Today’s episode is about why I go to conferences and what I hope to accomplish at them. I’ll talk about pharmacist conferences, voiceover conferences, and just for the fun of it motorcycle shows – because they’re the closest thing to motorcycle conferences I know, and I love motorcycles.
Mentioned in this episode
VOcation Conference Sept 11-13, 2020
APhA (American Pharmacists Association)
OPA (Ohio Pharmacists Association)
Cleveland International Motorcycle Show
Why do I go to pharmacist conferences? I need the CE, and I want to meet other pharmacists!
Pharmacist conferences I have attended
- The Annual Meeting of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
- Medipreneurs Conference
- Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Annual Meeting and Midyear meeting
CE stands for continuing education. As an Ohio Pharmacist, I need to earn 40 contact hours of approved CE every 2 years.
What kind of CE do I get at conferences?
- General CE
- Law CE
- Medication safety and patient safety CE
Which session topics do I pick? Law, medication safety, patient safety, trending topics (ex: provider status), classic topics (ex: asthma management), anything that interests me (ex: autism), and anything that will help with my volunteer work (poison prevention, medication safety, and addiction disorders).
The Annual Meeting of The Ohio Pharmacists Association was postponed from April to August. Then, it went virtual. I love the LIVE conference for the in-person networking. Without the meals, the trade show, the poster presentations, and other activities, it’s just not the same. I feel a little bad not attending because I want to support OPA, but it’s just not the right situation for me. If the midyear meeting in November or the annual meeting next April are LIVE, I’ll be there!
I’ve only been to one voiceover conference, and it changed my life! A voice actor friend told me about a conference called VOcation last summer. VOcation focuses on THE BUSINESS OF VOICEOVER. It applies to every level from beginner to advanced and every genre from animation to audiobooks. The conference was on Broadway in the upper west side in New York City.
Why would I go to a voiceover conference in New York City? What did I hope to accomplish there? For my trip to the big city to be a success, I had to walk away with a plan for a demo and ideas on how to get work. When I looked at the sessions offered at the conference, it was easy to pick which ones to go to because I had those two goals.
What do I hope to learn about at VOcation this year?
- Source Connect and Directed Sessions
- Networking
- Negotiating contracts: usage rights, rates, session fees, and so on
- Finding work through agents and using pay-to-play sites
All sessions will be recorded and available for 14 days afterward. I’m looking forward to this conference, and I really appreciate that everything is recorded because I don’t think I can sit in front of a computer all day in my house without my husband and kids finding me!
I met great people at VOcation last year. Voice Actors are FUN PEOPLE with great stories and creative personalities. I was inspired by them. Discussing struggles and successes helped me grow too. Some of us formed an accountability group. We call ourselves “The Accountabilibuddies.” We meet every other Thursday and talk about what we’ve accomplished, what we’re working on now, what’s next, and what’s in our way. We challenge and support one another.
One of my accountabilibuddies will be on the podcast Friday, August 31. His name is Bill Larson, and you’re going to love him. He definitely uses his voice to entertain. But, he also does medical narration. Any pharmacists listening to Bill might be interested in how a non-pharmacist succeeds in medical narration without a healthcare background.
I love motorcycles. I go to motorcycle shows and events, which are like conferences. Everyone has hobbies. This is one of mine.
Two motorcycle events I LOVE
- Cleveland International Motorcycle Show
- Mid Ohio
Just like pharmacist conferences and voiceover conferences, motorcycle shows and events bring together like-minded people. People who go to motorcycle shows, love motorcycles. People gather to check out what’s new, what’s for sale, and – best of all – test drives.
Some people would say that the best day of their life was they day they got married. I would agree with that. Others would say that the best day of their life was the day their child or children were born. I would rank the birth of my two sons at the top too. Next is line is July 10, 2015. I test-drove a BMW motorbike with AN ENTIRE FLEET of other BMW motorbikes. Every single BMW motorbike being sold that year was lined up for test drives. We rode in a pack on some twisty, hilly roads in the middle of Ohio, and it was amazing! Everything was green and blooming. The riders were all being safe. Truly, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life. If I close my eyes, I can still remember being in the middle of the pack.
Everybody has their thing. Whatever you love, do it! And, enjoy it. If going to conferences and learning about new things and connecting with like-minded people sounds good, do that too.