Like many businesses, Health Connect Partners began with an idea sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin, says cofounder Nelson Hendry. In 2006, over dinner with the other co-founder, David Mason, the two cooked up the idea for their health care tradeshow firm. Today, HCP hosts five annual national shows in hospital pharmacy, radiology, IT and the operating room.

This year, HCP’s shows are coming to Atlanta for the first time, with three back-to-back events in the spring. First up is the 2013 Radiology & Imaging conference, for radiology directors, which will be held at the Hilton Atlanta from April 29 through May 1.

As with other shows hosted by HCP, one of the highlights is the “reverse expo.” This upends the traditional format of tradeshows, where providers wander among flashy booths staffed by vendors. Instead, the provider sits in the booth, with the vendors stopping by to tout their services. Hendry says to make this work HCP is committed to a 3:1 supplier-to-provider ratio, meaning HCP accepts three supplier registrations for each provider in attendance. “This helps ensure that no one has to wait in long lines in order to speak with the radiology directors,” he says.

Other highlights for this year’s show include Don Hutson’s keynote, and Fred Bayon’s session on the Role of Radiology in the Care Continuum. “The session will focus on key reform imperatives for imaging, including hardwiring interdepartmental care collaboration, better-coordinating patient care and promoting imaging exams that play a role in downstream care costs,” Hendry says. “Imaging’s impact on so many patients gives it a unique, central role in accountable care strategy and we are excited to provide this timely educational experience to our attendees.”

Hendry expects a lot of new faces at the Radiology & Imaging conference. About one-third of the 150 or so registered attendees are first-timers, and 15 percent haven’t attended in the past two or three years, he says.

After the radiology show wraps up, some providers might stick around for the other two shows that follow in the same venue. The Hospital OR & Surgery Center Conference runs May 1 – 3, while the Spring Hospital Pharmacy Conference takes place May 6 – 8. Putting the shows right up against each other is deliberate, Hendry says, and to do it they moved the OR conference up from the summer, when it’s usually held. “Our goal with this scheduling change was to make it easier for our attendees to participate in multiple events, as there is significant crossover between the radiology and OR audiences in particular,” he says. “So far, it is proving to be very successful.”

DMBN: The HCP conference is known for its reverse expo sessions. When did you start offering them and what’s the appeal from a provider perspective?
NH: We started in 2006, so this is our seventh year hosting Reverse Expo format conferences. One of the key reasons David Mason and I co-founded Health Connect Partners was that we knew how difficult it was for health care provider executives to make time to evaluate new products and services, even though they are responsible for remaining innovative and continually finding the most cost-effective solutions for their facilities and health systems. We saw a solution in the Reverse Expo model, and from the beginning it’s been very successful.

DMBN: What’s new this year?
NH: We are pleased to announce our Supplier Showcase as a new opportunity for our suppliers to expand their presence and networking time. Our Supplier Showcase will allow select suppliers to display their products, services and technologies for the providers to interact with during the first four hours of the conference. We have also brought in a new senior account manager, Matt Ehrlich, to handle the sales for the Radiology & Imaging Conference. Matt comes to us with an extensive health care sales background — over 15 years of experience.

DMBN: What’s your favorite thing to do in Atlanta?
NH: When I’m in a city for our conferences, I don’t have a lot of free time! But I am really looking forward to each of our Dinner & Entertainment evenings, which will be held at the incredible World of Coca-Cola. It is such a unique experience and there is nowhere else in the world like it.

DMBN: RSNA attendance declined 9 percent this year. Do you think in the future imaging trade shows will go virtual or get smaller? How is HCP adapting to changes in the industry?
NH: No, I do not believe that future imaging trade shows will go totally virtual or get smaller. I believe the declining attendance of trade shows is due to our still-struggling economy and the uncertainty over the new health care laws and reimbursement to hospitals and imaging centers. We believe that no matter how great technology becomes, people (hospitals, imaging centers and their suppliers) will always want and need the face-to-face contact that they get in tradeshows. You cannot replace the ability to actually touch and feel the products you intend to purchase, and there is no substitute for looking someone in the