1. 24 PlasticSurgeryPractice.com June 2015
BELLE OF THE BALL
“It’s a year-round job to stay in commu-
nication with every member of the faculty
and planning committee so that everyone
has what they need,” she says. “We start
off in July by reaching out to faculty to
see who is available, and then we begin
the process of planning out the program,
which takes a few months.”
Her Rolodex is robust after 11 years,
so a lot of times, she just has to reach
out to thought leaders and industry with
a friendly email to assure participation.
“There is no set template for industry
sponsors,” she says. “We don’t say, ‘You
have to sponsor this or that’; it’s more of
an à la carte system.”
She is no “bridezilla” on game day,
but she admits hosting VCS is similar to
hosting multiple weddings on the same
weekend—especially now that the confer-
ence has taken up all of the meeting space
at Las Vegas’ posh Bellagio hotel. “Every
night there are a couple of events going on,
including receptions, cocktail seminars,
and other meet-and-greets.”
Despite the frenetic pace, she does
enjoy the 5-day meeting. “I like seeing it
unfold and catching up with our faculty
who come back year after year,” she says.
“You would think after so many years I’d
be used to it, but seeing the Bellagio rooms
all set up is still exciting.”
Plus, it’s never totally the same meet-
ing as it was the year before, as Waldman
and Hepp like to keep things fresh and
dynamic. By far, the most exciting add
for 2015 is the International Breast &
Body Contouring Symposium, which
kicks the meeting up a notch or two. The
new tract features such sessions as “Body
Contouring Technologies: How They
Fit Into the Practice in 2015,” “Buttocks
Lifting, the Brazilian Point of View,” and
“Incorporating Stem Cell Treatments into
Your Body Contour Surgery.”
Most practice managers won’t be tasked
with putting on an event like VCS very
often, but Hepp does have some sage
counsel for those planning smaller-scale
in-office seminars or media briefings.
“Confirm, reconfirm, and confirm again,”
she says of booking guests and speakers.
“Put it in writing, and also reach out by
phone to let participants know you are
accessible and available to discuss any
issues that should arise along the way.”
And as anyone who has ever partici-
pated in VCS can attest, this is exactly how
Hepp does it.
Denise Mann is the editor of Plastic Surgery
Practice. She can be reached at dmann@
allied360.com.
A
nyone who has ever attended
Vegas Cosmetic Surgery (VCS)
can vouch that the multispecialty
meeting is seamless in execution
and flawless in presentation.
A lot of this has to do with Delphine
Hepp, the executive director of the Multi-
Specialty Foundation, a group whose main
objective is the coordination of an annual
symposium that brings together key opin-
ion leaders from oculoplastic surgery, der-
matologic surgery, facial plastic surgery,
and plastics.
Hepp has been working side by side
with the group’s founder—S. Randolph
Waldman, MD, a facial plastic surgeon
in Lexington, Ky—for the past 12 years.
She started off as more of a practice man-
ager, but as VCS—now in its 11th year—
took off, her job morphed into that of a
full-time event coordinator. The planning,
plotting, and prepping for the next event
starts the minute one ends—if not before.
And now, Hepp is also playing an impor-
tant role in the rollout of the new Global
Aesthetics Conference slated to take place
in Miami’s South Beach this Fall.
“Delphine has been involved in
the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery Symposium
from its very early days. She is really
‘my right hand’ with the organization
of this event, and her familiarity with
many of our faculty members is so very
important to the overall success of VCS,”
Waldman says.
It’s a big job, but it’s one that she makes
look easy.
By Denise Mann
Leading Lady
Delphine Hepp can put on a
Vegas-style production
Is your practice manager a star?
Let us know. He or she could be featured in
“Behind The Scenes.” Drop Denise Mann,
editor of Plastic Surgery Practice, a line at
PSPeditor@allied360.com