The first ever Wasatch Summit took place at the beautiful Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort on June 5-8, 2008. The Wasatch Summit was designed for the whole team to master the business of dentistry. Doctors, office staff, dental assistants, and hygienist alike attended the Wasatch Summit and were able to attend courses related to topics of interest with their specific responsibilities. In addition to courses related to the business of dentistry, the Wasatch Summit also included an annual users' conference for DENTRIX and DENTRIX Enterprise customers.

Attendees enjoyed the meeting per the results that were compiled of the Wasatch Summit Conference survey. The highest rated categories were the topics offered at the conference, which scored 4.4 out of 5, and the overall format of the conference scored 4.5 out of 5. The weather was the biggest surprise of the meeting and despite the conference being held in the first of June we woke up to fresh snowfall. This was most surprising to those attendees who had travelled from areas of the country where the weather they left was already reaching high summer temperatures.

With a course selection packed with information, our presenters included Lois Banta, Dr Larry Emmott, Cathy Jameson, Janice Hurley, Sandy Pardue, Kerry Straine and many others selected from the industry's top professionals to help us present topics related to the business of dentistry. Additionally, we were very excited to feature Dr Gordon Christensen as our keynote speaker.

"We were very impressed with the quality and knowledge of your speakers. The two days of seminars went by very quickly and we were able to take many ideas to implement back to our office", said Peter March, D.D.S. - Peotone, IL.

The Wasatch Summit began on Thursday evening with an opening reception where attendees were able to mingle, enjoy a refreshing dinner, and visit with the vendor sponsors. There were 13 vendor sponsors who participated in the vendor expo that lasted through Saturday afternoon. In addition, the attendees had opportunities to sit one-on-one with product technical support technicians and have technical discussions and ask how-to questions. DENTRIX and DENTRIX Enterprise Development Analysis team members were on-hand to take note of customer's ideas and discuss future software feature plans.

"The DENTRIX staff could not have been more polite and accommodating. I felt that the number one reason they were there was to address my needs and concerns. I was thrilled to be able to put a face to some of the folks in technical support. I believe they want to do a good job and deliver a product that helps me take better care of my patients. They were very accessible and responsive," commented Barbara A Fueredi, D.D.S. - Naples, FL.

On Friday morning after breakfast the attendees broke out in their separate tracks. One of the main highlights of the day was a session that included an overview of What's New in G3 lead by Ghajiibah Campbell and Jamie Yanez, certified DENTRIX trainers. Later that evening, we enjoyed a fine dinner of carved roast turkey and prime rib and ended the day with an exciting keynote address featuring Dr Gordon Christensen, one of the most well known clinicians in the world.
Dr. Christensen was both entertaining and educational as he maintained the focus of the Wasatch Summit by touching on the business side of dentistry.

"This first ever Summit was a hit in my book (other than the cold weather aberration, though the snow was beautiful)! The topics covered by the speakers were very informative and applied well to the business of dentistry. Dr. Christensen's lecture was very informative and entertaining as well! I am eager to apply the information I gained at the Summit in my own practice! Looking forward to next year's Summit,"
stated John Durling II, D.D.S. - Joplin, MO.

On Saturday we added a new breakout session to the schedule, Dental Practice Optimization and Clinical Benchmarking and it was lead by Vijay Sikka of Sikka Software. During lunch, we held a drawing for several prizes from those who submitted a vendor punch card, course surveys or overall meeting surveys. The main prize that was given away was a Nintendo Wii. After lunch there was some free time where many of the attendees were able to enjoy the amenities on-site, and some went off-site to enjoy the surrounding beauty of the Wasatch Mountains. We came back together for dinner and Bob Hirschfield, a self-proclaimed "Cybersatirist", entertained us.

On Sunday morning, the final day of the Wasatch Summit, we finished with a panel discussion. The panel members included Dr Larry Emmott - Emmott on Technology, Steve Roberts - HSPS Product Manager-eServices, Bruce Lieberthal - HSPS Vice President of Development, Tom Limoli - Limoli and Associates/Atlanta Dental Consultants, Inc., and Sandy MacDonald - HSPS Product Manager-LabNet. This was very informative for all who attended.

"The Sunday morning panel discussion was TREMENDOUS! I have to be honest - I felt that what I had to say really mattered. The Dentrix representatives were receptive to the input of the audience. It was appreciated that the audience was treated with respect," said Barbara A Fueredi, D.D.S. - Naples, FL.

Thanks again to all those who were able to attend the Wasatch Summit. We are looking forward to next year's meeting. Be sure to mark your calendar to join us next year and bring your entire practice. Please continue to check the site for future dates and location.