EUROASIA22, a success story - A case study for organising a successful Congress in difficult times

Authors – Rajesh Mishra, Maurizio Cecconi, Sharmili Sinha, Ahsina Jahan Meetings and More

Introduction

The organisation of a successful congress is a hallmark event for any scientific society, showcasing the solidity of its research work and community reach. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges to such physical gatherings. Therefore, the EuroAsia 2022 congress recently held by ISCCM and ESICM stands out as a case study to be examined for successful medical congress organisation, from the conception of the idea to execution, and the following steps were undertaken.'

Planning

The planning for the event started in November 2021. Still, due to the second wave of COVID-19 in India, the ISCCM National Congress, Criticare, had to be postponed until early April 2022, thus affecting the planning and scheduling of the joint EuroAsia conference, which was postponed to 30 June - 3 July, 2022.

Nonetheless, three weeks after Criticare, the preliminary plan and communication resources (website, flyers) to promote EuroAsia were prepared and sent to potential delegates and industry partners.

Registration

Registration opened the last week of April.

Flyers were distributed by both courier and mail, and " key opinion leaders" in the critical care field in India were contacted: in each state, a key person was appointed as a "brand ambassador" to spearhead the dissemination of the message about EuroAsia to all interested delegates and small pharmaceutical companies that do not routinely attend a critical care conference.

In addition, the strategy of multiple paid Facebook ads helped register nearly 1/3 of delegates who were not ISCCM or ESICM members.

By the end of May 2022, we had reached the satisfactory quota of 200 registrations. Meanwhile, we had finalised the scientific sessions and educational workshops programme. These were also adequately promoted through individual flyers and the Congress website. Thanks to this latest massive promotion, we were able to reach another 300 delegates in the run-up to the congress.

Finance

The conference was scheduled to be held in one of the best convention centres in India. The ISCCM worked to contain the budget which allowed the best use of the time and space available to organise other ISCCM meetings such as the Toxicology Conclave, the Fellow Conclave and the Teachers Conclave.

This solution also encouraged more ISCCM members to take advantage of the added benefit of EuroAsia's simultaneous presence.

New knowledge partners

We had to look for new knowledge partners in the form of industries contributing with educational grants. While small-scale industry partners have contributed unconditionally in their capacity, some of the companies that operate in the chronic medicine sector provided unrestricted educational grants due to efforts made by our ambassadors.

Networking

Networking has played a valuable role in this conference. Social media, emails and personal phone calls were utilised for the expected delegates. But the most effective resource w the “Brand Ambassadors’’ who worked hard to get interested and enthusiastic people on board for a successful congress.

Workshop

Our workshops were designed in an interactive and informative way. All the senior faculties were constantly available to address the queries of the delegates.

Academics sessions

During the academic sessions, original research works were presented by keynote speakers. In addition, case-based panel discussions from Indian faculties have triggered immense interest, and we did witness highly interactive participation from the audience. After each session, ample time was given to the delegates to discuss their ideas. For example, how to apply/implement the available research evidence into different healthcare systems across the globe with diverse challenges and country economics.

Research vs experience sharing

EuroAsia 2022 was the perfect amalgamation of original research and experience sharing. While the European counterparts delivered their best of the ‘’evidence’’, the Indian partners shared their ‘experience’, and on most occasions, there was concurrence among them.

A further confirmation of ESICM and ISCCM's common basis for validating research on bedside medicine.

Breaking the barriers

It was the first time the international faculty, the Indian faculty and delegates interacted freely at breakfast, lunch, dinner after and even during the academic sessions. In the future, interaction and mingling of senior faculty and delegates should be made possible at every juncture.

Brand ambassadors

The concept of brand ambassadors proved to be a winning move. We tapped into like-minded people who wanted to support the conference, while at the same time making them feel a part of the conference itself, motivated to contribute immensely with their efforts. This paid off and we were happy to recognise their efforts.

Venue

The venue proved to be an excellent choice. Close to the airport, it had a large single hall capable of accommodating up to 1400 delegates and 10 different small rooms with seating for up to 50 delegates and ample space for interaction during lunch and dinner.

All delegates appeared satisfied with the smooth running of the sessions and the excellent hospitality provided by the ISCCM and ESICM. The ‘feel-good’ factor was tremendous for everyone.

Time management

Time management and on-time sessions at any conference are the key to success and the most important denominator of success. We managed to keep 100% of sessions on time, from morning to late evening, and each participant had plenty of time to share their views.

Conclusion

Organising a successful Congress has always proved challenging, especially in the current scenario. We have to rely on the intelligent management of available funds, paid registration from interested delegates, non-pharmaceutical educational grants, engagement of manufacturers and getting on board non-pharmaceutical stakeholders.

Some quality indicators must be kept in mind, such as intime sessions, original talks by original researchers, good presentation quality, practical clinical tips provided, good hospitality, comfortable venue, and ample time to interact. In addition, thorough and adaptable planning will prepare us to face unexpected challenges when organising future congresses.

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