Good Vibes Only: PNDC Levels Up in 2024

As chair of the WSDA Committee on Continuing Education, Hobart knows first-hand what a true labor of love this year’s conference was to create.

For years, PNDC has been the Northwest’s premier conference for dental professionals seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge, hear from top industry professionals, and network with colleagues. It provides the opportunity to earn more than 20 continuing education credits for just one low conference fee. The event has routinely attracted dentists and dental professionals from around the state and region.

But there was a sense it could definitely level up, particularly in terms of the attendee creature comforts and overall experience – transforming it into a destination event for dental professionals around the country.

Recent previous locations – including both in Bellevue and Seattle – found the conference spread out over multiple buildings, forcing attendees to take extra trips to adjacent hotels or between conference facilities. And in the rainy – and sometimes cold – Pacific Northwest, that didn’t always work well for attendees, even when shuttles were used to take people to different locations. And the conference facilities had begun to show their age.

Something new was needed to improve the overall experience for attendees and elevate the conference to a next-level destination event. Hobart, an Anacortes dentist who also serves on the WSDA Board of Directors, knows how important the success of PNDC is not just to attendees but to the Association: roughly one-third of WSDA revenue stems from PNDC.

“We knew we needed to make a change – that all started before I was on the committee,” she said. “Attendees wanted more tourism opportunities, more sightseeing and more people are interested in coming to Seattle from out of town than Bellevue.”

“I thought this was by far your best PNDC I have been to.”

Together, WSDA and the committee sought the assistance of a new event planning company which had greater sway over dates at destination locations.

The goals: Light. Airy. Under one roof.

The new Seattle Convention Center Summit building checked all the boxes for all the issues the committee was looking to resolve, based on attendee feedback and conference surveys.

Dr. Joe Luchini of Spokane has served on the PNDC Committee for nine years. This year’s event, in his view, was the best yet, and the facility played a major part in that transformation. The committee spent a significant amount of time visiting various convention facilities and knew the new Summit space would meet the committee’s goals. Previous attendees were clear that they wanted to get back to Seattle, and they wanted the event in one convenient location.

“It’s phenomenal, and of the convention centers that we’ve visited, it’s the best. They’ve done a nice job,” said Luchini. “When we were in Bellevue getting ready to leave, we did a survey, and the #1 thing on the survey was to get back to Seattle. So we finally did it! It wasn’t the easiest decision – we were dealing with the pandemic and Seattle was not in the best shape and we were still in two venues,” he added.

“At first, we were in the new and older sections of the Convention Center, and that had its challenges. But then we got to Summit. For those of us who were on the committee – we were in heaven. Nirvana,” he said. “It’s amazing – a destination venue, and that’s exactly what we were looking for when we moved back to Seattle. It is a draw.”

WSDA Assistant Executive Director Kainoa Trotter said the success of this year’s conference is a reflection of the committee’s diligence and hard work.

“The committee was instrumental in always striving to bring us together under one roof in the new Convention Center. That was their goal, and they worked very hard to make that happen,” said Trotter.

PNDC is still one of a few national conferences where attendees pay one fee and can attend as many lectures as they want, with no additional fees, added Trotter.

“It’s rare that you pay one fee and attend anything, as much as you can,” he said. “We’ve created an incredible experience for the industry, and I think the committee deserves a lot of credit for its success.”

Mercer Island dentist Dr. Carrie York, who serves alongside both Hobart and Luchini on the CE Committee, said the work they put into developing the new event in Seattle has paid off wonderfully for attendees.

“It’s just fabulous. The new building is beautiful, light and airy. The facilities are excellent. It’s got a really good vibe,” said York. “People loved it this year.”

“I liked the selection of speakers very much. All the classes I went to were great.”

Previews of Coming Attractions

One of the perks of serving on the CE Committee is the opportunity to identify potential speakers and presenters for each conference. Committee members are heavily involved in the speaker selection process and spend the better part of the year looking for and attending other conferences to preview potential speakers. The committee meets four times a year and often compares notes over Zoom or email.

“It’s my favorite committee – there’s just something about this group. There’s such a range of backgrounds and experience,” said Hobart. “Plus, it’s good to have a goal every year and an end date, and you get to see the fruits of your labor in action. There’s always a chance to be better.”

