What is the average time spent between a doctor and a sales
representative at a medical convention.  I am looking for the TRUTH
and expecting a very short time around 10 - 30 seconds.  I DO NOT want
the hyper-inflated data from exhibit companies and trade associations
that push conventions as a great marketing tool.  This data must
include all booth visitors including the majority who "gab and go" --
those who enter the booth to grab a pen, widget or a drink!

<Medical trade shows ? interaction time.

Based on the average time spent visiting exhibits and the number of
exhibitors at medical trade shows, visitors spend an average of 19.35
seconds at a booth. In addition only 47% of visitors will speak to a
staff member.

Exhibit Surveys Inc. conducted a survey in 2003 of attendess from
nearly 50 U.S. trade shows. The shows surveyed included five medical
trade shows.
The average time spend at exhibits at medical trade shows was 7 hours.

47 percent of an average exhibitor?s customers speak to a staff member.
Source: Exhibit Surveys Inc.
http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/article.asp?ID=532The Trade Show 

The medical trade shows surveyed were:

American Academy of Opthamology 2003 Annual Meeting.
American College of Cardiology 52nd Annual Scientific Session
ACOG 51st Annual Clinical Meeting.
ACS 89th Annual Clinical Congress
American Urological Association 98th Annual Meeting
Congress of Neurological Surgeons 53rd Annual Meeting
Source: Exhibit Surveys Inc.
http://www.exhibitoronline.com/tradeshowtrends.asp

The number of exhibitors at these shows were:

American Academy of Opthamology 2003 Annual Meeting.
500 exhibitors.
Source: AAO.
http://www.aao.org/annual_meeting/exhibitors/index.cfm

American College of Cardiology 52nd Annual Scientific Session
400 exhibitors.
Spurce: ACC.
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:22ZSdQqzuVgJ:www.acc.org/2006ann_meeting/pdfs/SSN_Reg-web031006.pdf+%22annual+scientific+session%22+atlanta+exhibitors&hl=nl&ct=clnk&cd=1

ACOG 51st Annual Clinical Meeting.
Exhibitors 410
Booths 1300
Source: Mediconf
http://www.mediconf.com/recm/20650902.HTM

American Urological Association 98th Annual Meeting
5000 exhibitors.
Source: AUA.
http://www.aua2006.org/am06/

Congress of Neurological Surgeons 53rd Annual Meeting
200 exhibitors.
Source: CNS
http://www.neurosurgeon.org/meetings/2006/pdf/2005ExhibitorList.pdf

The number of exhibitors at each show surveyed were:
500
400
410
5000
200

Average number of exhibitors is 1302

------------------------------------
An INCOMM survey of 542 pharma sales reps found that 94 percent say
the average length of time doctors spend at a pharma exhibit is two
minutes or less.
Source: INCOMM
http://mediwire.skyscape.com/main/Default.aspx?P=Content&ArticleID=2270

According to Mike Swearingen, manager of Marketing Services for Lilly,
?for every doctor spoken to six will walk by.?
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:jd-6TYTn2vEJ:offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/Misc/MMM/Features/GroupSelling-May.pdf+survey+INCOMM+doctors&hl=nl&ct=clnk&cd=16>


<Search strategy :>

<survey doctors "trade show" incomm>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2006-26%2CGGLG%3Aen&q=survey+doctors+%22trade+show%22+incomm&lr=>

<survey medical "trade show" "time spent">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2006-26%2CGGLG%3Aen&q=survey+medical+%22trade+show%22+%22time+spent%22&lr=>

<AORN 50th Congress>
<://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-26,GGLG:en&q=AORN+50th+Congress>

<medical "trade show" exhibitors>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2006-26%2CGGLG%3Aen&q=medical+%22trade+show%22+exhibitors&lr=>


<Hope this helps.>