LET THE GOOD TIMES FLOW The conference was held just steps from high-end dining and entertainment along San Antonio's beautiful River Walk.

TABLES TURNED Cheryl Cunningham, RN, administrator of the Findlay (Ohio) Surgery Center, hosted Dave Lebel and Michael Wiebel of Carl Zeiss during the reverse tradeshow format of the Big 10 Summit.

SCHEDULED STOP CareCredit's Richard Zander and Darla Mirenda met with Bernadette Santana, RN, BSN, nursing administrator at the Somerset (N.J.) Eye Institute, during the Big 10 Summit.

CORPORATE BONDS The Big 10 Summit provided plenty of relationship building opportunities for high-volume administrators and select vendor reps.

LEADING OFF (left to right) Edward Wilham, MS, Lou Ann Waldron, RN, BSN, ONC, CNOR, and Thomas Durick, MD, kicked off the conference with creative ways to contain costs in the OR.

SURGEON TO PATIENT Sharona Ross, MD, FACS, director of minimally invasive surgery and surgical endoscopy at Florida Hospital Tampa, shared the valuable lessons she learned on the day she underwent surgery.

TOP DOC Mark Gittins, DO, of the New Albany (Ohio) Surgery Center, shared insights into how to add total joint replacement surgery during a special preconference workshop.

COMFORT MEASURES Eugene Viscusi, MD, the highly respected director of acute pain management at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, discussed the latest advancements in post-op pain management.

RAPID RESPONSE Handheld keypads enabled audience members to interact with presenters in real time.

QUITE THE PAIR Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC, chief nursing officer at SourceMedical (left), and Donna Smith, BS, CASC, COO at Nexus Surgical Partners, hosted the always-popular surgical game show Tournament of Champions.

LEARNING IS FUN Nia Wright, MSN, MHA, RN, CNOR, senior nursing director of surgical services at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md., enjoyed the Tournament of Champions.

GLASS HALF FULL Kim Miller, RN, nurse manager of the Dauphin West Surgery Center in Mobile, Ala., stopped by the AIV booth for a glass of white from Jessica Price.

PACKED HOUSE General sessions were filled with eager audiences who came ready to learn and share.

ON THE HOUSE Ansell's Jennifer Barber did some complimentary pouring in the exhibit hall.

BUILDING A BRAND Chris Malone of Fidelum Partners in Newtown Square, Pa., and author of "The Human Brand," said patients react positively to warmth and competence.

ALL SMILES Fran Daley, RN, CNOR, wound down in the exhibit hall after lending her expertise during a preconference workshop dedicated to solving tough staffing challenges.

THE HUMAN SPIRIT People told former NFL special teams star Kevin Reilly that he wouldn't ever tie his own tie again after his left arm was amputated. Luckily, he didn't listen.

BEST OF THE BEST The winners of this year's OR Excellence awards were recognized during a celebratory luncheon.

CROWD PLEASER David Taylor, RN, MSN, CNOR, director of the cardiovascular ORs at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, discussed the need for improved perioperative leadership.

FEEDBACK ENCOURAGED Mary Radke, RN, manager of the Dakota Eye Surgery Center in Bismarck, N.D., shared her insights during one of the general sessions.

CONFERENCE CONNECTION Melody Clarke, RN, BSN, CASC, vice president of clinical services at Surgical Investors and Advisors in Hampton, Ga., chatted with Dustin Derosier at the GOJO booth.

COCKTAIL PARTY Erica Natal, BSN, MHA, MBA, director of clinical services at Rockford (Ill.) Gastroenterology Associates, sampled a martini in the exhibit hall.

POWERFUL MESSAGE Kevin Reilly signed autographs after his inspirational presentation on the power of the human spirit.

IDEAS THAT WORK Leslie Mattson, RN, BSHM, a healthcare consultant at ALM Surgical Solutions in Macon, Ga., shared 50 practical and creative surgical workarounds.

CLOSING REMARKS Kenneth Rothfield, MD, MBA, CPE, system vice president and chief medical officer at Saint Vincent's Healthcare in Jacksonville, Fla., ended the conference on a high note with his powerful discussion about the lessons learned from the Joan Rivers tragedy.

FAST FRIENDS (left to right) Dawn Dormitorio, BS, CNOR, director of surgical services at the Surgical Center of DuPage Medical in Lombard, Ill., Angela Beaumont, surgical technologist and materials manager at Hoffman Estates (Ill.) Surgery Center, and Annamarie York, MBA, administrator and director of nursing at Hoffman Estates Surgery Center.

POINT TAKEN Ralph Dizzine and Sarah Smitney of Conformis chat with Lindsey Wharton, ADN (left), and Renee Gibb, RN, ADN, of the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center in Zephyr Cove, Nev.

LISTENING IN Collin Metz of De Soutter Medical connected with Allana Coleman, BSN, nurse manager at the Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Waco, Texas.