The Cairns Convention Centre (pictured), Australia, will host the 24th Congress of the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA) from 9-12 April, 2025. Cairns is taking over from Dubai, which hosted the 23rd edition in 2024.
Lasting four days, the event will bring together global leaders in orthopaedics – the branch of medicine that deals with bones, muscles and joints. It is expected to attract around 1,500 delegates.
The APOA is a regional organisation of orthopaedic surgeons with over 65,000 members from over 40 countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Its mission is to promote education, research and fellowship among orthopaedic surgeons in the Asia Pacific region and to advance the science of orthopaedic surgery.
President of APOA Jamal Ashraf said that the Australian location will “offer attendees an unforgettable cultural and travelling experience”. He referred to the city of Cairns as “must-visit” and praised the selection of “brilliant cafés, bustling markets and natural attractions nearby”.
The conference theme for 2025 is Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Augmented Reality. The scientific programme will feature symposia and instructional lectures by distinguished speakers from around the world, including interactive case discussions, themed plenaries and sponsored masterclasses.
Ashraf commented: “We are eager to explore the transformative impact that artificial intelligence, robotics and mixed reality will have on the future of healthcare.”
“Hosting the congress is an honour for us,” said general manager at Cairns Convention Centre Janet Hamilton. “Our venue, equipped with advanced hi-tech facilities, combined with Cairns’ unique natural beauty and the region’s ties with the medical community, provides an exceptional environment in which to nurture innovation and collaboration in healthcare.”
The North Queensland region is home to experts in tropical health and life sciences. This isn’t the first time the convention centre has hosted a major medical conference; in July of this year, it welcomed the Viruses of Microbes (VoM) 2024 Conference.
Securing the conference was a result of a partnership between the Cairns Convention Centre and Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef which saw funding secured from Cairns Regional Council.
