The Challenge

Diabetes is considered a global epidemic affecting all ages and genders. Patient education and self-care practices are important aspects of disease management and helping the population to stay healthy. The explosion of medical technology has the potential for a major impact on diabetes care and management. Diabetes treatment and prevention is multifaceted and includes a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and medications to lower blood glucose levels.

Many diabetes patients are looking for general practitioners while most would benefit from specialty care. It is critical to teach healthcare professionals (HCPs) how to treat diabetes. Yet, the growing discrepancy between the scarcity of HCPs’ time and their educational needs coupled with the fast-developing therapeutic options underlines the need for an easily-accessible educational offering, where the 10th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes comes into play.

Over the last 10 years, the annual International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD), a Kenes Original Event, has become the premier international forum to present and discuss the latest research and developments in this field. Yet, how could the anniversary event deliver an even more focused educational programme to its growing audience?

The Solution

The initial step in the creating the educational programme for the event was to assemble a planning committee. The Kenes Education team together with the local organising committee (LOC) worked closely on reviewing the needs assessment, creating learning objectives based on identified educational needs, and choosing the appropriate formats for the selected target audience for the event. Keynotes, workshops, panel and roundtable discussions were the educational formats chosen to provide an empowering learning experience which to present differing viewpoints on the selected topics as well as to encourage interaction between the faculty and the learners.

The education offering at ATTD was enhanced by attracting many abstract authors and start-up companies, both looking for new connections and gaining exposure. For the first time in 2017, ATTD introduced their most interactive and technological conference. In addition to the exciting tech fair showcasing medical tech, there was a new and improved interactive event app which added to the overall engagement of the delegates at the event.

The Outcomes

ATTD 2017 strengthened the loyalty of its community by addressing their needs and including in its rich scientific programme new niche topics and addressing to the needs of patients too. The outcomes of the educational activity were measured by participation, satisfaction and knowledge results conducted from a post-meeting survey. The overall educational programme was further evaluated to determine the effectiveness of meeting the needs of the audience and if the provided education met the learning objectives of the delegates. The feedback received was very positive and most of the participants (95%) agree that their professional performance will improve after attending ATTD 2017. The quality of the educational programme was highly valued as well, with 96% of delegates giving it the highest marks.

Apart from the educational programme, the event received an impressive sponsorship support. The attendance of all symposia was very good. In 2017 more than ever, a number of technological tools were used to enhance all sponsored sessions, such as webcasting and voting via the mobile app. The app was downloaded by 60% of the participants, and its features were very well received by the delegates.

ATTD remains one of the most competitive events as its unique feature in the field is that it concentrates on the advances in technologies in diabetes. For its exceptional qualities as an event, it took third place in Best Medical Congress at the 2018 Eventex Awards.

The Challenge

The event challenges came from its external environment. With North Korea launching test missiles over Japan there was a heightened political situation in the region threatening the delegate numbers just a few weeks before the event opened its doors in Kyoto. And the expected delegates were not a few. With forecasts of up to 6,000 people, months before the event the numbers went over 8,000. And to top it all, during the event, an unexpected typhoon struck Kyoto.

The Solution

Knowing prior to the event that the political situation in the region was going to bring challenges and many questions from delegates, the scientific committee together with the Kenes team, prepared a clear direct communication to ensure everyone felt safe and was well informed of what was happening. All security procedures were heightened onsite, and the delegates were warned in advance.

Despite the political situation, more than 8,600 people from 121 countries attended WCN showing that no externalities can disrupt the advancement and collaborations in the field of neurology. Proper planning before the event and collaboration with all suppliers was key to bring a comfortable and safe experience for all delegates. The overflow sessions were expanded into four additional halls with live broadcasting, providing ample solutions for everyone onsite.

When the weather forecast showed the possibility of a typhoon hitting Kyoto during the event, the team worked closely with all local partners to ensure the safety of the delegates. With a comprehensive crisis management plan, there were no issues during the event, even if the conference centre suffered a few shattered windows near the poster area. With the venue’s fast reaction, only a few delegates were aware of this issue.

The Outcomes

Japan is known for its impeccable service delivery and the outstanding success of WCN 2017 is a testament to this.

The Kenes team had the firm support of all local suppliers who were quick on their feet and together we found solutions to all challenges onsite. The result was over 8,600 happy delegates who managed to focus on the event and advancing the field, without concern about the externalities. The renowned scientific programme, among the many outstanding speakers, featured three Nobel prize laureates who addressed the audience. WCN neurologists showed that a top scientific programme will always be a top motivator, especially with the flawless organisation behind the event. The Kyoto conference was the largest WCN to date.

