Last week I had the pleasure of attending my very first conference as the VP of Marketing at Plan A Long Term Care Staffing & Recruitment and StaffStat.

This IS Long Term Care is hosted by the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) and is a forum for OLTCA members and vendors to network, share information, and learn about new and emerging innovation, practices, research, and initiatives.

Both Plan A and StaffStat participated as exhibitors in order to showcase the solutions our companies are providing to the long term care industry in Ontario and beyond.

After months of preparation which included renting our booth space, configuring furniture, creating marketing materials, researching and ordering swag, coordinating outfits, and completing last minute details, the conference finally arrived!

I was tasked with booth setup, snapping photos, walking the trade show floor, learning more about vendors, and sharing our brands on social media.

Seeing all of our team’s hard work over the past few months finally come to life was a very surreal and exciting experience. Watching all the little details work together to create our grand vision was incredible. Seeing our team in action on the trade show floor was very inspiring!

I also had the opportunity to attend the Innovators’ Den, a session designed to showcase revolutionary products or services that are making a difference in LTC. It was very interesting to see so many passionate individuals working diligently to market their product/service specifically designed to improve the quality and/or efficiency in LTC. Fun fact: StaffStat competed in and won the Innovators’ Den back in 2016. Check out the CEO of StaffStat, Mel Morin’s post here for her recap of the experience! There were many great innovations, such as lift systems, Alzheimers and dementia-friendly wallpapers and artwork, high efficiency laundry solutions, charting apps and more. Attendees were able to vote for the pitch they felt deserved to win the $1000 prize. Congratulations to Handicare’s EvaDrive lift system for winning the 2018 OLTCA Innovators’ Den!

All in all, I had a wonderful experience learning more about LTC as a whole, seeing the interesting products and services making an impact in the lives of seniors, and the innovation occurring in our industry. I encourage everyone working in LTC to attend a conference and/or trade show with other members of their organization.