A Look Back on CSMC 2023
The Canadian Seating & Mobility Conference (CSMC) took place from Sept. 12-13 in Toronto, Canada, where more than 650 attendees, speakers, and exhibitors in the seating, mobility, and complex rehab technology industry from across Canada gathered together for education and hands-on learning opportunities, networking, and a sold-out exhibit hall full of the leading clinical educators and rehab and mobility manufacturers.
“We’ve had a tremendous response from our attendees this year. From the first-rate educational sessions to a sold out and very busy exhibit hall, this year’s event was one of our best yet,” said Dave Davies, President, VGM Canada. “We are already working on plans for next year’s show and look forward to seeing everyone back in September.”
From a thoughtful keynote presentation, the announcement of the winner of the Canadian HME Woman of the Year, to engaging educational workshops and a sold-out exhibit hall, CSMC 2023 provided attendees the opportunity to continue to develop their skills and learn about new product developments and innovative ideas to bring back to their businesses.
Keynote and Canadian HME Woman of the Year
CSMC kicked off Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the morning with opening remarks, followed by the presentation of the second annual Canadian HME Woman of the Year award presented by VGM Canada. Sheila Buck, occupational therapist and owner of Therapy NOW! was announced as the 2023 Canadian HME Woman of the Year. This award reflected Sheila’s contributions to her company, her community, and the home medical equipment and mobility industry.
Following this presentation, keynote speaker Tim Arnold shared powerful tools to help attendees understand and breakthrough the chronic issues they face in both their professional and personal lives. Arnold has spent over two decades helping leaders better manage complexity, increase resilience, and deliver results, and attendees were pleased with the presentation he delivered.
Educational and Hands-On Learning Workshops
CSMC is known for the excellent lineup of sessions and hands-on learning opportunities, and this year was no different. Throughout the 30 different sessions, speakers presented on a variety of topics such as mobility, power seating, pediatrics, geriatrics, wound care, and more.
Some of these sessions included:
- Empowering Wheelchair Users with Blind Spot Sensor Technology by Pooja Viswanathan
- Community Seating Assessment Toolkit by Stefan Morin
- Fall Prevention Through Wheelchair Seating by Anna Sokol
- Using Technology and Seating to Fuel Passion and Leisure by Sarah Timleck, Kim Marven
- Back Support Consideration to Optimize Function and Posture by Stephanie Tanguay
- Making Sleep Surfaces Count by Kathy Fisher
- Pressure Injury Prevention Throughout the Client’s Day by Linda Norton, RN, MN, BScN, BScKin, WOCC(C)
- On-Time Mobility for Manual and Powered Mobility: Evidence and Shared Experiences for Intervention and Training by Toni Taylor, OT
- Beyond the Joystick by Pam McCaskill, OT, Jason Chiasson, Account Manager, and Power Sales Specialist
- Standing for Function by Maryann Girardi, PT, DPT, ATP
A well-attended plenary session was held on Wednesday morning, “Best Practices in the Wheelchair Provision Process,” where a cross disciplinary panel representative of the industry spoke about best practices and challenges in seating and mobility.
Networking and Sold-Out Exhibit Hall
Throughout the conference, attendees were encouraged to network and connect with other therapists, manufacturers, and vendors from North America who are committed to excellence in the profession. In addition to the Tuesday evening social hour with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and mingling with fellow industry professionals, the sold-out exhibit hall was a major hit.
Attendees, including clinicians and providers, were able to view the latest advancements in industry-leading products and solutions to help them provide the highest level of care to their patients. During the exhibit hall, attendees connected with seating and mobility suppliers, tested out the latest innovations, voted for the best new product for the Harding Award for Product Innovation, and much more.
The new product walk consisted of exhibitors showcasing their latest products. Attendees voted on the best new product to receive the Harding Award for Product Innovation, and the 2023 winner was Sunrise Medical for their RGK VEYPR SUB4 Manual Rigid Wheelchair.
