Meeting Planning Services

The Office of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is committed to developing, organizing, and implementing a quality educational activity through a collaborative process with the Activity Director and planning committee.

Specifically, the Activity Director will be responsible for the needs assessment and learning objectives of the program, identifying potential areas of commercial support, speaker selection, and interpretation of possible conflicts of interest.

For our part, we recognize that each activity is unique, and we will tailor our services to meet your specific needs. 

CME and Other Continuing Education Certifications

CME Certification

  • The University of Rochester Office of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. CPE ensures that any activity receiving AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM through the University meets the standards established by the ACCME. These “essential areas” have been put in place to assure physicians and the public that approved CME activities meet accepted standards of education.

  • As an accredited CME provider, CPE must be involved in the initial planning stages of any activity if credit is to be awarded. The number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM awarded for each activity is based upon the submitted program agenda and is subject to modification if the agenda changes. Approval of CME credit is contingent on adherence to the CME Guidelines and Standards provided by CPE. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in an activity being denied CME credit.

Additional Certifications

  • As part of our fully-coordinated services and upon request from the Activity Director, CPE can complete applications for additional continuing education credit such as nursing or AAFP and submit materials to the appropriate accredited providers.


Meeting Planning Services


The CPE office is fully staffed with professional meeting planners ready to assist you with every aspect of event planning. Our fees for managing a fully-coordinated conferences are based on the level of sophistication of the program. Our fully-coordinated services include, but are not limited to:

  • Location: Selecting and contracting a location for the activity and communicating with the facility’s staff to ensure that all on-site needs are met including food and beverage, audio-visual and meeting room set-up. 
  • Collateral: Coordinating design and production of all advertising materials as determined, including save-the-date postcards, invitations, brochures and posters. 
  • Mailings: Identifying the target audience for program marketing materials. Generating mailing lists through the CPE database and other external sources.
  • Registration: Compiling all registration forms and tracking registrant information. Registration reports provided as requested. CPE staff will be on-site for registering attendees the day of the activity and your Program Coordinator will be available throughout the scheduled activity day(s).
  • Commercial Support: Handling all requests for educational grants and exhibit fees after being informed of key commercial support companies by the Activity Director. Coordinating Commercial Support Agreements which must be prepared for each company providing support for an approved CME program. Handling exhibitor set-up and tear-down on the day of the activity. Reconciling all support money after the activity.
  • Speakers: After the Activity Director selects the program speakers, CPE will send out requests for Speaker Declaration Forms for determining conflict of interest, which are required from each speaker according to CME Guidelines and Standards. Gathering of Speaker Information Forms which will indicate speaker overnight accommodation needs, audio-visual requirements and hand-out materials. Hotel accommodations and travel arrangements for speakers handled upon request.
  • Additional Certifications: Completion of any additional applications for continuing education credit such as nursing or AAFP as requested by the Activity Director.
  • Syllabus Materials: Gathering, printing and collating all hand-out materials including program, roster, supporter acknowledgement, speaker hand-outs, note sheets and evaluations.
  • Evaluations: Preparing an evaluation tool which measures the success of the program as related to needs assessment and objectives. Data collected from participants at the conclusion of the activity is evaluated and analyzed for their effectiveness. Results will be shared with the Activity Director, planning committee, and individual speakers.
  • Finances:  Managing financial details including construction and modification of the budget, overseeing program revenue and expenses, and if necessary, altering the program structure to ensure that deficits are kept to a minimum. We will prepare a final summary of revenue and expenses for the activity; this is normally accomplished 2-3 months after the activity.

Coupon/Voucher Programs

  • The CME Voucher Award Program has been developed to recognize the efforts of the Medical School’s community based preceptors, to encourage their continued involvement, and to acknowledge the importance of their contributions. Vouchers can be redeemed ONLY for activities registering through the University of Rochester Office of Continuing Professional Education.  Instructions for use are on the Vouchers.  A limited number of ‘Voucher’ registrations will be available for any given activity, and they are redeemed on a first come-first served basis. 

  • The UR Nursing Contact Hour (NCh) Coupon Award Program has been developed to recognize the efforts of the School of Nursing’s preceptors, to encourage their continued involvement, and to acknowledge the importance of their contributions. Coupons can be redeemed for activities registering through the University of Rochester, Office of Continuing Professional Education, the School of Nursing and the Center for Lifelong Learning at the Community Nursing Center at the School of Nursing.  Instructions for use are printed on the Coupons.