US Spine at the 2007 North American Spine Society Annual Meeting - an observer’s perspective

To most of the exhibitors at the 2007 North American Spine Society in Austin, Texas, the meeting will be remembered as only moderate on the scales of booth traffic and general attendance. Overall attendance was lighter than in previous years, attributed to the fires ravaging the west coast, and to the general lack of direct flights and hotel rooms. Those surgeons who made the journey to Austin were assaulted by a record number of exhibitors. This year’s meeting saw the inclusion of an additional twenty five spine companies, each touting devices and methods quite similar to the other two hundred companies that returned from the previous year.

A tour around the exhibit hall revealed little in the way of innovations, with most companies displaying the same items as in past years. Evolutions of old products were commonplace, as were products hastily-developed in an effort to inflate the appearance of their creators. Yes, the Smoke and Mirrors routines were alive and well throughout the show.

There were of course, some standouts from the crowd, most notably (in this author’s humble opinion) US Spine. Several times during the three exhibit days, I walked away from the US Spine booth to an inconspicuous little spot where I could look back and observe from a distance, much like a competitor would. What I witnessed was both exhilarating and entertaining at the same time. As in previous years - indeed, every year since our inception - the US Spine booth drew substantially larger crowds than the surrounding companies; credit the Facet Gun and a stunning two-story booth for the frenzy. But what was truly entertaining was the behavior of those competitors around us. At any given time, I could see the other reps standing idly by their stations, watching our buzzing booth with envy. Some of them would casually stroll past, trying in vain to appear non-chalant while craning their necks to see the product demos inside. As a minnow in this sea of much larger fish, it’s truly a great feeling to have that kind of attention.

Our quests to appeal to customers and show strength in the face of competition were successful, and as a result, we remain at the top of a very short list of companies to watch over the next twelve months.  With new life in the Sales group, an experienced choreographer at the helm of Professional Education, and the impending launch of an entirely new and vastly improved Facet Gun, it’s going to be a fantastic year. I can’t wait to see NASS 2008...

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