Last July 15-19, 2020, there were around 15,000 participants from all over the world, from approximately 30 countries, who joined the European Congress of Radiology’s “Virtual Exhibition.”
Comparing it to last year’s attendance count, it represented a 5% increase in numbers. This year’s event was also the very first time in history that this was done entirely online.
The Vienna Convention Bureau was very much involved in the organization and made it possible to be done digitally as this is Europe’s biggest congress for radiology and radiotechnology.
Overall, 216 companies showcased their products by doing demonstrations and conducting webinars, and this was all delivered through an online format.
As this was something new for the organization, they also added a new feature of the digital EDR 2020 called “ESR Table Talks.” Professor Boris Brkljačić and Professor Lorenzo Derchi, along with the hosts, presented this segment, reporting from the European Society of Radiology building, which is located in the middle of Vienna.
Congress President Professor Brkljačić stated that “The educational content at this year’s congress has been of an extremely high standard and, although I hope that we will meet together in Vienna again soon, I think this congress has proved that online conference formats are possible and that the ESR has successfully set an industry standard with last week’s meeting.”
So in this year’s exhibition, a new feature called the “Vienna Lounge” was also launched. The whole Viennese ambiance comes from this — as the goal of it is to be a backdrop for the congress, wherein there were various activities like cooking courses, concerts, and finally, as it is also on the delegate program, the virtual tours of the Viennese museums were also conducted.
Some companies also opted to do specific satellite symposia. There will be ten highlight weeks until December 2020, which will tackle a series of curated topics.
For more information: www.myesr.org
