The Green Zone

The Madow Group’s “The Best Seminar Ever” (TBSE), held last weekend in Las Vegas was part CE, part team-building, part personal growth, and 100% rock show!  Like seeing your favorite band in an intimate venue, it was a “you had to be there” experience.

Madow Brothers...rock on!

The stadium – er, we mean seminar room – had the usual rows of chairs and water stations, but those were the only similarities to “regular” dental seminars.  Stage-fog encircled a shiny drum-set under pink lights on stage. The rest of the room was dark. A buzzing crowd bounced beach-balls to each other in time with loud music, and big-screens on either side of the stage featured live Twitter feed in anticipation of the opening act of “The Best Seminar Ever”: the appearance of rock star dentists Rich and Dave Madow.

What followed was a completely entertaining educational journey. 

High-end CE

Start to finish, the speakers at TBSE were stellar.  The program was an intense two days of learning, delivered without the need for numbing.

Bill Stainton

From a green dentistry perspective, we loved Bill Stainton’s talk about the “Top Five Decisions of the Beatles”. Bill set out how the Beatles achieved unprecedented success in one of the most competitive industries on the planet, and did so in under 10 years, and how dental practices can use those decisions as a roadmap to their success.

Decisions like “Form a single shared vision” and “Be willing to shake it up” are naturals for a green dental office.

By far our favorite Beatles wisdom was: “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”  Values-based eco-friendly dental offices deeply care for the health and well-being of our communities. We recognize that you can’t have a healthy fish in a dirty fishbowl. We love our neighbors, who are our patients, and we love our planet. And our communities and patients reciprocate by ensuring the well-being of our practices, sharing their love for us with their family and friends.

Team Building to the Max!

The team-building aspects of TBSE began long-before the convention. Weeks before, teams in funny costumes, holding signs expressing their excitement for TBSE started popping up on the Madow Group’s Facebook page. One team showed up wearing show girl head-pieces; another wore wigs, beards and glasses dressed as the character Alan from the movie “The Hangover.”  Nobody held back.

Dr. Bill Busch’s leadership in taking life-changing dentistry to the streets blew me away. Dr. Busch’s Team Smiles program works with college and professional athletes, local dental teams and dental industry sponsors to deliver dental care and oral-health education to low-income children in local communities across the country. This work is a tremendous gift to these kids and to our industry’s future.

Kathy Metaxas

Kathy Metaxas rocked the house with her insightful presentation: “Generation Talk.” By breaking down the differences between Baby Boomers, GenX and GenY, Kathy pointed teams in the right direction to “zap the gap.” Understanding the unique perspective of each generation, and how they relate to authority, technology, work, and other aspects of life can clear up misunderstandings that may be dragging your practice down. She also gave us great insights for how to get the most from each team member by leveraging their generation’s strengths, and analyzing their dancing styles!

A Commitment to Personal Growth

Dentistry is a tough profession, and we appreciated the authenticity of the Madow Brothers in calling-out how often being in dentistry can be thankless and difficult, and how much of the day-to-day realities of practicing dentistry aren’t taught in dental school.

Dr. Sean Stephenson

If there was a love ballad at the show, it was Dr. Sean Stephenson. We’re pretty sure there were folks holding up lighters during the standing ovation at the end of his talk. Dr. Sean spoke to overcoming challenges, big challenges.  He moved us all to laughter and tears, helping each of us to see our humanity, to forgive our own faults, and to accept ourselves and each other just a little bit more. He left us with this question for every challenge: “Will this be a burden, or a gift?” And, when the burden is too much, he implored us to ask: “What’s funny about this?”

A Final Word for the Sponsors & Roadies

YouTube: EDA Co-Founder and Guru at CDA 2011

No rock show or dental conference is complete without sponsors, and TBSE included a rarified group of exhibitors. The vibe on the TBSE floor was easy and intimate. The deals were amazing, and vendors on the floor spoke often of the respect they have for the practices that attend TBSE.  Vendors like GURU know the TBSE crowd is fun to work with and at the top of their game. Stay tuned for some exciting EDA collaborations we’re incubating with these forward-thinking companies.

TBSE was a massive production and a huge success. Events of this caliber require a committed team of folks who don’t just bend over backwards once in a while. They make going the extra mile a lifestyle with their “I can help you” attitude. Congratulations to the rock-star Madow Brothers and their rock-star road crew for an awesome show! Yes – it was: The Best Seminar EVER.