Behind the Scenes with AACC Booth Staff

When the exhibit hall opens on Tuesday, it will bustle with energy from the companies and organizations eager to welcome attendees into their booths. For some, it means re-uniting after the pandemic; for others, it may lead to new years-long relationships. In booth 2013, Siemens Healthineers will showcase its “Continuous innovation for a lifetime of answers”, and booth staff there will be ready to greet visitors and talk about the solutions on display. We talked to some of this year’s booth staff to give you an idea of the experience you will have when you visit Siemens Healthineers at AACC 2022.

Hello! Please introduce yourself. What are your names, where are you traveling to Chicago from, and have you been to AACC before? 

• Hello, my name is Kristin Hall, and I’ll be coming in to Chicago from Cowboy Nation, Dallas, Texas. I have participated in many AACCs. I believe this is my 10th.
• Wow, 10 years, that is impressive Kristin. Hello, my name is Aileen Schaer-Scheck. I live in Connecticut. This is my 5th year attending the AACC. I love being at the Welcome Desk because you get to know people from all over the world and I get a chance to speak Spanish and German to help visitors navigate our booth.
• Hello Kristin and Aileen! I am absolutely the newbie in this group. My name is Jomah Williams and I will be traveling to AACC via New York. This will be my first AACC experience and I look forward to representing Siemens Healthineers.
  
  
  

What is your day job at Siemens Healthineers, and how does that tie-in to what you will do in the booth?

• KH: I am a Chronic Disease Specialist and I'm excited to welcome customers to our Point of Care (POC) Testing and Informatics side of the booth!
• AS: I'm a digital marketing manager. Together with our local colleagues, we deploy digital campaigns, always keeping our customers in mind. At AACC, I have direct contact with some of these customers and this allows me to get a hint of who they really are. We also get the opportunity to interact with our own colleagues in global marketing and communications. Especially now, with most of us working remotely, it is a great chance to meet with them face-to-face.
• JW: I am the Product Manager for informatics for North America. I will be stationed at the informatics section of the booth at AACC and talking to customers about our digital solutions.

Is there anything you are excited to see for yourself at AACC?

• KH: I'm excited along with our customers to discover what’s new in our innovation lounges.
• AS: Besides all the great instruments we will have on the floor, I can't wait to see the expert presentations and POC educational workshop. I'm excited to see the traffic and the interest we will generate with this “hot ticket”.
• JW: I am excited for customer interactions and interest in our informatics products so we can talk about what they can accomplish in their labs with them.

Would your advice for a first-time AACC attendee differ from the advice you’d give someone who’s attended before?

• KH: For first-time attendees, take in the experience enjoy don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by the sheer volume and vastness of the event, and make sure to attend some of the talks! This year I heard some of the Theranos whistleblowers are speaking!
• AS: Every year is different. It's going to be a very busy booth like we had in pre-pandemic years. However, I think that attendees will have a main purpose at the show, more than ever before and not just window shopping, which I have seen in previous years. Attendees will be more "condensed". Whether it is your first time or not, we need to take advantage of this and we are prepared to answer all their questions and fulfill their expectations.
• JW: Being a first-time attendee myself I would leverage the experience of Aileen and Kristin. Take in the experience and enjoy the ride!

Tell us about your plans for sightseeing in Chicago—are there any attractions or restaurants you intend to go to?

• KH: Everyone keeps suggesting deep dish pizza but ssshhhhhhh—I'm a thin slice New York type of person. We’ll keep that as our secret.
• AS: Yum, deep-dish pizza. That sounds delicious. Last time I attended the AACC in Chicago, I did not have a chance to do something I really wanted to do. I grew up in Costa Rica, a Spanish-speaking country. As a little girl I would go to carnivals and one of my favorite rides was the Ferris Wheel. In Spanish we called it "La Rueda de Chicago" or the Chicago Wheel. Being there, where the Ferris Wheel was born, I want to take a selfie with "La Rueda the Chicago" in the background. I'm really looking forward to doing that.
• JW: I have heard the river tour from Michigan Ave is nice, but who knows if I will have time when there is so much to take in at AACC alone!

Visit Siemens Healthineers at the AACC Clinical Lab Expo from July 26-28 in booth #2013.

• Follow Kristin on LinkedIn.
• Follow Aileen on LinkedIn.
• Follow Jomah on LinkedIn.