Despite the uncertainties we have been navigating since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, one certainty has been that SGIM will hold its Annual Meeting in 2021. As we listened to members, a consistent theme is the value of the Annual Meeting—for learning, sharing, inspiring oneself and others, and, most of all, networking and connecting with the SGIM community. The Program Committee has demonstrated significant flexibility and creativity—considering how to best meet the needs of members as we have transitioned from planning for an in-person meeting to planning a fully virtual experience. Through conversation with other professional societies, we realized we are all learning together. For example, what platform best supports a virtual meeting? What format will best meet the needs of attendees? How do we provide the collaborative environment that is so important to SGIM members?

In my June 2020 President’s Column, I wrote about the world of “unknown unknowns.” Projecting for Annual Meeting 2021 definitely fits into this category.

The known knowns:

• Annual Meeting 2021 will be fully virtual
• The annual meeting theme: Transforming Values into Action
• Based on submissions we have received so far, the content will be outstanding
• The keynote speakers will be exceptional—we have confirmed the following:
  • Vivian Lee, MD, PhD, MBA, President of health platforms at Verily Life Sciences and author of The Long Fix: Solving America’s Healthcare Crisis with Strategies that Work for Everyone.
  • Fawn Lopez, Publisher and Vice President of Modern Healthcare
  • Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean of the George Washington University Law School and author of Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care.
  • LaShyra “Lash” Nolen, Class of 2023 president, 2^nd Year Student, Harvard School of Medicine

 The known unknowns:

•  How many people will register to attend the live virtual sessions?
• The market for recorded videos and on-demand content
• Member access to professional development funds to support registration costs
• The status of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2021

 The unknown unknowns—that’s the point, they are unknown.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we can’t predict the future, that we can do the best that we can with the information that we have, knowing that the situation, and the available information, may change quickly. This morning while out doing errands, I heard an NPR interview with Shannon Lee about her new book, Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee. Ms. Lee explained that the teaching “be water” refers to being fluid, pliable, and flexible.² I found this to be such an apt lesson as we plan for SGIM Annual Meeting 2021 in a rapidly changing and uncertain environment.

A key issue to resolve as we plan for the Annual Meeting is the registration fee. In the spirit of transparency, Hollis Day, SGIM Treasurer, and I wanted to share with you the process for making this determination. We are very conscious of the multiple competing demands on SGIM members, as well as institutional limitations on availability of funds. We also fully appreciate our fiduciary responsibility to assure SGIM’s financial stability and sustainability. All these factors were considered as the Finance Committee, and then the Executive Committee, considered the registration fees for the virtual Annual Meeting. If priced too high, people would not be able to afford attendance. If priced too low, SGIM would suffer financially, hampering our ability to provide other member-driven programs that have been prioritized by your Committees, Commissions, and Council.

The Finance Committee considered multiple factors, including estimating the number and types of attendees (e.g., associate or full members) and the costs of a virtual meeting that requires investment in additional technology to provide as close to the in-person experience as possible. We researched and compared meeting fees at multiple other similar organizations. We modeled different fee structures and talked with multiple SGIM members from different parts of the country and at different stages in their careers to best gauge what was a reasonable rate for the content that will be provided. The Finance Committee made recommendations to the Executive Committee, who, after further deliberation, ratified these recommendations. We were committed to publishing the registration fees prior to opening of the Round 2 submission window so that potential abstract and innovations presenters would know meeting registration costs at the time of submission.

While value may be in the eye of the beholder, here are the many ways that the virtual Annual Meeting is a tremendous value:

1. Ability to present your work nationally
2. Networking at all career levels
3. Cost per day is approximately $100 with the early-bird rate, including CME and MOC (versus other national meetings that charge extra for CME and MOC credits)
4. With the mix of live and recorded sessions, ability to access more content than is possible at an in-person meeting when we must decide between attending competing sessions
5. No travel expenses

 In addition, with SGIM regional meeting registration being free to SGIM members this year,³ we are hopeful that SGIM members will see the combined value of attending both regional and the national meetings as a significant value of SGIM membership.

Our obligation is to make sure that you find value in attending SGIM Annual Meeting 2021. I am confident that our program committee, co-chaired by Drs. Rita Lee and Yael Schenker, is planning an innovative and inspiring event. Thank you to those of you who submitted to present. Register now (before early-bird deadline) and begin planning your Annual Meeting 2021 experience. I look forward to virtually seeing and learning from and with you in April!