Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | June 2013A4 Ad Nashville’s newest meeting facility hosts Academy of General Dentistry meeting The Academy of General Dentistry 2013 Annual Meeting and Exhibits is one of the first major events being held at Nashville's 1.2-million-square-foot Music City Center, which just opened at the end of May. The Music City Center bills itself as the city's “front porch.” Located in the heart of downtown, it's steps from the historic Ryman Auditorium, Broadway honky tonks and other musical ven- ues that have launched thousands of careers and given Nashville its “Music City” moniker. Rendering of the newly opened Music City Center, Nashville's newest events facility and host to the Academy of General Dentistry annual meeting, June 27–30. Photo/Provided by Music City Center Taking full advantage of the Music City Center's location, the AGD Presi- dential Concert is being held at the Ry- man on Saturday, June 29. Described by event organizers as “an intimate evening of entertainment,” the con- cert honors the AGD’s latest Masters, Fellows and Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition (LLSR) recipients. Sponsored by the AGD Foundation, the Presidential Concert features musical guests T. G. Sheppard, Kelly Lang and Brinn Black. Tickets are $50, with pro- ceeds benefiting the Interfaith Dental Clinic's mission to provide comprehen- sive dental care to underserved com- munities. Originally built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, the Ryman is desig- nated as a Nashville historic landmark. It is perhaps best known as the former home of the Grand Ole Opry and con- tinues today as an iconic musical en- tertainment venue. In addition to being so close to so many of Nashville's top attractions, musical and otherwise, the Music City Center has added its own contributions to the area’s offerings. More than 70 interior and exterior locations at the complex were earmarked for display of public art as part of the master plan- ning process. The center’s governing body, the Nashville Convention Center Authority, budgeted $2 million to fi- nance the purchase of artworks for the convention center. The collection cov- ers a broad spectrum of artistic media, such as paintings, suspended pieces, works on paper, new media, mosaics and light-based works. The exhibit hall at the meeting is open from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thurs- day (welcome reception from 5:30– 6:30 p.m.), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday (networking reception from 5–6 p.m.) and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Satur- day. Some of the exhibit hall hours are structured to be fully dedicated to the exhibit hall, with no competing events taking place during those time periods. Thursday morning’s keynote speaker at the opening general session is foren- sic anthropologist Bill Bass, PhD, with “Life as a Forensic Anthropologist.” Bass is the founder and former director of the Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Known as “The Body Farm,” the FAC is the world’s only laboratory devoted to the study of human decom- position. With Jon Jefferson, Bass is the author of the best-selling Body Farm mystery novels, the latest of which is “The In- quisitor’s Key,” released in May 2012. Bass is also the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific articles, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career titled “Death’s Acre.” Registration is now open for the Academy of General Dentistry 2013 An- nual Meeting at www.agd.org. (Source: Academy of General Dentistry, Music City Center) MEEtiNgS