The Society of OMS Administrators has six standing committees. Any Practice Administrator Member, Corporate Administrator Member, or Practice Support Member may serve on any committee. Business and Consultant Members may be invited by committee chairs to serve on committees. (For more information on the types of SOMSA memberships, see Who Can Join SOMSA.)
Conference Committee
The Conference Committee is responsible for all aspects of the annual conference held every spring, generally in April. This is a standing committee. There are four main areas of the Conference Committee: venue, speaker/conference education, sponsors, and hospitality. This is a standing committee, and meetings are typically held twice a month April through December, and up to 4 times a month January through March.
The Venue Sub-Committee works with the hotel to arrange conference spaces, selects food and beverage options, finalizes guarantee head counts, and serves as the main on-site representative during the conference. The Speaker/Conference Education Sub-Committee fields speakers, finalizes speaker contracts, ensures speakers submit handouts on time, and serves as the speakers’ main on-site representative during the conference. The Sponsor Sub-Committee researches, identifies, and contacts industry partners to invite them on-board as sponsors throughout the year as well as for the conference, serves as the main point of contact during the sponsor year, assigns vendor booths in the conference exhibit hall, works with the conference Venue Chair to ensure adequate space and set-up in the exhibit hall, and serves as the main on-site representative during the conference. The Hospitality Sub-Committee members are the face of the organization during the conference, handling many of the attendee- and speaker-facing details that make the conference run smoothly, while the rest of Conference Committee handles venue- and sponsor-facing details behind the scenes.
Benchmarking Committee
The Benchmarking Committee works closely with the selected CPA firm or other organization to prepare a member survey to determine oral & maxillofacial surgery industry benchmark standards. The committee also sets deadlines of the survey and coordinates with the survey firm to present the results to SOMSA membership, typically at the Annual Conference. This is a standing committee, and committee work typically takes place via email and phone.
Education Committee
The Education Committee coordinates and hosts webinars, plans and executes the SOMSA Professional Development Box, and coordinates, records, produces, and publishes the SOMSA podcast: Oral Surgery Admin’s Time Out: Practice Management Success Tips. This is a standing committee, and meetings are typically held monthly.
Marketing Committee
The Marketing Committee brainstorms topics for blog posts and identifies potential contributors for those posts, coordinates with other SOMSA committees to meet their marketing needs, and creates social media posts and contests. This is a standing committee, and meetings are typically held monthly.
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee resolves any membership application questions, reviews Life Membership applications, reaches out to lapsed members and potential members, and coordinates new member mixers. Plans outreach activities at AAOMS and/or other gatherings where potential members might be in attendance. Regional Directors, SOMSA’s welcoming committee and the best point of contact for members with questions if they have no one else to reach out to, are part of the Membership Committee. This is a standing committee, and meetings are typically held monthly.
Sponsorship Committee
The Sponsorship Committee researches, identifies, and contacts industry partners to invite them on-board as sponsors throughout the year as well as for the conference, serves as the main point of contact during the sponsor year, assigns vendor booths in the conference exhibit hall, works with the conference Venue Chair to ensure adequate space and set-up in the exhibit hall, and serves as the main on-site representative during the conference. This is a standing committee, and meetings occur as part of the Conference Committee.