The Hague to host International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology congress

The city of The Hague  has announced it is to host the 19th Congress of the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ISPOG). From 9–12 October 2019, ISPOG will welcome to the capital professionals working in the field of women’s health. The ISPOG congress aims at spreading the most recent insights across the field as M. Caroline Vos, Congress President, explains: “By receiving our international colleagues in the field in The Hague, we will be listening to their valuable contributions to our science and we will be sharing and exchanging ideas.” Under the theme ‘The whole is more than the sum of its parts’, the congress offers an eventful agenda but will also leave plenty of time to network and discover host city The Hague. Nienke van der Malen, Director of The Hague Convention Bureau, says her team is proud that the event will bring so many experts within the field of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology into the city. “We are confident that The Hague, with its strong knowledge and event infrastructure, will provide delegates and organisers with a pleasant and impactful experience.” Bas van der Sluis, Treasurer of the Dutch POG and Local Organising Committee, clarifies why The Hague was chosen as the host for the next edition of the ISPOG congress: “The Hague as the City of Peace and Justice with all its beauty is a perfect place to meet with our international colleagues. Our work closely touches on human rights and the art in The Hague from De Stijl and in the Mauritshuis will provide us with enough food for thought.” ISPOG 2019 will take place in the centrally located NH Den Haag Hotel. The 18th edition of ISPOG took place in 2016 in Malaga, Spain and drew 400 attendees. The Hague team tells CMW it expects the number of attendees at the 2019 congress to be between 450 and 500 attendees and is calculating a €390 per delegate per day spend in the city. The 19^th congress had been scheduled to be held in South Korea, but tension in that area led the board to approach the Dutch Working Party for Psychosomatics in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (WPOG) with a view to them taking over the organisation of the meeting. After a feasibility study in collaboration with Professional Congress Organiser Status Plus, the WPOG accepted the invitation to organise ISPOG 2019 in the Netherlands. The Hague, meanwhile, has been named as a finalist in the ICCA Best Marketing Award category, with the winner to be announced at the November congress in Dubai.