During EMS Expo product innovator and paramedic Dan White joined us for several video segments, audio podcasts, and streaming podcasts to discuss new and innovative EMS products at EMS Expo.
Dan has written a great recap of the innovative EMS products that caught his attention at EMS Expo for EMS1.com. Many of the products Dan discusses were featured in our podcasts and videos.
Connect with Dan on Twitter: @paradan
I saw some great products at the EMS Expo 2009 exhibit hall in Atlanta last week. If you saw something you liked, use these social media Tips to learn more about the company and their products.
1. E-mail the vendor and ask for hyperlink(s) to customer print, audio, and video testimonials about the products that are not on the vendor’s Web site.
2. Search social media sites for comments about the vendor and their products. Start with search.twitter.com. Set-up an RSS of the Twitter search in your RSS reader.
3. Set-up a daily Google Alert e-mail for the product to find posts about the vendor and product.
4. Search the more than six billion YouTube videos for videos showing the product in use at actual incidents or during training scenarios.
5. Ask the nearly 20,000+ members of EMSConnect.com, JEMSConnect.com, or EMSUnited.com members for their opinions and experiences by starting a discussion.
Finally, browse the archives of MedicCast and EMS Garage podcasts. These shows review and discuss products for EMS professionals. If the product you are interested in has not been reviewed or discussed, contact the show hosts – Jamie Davis and Chris Montera – and ask them to check out the product.
Which products and services caught your eye? How are using social media to learn more about those products?
The MedicCast EMS podcast is scheduled to kick of its EMS Expo Live coverage tomorrow at Noon ET. You will want to follow it here if you are not available to attend in person. I am expecting a special guest or two to join me on the stage to discuss some special request EMS tips so make sure you stop by.
I’ll be posting updates here over the next few days as well as over at the MedicCast EMS podcast site. If you are attending the expo, you can help out with our podcast coverage. Chris Montera, Greg Friese and I are looking for your favorite products seen at the EMS Expo. Stop by our booth and share your picks with us so we can go take a look for ourselves and maybe feature it in a video product review.
On Friday morning, Chris, Greg and I will make our favorite product innovators choices. You can help contribute to our decision. We’ll also pick our favorite swag item, too so keep your eyes open!
See you all tomorrow!
Jamie Davis, the Podmedic
When a new expo rolls around I always start a list of people and things I want to see. Now only does this build my anticipation for the trip but it also helps to organize and prioritize my expo experience. If you haven’t done this in the past, you might want to use my simple five point checklist to make your EMS Expo experience more enjoyable.
Start with the three basic activities at the expo and you quickly discover the grade school definition of a noun. You remember so let’s all say it together -
“A noun is a person, place, or thing.”
We go to the expo to visit the nouns so let’s start the five steps there, with people, places and things we want to see and do. (check out part 2 of this article – prioritizing and scheduling your expo)
By far for me the various expos I attend have become more about building my network of friends and colleagues. There are some people I only see once a year or two at these events. It provides a chance to meet up face to face, find out what they’ve been doing and tell them about EMS in my region.
In one of their recent EMS Bootcamps, Greg Friese and Jim Hoffman talked about networking and its importance in creating opportunities for an individual and EMS service. I couldn’t agree more. Not only do I bring back valuable ideas and lessons learned from these friends but I build on the relationships that provide me options whether I’m looking for a new job or trying to fill one.
Most attendees start going to the expo for the continuing education and other informative sessions and speakers. They later learn to look forward to playing with new toys and meeting new and old friends but that’s another topic.
These special events and speakers remain the backbone of any expo. If the speakers and session topics aren’t interesting or provide value to your service, company or career you will not attend. This is a great opportunity to expand your horizons, try on new ideas and see what is working (or not working) in research and in the field.
There are often ride along opportunities in local EMS services, trauma center and specialty hospital tours, and keynotes by entertaining and informative leaders in our field. Use this resource and select topics that stretch you!
Our bosses send us for the learning events, we love to meet up with friends, but for many of us it’s all about the toys. My wife still marvels at the way I drool over a new nebulizer device or backboard pad (check the links for recent Best of Show picks). Face it folks, we all love the way new technology is making our lives easier.
Five years ago, I and about 15 other attendees stood around booth in Philadelphia and watched a doc intubate himself using one of the first video laryngoscopes made for use in the field. All around were booths with high dollar displays, expensive swag give-aways, and nice looking assistants, but we were enthralled by a guy with a card table, a TV from his garage and a sign he got done at Kinkos. You won’t see that at home, folks.
These are the first three steps – check out EMS Expo planning steps four and five here)
Can’t make it this year? My friend, you are in luck! We are going to be video taping interviews, product reviews, and live podcast sessions all three days of the expo and posting them within a few hours right here at EMSExpoLive.com.
You can get live updates in a couple of ways.
Follow any of the EMS Expo Live crew on Twitter – we’ll all be updating our feeds throughout the day and letting our tweets know when our videos are posted. Just search for the hashtag #EMSExpo in twitter.
Become a Fan of our Podcast Facebook pages – video updates will show up there, too.
Follow our podcast blogs for individual and group updates at least once a day!
Check out EMS Expo Live video pages here frequently for the most recent videos and to watch your favorites.
