American Pain Society Annual Meeting

The 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

2007 Guidelines

Note: The following information will remain on the APS Web site through the conclusion of the 2007 annual meeting. These guidelines and instructions have been developed as a resource for you in the planning and implementation of a satellite symposium program. Please refer to these guidelines frequently.

APS Mission Statement: The American Pain Society is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy to reduce pain-related suffering.

The American Pain Society (APS) invites its Corporate Members and their medical education partners to submit proposals for the official Corporate Satellite Symposia, which will occur in conjunction with the APS Annual Scientific Meeting, May 2-5, 2007 in Washington, DC. Proposals will be reviewed by the APS Scientific Program Committee, and will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposed programs and their relevance to a multidisciplinary pain community. The proposed programs must demonstrate scientific rigor and objectivity and be free of commercial bias for or against any product.

If a proposal is accepted by the Scientific Program Committee, the program will be scheduled as an official Corporate Satellite Symposium of the annual meeting in a breakfast, lunch or dinner slot, and will be held concurrently with another Corporate Satellite Symposium. The APS Scientific Program Committee will determine program placement based on several factors. Once a time has been assigned, it cannot be changed. The symposia are considered as official satellite events held in conjunction with the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting. No other educational programs or social events supported or sponsored by any other organization and directed at the same audience may be offered over the official dates and times of the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting in the same city as the APS meeting.

The APS Scientific Program Committee will review all proposals. Criteria for acceptance of a proposal include the following:

The topic is timely and of broad interest to a multidisciplinary community. Programs that are designed for a multidisciplinary audience will be given first consideration.
The topic was developed in accordance with all accreditation/sponsorship guidelines, e.g., ACCME Standards for Commercial Support and the content is free of commercial bias for or against any product
The proposed program is designated for physician, nursing, psychologist, and pharmacist credit by an ACCME, ANCC, ACPE accredited provider and an approved APA sponsor.

The APS Scientific Program Committee will meet in August 2006 and will review all proposals. Proposals must be received by electronic submission by July 26, 2006. Late proposals, or those received by any means other than the electronic submission system, will not be reviewed by the APS Scientific Program Committee.

TIMELINE

5/31/06		Submission tool available on the APS Web site, www.ampainsoc.org
7/26/06		Proposals for Corporate Satellite Symposia due to APS (complete forms online at the APS Web site, www.ampainsoc.org
9/15/06		Companies notified of acceptance and recommended revisions, as determined by the Scientific Program Committee. Invoicing for educational grant and room assignment by APS
11/15/06		Educational grant and letter of agreement due to APS. Finalized Program and registration brochure copy due, including confirmed faculty
1/15/06		APS to provide logistical information packet, including: AV equipment, floor diagram and facility contacts on the APS Web site www.ampainsoc.org
2/01/07		Draft copy of invitation submitted to APS for approval
3/01/07		APS Program Book advertising deadlines (optional, additional fee)
3/01/07		APS will provide APS member mailing labels. Requests due for additional audiovisual equipment, audience response system, etc.
4/02/07		APS will provide mailing labels for pre-registrations for meeting
4/02/07		Badge requests for faculty and staff due to APS
4/11/07		Room Drop Closing (optional, additional fee)
6/01/07		Summary of program evaluations to APS post-conference

The process for submission, selection, and conduct of the Corporate Satellite Symposia is described below.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION/SELECTION PROCESS

Companies wishing to present a Corporate Satellite Symposium at the APS Annual Scientific Meeting may do so by completing the proposal form on the APS Web site, www.ampainsoc.org. (Access submission tool May 31, 2006). Completed proposals are due on July 26, 2006.
One proposal per Corporate Member.
Late proposals, or those received by any means other than the electronic submission system will not be reviewed by the APS Scientific Program Committee.
The APS Scientific Program Committee will evaluate and rate all proposals. Ratings will be based on overall quality, scientific merit and broad-based appeal. APS highly encourages multidisciplinary content. This can be achieved, in part, by including a psychosocial component to the program.
The submitted proposals will be “blinded” to eliminate bias from the Scientific Program Committee.
The content must demonstrate scientific rigor and objectivity and be free of commercial bias for or against any product.
To avoid any appearance of conflict, the current APS President and members of the Scientific Program Committee should not be included as speakers or moderators in a Corporate Satellite Symposium. Members of the Board of Directors need to carefully consider whether their participation might be construed as a conflict of interest. The 2006-2007 APS President and Scientific Program Committee members are:
Judith Paice, PhD RN, President, Ex-officio
Mary Ersek, PhD RN, Chair
Timothy Brennan, MD PhD, Chair-elect
Carolyn Fairbanks, PhD
Debra Gordon, MS CS RN
Luc Jasmin, MD PhD
Kenneth Latta, RPh
Linda Porter, PhD
Barbara Rakel, PhD RN
Kathleen Sluka, PhD
Steven Stanos, DO
Raymond Tait, PhD
Knox Todd, MD MPH
Gary Walco, PhD
Mark Wallace, MD
Robert Yezierski, PhD
All Corporate Satellite Symposia must be designated for physician, nursing, psychologist, and pharmacist credit by an ACCME/ANCC/ACPE accredited provider and an approved APA sponsor. APS will not provide continuing education credit for Corporate Satellite Symposia. For possible sources of psychologist credit, go to http://www.apa.org/ce/sponappr.html
APS will notify the commercial supporter in writing regarding the committee’s decision as noted on the timeline. Applicants may not contact reviewers directly to provide additional information or to check the status of a proposal.
A proposal will be considered complete when it includes: the rationale for holding the symposium, learning objectives, complete agenda for the program, including proposed speakers and topics, synopsis of program content (session description) for publication in APS conference brochure, and a description of how evaluation and awarding of CE credits will be handled on site. A representative of the company must sign the proposal.

