SOMSA members are administrative professionals from across the nation seeking education and formal/informal networking in a medico-dental specialty called oral and maxillofacial surgery. The surgeons in the practices they manage perform wisdom tooth extraction, facial reconstruction after accidents or for cosmetic purposes, TMJ surgery, and much, much more. Their roles include HR, long-range planning, operations, financial management, ensuring practice compliance, marketing, doctor recruiting, and sometimes even chairside surgical assisting!
Our members are a close-knit group, many of whom have been friends for years and who look forward to reconnecting in person at the conference.
You’ll find our conference attendees lounging at the bar, pool, or in lobby spaces, catching up on each others lives during down time. They’ll explore the city or enjoy active, outdoorsy activities together before or after the conference.
About Our Conference
Our conferences attract nearly 170 attendees and upwards of 50 sponsor representatives annually. View our conference history.
Because our membership is nationwide, we rotate: east, central, west, central. In 2023, we’ll be on the east coast (Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay). In 2024, we’ll be central (Hyatt Regency Hill Country in San Antonio). We are actively sourcing a western US venue for our 2025 conference and making a list of central venues to consider for our 2026 conference.
We meet in April and try to avoid Tax Day, the end of the month, and Easter.
The conference opens on Sunday with a pre-conference course in the morning and networking receptions in the evening. Sessions begin Monday and last through Wednesday lunch. We plan a memorable off-site event for Monday evening, and typically let attendees enjoy Tuesday evening on their own. We are somewhat open to considering a different meeting pattern if needs dictate.
Peak Nights & Room Block
In 2022, our peak room night was 176, and we are in a growth phase, so we are anticipating 190 rooms in 2023, and over 200 in 2024.
With a total room block of just over 720 rooms in 2022, we saw many of our attendees bring their families and enjoy all that the Scottsdale area had to offer. They arrived early and hiked Camelback Mountain. They lingered in Arizona after the conference and took the train up to the Grand Canyon. Our attendees like to make a vacation out of our conference.
Big 3 Goals++
A nearby major airport is a huge plus for our attendees. We avoid locations with more than a 45 minute drive to an airport.
It’s very important to us that our general session room and the meals/exhibit hall space are near each other. The years they have been separated by a long walk, neither our attendees nor our sponsors are happy.
We are trying to keep room night cost below $299 for our attendees, although we’re aware of rising costs across the board.
++
Just a few more notes on what we’re looking for in a venue.
- We try to provide either
a venue in the middle of a lively shopping, dining, nightlife area or
an all-on-site resort. - When possible, we hold our conference on a beach-side resort.
- We source venues in the southern US, where it’s above 70 degrees in April.
Download the 2025 Conference RFP
You'll find our 2025 dates, square footage needs, and all of our other requests on this RFP.
Return it to Venue Chair Susan Krpata-Young and Executive Director Linden Tucker, who you met at Connect West by emailing it to conference@somsa.org.
Download RFP (XLSX)
The Conference Committee is responsible for all aspects of the annual conference.
David Nye
Conference Chair
Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Aiken, SC
David conducts the symphony that is the Conference Committee. He also selects conference décor, Sunday reception entertainment, and our legendary Monday evening social events, which have included a night at a dude ranch in an Arizona desert and haunted self-pedaled pub bike tours of Savannah, Georgia, during rainstorms, although he didn’t order the rain!
Linden Tucker
Executive Director
Society of OMS Administrators, Williamston, NC
Linden is the grease that makes the engine of Conference Committee purr. She supports all committee chairs, handling administrative tasks for whatever they hand off to her.
Susan Krpata-Young
Venue Chair
47 North Oral Surgery, Kirkland, WA
Susan serves as the main point of contact with venues: sourcing locations, negotiating contracts, deciding on menus, and perfecting meeting space and exhibit hall layouts. Nicole works with Susan on exhibit hall layouts.
Nicole Toombs
Sponsor Chair
Village Pointe Oral Surgery, Omaha, NE
Nicole works with new and returning industry partners to ensure they get exposure to SOMSA members throughout the year and conference attendees during the conference. Nicole works with the venue to optimize the exhibit hall layout for our member and exhibitor needs.
Sara Crosby
Speaker Chair
Summit Implants & Oral Surgery, Burien, WA
Sara reviews speaker recommendations from the Education Committee, Conference Committee, and members, pursuing those who align with SOMSA’s educational needs. She then works with speakers to ensure delivery of kick-ass presentations that provide our attendees with actionable take-homes and relevant, time-sensitive messages.