Voters in Massachusetts took to the polls on Tuesday for a special Massachusetts Senate election that resulted in Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory over Democratic candidate Martha Coakley. One of the biggest issues of the campaign for the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy was the healthcare reform debate—Coakley supported the current healthcare reform bill, Brown has vowed to vote against it. With Brown, Republicans now have 41 votes in the 100-member Senate.

We caught up with Kim Slocum, president of KDS Consulting LLC, a healthcare consulting firm in West Chester, Pa., the morning after the election to get his reaction and find out how the meetings and the life sciences industry might be affected by this electoral turn of events. His prediction: Pharma and med-device meeting professionals should expect more hurdles ahead. Read his commentary here.

For more on the healthcare reform debate and how it will affect meetings, don’t miss Slocum’s keynote address at the upcoming Sixth Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum March 14–16, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. To register, visit the conference Web site or call (800) 817-8601.

CME funding is decreasing; revenue from exhibits is decreasing even more. General, unrestricted support of an organization no longer exists for most medical societies, and there is more competition for sponsorship dollars from state organizations, chapters, and other closely related associations. What’s needed is some new ways to bring in revenues.

Here are some ideas from a session at the recent Professional Convention Management Association's annual meeting.

The National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals (NC-CME) recently named Dennis K. Wentz, MD, FACPE, CCMEP, to the position of president-elect; he will serve as president from 2011-2012. Wentz, who is principal and co-founder of WentzMiller and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in global continuing professional development and continuing medical education, formerly served as director of the Division of CME (which is now called the Division of Continuing Physician Professional Development) at the American Medical Association.

The NC-CME also has elected two new directors and re-elected two board officers.

Looking for ways to improve your strategic meetings management program? Wondering how your peers are using meetings technology to track physician spend data and ROI? Now’s your chance to ask them.

Participate in an open-space session at the Sixth Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum led by Terri Breining, CMP, CMM, where you’ll share best practices and talk with senior-level meeting professionals to find out what has worked for them. All the recommendations discussed in the session will be sent to you in a wrap-up report after the conference. Don’t miss this chance to exchange ideas and learn valuable tools for increasing the value of your meetings program.

Called “the best [conference] of its kind” and a “must-attend event” by attendees, the forum is organized by Medical Meetings magazine and the Center for Business Intelligence and takes place March 14-16, 2010, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. For your copy of the agenda and to register, visit the conference Web site or call (800) 817-8601.