The National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media was an invigorating three-day conference featuring the best and brightest in the health communication field. Held August 20–22, 2013 in Atlanta, GA, the conference featured plenaries, posters, breakout sessions, boot camps and networking opportunities all focused on the theme of “Waves of Change: Managing the Possibilities.”
Participants heard FHI 360’s Design Lab Director, Anne Quito, speak about the importance of design and creativity in health communication campaigns. FHI 360 staff also presented four posters that highlighted FHI 360’s Social Marketing and Communication work. The posters covered Geographic Information Systems tools; social media evaluation; paid media search campaigns; and use of social media to share information about dietary guidelines.
Below are my top five conference takeaways and quotes.
- The creative process begins and ends with empathy. — Anne Quito
- When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. — Ethiopian proverb
- Carve out creative time for yourself and colleagues each week for brainstorming and developing new ideas. — The Inspiration Shop conference session
- Real problems in our society are slow boiling pots of water. They warm up gradually until we’re cooked. — Victor Stretcher
- You can’t program a GPS unless you know where you want to go. — Katie Paine
To learn more, you can browse the robust Twitter conversations about the conference by using the hashtag #HCMMconf.