We have opened our abstract submission process for CMEpalooza Spring 2023, which you can read all about here. Submissions are due by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 15. If you are looking for motivation as to why you should consider submitting an abstract, you are in luck! Here are the Top 5 Reasons to Submit an Abstract to Present at CMEpalooza Spring 2023.

5. It’s easy. I feel confident in saying that you will not find an easier abstract submission process for a virtual conference for CME/CE professionals. Seriously, it’s only seven questions, and half of those questions are for your contact info. You don’t have to give us goals (boring), objectives (which are just goals with different verbs), headshots (we don’t care what you look like), or any of that stuff. Just tell us who you are, give us a summary of your program, and let us know if you need anything special to present it. To paraphrase the great Lionel Richie, it’s easy like Sunday morning…

4. So I don’t have to move to Glasgow, Montana. While the abstract submission process may be easy, waiting for the submissions to come in is not because what if no one submits an abstract and then we don’t have any to choose from and suddenly it’s the middle of February and we don’t have any sessions and I’m freaking out because the conference is only two months away and we don’t have an agenda and if we don’t have an agenda then we don’t have a conference and if we don’t have a conference then it will be incredibly embarrassing and I’ll have to move away to some remote destination like Glasgow, Montana which, no offense to Glasgow, Montana which I’m sure is very lovely, but is not a place I want to live and is probably very cold.

3. It’s fun. OK, maybe not fun like playing a video game is fun (side note: when I say “video game” this is still my frame of reference. Look at how glorious it is!), but fun compared to other presentations you have given. We keep a loose atmosphere, encourage terrible impersonations and cosplay, and generally laugh a lot. Also, see #5 above.

2. You get to work with us. I mean, how awesome is that? You will have the opportunity to receive emails from either Scott or me that include such witticisms as “When are you free for an A/V check?” and “Are you going to have any slides?” Wow – can you feel the magic? Let me tell you, you haven’t truly lived until you have been on a video conference with Scott and had him remind you “You’re on mute.” (note from Scott: I may even add a colorful, NSFW noun at the end of that phrase) Check that one off the ol’ bucket list.

1. It’s a good opportunity. Setting aside the snarkiness and sarcasm of the previous four reasons, speaking at CMEpalooza is a good opportunity. You get to present to a decent sized (think 200 or so) audience of your peers in a low stress environment from the comfort of, well, wherever you want to do it from. And…

[discreetly glances left and right]

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Move in closer so I can whisper it to you.

A little closer.

A little closer.

OK, not that close.

[whispering] We don’t care where you work or what your title is.

It’s true. You can be a first-year program manager or a CEO with thirty years of experience – it doesn’t matter to us. What does matter is whether or not you have a good idea for a presentation. If you do, submit it to us!

A summary of the recent CMEpalooza 2023 planning meeting.

Scott: “OK, let’s discuss ideas for the Spring meeting. What do you have?
Derek: “Oh buddy, I’ve got some great ideas this year. I am going to blow your mind!”
Scott: [rolls eyes] “I bet. Let’s hear them.”
Derek: “Imagine this… a session done entirely in haiku.”
Scott: “No.”
Derek: “OK, how about this: CMEpalooza…ON ICE!”
Scott: “No.”
Derek: “Not an Ice Capades fan, eh? Fine, I have more. Are you sitting down?
Scott: [glares and motions to the chair he is sitting in]
Derek: “Perfect. Now, I know you’re not a huge fan of musicals, but-”
Scott: “No.”
Derek: “Right. We could…ask people to submit abstracts again?”
Scott: “Bingo. Let’s do that.”

It’s that time of year. and CMEpalooza Spring planning has begun (It’s Wednesday, April 12. Save the date in your calendar if you haven’t already.) Like last year, we want to include the CE community into the planning and development process of the CMEpalooza agenda. Anyone who is interested is welcome to submit an idea for a CMEpalooza Spring session.

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 2023 Abstract Submission form by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 15. After that, Scott and I will review all the proposals we receive and select at least five for the official agenda.

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
3. The deadline for proposals to be submitted is by 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 15.
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, as noted above).
5. Interactive formats with multiple presenters, such as panel sessions and interviews, are encouraged.
6. Please verify the availability of all presenters for the date of CMEpalooza (Wednesday, April 12) 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. We will try to notify you within a week of the deadline if your proposal has been accepted or not.
9. 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.

So in the immortal words of “woman on a subway car” from Coming to America, “Go on honey, take a chance!”

Click here for the CMEpalooza Spring 2023 Abstract Submission form

Ugh. This is one of those blog posts I have to write where I brag about CMEpalooza in order to make a point about CMEpalooza even though I really really don’t like bragging about CMEpalooza because it makes me feel icky. Not that CMEpalooza is icky (It’s not. It’s great.), but bragging in general is icky (side note: I am the worst salesperson in the world. Never hire me to be your business development guy. I’ll just say things like “Well, yeah, we’re pretty good at XYZ, but other companies are good at it, too. We might be better than them at it, though I haven’t seen their work lately, so it’s not for me to judge.”)

Anyway, the point of all this is that are planning to release our CMEpalooza Sponsorship Prospectus next Wednesday (December 7) and — here comes the braggy part — a lot of the sponsorship opportunities sell out very quickly. Once the prospectus is released, we award sponsorships on a first-come, first-served basis. Last year, all of our Gold Sponsorships were snapped up on the day the prospectus was released (I think. Scott can correct me here.) (note from Scott: Much as I love to correct Derek, he’s right this time)

(Here comes more bragging.) The reason I bring this up is that this year, for the first time ever, we are pre-releasing our Platinum Sponsorship ahead of the rest of the prospectus. We’ve offered the Platinum Sponsorship each of the last 3 years, but so far, there have been no takers. We understand that it’s a big ask financially, but as Jennifer Tilly so eloquently put it during one of the epic scenes of Let It Ride, “What is it they say? Nothing ventured…nothing ventured.”

For anyone who may be interested in venturing into this new realm, this is your opportunity to lock in our premium sponsorship ahead of time and brag to the whole CME community about how you are at the top of the CMEpalooza sponsor heap. A Platinum Sponsorship includes all of the following:

• The opportunity to work with the CMEpalooza planning committee (that’s Scott and I) to develop a sponsored breakfast or lunch panel that can include representatives of your company for both CMEpalooza Spring and Fall
• A CMEpalooza Spotlight session (held on a different day than either of the CMEpaloozas)
• The ability to contribute a sponsored post to the CMEpalooza blog twice during the year
• Special exclusive events for your staff hosted by the CMEpalooza team. This could be a trivia night (with prizes), a stand-up comedy night (Scott thinks he is funny), or something else we’ll brainstorm with you.
• All of the other usual CMEpalooza Sponsor goodies, including a premium listing at the top of the Sponsor recognition web page and your own acknowledgment slide at the beginning of each and every CMEpalooza session
• And more… (who wants a set of Ginsu knives?)

The cost for a Platinum Sponsorship is $25,000. Maybe you want the chance to make CMEpalooza history. Maybe you see this as the way to launch your organization forward in 2023. Or maybe your accountant is telling you to reduce your organizational income by the end of the year. Whatever the reason, if your organization is potentially interested in the Platinum sponsorship, contact me (thecmeguy@gmail.com) or Scott (scott@excaliburmeded.com) ASAP and we can discuss.