Having done many conferences (more typical in the propeller-head/tech trade), one thing would be to provide a part of the program where there are multiple tracks - e.g. starting out, practice techniques, specialty practice.
One thing that is special and should be retained is where there are peering (blue-dot to green-dot) sessions because the practicing speakers where so giving of their time and expertise.
I'd suggest what is so effective in the open-source community, having attendees suggest or request certain subjects, then getting coverage for those selections from the speakers who have volunteered. They tend to be shorter, single subject, more focused sessions.
I need to process a bit more, but I'd also suggest another methodology for connecting new users, practicing users, and inquiring practitioners - MeetUps. More fluid than a typical user group, and perhaps a better fit for what the AC user community is growing into.
Gino, some folks from a (Richmond, VA?) practice that sat behind us, were talking about the ACUC, UpDox, scanning, etc when a gastroenterologist that was next to us (and listening in it turned out) - jumped in and started asking questions about how it would work with his 14 DR practice. It seemed that even as an ad-hoc conversation, he was fully engaged and curious.
For those who had questions or stood around and didn't get to ask I apologize, I really didn't anticipate that level of interest in what was covered, but by all means go ahead and ask at your convenience .
I'm working on a method to cover some of the most often asked questions in a way that I hope will help more people.
