Written by Mike Knebel, CEO of Forward Advantage.
The MUSE Inspire Conference has long been one of the most respected and noteworthy events in the MEDITECH space, and this year was no different. The event provides tremendous value from both a customer relationship and partnership networking perspective. Though in-person conference attendance is still not back to the highs of years past, the MUSE Inspire Conference brings together a group of impressive people that either work at a MEDITECH facility or create and deliver solutions for MEDITECH facilities, all with a common purpose of improving patient care.
This year’s conference took on new meaning to me as I embrace my new role as CEO of Forward Advantage, compared to previous years where my focus was on sales and business development. I took the opportunity to gain a deeper perspective of the current state of our market, where it is headed, and to listen to the challenges facing healthcare leaders. Staffing shortages, AI/automation, and security were main themes among those I spoke with, and it’s encouraging to see that MEDITECH and its key partners are prioritizing and aligning their solutions to meet these challenges.
Attendees were engaged and looking to gain valuable insights to help them move forward in their role and with their initiatives and projects. Exhibitors/vendors seemed to have an increased interest in working together. Many of the conversations we had at the conference centered around how we, as vendors, can look at integration or referral relationships to better serve our common customers in the MEDITECH space.
As a 20+ year MUSE veteran, it was fun for me to stop by the “MUSEUM” with displays of memorabilia from the past 40 years of MUSE conferences and to reminisce when Forward Advantage was just a one-product company focused on establishing its brand in the MEDITECH market. Many years, multiple solutions and countless amazing customers later, it’s a great reminder how far we have come and that the relationships built at these conferences are most definitely a contributing factor to our success.
Our customer appreciation event is our team’s favorite part of the conference each year. This year we celebrated 200+ customers and were able to relax and enjoy a casual “no business talk” evening, just appreciating them for being great customers. It’s always a wonderful evening and perfect opportunity to catch up with our customers and partners alike, strengthening the relationships we formed over the years and making new ones. I came away from this year’s conference with a fresh perspective on how we can better serve our customers and partners, and I look forward to many follow-up activities. Until next year!
