The following HCEA Top 50 medical meeting list was compiled based on all healthcare events reported to the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association (HCEA) taking place during 2010 in the United States.

Rank is determined by total reported attendance, which is all registered participants at a convention, including exhibitors. In the case of a tie, professional attendance is used to further determine the rank. Reported figures include both actual and rounded attendance figures, which are self-reported by the event organizers.

HCEA is a not-for-profit organization representing healthcare convention and exhibition organizers and healthcare exhibitors. HCEA has been collecting medical convention and exhibition data for over 50 years and maintains the world’s largest repository of healthcare convention and exhibit data.

Printable Version

Rank	Association Name	Attend Total	Attend Prof
1	Greater New York Dental Meeting	58,135	34,637
2	Radiological Society Of North America	58,044	27,190
3	FIME	47,125	36,626
4	American Society Of Clinical Oncology - Annual Meeting	32,700	26,600
5	Society For Neuroscience	31,975	26,393
6	Chicago Dental Society	31,373	22,054
7	American Academy Of Orthopaedic Surgeons	29,165	14,716
8	Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society	27,855	13,846
9	Massachusetts Dental Society - Yankee Dental Congress	26,792	22,674
10	California Dental Association - Anaheim	26,166	18,737
11	American Dental Association	25,605	13,615
12	American Academy Of Ophthalmology	24,596	15,929
13	American Heart Association: Scientific Sessions	22,247	17,468
14	American Association For Clinical Chemistry - Clinical Lab Expo	21,299	10,909
15	Hinman Dental Society	21,275	14,790
16	American Society Of Hematology	21,163	17,721
17	Digestive Disease Week	20,609	13,949
18	Institute Of Food Technologists	20,000	13,500
19	American College Of Cardiology	19,467	12,848
20	American Society of Health System Pharmacists	17,892	13,576
21	American Diabetes Association	17,180	13,872
22	American Urological Association, Inc.	17,168	11,475
23	American Association For Cancer Research	17,000	15,000
24	Pittsburgh Conference On Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy	16,876	10,098
25	California Dental Association - San Francisco	16,064	11,572
26	American Association of Orthodontists	15,357	8,734
27	Biotechnology Industry Organization - International Convention & Exhibition	15,322	n/a
28	American Society Of Anesthesiologists	15,144	11,520
29	American College of Rheumatology	14,360	10,963
30	North American Veterinary Conference	14,251	8,153
31	American Thoracic Society - International Conference	13,725	11,859
32	Western Veterinary Conference	13,515	8,497
33	American College Of Surgeons	13,065	8,179
34	American Public Health Association	13,000	11,725
35	American College Of Obstetricians & Gynecologists	13,000	3,643
36	American Society of Nephrology - Kidney Week	12,785	10,125
37	American Psychological Association	12,743	9,276
38	Experimental Biology	12,170	11,768
39	American Psychiatric Association	12,000	11,000
40	Heart Rhythm Society - Scientific Session	11,936	7,445
41	American College Of Emergency Physicians - Scientific Assembly	11,745	7,099
42	American Dietetic Association	11,642	9,052
43	National Athletic Trainers' Association	11,412	8,186
44	American Osteopathic Association	10,535	7,103
45	American Association Of Critical-Care Nurses	10,500	7,524
46	TCT: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics	10,366	6,920
48	American Academy Of Family Physicians	10,086	4,015
47	American Veterinary Medical Association	10,000	5,010
49	Association Of Perioperative Registered Nurses	9,702	4,917
50	Medtrade	9,477	5,601

Note: The list has been updated to reflect an event from combined organizations.

How does this compare to last year?
In 2010, the average total attendance for the top 50 healthcare meetings was 19,512, representing a 5.1 percent increase from 2009. Similarly, average reported professional attendance was 13,227, a 7.2 percent increase from 2009.

Notably, six of the top 15 healthcare meetings are dental related with the Greater New York Dental Meeting retaining it's top position for the second year in a row. Attendance changes can vary greatly from year to year for most healthcare associations based on the economy, education draw, event location and the number of attendees who participate from outside the U.S.

The increases in attendance by the Top 50 are not necessarily a leading indicator for how all medical meetings fared, however the Top 50 represent some of the world's leading events specialized within their respective clinical or therapeutic areas.

Top 50 trends and overall medical convention and exhibit trends will be presented at the 2011 HCEA Annual Meeting during the HCEA State of the Industry education session.

For questions regarding the Top 50, contact HCEA's Frank Skinner.