PROGRAM CONTENT AND SPEAKERS

Corporate Satellite Symposia must comply with ACCME guidelines regarding objectivity and scientific rigor of program content, appropriate disclosure of commercial relationships and discussion of unlabeled uses by speakers, and program evaluation.
Current APS President and Scientific Program Committee members may not be included as speakers or moderators in a Corporate Satellite Symposium (see above).
The format of the APS meeting allows for concurrent satellite symposia. When confirming your faculty, it is important that you determine that the potential faculty member is not participating in another program being held at the same time.
The program topic/content cannot be changed once it is selected and approved.
All correspondence with Corporate Satellite Symposium speakers, including honoraria and expense reimbursement, will be the responsibility of the organizer of the symposium.

PROMOTION

APS will list Corporate Satellite Symposia, including brief program synopses, in the APS Annual Scientific Meeting registration brochure, on-site program book and on the APS Web site.
APS will provide supporter of Corporate Satellite Symposium with one set of mailing labels for all APS members 9 weeks prior. In addition, 4 weeks prior to the conference APS will provide one set of mailing labels for the 2007 APS conference pre-registration list.
Invitations for the Corporate Satellite Symposium must be submitted to APS for review and approval prior to publication.
Please allow at least five business days for APS to turn around approvals.
You may refer to your program as a “Corporate Satellite Symposium,” or a “CE Satellite Breakfast/Luncheon/Dinner Symposium;” however, APS requires that the rest of the verbiage is stated in this manner: “Held in conjunction with the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Pain Society.”
Please note—any usage of the APS logo requires permission from APS.

EVENT LOGISTICS AND REGISTRATION

One person must be designated as the sole contact for the Corporate Satellite Symposia. APS will deal directly with that one person. It is the commercial supporter’s responsibility to share all information included in these guidelines with the medical education company retained to manage the event.
APS will assign a meeting room, with your notification letter, for your event at the meeting facility.
APS to provide logistical information packet, including: AV equipment, floor diagram, and facility contact on the APS Web site January 15, 2007.
Meeting rooms designated for Corporate Satellite Symposia will be set with round tables, banquet style. No buffet set up will be allowed without prior permission from the APS contact.
A minimum of 300 should be budgeted for food & beverage. Guarantees should be based on your preregistration numbers and past attendance at similar events at APS.
APS may require you to change your menu based on other events within the meeting.
The symposium and all food & beverage must be kept contained within the assigned meeting room and the assigned time frame.
Corporate Satellite Symposium organizer is responsible for handling pre-registration and onsite management of the event. Satellite symposia personnel must be available outside the session room an hour prior to the scheduled start time of the event to handle registration and answer questions.
A registration table, easels and rope and stanchion will be provided outside the session room. No other furniture, display units, banners or unapproved signage may be placed outside the room. No sales activities may take place and no promotional materials may be distributed in the meeting room or the registration area.
Space will also be allocated for a maximum of 4 signs (22’ x 28’) for the Corporate Satellite Symposium. Placement of signs will be determined by APS.
APS requires that you use the designated audio/visual contractor for this meeting, MAC Productions. A detailed AV equipment list and diagram will be provided. You have approval to bring in your own Producer and to order additional equipment.
Audio/video taping will be the responsibility of symposium organizer and can be arranged through MAC Productions.
All expenses associated with room set-up and clean up, food and beverage, electrical, telephone, shipping, etc., are the sole responsibility of the Corporate Satellite Symposium organizer.
Evaluations and continuing education credits are the responsibility of the Corporate Satellite Symposium organizer. A summary of participant evaluations must be provided to APS no later than 8 weeks after the conference.

EDUCATIONAL GRANTS

The fee for a Corporate Satellite Symposium is $50,000 in the form of an educational grant to the American Pain Society.
Grants and accompanying signed letters of agreements must be received by APS by November 15, 2006.

APS CONTACT

Please direct all inquiries to:
Kathryn Checea
Director of Professional Relations
American Pain Society
4700 W. Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
847/375-4765, Fax 888/412-7584
kchecea@connect2amc.com