People’s quest to stay young continues to drive the growth of Tarsus Group’s medical conferences, including the latest – the 19th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine (A4M) – which recently was held at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The four day event’s preliminary attendance numbers showed an increase, compared with last year, drawing more than 5,500 people. There also were 350 exhibitors, another increase, compared with last year, and the showfloor saw positive growth as well, according to Doreen Brown, CEO of A4M & Medical Conferences International.

“Our attendance is really good,” Brown said. “Physicians from all specialties come to the event."

She added that a lot of the show’s attendance growth has come from the fact that more mainstream physicians now are coming to the event.

“There is more scientific acceptance of what we are doing.” Brown said. “With the shift in health care plans, there’s more attention to preventive medicine."

Dr. Michael Chesner, a cardiologist from Long Beach, N.Y., said he had been to the show a few times.

“I believe there is a need to change medicine from disease-based to a health-based model,” he added. “I come to this show to meet like-minded people and find new products.”

Chesner said that even though cardiology usually is approached in a traditional method, he wants to take a more integrative approach to treating his patients and offer them alternative health care choices.

“What convinced me about this show is my wife went to a chiropractor who gave her neutraceuticals that really helped her,” he added. “It’s getting back to nature.”

Brown said that the neutraceutical market is one reason for the growth of exhibitors and overall size of the showfloor as that market continues to expand.

On the show’s opening day, the exhibit floor was teeming with attendees checking out the latest products from not only neutraceutical companies, but also compounding pharmacies, skin care companies, aesthetic s equipment and much more.

Ted Hull, president of Genova Diagnostics, a medical testing company, said he has exhibited at the show for 10 years and has seen the quality of the exhibitors and attendees increase “tremendously” over the years.

“This is a good show for us because we are a specialty company and sell unique and novel lab testing,” Hull added. “Attendees at this show tend to be early adopters.”

Besides the Las Vegas event’s showfloor, there also were more than 90 educational sessions, with several tracks running simultaneously. Brown said the educational content now also has been made available online, drawing an even bigger audience.

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine was formed in 1992 by Dr. Robert Goldman and Dr. Ronald Klatz, and U.K.-based Tarsus Group bought the academy’s conference component in 2006.

The academy holds two annual conferences each year – one in Las Vegas and the other in Orlando – as well as symposiums throughout the year that attract up to 1,000 attendees each and events in overseas markets, including Dubai, Asia and Australia.

 “We’re looking to do more in Asia," Brown said. "The demand is there and South America.”