For the Media

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) invites the media to talk to attendees, walk the exhibition floor, and listen to the innovators at the HIMSS’07, where breakthroughs will happen.

Media Qualifications and Guidelines

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is pleased to welcome you as a member of the media to its 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Registration is complimentary for professional journalists who are attending the conference to provide editorial coverage and who meet the eligibility criteria described below. Please follow this process to register for your media credentials.

Media Qualifications

You must be currently employed by a news publication OR you must be currently employed with a recognized (network, cable, independent) news organization. Television and radio stations must maintain a regular news department. You also may be required to submit credential information to support your qualifications. If so, HIMSS will contact you upon receipt of your media registration form.

Media credentials are given to members of the working media whose attendance at the conference may result in coverage, whether print or broadcast, of the efforts of HIMSS and its members.

Individuals Who Do Not Qualify For Media Credentials

Individuals representing companies or organizations listed below do not qualify for media registration.

• Book authors
• Freelance writers who are employed by non-news organizations
• Publishers, associate/assistant publishers, advertising, marketing or sales staff members of a news organization, print, broadcast or online
• Publishers, editors or reporters from manufacturers
• Companies/organizations producing publications, videos and/or other items solely for the purpose of marketing, advertising, financial analysis or public relations
• Public relations staff and/or representatives from communications, print and online promotion organizations
• Financial analysts and consultants
• Other representatives who are not reporting on the annual conference itself

Exhibitors

Media credentials are not available to exhibitors at the conference who also want to register as a media representative. HIMSS will provide media credentials to a working journalist from a news organization who is also a member of HIMSS. However, advertising, financial analysis, marketing, public relations, publishing or sales staff members are not eligible to receive media credentials.

Number of Media Who May Register from Each Organization

Registration is limited to three individuals per media outlet; newsletters and college publications are limited to one representative per outlet. Organizations that wish to send more than three representatives to the conference should contact Joyce Lofstrom at (312) 915-9237.

Photographers, television and video crews must obtain media credentials per the guidelines that follow. When covering the conference, photographers and broadcast media must check in at the media room before going on the exhibit floor or to an education session. A HIMSS media relations staff member must accompany the photographer/broadcast crew when shooting any of the conference activities.

Media Advance Registration

The deadline for advance registration at the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition is February 20, 2007.

To register in advance, contact Joyce Lofstrom at (312) 915-9237. After February 20, media must register on-site.

Upon receipt of your registration, you may be contacted by HIMSS and asked to provide supporting documentation to receive your media credentials. All media registering in advance will receive an e-mail confirmation of their registration. Media Badges Will Not Be Mailed To You. Pick up your media badge in the HIMSS News Room beginning at 7:30 am on Sunday, February 25.

Media Registration On-Site

After February 20, 2007, media must register on-site in the News Room, Room 264, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La. The News Room will be open at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 25, for registration. Please review the media qualifications and bring all documentation with you to register on-site.

Receiving Media Credentials On-Site
Media who register on-site at the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition must bring qualifying materials with them (as outlined below) to receive media credentials. If you plan to register on-site and want to be qualified in advance, call Joyce Lofstrom at (312) 915-9237.

See the Media Eligibility Criteria below before registering.

Media Eligibility Criteria

Journalists must be required to submit supporting documentation as part of the registration process. Please review the criteria for your appropriate media category.

Business/Trade Publications and News Wire Services

• Current masthead with your name
• Two bylined articles published during 2006
• Contributing editors and reporters must supply an original letter of assignment, on the organization’s letterhead, stating they have been retained to cover the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition

 Broadcast Media – Television and Radio

• An original letter of assignment on the organization’s letterhead

Freelance Writers

• One bylined article on the topic of healthcare and/or healthcare information technology published from September 2006 – February 2007
• An original letter of assignment on the organization’s letterhead stating they have been retained to cover the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition

Online Publications

• The web site must provide original, editorial news coverage
• Editorial content must be independent of advertising/sponsorship
• An editorial board must oversee the site and its contents
• Advertising must be identified as such
• If the web site is sponsored, the site must have multiple sponsors. All sponsors must be identified as such
• Personal web sites do not qualify for media registration
• If above criteria are met, online media representatives must supply two bylined articles published on the web site during 2006

University/College Publications

• Two bylined articles published from September 2006 – February 2007. An original letter of assignment on the organization’s letterhead from the university/college stating they have been retained to cover the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition

If you have questions or need more information, contact Joyce Lofstrom at (312) 915-9237.