Is Medical Conference Coverage for You?

1. Is Medical Conference Coverage for You? AMWA DVC Freelance Workshop 12 April 2008 Maria B. Vinall

2. Objective • To provide an overview of an interesting area of medical writing • To provide you with information to help you decide whether conference coverage is a fit for you

3. Types of Writing • Journalistic • Clinical/Scientific

4. Journalistic • Characteristics • Less detail • Mostly late breaking clinical trials • Not usually referenced • Liberal use of quotes • Often due same or next day • Focus on highlights

5. Clinical/Scientific • Characteristics • More detailed • Usually referenced • Compilations of several presentations from one or more sessions • Limited use of quotes • Generally due post conference • Focus on clinical applicability

6. Media Elements • “Live” and recorded interviews and webcasts

7. Types of Stories • Late breaking clinical trials • Selected updates • Features • News • Satellite sessions

8. Types of Organizations • General news • Society newspapers • Specialty medical tabloids • Medical web sites • Conference specialty • Pharmaceutical • Consumer publications • Wire services

9. Assignments • Pre-assigned by editor • Developed on site in conjunction with editor • Combination • On the fly • Depends on experience

10. Work Load • Depends on the client and the percentage of their coverage you’ve been assigned to handle • My typical assignment: • 6500 - 8000 words per conference, which is • 7-10 stories of varying length), or, • about 13 pages of text • Usually one 750-1000 word article due in 5 days after close of conference with balance due in 10 days

11. Work Load • One news magazine requires the following for dedicated coverage: • Three days of coverage, • 3 to 5 stories per day, • 50% due on site, • balance due one week to 10 days, • Average word count per story 500 -700

12. Timelines • On site • Usually the day of presentation but some extend to 24 or 48 hours (rare) • Mostly journalistic • Usually require interview with presenter • Post Conference • Depends on deadline for the publication • Can vary from 5 days to a month

13. Skill Set

14. Skill Set • Interviewing • Speed • Time management • Flexibility • News judgment • Initiative • Statistics • Writing short • Science background • Accuracy • Persistence • Note taking • Quick thinking • Stamina

15. Skill Set • “The ability to sit in darkened rooms listening to boring talks for hours without falling asleep or at least without snoring too loudly” • Roueche http://medmeeting.blogspot.com

16. Tools of the Trade • A high quality digital camera that can be used without a flash • A good digital recorder that • can be set to either dictation (for interviews) or meeting (for sessions) • allows you to download to your computer • Lots and lots of batteries • A laptop

17. Practicalities

18. Payment • Per project • Per diem • Per story • Per word • Combination • Expenses

19. Registration • Press • Free BUT requirements vary from conference to conference • Attendee • Can be costly

20. Registration • Typical Requirement for Press Registration • Journalists • Assignment letter on the letterhead of the news organization being represented • Media identification (such as an international accredited press pass), or a business card issued by a recognized news organization. • Freelance Journalists • Copies of three bylined cardiology-related articles • An official letter of assignment from an accredited news organization. • Freelancers who do not have 3 bylined articles are not eligible for registration.

21. Registration • +’s of press registration • Access to all of the materials in the press room (press releases, handouts, meals!!) • Access to embargoed material • Access to press room personnel to arrange interviews • Interview rooms • Quiet place to work • Quiet place to get off your feet • Opportunity to network with colleagues • -’s of Press Registration • Exhibitors are not permitted to speak with the press

22. Add-on Responsibilities • Obtaining presenter review • Requesting permission to use slides • author’s own • published • Reference checking

23. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly • Good • Access to the most current medical information • Networking opportunities for future work • Pays relatively well • Travel • Improves your writing skills

24. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly • Bad • Demanding work with short timelines • Travel, though at times interesting, can also be exhausting, especially foreign travel • Technology failure • Last minute schedule changes • Accents

25. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly • Ugly • Last minute cancellations • 12 hour working days • Ego issues • Web casts that never show up • Major technology failure

26. Useful Links

27. Links • http://medmeeting.blogspot.com • A medical conference blog • As described by the blogger “An opinionated, occasionally cranky, occasionally snarky blog on medical meetings from the viewpoint of a medical journalist.”

28. More Links • http://www.medscape.com/welcome/conferences • http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ • www.trends-in-medicine.com • http://www.docguide.com/crc.nsf/web-bySpec • http://www.hittmedicalwriting.com/

29. Thank you for your attention • Questions?

30. Some Ads from The HittList • We will be covering the ECCMID meeting in Barcelona next month. We have secured one writer but need another for our project.   • ECCMID, Barcelona, Spain • 19th - 22nd, APR. • http://www.akm.ch/eccmid2008/ • Masahiro MatsumotoMedical News & Conference Systems, Inc.Planning & Sales Divisionmatsumoto@mncs.co.jp

31. We need two local freelance writers for the May 16-21 meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto. • Please let me know. Thanks.mzittel@dothenpress.com