Presenting at Health 2.0

We are delighted to announce the first Health 2.0-Ix joint conference. In addition to the signature live demo formats you know and love from the Health 2.0 conferences, we'll be adding a unique debate format on the themes outlined in the conference agenda.

If you have a technology or service that falls within the themes of Information therapy and Health 2.0, and want to tell us about it, read further.  Or if you think you would be a great addition as a commentator or debater on the issues in the agenda, let us know.

Indu, Matthew and Josh Seidman, Director of the Center for Information Therapy are already busy reviewing great companies for the Spring conference. But there is no way we can accommodate everyone. Instead, please keep telling us about interesting people, ideas and companies and we'll consider them for podcasts, interviews, and future participation in conferences. But please keep it gentle, or at least funny!

Also, this time, in addition to rehearsals, we'll be rolling out a strict demo submission and preparation process to ensure pitch perfect presentations with no technical glitches or last minute surprises.  So if you're an accepted presenter, stay tuned for detailed instructions.

With the exception of clearly delineated "Sponsored deep dives" which are not on the main schedule, we are not a pay-for-play conference. It may be hubris but we think that we know a fair bit about the space and hope that our choices provide some "value-add". So please do not contact us asking to sponsor a panel, so you can speak on it. Sponsorship and speaking are on different sides of a church/state divide at Health 2.0

There's also a policy/code of conduct/set of guidelines for speakers and demoers. After some audience feedback, and to fit in with our internal organization, we're becoming a little more rigid about enforcing it.

In general, almost all of our program consists of panels which have speakers demonstrating their technology, and commentators reflecting on what they've just seen and how it will fit into health care from their perspective. Please let us know whether you want to be considered as a demo-er or as a commentator.

If you are a company doing a demo, once you've been accepted onto the program you need to prepare a 3 minute demonstration of the high points of your service/technology. This needs to be a LIVE web-based demo (or an equivalent if you're not web based, which is cleared with us in advance). We know this is very challenging. We do not expect you to show everything that you have built or do in that time. The idea is to give a taster that enables people to get the gestalt of what you're doing and gives them something to react to.

Our panels run on rigid timelines and the pattern of rapid-fire demos is very popular. So please practice in advance (in fact a couple of times won't hurt) -- and don't try to cram more than 2 or max 3 features in. Don't be afraid to show the sizzle more than the steak. Innovation in presentation is good! Be imaginative.

You will have to rehearse this for our team in advance--perhaps 2-3 times. If you're selected, you can expect to start having these scheduled from 2 months in advance. We know you're busy, but think about what we're having to do (with maybe 75 presenters this Fall!). And we promise you, you'll find the ability to do a 3 minute demo very useful with potential clients and investors. So please try to help us help you by getting these scheduled.

Everyone who demos gets a chance to discuss their tools and technology with the panelists and the audience after the demos are done. That's when you can give your opinion on how this will all shake out. Trust us--it works well.

In addition, while 98% of demoers have played by the rules, the ones who have not in the past have caused lots of complications. So we will be creating a system whereby all URLs and demo "desires" (such as browser versions) will need to be submitted well in advance, and demoers who ignore deadlines will be replaced. (We're lucky in that we have far more requests to demo than we have spots for).  Details of how this works will be provided to selected demoers well ahead of time.

Here are some rules as to what you can NOT do.

1) No Powerpoint. We only want live software. A demo/non-production version is fine. If you think the audience needs 5 slides to help them understand the context for what you're doing a) you underestimate the audience, b) you underestimate your ability to let your product explain itself, and c) no end user is going to have that much patience!

2) No exceeding your time limit. Do not take too much time for your demo. It's discourteous to the other presenters and not fair, and it throws off our whole event's timing. We've only had a couple of people go off the rails. BUT the audience notices, and they tell us. It doesn't make the demo-er or their company look good, and the moderators have to intervene--not fun for anyone concerned.

3) No blatant sales pitches. If your technology is cool & innovative, and you're providing a great service, your demo and explanation will be enough. Everyone knows that you're there to promote your organization and your product. Extemporaneous appeals to the crowd for business/support/help/funding are not on.

If you have a question about any of this, please ask us. We are here to make you look good and to help you present as well as possible. After all, people come to Health 2.0 because they know they're going to see cutting edge tools and technology. You wouldn't be presenting if you didn't fit that description.

So after all that if you want to see if you'd be a good fit, please sign up here.