed as the lead contact, so don’t submit 10 proposals or something crazy like that.
8. While it’s not a hard and fast rule, we’d prefer that you not simply submit a proposal that mirrors a presentation you gave at another conference within the last 12 months. At least give it a unique spin.
9. We will notify you within a week of the abstract submission deadline if your proposal has been accepted or not.
10. If you have any questions, feel free to email Derek (thecmeguy@gmail.com) or Scott (scott@excaliburmeded.com), or find us at the Alliance conference in a couple weeks.

I think that about covers it. I especially want to encourage people who have never presented at CMEpalooza to submit a proposal. We are always happy to have new presenters participate. Maybe you are intimidated by getting up in a front of a room full of your colleagues and presenting material — not a problem with CMEpalooza. Maybe you are worried that your idea would be too “out there” for a traditional conference — not a problem with CMEpalooza. Maybe you are just too lazy to want to put together a slide deck for a presentation — so are we, which is why we often encourage our panelists to use few (if any) slides.

Give it a shot.

Click here for the CMEpalooza Spring 2024 Abstract Submission form