In 2025, the committee is excited to welcome Dr. Frank Spear, one of the premier educators in aesthetic and restorative dentistry. The founder and director of Spear Education, a renowned dental education and practice solutions institute, Spear is a legend in the dental practice world. He's also local: Spear graduated from the University of Washington School of Dentistry and practices in Seattle.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Dr. Frank Spear,” said York. “It’s going to be interesting to see him and hear him talk about generational differences and technology changes. It’s great to have him headlining PNDC 2025.”

Ironically, CE Committee members are too busy with the event operations to take advantage of all those CE credits and are not allowed to receive credit when they scout speakers, said York, so it becomes difficult to meet their own CE credit needs. Still, she feels the work is both personally and professionally rewarding and worth the sacrifice.

“I feel like I am helping many people get better at what they do,” said York. “The tricky thing about this for myself – I don’t get any CE. But I help a lot of other people get their CE and become better dental professionals,” she said. “We are always working two meetings ahead – we are currently finalizing 2025 and ‘26 – we’re always working on something going forward. And the best part is, you get to see the success of your work.”

“The venue was amazing! Loved the shorter classes, one hour between classes and the two-hour lunch. The extra time allowed me to visit exhibits without the big crowds.”

In addition to identifying and securing the profession’s best, most relevant continuing education lectures and workshops, the CE Committee has also zeroed in on another key part of the PNDC experience: the Exhibit Hall.

The challenge, as with any large convention, is creating a significant draw for attendees to meet with vendors and other exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall.

That’s where the PNDC team has gotten very creative.

“We are always looking for vendors to do more, and we’re also looking to increase attendee participation in the Exhibit Hall. We had Elvis in the hall this year, as well as a woman handing out champagne glasses on her skirt. We had an artist live-painting the event; chair massages and the very Seattle experience of watching the Pike Place Market fishmongers toss and catch salmon with attendees. We’ve had magicians walking through the exhibit hall and a caricature artist – it’s all about creating an atmosphere where there’s a lot more happening to bring attendees in,” York said. “We’ve also asked that vendors offer floor demonstrations of products for dentists.”

This year, given that the event fell on Mother’s Day weekend, the committee celebrated attendees who were moms with a sweet treat.

The location of the Exhibit Hall is also more welcoming: it’s a lighter, more airy exhibit space with windows. It looks a lot more open so it feels bigger, noted York. Another tweak to help attendees: The Exhibit Hall is open on Saturday to accommodate those who work Monday through Friday.

"I LOVED the venue. Best ever. Was an excellent fit for the PNDC!"

Even with a beautiful new convention space under contract, and some of the most exemplary speakers and presenters on the agenda, it still takes some coaxing to get people back to attending conventions and conferences.

“I think that there’s a handful of people who are still skittish post-pandemic about coming,” said Hobart. “If everyone that used to come attended, plus all the new people, we’d have a much bigger meeting.”

The pandemic also shifted a lot of learning online, a challenge not just for WSDA but for every trade association or membership group.

“We hope people will come and see their colleagues and interact and have a good experience with the speakers,” added York. “With online learning, I think you miss not seeing other people or asking questions of the speaker. You always run into other people you know – colleagues and friends. You don’t get that online.”

PNDC also offers tremendous value, in terms of the credit offering for the price.

“We are a bargain in the sense of how much CE you get for the price!” said Luchini. “We try to cater to the experience – it’s more than just CE – being with your colleagues, meeting up with old acquaintances.”

“My favorite part of it is the networking and camaraderie,” said York. “I see people at PNDC that live in different parts of the state but I know them from dental school and don’t get to see those people very often,” she added. “It’s a great chance to reconnect with friends or previous co-workers. The networking might just be one of the most valuable parts.”

In terms of reaching their next goal of becoming a destination convention, Hobart and the committee estimate they will need to double attendance from about 4,000 to 8,000 in the coming years.

But given the event’s latest trajectory, they’re well underway toward meeting that goal.

“If all goes to plan, we’ll just be getting bigger and better every year: more sponsors, more events, more attendees, and we will continue to pick the best speakers to listen to and learn from,” said Hobart.

“There’s just such a good vibe at PNDC!”

“New venue is great. The overall variety of lectures is good with quality choices!”