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You Should Know Go: Townie Meeting by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

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Townie Meeting
by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

Townie Meeting turns 10 this year! In case you even need a reason to get to Las Vegas next month to celebrate with Townies from all over the world, we spoke to Townie Meeting Coordinator Leslie Hollaway to get the inside scoop on how the meeting is put together and what we can all anticipate this year.

Leslie, tell us a little bit about your role as Townie Meeting coordinator.
Basically, I oversee all aspects of the meeting – from soup to nuts. Dr. Tarun “T-Bone” Agarwal and Dr. Sameer “socalsam” Puri are the visionaries and I just make it happen.

You’re too modest, Leslie! So, this being the 10th annual Townie Meeting, what sort of special events do you have lined up?
We are very excited about celebrating the 10th year of Townie Meeting. There will be 10th anniversary giveaways for the attendees, some fun activities at the opening party and a drawing at the Closing Beer Bash for an exciting giveaway.

How long does it take for a Townie Meeting to come to fruition? Can you tell me about some of the logistics behind the scenes?
A Townie Meeting takes an average of 18 months to plan. It all starts with the hotel contract negotiation. Next is logo development and future Townie Meeting collateral to hand out at the current meeting, and Web site development.

After the current meeting concludes, Tarun, Sameer and I meet to tweak the meeting schedule, review suggestions, work on the curriculum, develop a marketing plan and argue about the party theme (we really do read all of the evaluations and suggestions). Then we get the ball rolling with the exhibit hall layout, exhibitor recruitment, attendee registrations and all the other details of planning.

The two weeks before the meeting starts is an entirely different story, in one word I would call it “mayhem.” It’s hard to see the finish line, but then everything starts falling into place. The goal is to make sure everything is organized by the time we arrive at the hotel so everyone can enjoy the weekend. We are also lucky to have an experienced registration staff who can handle any request and very fortunate for Dr. Glenn Hanf who organizes both the golf and poker tournaments.

During the meeting, “behind the scenes” is pretty relaxed. Since this is our 10th year, we don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Logistics-wise, I meet with the hotel, then with the guys to review the entire weekend, give them their jobs and then pray Tarun doesn’t offend anyone while on stage (laughs).

Tell us about some of the speaker highlights this year.
Well, it would not be a Townie Meeting without Dr. Howard Farran kicking off the meeting. We are also fortunate to have Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Gary DeWood, Drs. Rich and David Madow and Trisha O’Hehir from Hygienetown on the main stage. As far as continuing education, T-Bone and Sam take great pride in providing cutting-edge courses. This year the curriculum is extremely diverse. We have courses in implants, ceramics, bone grafting, ortho, team communication, perio, practice productivity, prosthetics, social media, Internet marketing, CEREC and AMD Laser courses to name a few.

What’s the theme of the Townie party this year?
The Opening Party theme is James Bond. The Cosmopolitan Hotel lends itself well to this theme. There is even a bar called Bond in the hotel.

Do you have any cool costume suggestions for us?
The Dentaltown.com message boards have already been buzzing with some amusing costume suggestions. I think Jaws would definitely be appropriate, also Goldfinger, Odd Job, Q, M, a Bond girl or dress as though you will be playing baccarat at a Monte Carlo casino.

What is the number-one reason a dental professional should attend the Townie Meeting this year?
In addition to providing exceptional education that can be applied chairside Monday morning, the parties are fabulous and set in a relaxing environment that encourages socializing and the development of new and lasting friendships (I know that’s two things but it’s true).

Thanks for your time, Leslie! See you next month! The 2012 Townie Meeting takes place April 25-28 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit www.towniemeeting.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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