Convention Medicine – Don’t Let Medical Issues Derail Your Trade Show

Nobody wants their convention experience marred by a medical issue. And as an event planner, you don’t want medical issues to become the talk of the show. A solid convention medicine plan and partner ensures that your guests are treated safely and discreetly.

What is Convention First Aid?

Convention medicine or first aid is simply planning for medical issues during a convention or trade show. While most medical issues at a convention or trade show are minor inconveniences, complex or life-threatening conditions can pop up anywhere. A first aid plan for your trade show means that when those big medical events happen, you can quickly respond, keeping your event flowing and protecting your exhibitors and attendees.

Smart planners include special medical event coverage for setup, show, and teardown. Setup and teardown are especially risky due to the number of large moving parts.

Trade Show Medical Issues in Las Vegas

Convention medicine plans should cover medical professional staffing and placement, medical supply levels and distribution, transportation both on-site and to a hospital, and communications.

The support your event needs depends on the number of guests, show layout, and distance to a hospital. An event medicine provider can help guide you through the process and ensure that your bases are covered.

Do I Need To Create a First Aid Plan For My Trade Show in Las Vegas?

In Nevada, you need to create an emergency medical plan if your event will have more than 2,500 guests and take place in a location that does not have permanently established methods for providing first-aid or emergency medical services at the location.1

Many major event spaces, like the Venetian or the Las Vegas Convention Center, have established first aid plans. Ask your location if they have protocols already, and what a plan specific to your event looks like.

If you’ve chosen a non-traditional space, like Area 15, Springs Preserve, or Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, then you’ll probably have to file a Special Event Medical Plan with the appropriate government body. An event medicine provider like Guardian Elite Medical Services can help create this plan for you.

Key Data For a Convention Medicine Plan

Whether you create your own plan or your venue creates one for you, you should provide few key stats to help the process along:

These basic data points help your event medicine team asses risk and plan for the right number of assets in the right places.

Review the plan upon publication and again shortly before the event starts. We recommend sharing first aid station and how to contact event medical with exhibitors in trade shows and MCs for presentations. Sharing this information makes it routine and normal. When exhibitors, show leaders, and MCs have seen or heard the information previously, then there’s less panic and a chance to provide better, faster, more discreet care.

Choosing an Event Medicine Provider

Your venue may have a preferred event medicine provider. It always makes sense to get an additional quote to compare prices and services. You’ll want to look at:

• Does the proposed convention medicine plan make sense for my event, demographics, and location?
• Are any differences in staffing levels, first aid station locations, or transportation options clearly described and justified?
• Has the team covered events like mine previously, and can they share a referral contact?
• Cost: Is the total cost within budget and appropriate for the services provided?

Call us at Guardian Elite Medical Services to create your special event medical plan today!