Held each January, the annual Orthopedics Today Hawaii Meeting is always my unofficial start to the new year in orthopedics. It’s a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with industry partners and the meeting’s top-notch faculty and attendees who have become friends over the years. In addition to forming great relationships there is an added bonus of enjoying the Hawaiian paradise that never fails to deliver warm weather and great golf!

After the 2021 meeting had to be postponed until Memorial Day weekend to allow for improvements in the state of COVID travel conditions, this year’s meeting was even sweeter than usual. For the first time since we had gathered on Kauai way back in January 2020, which seems like a lifetime ago for those of us accustomed to the convention circuit in orthopedics, more than 400 physician attendees from across 41 states were able to meet and greet each other on the Big Island with much less concern for catching or accidentally spreading the virus.

The meeting always starts before sunrise as attendees gather for a Breakfast Master Course. Sponsored by individual exhibiting companies, the Breakfast Programs give attendees the opportunity to eat a warm breakfast and down some fabulous Kona coffee while receiving invaluable education on the latest techniques, technologies and procedures from the sponsor. This year’s Breakfast Master Courses were generously sponsored by: Stryker, DePuy Synthes and Heron Therapeutics, who all supplied outstanding commercial education that drew an average of 175 attendees every morning of the meeting!

As Orthopedics Today Hawaii has grown, the meeting has been blessed with outstanding medical leadership and that continued to be the case for this year’s program. Dr. Anthony A. Romeo once again chaired the program, constructing and leading a diverse faculty that explored the latest and most important topics across the spectrum of orthopedics. Over the course of 5 days, Dr. Romeo and a daily revolving slate of orthopedic thought leaders partake in didactic presentations, powerful keynote speeches, and entertaining and informative debates on each subspecialty in the field.

This year’s meeting also featured a Lunch Master Course sponsored by Arthrex. Featuring a renowned faculty, the hour-long lunch session had more than 80 physician attendees on hand to listen and react to a deep dive into Arthrex’s shoulder platform capabilities.

Like most meetings, Orthopedics Today Hawaii is also proudly supported by its exhibiting industry partners. According to my colleagues at our sister company, Healio Live, this year’s exhibitors repeatedly told them they loved the meeting format and the quality of time they get to spend with the surgeon attendees. From unopposed exhibit hours to repeat attendee booth visits throughout the week, exhibitors come back year after year to kick off a new season in orthopedics amidst an intimate, casual meeting environment.

I look forward to a true return to normalcy at next year’s meeting, which will be held January 8-12, 2023 at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Kauai! Given the success of this year’s meeting, the spread of vaccinations and the loosening of travel restrictions, more than 700 physician attendees are expected to participate at one of the most popular meeting locations on Kauai.

For more information on Orthopedics Today Hawaii, visit https://www.healio.com/meeting/othawaii/home. To learn more about our Breakfast and Lunch Master Course sponsorship opportunities or exhibits, feel free to DM me on LinkedIn. I hope to see you next January!