Twenty years ago, a lot was happening from a technology and marketing standpoint:

• First flip phone — Motorola StarTac — released
• First version of Java released
• Nintendo 64 first introduced in Japan, then in US three months later
• MSNBC begins Microsoft internet-NBC TV
• New toll-free area code 888 introduced
• Free email service Hotmail introduced
• Internet Explorer 3.0 released
• Netscape Browser 3.0 released
• Travelocity opened online
• Approximately 45 million people were using the Internet, with roughly 30 million of those in North America (US and Canada), 9 million in Europe, and 6 million in Asia/Pacific (Australia, Japan, etc.). 43.2 million (44%) of US households owned a personal computer, and 14 million of them were online.

To put things into perspective from a pop culture standpoint, 1996 was the year that:

• The Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta.
• “You had me at hello.” and “Show me the money!” (from the 1996 film Jerry McGuire) became fixtures in the US vernacular.

In the healthcare marketing space, 1996 was a very important year. In that year, Greystone.Net co-founder John Eudes had a vision: An internet conference dedicated to healthcare…in Las Vegas, no less…with Nicholas Negroponte from MIT speaking on “Being Digital.”

And thus the Annual Healthcare Internet Conference was born. From 75 attendees that first year to almost 800 attendees last year, the HCIC has become the largest event of its kind, pulling together those in Marketing, Information Services, Web, eHealth and mHealth to learn, collaborate and advance the industry. From Las Vegas to Atlanta, from San Diego to Orlando – and points in between – the HCIC has become the “must attend” destination every year for hundreds of people in our industry.

We hope you are planning to join us in Las Vegas for the 20^th Annual HCIC! In honor of the 20^th anniversary of the conference, many special things are planned. In addition, because Election Day falls during the conference, we will have coverage of election results in the Exhibition Hall on the evening of November 8.

Exhibitor booths are almost sold out, and the block of hotel rooms at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is going quickly. Register for the conference now if you haven’t done so already. Reserve your hotel room by Oct. 14 to get the early registration discount.