The European Congress of Radiology 2021 was a case study of how to embrace virtual event innovation in Vienna. CMW talks to two of the key drivers of the project.
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) is one of Europe’s largest congress events and the second biggest medical imaging meeting worldwide. It is usually held annually in Vienna, but in 2021 it was a virtual-only event (3-7 March). Organisers still masterminded a major technological operation which delivered novel and interactive content, connecting 15,000 participants across the globe.
The broadcast offering saw five simultaneous channels streamed on the in-house ‘ESR Connect’ platform. Vienna’s Palais Hansen Kempinski provided the HQ, housing the live studio.
A new ‘Pop-Up World Tour’ transformed Vienna into a global interface for delegates, showcasing sessions from across the world and expanding the reach of ECR 2021. Gamification elements were introduced for the first time, to increase active involvement. Play@ECR offered guests the chance to win daily prizes at exhibitor stands and helped maintain increased awareness during the virtual exhibition. It also encouraged networking.
There was an ‘In-Focus’ wellness programme, as well as interactive Yoga, Qigong and Aikido classes – all part of a plan to place emphasis on the physical and mental wellbeing of participants.
Christian Woronka, director of the Vienna Convention Bureau, believes this year’s ECR has shown that Vienna is setting trends in the global meetings industry even in challenging times. “Through its innovative implementation, the ECR has set new standards for online medical meetings, while at the same time Vienna’s international appeal as a meeting metropolis has been strengthened,” he says, as he looks towards helping the organisers with their planned Hybrid ECR Summer Edition 2021 and the next physical ECR in 2022.
Vienna showcase
ECR 2021 was a huge opportunity to showcase the city of Vienna and its technological capacities.
Woronka says: “This year’s ECR has shown that the Meeting Destination Vienna is not only perfectly capable of hosting international congresses with thousands of attendees in person, but functions further as a perfect stage for global virtual event formats.”
What about the reaction of delegates at ECR 2021 and their appetite for virtual and hybrid? What advice does Woronka offer others in terms of getting the most out of such events?
“ECR and its delegates are no strangers to virtual meetings. Since 2013 live streaming has been used to reach a wide audience. However, this year’s ECR certainly set new standards for online medical meetings through its interactive content,” he says.
“While virtual meetings will never be able to adequately replace physical events, companies and associations can make use of technology that allows interaction and opportunities for virtual networking to provide added value. Destinations can present themselves through provided video material or digital 360° experiences.”
The VCB director believes hybrid meetings will continue to play an important role in the future and says Vienna’s numerous meeting locations and venues have quickly adapted to the technological requirements to offer solutions and services for all forms of meetings.
CMW also sought the view of Professor Michael Fuchsjäger, chairman of the ESR Board of Directors. How had his team prepared for the big March event?
“The European Society of Radiology realised many years back that a mixture of online and onsite will be the future of professional medical meetings. We were among the first to stream our entire congress, which covered 30 separate rooms in parallel and live, back in 2013, and based on this early start we have gained a lot of in-house experience.
“In late 2019, we channelled all of this knowledge into ESR Connect, which is not only our streaming platform for live events, but also our on-demand vault for over 950 hours of high-quality educational material.
“One of the main reasons behind the decision was that we wanted to create a unique platform and experience for our users, a solution we could shape for our needs.
“I have visited many online events lately and you soon realise that there is a limit to what you can do with some ‘out of the box’ standard solution. Like our onsite ECR, we also wanted our online platform ESR Connect to be the best solution we could imagine.”
What had convinced the Board to go down the route of a bespoke platform and studio at the Hansen Kempinski? How had they controlled costs while giving rein to the creative process?
“When we started thinking about creating Channel No. 1, which featured the Pop-Up World Tour, our Table Talks, Morning Welcomes from the president, and the Wellbeing Workshops, we immediately knew that this must be done with excellence. Our congress participants who have been to Vienna before know the ECR for its unique atmosphere, innovation and style, as well as its ability to transform the congress venue into a world of radiology. With Channel No. 1, we transferred this experience to the online world and the Hansen Kempinski, a long-term partner, offered the perfect venue, where we were able to set up our fantastic virtual studio.
“The Pop-Up World tour was a great success as everyone we invited did such a fantastic job and we were overwhelmed with the programmes they came up with. ECR 2021 became a truly global event and was as diverse as our onsite meetings.
“There must be a balance between costs and creative freedom, but it is this creativity that leads to innovation and to the permanent reinvention of the ECR. In the end, investing in creativity will always pay off.”
The professor says supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of the society’s members had been of particular importance given the heavy demands placed on them in their hospitals and institutions during the pandemic. “Creating a balanced programme with both educational sessions and interactive wellness workshops was challenging but was well worth it according to the positive feedback we got,” he says.
And how would the professor assess the virtual experience in terms of results?
“An online congress is extremely different to an onsite one, and so a comparison between the two would not be helpful. Instead, we compare the experience we have offered attendees during the challenges of the pandemic with that offered by the rest of the medical meetings industry. Here we see that the ECR 2021 has set incredible standards in the online meeting experience.
“There were several unique features of the congress that really stood out. Firstly, our Pop-Up World Tour, which saw us engage with societies, institutions and companies from more than 20 cities across the world.
“Secondly, with an updated congress platform, we were also able to offer a total of five simultaneous streams full of scientific and educational content.
“Thirdly, we made interactivity a huge priority, using various features like our virtual exhibition, speaker directory and live chat functions to ensure that attendees could still engage with one another.
“Organising a congress of this style has certainly influenced our outlook for future congresses. Future onsite meetings will offer even more extensive opportunities for virtual attendance through live streaming and remote interaction than before, so that even those who cannot make their way to Vienna can learn and participate in ECR,” the professor says.
The ECR July hybrid event, the professor adds, will be built on everything learned from ECR 2021 and be a test run for new ideas under development for ECR 2022, back at Austria Center vienna.
“We are working on a physical attendance part as well,” the professor adds, but notes that will be dependent on the regulations set by the Austrian authorities at that time.
