SCDL Shakes Up Meeting Format

A new venue and new meeting format are just two of the big changes attendees will experience at this year’s Southeastern Conference of Dental Laboratories (SCDL) annual meeting and tradeshow. Slated to begin the afternoon of Friday, March 18 and run through Sunday, March 20, the 56th annual meeting of the SCDL will be held this year at the Courtyard Atlanta Decatur Downtown/Emory, located in the heart of historic downtown Decatur, Georgia. With the theme "Leadership…Not Luck. Don’t Leave Your Lab to Chance," the new educational format will be divided into a Leadership Summit and a Technology Summit with key industry opinion leaders weighing in on business management and technology issues impacting today’s business leaders. "We are very excited about this unique, new format," says SCDL President Denise Burris. "The entire program has been revamped to offer the education our members, attendees, and vendors have been requesting. Attendees can choose which summit’s offerings best suit their needs."

Keynote speaker Gary Iocco will kick off this "must-attend" meeting at Friday afternoon’s Leadership Summit with the latest update on the State of the Industry, followed by a roundtable discussion on critical management and business development issues, led by six laboratory owners representing small, medium, and large laboratories. The Technology Summit on Friday will kick off with a feature presentation by Dena Lanier and Rebecca Wade, CDT, on Fielding Calls from the Dental Office the Right Way, followed by technology-rich presentations on a variety of topics.

On Saturday, the two-track Leadership and Technology Summits continue. John Chatham, VP of Global Sales, Leadership and Development for Henry Schein, begins the Leadership Summit with a presentation on marketing strategies and solutions geared to attract, engage, and retain clients while attendees of the Technology Summit track will be treated to a keynote presentation by Bill Marais, DTG, followed by a presentation on Guided Surgery for Implants. Additional educational opportunities for the two-tiered format on Saturday include Rod Eckerd and Dale Carnegie, coach and trainer, addressing Maintaining Emotional Control and Conflict Management; Mark Murphy, DDS, FAGD, with an MBA lecture on Managing the Modern Dental Laboratory Profitably; a roundtable panel presentation on digital dentures; a presentation on All-on-4® by Larry Holt, DDS; as well as presentations by J.A. Reynolds, DDS, of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry on digital photography, and zirconia stain and glaze techniques by Alessandro Cucchario, CDT. Throughout the two days, attendees will also have the opportunity to visit the exhibit hall for a peek at new technologies, materials, and equipment, as well as attend hands-on demonstrations and table clinics offered by sponsors and exhibitors. "The 2016 SCDL meeting is one you won’t want to miss," Burris says.