Why I go to conferences
Today\u2019s episode is about why I go to conferences and what I hope to accomplish at them.\xa0 I\u2019ll talk about pharmacist conferences, VoiceOver conferences, and just for the fun of it motorcycle shows - because they\u2019re the closest thing to motorcycle conferences I know, and I love motorcycles. \xa0
Mentioned in this episode
VOcation Conference Sept 11-13, 2020\xa0
APhA (American Pharmacists Association)\xa0
Medipreneurs\xa0
OPA (Ohio Pharmacists Association)
Cleveland International Motorcycle Show
Why do I go to pharmacist conferences?\xa0 I need the CE, and I want to meet other pharmacists!\xa0\xa0
Pharmacist conferences I have attended
- The Annual Meeting of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
- Medipreneurs Conference
- Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Annual Meeting and Midyear meeting
CE stands for continuing education.\xa0 As an Ohio Pharmacist, I need to earn 40 contact hours of approved CE every 2 years. \xa0
What kind of CE do I get at conferences? \xa0
- General CE
- Law CE
- Medication safety and patient safety CE
Which session topics do I pick?\xa0 Law, medication safety, patient safety, trending topics (ex: provider status), classic topics (ex: asthma management), anything that interests me (ex: autism), and anything that will help with my volunteer work (poison prevention, medication safety, and addiction disorders). \xa0
The Annual Meeting of The Ohio Pharmacists Association was postponed from April to August.\xa0 Then, it went virtual.\xa0 I love the LIVE conference for the in-person networking.\xa0 Without the meals, the trade show, the poster presentations, and other activities, it\u2019s just not the same.\xa0 I feel a little bad not attending because I want to support OPA, but it\u2019s just not the right situation for me.\xa0 If the midyear meeting in November or the annual meeting next April are LIVE, I\u2019ll be there!
I\u2019ve only been to one voiceover conference, and it changed my life!\xa0 A voice actor friend told me about a conference called VOcation last summer.\xa0 VOcation focuses on THE BUSINESS OF VOICEOVER.\xa0 It applies to every level from beginner to advanced and every genre from animation to audiobooks.\xa0 The conference was on Broadway in the upper west side in New York City.
Why would I go to a VoiceOver conference in New York City?\xa0 What did I hope to accomplish there?\xa0 For my trip to the big city to be a success, I had to walk away with a plan for a demo and ideas on how to get work.\xa0 When I looked at the sessions offered at the conference, it was easy to pick which ones to go to because I had those two goals.
What do I hope to learn about at VOcation this year? \xa0
- Source Connect and Directed Sessions
- Networking
- Negotiating contracts:\xa0 usage rights, rates, session fees, and so on
- Finding work through agents and using pay-to-play sites
All sessions will be recorded and available for 14 days afterward.\xa0 I\u2019m looking forward to this conference, and I really appreciate that everything is recorded because I don\u2019t think I can sit in front of a computer all day in my house without my husband and kids finding me! \xa0
I met great people at VOcation last year.\xa0 Voice Actors are FUN PEOPLE with great stories and creative personalities.\xa0 I was inspired by them.\xa0 Discussing struggles and successes helped me grow too.\xa0 Some of us formed an accountability group.\xa0 We call ourselves \u201cThe Accountabilibuddies.\u201d\xa0 We meet every other Thursday and talk about what we\u2019ve accomplished, what we\u2019re working on now, what\u2019s next, and what\u2019s in our way.\xa0 We challenge and support one another. \xa0
One of my accountabilibuddies will be on the podcast Friday, August 31.\xa0 His name is Bill Larson, and you\u2019re going to love him.\xa0 He definitely uses his voice to entertain.\xa0 But, he also does medical narration.\xa0 Any pharmacists listening to Bill might be interested in how a non-pharmacist succeeds in medical narration without a healthcare background. \xa0
I love motorcycles.\xa0 I go to motorcycle shoes and events, which are like conferences.\xa0 Everyone has hobbies.\xa0 This is one of mine.
Two motorcycle events I LOVE
- Cleveland International Motorcycle Show
- Mid Ohio
Just like pharmacist conferences and VoiceOver conferences, motorcycle shows and events bring together like-minded people.\xa0 People who go to motorcycle shows, love motorcycles.\xa0 People gather to check out what\u2019s new, what\u2019s for sale, and - best of all - test drives. \xa0
Some people would say that the best day of their life was they day they got married.\xa0 I would agree with that.\xa0 Others would say that the best day of their life was the day their child or children were born.\xa0 I would rank the birth of my two sons at the top too.\xa0 Next is line is July 10, 2015.\xa0 I test-drove a BMW motorbike with AN ENTIRE FLEET of other BMW motorbikes.\xa0 Every single BMW motorbike being sold that year was lined up for test drives.\xa0 We rode in a pack on some twisty, hilly roads in the middle of Ohio, and it was amazing!\xa0 Everything was green and blooming.\xa0 The riders were all being safe.\xa0 Truly, it was one of the most beautiful things I\u2019ve ever seen in my life.\xa0 If I close my eyes, I can still remember being in the middle of the pack.
Everybody has their thing.\xa0 Whatever you love, do it!\xa0 And, enjoy it.\xa0 If going to conferences and learning about new things and connecting with like-minded people sounds good, do that too. \xa0