AMI 10-21 Esot Case Study

The transplant community gathered in Milan, Italy and online at the end of August to attend the 20th edition of the European Society for Organ Transplantation’s (ESOT) congress.

The biennial ESOT Congress is the largest gathering of the transplant community in Europe bringing clinicians, surgeons, physicians, nurses, scientists, researchers and patients to review the latest developments in transplantation. AIM Group International was appointed as the professional conference organiser and supported ESOT to organise the in-person event in Milan.

**Rosangela Quieti, AIM Group International’s congress director**

**Rosangela Quieti, AIM Group International’s congress director**

AIM Group International’s congress director, Rosangela Quieti echoed the sentiment that has been surrounding the live conference industry since the start of the pandemic as she explains, “organising such a major, international congress during the pandemic was a big challenge.”

One of the main challenges for organisers was managing sessions with both online and onsite speakers. But the greatest challenges, ESOT business development manager Devi Mey explains, was the uncertainty.

"Constantly navigating in uncertainties was challenging in making commitments to suppliers while ensuring maximum flexibility for delegates for the registration – we pushed all the deadlines to the very last minute to allow maximum flexibility for delegates who had to plan their travel arrangements but who were disrupted by constantly changing regulations regarding travels.

"Another challenge was given by the constant update of our delegates in reference to the covid situation and protocols in Italy. Regular newsletters were sent to the delegates and the website was constantly updated with the latest information from governmental institutions.

"A detailed safety plan was put in place and spread across the delegates, sponsors and suppliers involved, in order to reassure all of them and make them feel safe at the congress."

The ESOT Congress management team worked with AIM Group International and the MiCo Milano Convention Center, where the congress was hosted, to prepare a safety and security plan that respected the main criteria for in-person events as set out in Italy’s latest Covid regulations.

This plan included the following protocols:

Green Pass checking of every attendee
Separated entry and exit flows
Body temperature measurement at entrances
Hand sanitising stations throughout the venue
Floor signage to encourage 1m social distancing
Automated IT procedures for registration
Advanced medical support for those in need and all rooms set up to meet social distancing requirements

In addition, the cleaning service of the entire congress centre areas was upgraded, internal air recirculation was eliminated, and all catering services were redesigned in compliance with the hygiene and health safety measures necessary to avoid risks of biological contamination.

All in-person attendees who required a Covid-19 test prior to returning to their country were offered a swab test on-site for free at their convenience. This service was provided by a Covid-19 test Mobile Station parked at the congress venue.

Despite the increased safety protocols, the hybrid format allowed more delegates to attend the conference who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to travel to Italy. The added safety measures also generated a more personal and interactive conference for those who were in the room, with, “plenty of opportunities to meet, chat, train, share ideas, strengthen relationships on site but also be informed, updated and educated online,” Quieti adds.

“The hybrid format was a successful choice because the attendance was doubled thanks to both the channels. ESOT registered a very high number of in-person attendees, but in particular, the number of countries and regions represented, 74 in total, is impressive and surpassed expectations. It testifies the willingness for face-to-face meetings again and the value physicians put on educational events. We are really glad to be part of this challenging, but rich project, which marks a re-start for international in-person conferences”.

But as hybrid event organisers are abundantly aware, virtual and live formats combined are more costly, as Mey, explains: "organising a hybrid event is definitely more costly, mostly due to the onsite expenses; however, this year we were able to generate a greater income from our industry partners that made it up to the loss in registration income. "

She adds: "Indeed, the fees for the online participation generate less revenue. But all in all, we were able to manage our costs in a way that it would remain aligned with a traditional full in-person event but reducing travel expenses for example. We are also committed to revise our KPIs in an era where everything has been disrupted."

In numbers, the congress saw more than 850 speakers for 830 presentations (425 pre-recorded, 67 virtual delivered live and 338 on site), 1,200 abstracts were submitted, 11 break-out parallels rooms, 12 industry symposia, three hands-on sessions with simulation and perfusion machines and an exhibition area with more than 30 sponsors.

"The aim was to offer a similar level of interaction between delegates who were attending onsite and those online we provided webinars on how to use the platforms, how to engage with the community but most of the interaction happened on social media," Mey explains.

"We believe in the “less is more” so we also kept our platform as simple as possible."

All the scientific sessions were recorded and streamed online. A social program was also organised involving a President’s Dinner at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica cloister - the largest museum of science and technology in Italy - a welcome cocktail, some networking events at MiCo and a Board Dinner.

**Luciano Potena, ESOT President**

**Luciano Potena, ESOT President**

ESOT President, Luciano Potena, added: “On behalf of the European Society for Organ Transplantation, we warmly thank our most trusted partner, AIM Group, for their unconditional and most professional support. We couldn’t have hoped for a better partner to support ESOT in hosting the very first hybrid congress during these unprecedented times.”