CSMC 2023 was a major success. VGM Canada would like to once again thank all those who made CSMC possible, and we hope that everyone was able to connect with their peers as well as take away some new ideas for their business. Be sure to save the date for CSMC 2024, September 10-11, 2024!
Forward Together at CSMC 2022
Written in October 2022
The Canadian Seating & Mobility Conference (CSMC) took place from Oct. 20-21 in Toronto, Canada, where over 600 seating, mobility, and complex rehab technology professionals from across Canada gathered with their peers in-person for the first time in three years.
From an inspiring keynote presentation, the announcing of the winner of the Canadian HME Woman of the Year, to thought-provoking educational workshops and an engaging exhibit hall, this conference gave attendees the opportunity to continue to develop their skills and learn about new product developments and innovative ideas to bring back to their businesses.
Keynote and Canadian HME Woman of the Year
CSMC kicked off Thursday Oct. 20 in the morning with opening remarks, followed by the presentation of the first annual Canadian HME Woman of the Year award by VGM Canada. From three finalists, Cindy Wickens, Founding Partner for Xperience Home Healthcare in Windsor, ON, was announced as the winner of the 2022 Canadian HME Woman of the Year award.
This award seeks to recognize one of the many women in the HME industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community, and the home medical equipment or mobility industry.
"VGM Canada is proud to name Cindy as the first Canadian HME Woman of the Year,” said Dave Davies, president of VGM Canada. “Her contributions to her company, the industry, and her community have been significant. Congratulations, Cindy!”
Following this presentation, Anthony Lue captivated the audience during the keynote presentation by speaking about his journey through the ups and downs of being a high school superstar athlete who lost it all after he was crushed in an industrial accident at work, to now excelling as one of the most able-bodied paraplegics. He explained how to find and use one's own determination to conquer any challenge that comes their way.
Premier Educational Workshops
Thursday and Friday consisted of 30 different educational workshops in five session blocks, each ranging in topics from clinical care, service delivery, product development, research, and more.
Some of these sessions included:
- Power Up! Clinical and Functional Review of Power Add-On by Sheila Buck and Brenlee Mogul-Rotman
- Teamwork – Best Practices for Improved Outcomes in Community and Long-Term Care by Anna Sokol
- Power Wheelchairs – Thinking Beyond the Standard Joystick by Kathy Fisher
- Positioning Kids by Michelle Lang
- Facing Forward – What’s Up With Head and Neck Support? by Kathy Fisher
- Custom Seating Anonymous – Understanding the Seven Steps by Stefanie Laurence
- Blind Spot Sensors for Wheelchairs: From Research to Market by Pooja Viswanathan and Rosalie Wang
- Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day: All Terrain Outdoor Power Wheelchairs Enhance Meaning and Function by Sarah Timleck and Sheila Buck
- From Frequencies to G’s: Measuring Vibration and Shock in Power Wheelchairs by Cathy Choi and Paula Shing
- Practical Applications for Best Outcomes: Provisions of a Powered Mobility System by Brenlee Mogul-Rotman
A plenary session was also held on Friday morning, titled, “Doing NO Harm - Standard for the Assessment and Provision of Complex Rehabilitation Devices.”
Exhibit Hall and Networking
One of the key components of CSMC is showcasing the latest advancements in seating and mobility products. Thursday afternoon consisted of the welcome reception in the exhibit hall, where attendees could network with suppliers and discover innovative new products.
While exploring the exhibit hall throughout Thursday and Friday, CSMC hosted the new product walk, where exhibitors could showcase their latest products. Attendees cast their vote on the best new product to receive the Harding Award for Product Innovation. The winner of the Harding Award for Product Innovation was Synetik Group for their SKY by Synetik, which was announced on Friday.
VGM Canada is truly grateful for all those who made CSMC possible. From insightful education sessions, honoring the nominees and first winner of the Canadian HME Woman of the Year Award, an amazing exhibit hall, and announcing the winner of the Harding Award for Product Innovation, we are so thankful for all those who made this conference possible.
Be sure to save the date for CSMC 2023, September 12-13, 2023!