I usually let Derek take the lazy way out in the blog with Top 10 lists, but we’re busy what with CMEpalooza Fall going live in less than 48 hours and all, so here are a few quick things to keep in mind:

1. It goes without saying that you should either have blocked off your calendar by now or plan to call in sick on Wednesday. Really, there isn’t anything more important you should be doing between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET.
2. If you suddenly get hungry, we have even built in a lunch break (or breakfast break if you are on the left coast) this year thanks to one of our Gold sponsors, AcademicCME. No, unfortunately, they will not be picking up the tab for your lunch. You’ll still have pay $6.99 for a McRib, which apparently is back again (Note from Derek: gross.) I’m not quite sure why.
3. We’ll be using Poll Everywhere for a few of our sessions this year to get some interaction going. If you want to get a head start on things, you can download the app in the Apple store or Google Play for your mobile device. You don’t need to have the app, but I find it helpful to have it on my phone.
4. We’re using a brand-new platform this year for our sessions called StreamYard. From the perspective of the viewer and panelist, you won’t note much of a difference. There are some different sorts of camera views we’ll be using, but otherwise, CMEpalooza will look the same as always. So then why am I telling you this? Hmm, good question. Moving on.
5. When you have a few free moments, go look at our sponsors and check out some of the great work others are doing in CME/CE. I actually met one of our sponsors last week in person for the first time at one of their activities (I was helping at a program in an adjoining room). As with all of our sponsors, they seemed like good people.
6. Feel free to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. to tell all of your friends and colleagues how cool you are by being a fan of CMEpalooza. Best fan post gets a virtual hug from Derek. He’s a cuddler.
7. We encourage our live audience to ask questions during our sessions. We aren’t one of those annoying meetings where we hold all questions until the end of each session (God do I hate that). If you have a good question that is relevant to what our panel is talking about, we don’t mind butting in to ask it. There are several ways that will be listed on our LIVE page to ask questions. If your question is a good one, we’ll make sure it gets asked. If it’s bad, well, we may ignore you. Sorry.
8. Want to offer some wardrobe suggestions for Derek and I during individual sessions? We’re game. I believe I saw a feather boa somewhere in Derek’s office (Room 421B in CMEpalooza HQ, right next to the trash chute). It’s not like we haven’t had panelists do dress-up sessions before. Derek and I have simply tried to uphold some sort of professional standards in the past. I think it’s time we admit that we have failed.
9. There will once again be a survey after each session where we rely on your feedback to help plan future sessions. And to replenish our joke bucket (a recent fave: Did you hear about the fire at the cheese factory in France? All that was left was de brie).
10. It’s almost time for tipoff, so let’s have a song everyone.

palooza haiku
of course we did it again
you know you love it

coming in one week
cmepalooza fall
be there or be square

9 AM ET – Creating a Community of Care Through Innovative Education, Outcomes and Point-of-Care Tools

great kick-off session
not great is that I forgot
the oxford comma

10 AM ET – You Can’t Do That in CME!

my dad always said
never say “I can’t do that”
turn can’t into can

11 AM ET – Grants Hotline

you people sure have
a whole bunch of grants questions
grants hotline can help

Noon ET – Lunch

first ever lunch break
or breakfast or morning snack
east coast bias? yes

1 PM ET – Back to the Future (of CME)

a look at the past
how did our predictions do?
then predict again

2 PM ET – CME Fads: Gone for Good or Coming Back Around?

gamification
the mullet of CME?
really makes you think

3 PM ET – Jake Powers, CME Detective – Accreditation with Complications

this might be the best
or the most ridiculous
thing I ever wrote

4 PM ET – The Great, Big, Play at Home in Your Jammies CME Quiz

you can win money
with your CME knowledge
what a world this is

Sponsors

haikus for sponsors
just one of the many perks
though not a great one

Gold

first time gold sponsor
cool cats from Med Learning Group
peep their video

repeat gold sponsor
Academic CME
thanks for the lunch break

Silver

i am very close
to Prova Education
five miles from home

PER has been
around since the mid-90’s
here’s video proof

and now for a group
that needs no introduction
we all know Medscape 

it’s not in-fo-graphed
try four syllables not three
say “in-fo-graph-ed“

HME — short for
Haymarket Medical Ed
with MyCME

lots of global groups
Global Education Group
sole silver sponsor

need education
that has creative concepts?
check out CEC

the lower case “i”
in ASiM CE
is a mystery

There was suspense, there was hype, there was even a bit of trash talking this morning as the qualified participants in the CMEpalooza Bingo!! gathered in the Executive Suite at CMEpalooza HQ for our prize drawing. Five $100 prizes were in the offing – for that kind of scratch, you could buy four cases of Whatchamacallit bars.

In the end, the winners were appropriately dignified, the losers gracious, and the morning’s emcee was, well, competent. We tried for Small Wonder star Tiffany Brissette, but she never responded to Derek’s stalker-like email. We’ll set our sights lower next year.

Here are your now filthy-rich CME colleagues:

• Vanessa Gray, Director, Continuing Medical Education, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences
• Jill Hays, Executive Director, Primary Care Network
• Allyson Baer, Program Manager, Data Analysis and Reporting, CE, American Society of Clinical Oncology
• Amanda Kaczerski, Senior Director, Educational Strategy & Design, Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning
• Noreen Duffey, CME Program Administrator, American College of Physicians

Congrats to our winners. To our losers (and everyone else), don’t forget that we’ll be giving away another $500 during our 4 p.m. session of CMEpalooza Fall. This one requires more skill than luck, so brush up on your industry knowledge.