7 More than a few mention that Alzheimer’s disease has impacted loved ones in their own lives. Heads nod in empathy. Then Darren Mendola, the Alzheimer’s Association’s vice president of global conferences and events — kicks off the gathering. “This conference is special — it’ll have a lot of firsts,” he says. “Our largest-ever number of exhibits. We’ll fill eleven hotels to 93 percent occupancy. Attendees will represent 102 countries.” The group claps as Mendola ticks off more firsts for the pending conference: • An anticipated over 12,000 attendees (8,000 onsite, 3,700 virtual), the highest attendance yet — and 38% of them are first- timers, evidence of the association’s continued relevance for new and veteran Alzheimer’s professionals alike. • 100 of the association’s top donors will attend, the most to ever do so, and they’ll be housed at the nearby Ritz-Carlton. • Nine plenary sessions, and 159 scientific sessions presented by researchers from the United States, India, Argentina, and elsewhere. • 149 companies manning 239 booths in the convention’s 180,000 square-foot exhibit hall. • The hosting of “AAIC for All,” a free, single-day event for local clinicians and community members to learn about the latest Alzheimer’s research findings — allowing attendees to feel knitted into the community both within and beyond the convention center walls. AAIC24’s fast-paced presentations, plenaries, and workshops, Mendola continues, will be balanced by off-site fun: A Sunday-evening welcome reception for all on-site attendees at The Franklin Institute, for which the association has booked the entire building. A Tuesday-morning 5K “Rocky Run,” starting and ending on the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And a Tuesday- evening After Hours Party for 3,000 at the funky and iconic Fillmore event space in Fishtown, where local DeeJay Shelly will help attendees shake out the day’s cobwebs. “We’ve packed a lot into the week. I want to thank all of you and your staff for what you’re going to do,” says Mendola earnestly. “Please pass along that this is not just another show, not just another event. I know everyone says that, but, really, this is the truth. “We’re going to be providing a very powerful platform for people to meet and share what they know. And we’re literally going to be live-streaming this conference around the world. “When a cure for Alzheimer’s is found, it will be because of an AAIC conference,” says Mendola, who has been with the association for 16 years. “So every one of your employees is contributing to the eventual cure. Please let them know how proud they should be of that.” After the meeting, Mendola chats with the PHLCVB’s Grasso and Mariya Brewer, the bureau’s senior destination services manager, who’ll be the association’s point person during the conference. If there’s a question or a problem — anything from a lost laptop, a broken printer, or a glitch with transportation, to a too-chilly meeting room or wonky booth setup in the exhibit hall — she gets the call and takes it from there. “It’s nonstop,” she says of her role, which she relishes. “But we’re used to it and we’ve seen it all,” says Grasso with the confidence of a pro who knows how to figure things out — and how to go the extra mile because of the delight it will bring. Case in point: The association’s cause-color is purple. So Grasso reached out to Philly’s Building Owners Management Association (BOMA) with a routine building-illumination request, to light the skyline purple for the duration of the Alzheimer’s conference. Many building managers responded with an enthusiastic yes, so it was a sure thing that the skyline would be aglow. Then Grasso got wind that City Hall — which has never participated in the illumination program, because its tower lights are only white — was in the midst of installing a new lighting system that would allow for other colors. She wondered, how amazing would it be if Philly’s most dramatic downtown building were to go purple for the cause? But when she asked about it, she was told — twice — that the system was still being tested and wouldn’t be ready in time. She thought, why not use the conference itself to test the system — in purple? Once she learned that City Hall’s clock-keeper is the person who makes the decision, she knew a face-to-face was called for. “So I went to City Hall and tracked him down,” she says, laughing. “He was a nice man, but very matter-of-fact. Conventions aren’t his concern — the tower is. I said, ‘Gosh, if you would just consider it, it would mean so much. And if you can’t, I totally understand, and thanks for your time. He thought about it for a minute, then said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ And City Hall went purple!” Click here to watch the PHLCVB’s drone video of the breathtaking skyline. It’s a keeper.
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