The XXIII World Congress of Neurology is the world leader in its field. For its exceptional execution overcoming all challenges, it took third place in Best Association Meeting at the 2018 Eventex Awards.

The Challenge

Nowadays medical professionals need to perpetuate their skills and abilities to a high standard. To keep up to date with the latest developments in their field and understand how to apply them to the care they provide, immunodeficiency specialists turn to the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) to bridge the gap.

To give members access to outstanding content, ESID decided to increase the frequency of their meeting to an annual event. The second area which the society wanted to address was providing content to members year-round in support of their lifelong learning needs. The question was how to do that in a way that would satisfy the demands of the always occupied healthcare professionals.

The Solution

ESID and the Kenes Education team assessed congress feedback, literature, experience, and member feedback to identify the right solution that would fit the needs of immunodeficiency specialists. The best answer to all requirements was creating an online learning portal to include congress materials, forums and interactive case-studies to prolong the value of the annual meeting. Other unique benefits of the ESID Education Portal include accessibility, affordability and content on demand that is scalable to individual objectives and schedules, as well as modules that provide CME credits.

The Outcomes

With a strong scientific programme during the congress, ESID ensures an ample supply of outstanding content for its Education Portal. With the Portal driving member numbers up and strengthening the loyalty of the ESID community the meeting growth is ensured from year to year. The advantages of the ESID Education Portal include the increased longevity and reach of materials, outcomes measurement, all done via the education hub. Moving from bi-annual to annual meeting additionally covers the growing needs of immunodeficiencies professionals.

Some activity outcomes from the ESID Education Portal, by Sept 2017, include:

• Out of ESID’s 1,440 members, 636 have registered for the ESID portal
• 172 users of the Portal have completed one or more of the case studies
• 80% of the users agree that most case studies will help them advance in their professional practice

With this online and offline education mix, the society is actively helping its community to stay on top of the latest innovations in the field, giving all members one more tool towards improving the awareness, diagnosis, treatment, education and understanding of immunodeficiency diseases.

The European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) is the world leader in its field. For its exceptional transformation as an event and the development of the ESID Education Portal, it took second place in Best Scientific Congress and third place in Best Educational Event at the 2018 Eventex Awards.

Do you also want to create an education portal for your association? Contact our Education team: education@kenes.com.

The Challenge

The nutrition and growth effects on children is a topic with growing popularity. Even if there are various associations addressing it from different perspectives, none could give it enough priority or approach it in a wholesome manner.

A few forward-thinking key opinion leaders in the field recognising the existing gap and joined hands with Kenes Group to create in 2012 the very first International Conference on Nutrition and Growth (N&G). With the outstanding attendance of 1,267 people for a first edition, it was apparent that the professionals in this field finally found the platform for a relevant knowledge exchange. While the event provides a unique stage to discuss the effect nutrition and growth has on children – from disease to treatment, the challenge standing before the fourth edition of the event was how to build a loyal community without the alliance that an association provides.

The Solution

N&G attracts paediatricians, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, neonatologists, dieticians, nutritionists, nurses and all those involved in child development, who share a passion for exchanging ideas in paediatric nutrition. The drive for this conference is advancing the field in a holistic manner connecting a variety of specialists and specialities. And the drawing factor, that would unite further the community and promote loyal participation and relationship with the N&G brand, was the newly established N&G Abstract Awards.

The awards drew professionals in two ways – first, by providing a good stimulation for new research. Second, they created a stamp of quality associated with the N&G brand that everyone in paediatric nutrition and growth would look out for.

The Outcomes

The new awards recognised young physicians for their work in two categories: neonatology/infancy and obesity. The recipients were selected by the N&G scientific committee and were celebrated during the opening ceremony of the 2017 conference, where each winning abstract received an educational grant of €5,000. Tying grants to abstracts proved a great initiative to help the industry connect with the young physicians who need support to carry out their research and analysis. After promoting the N&G Awards, the successful abstracts that were presented during the congress grew with 48% compared to the 2016 edition.

This was also the very first year that N&G took the leap to increase its frequency to an annual event satisfying better the needs of its community. The 2017 N&G saw an improvement in the number of clinical practitioners participating as well as in the industry support, where the event hosted its largest exhibition to date.

N&G has a unique physicians/non-physician conference model, with a highly active and engaged community. The outstanding achievement of the 2017 Nutrition and Growth Conference was recognised at the 2018 Eventex Awards with third place in the category Best Scientific Congress.

The Challenge

The Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) wanted to launch a new event to its already large portfolio of educational offerings. It chose a strategic partnership with a local society, ACCAR (Asociación Costarricense de Reumatología), in order to deliver a targeted education to local rheumatologists. The newly elected president of PANLAR also decided to select a new PCO which could bring the PANLAR events to new heights. The Kenes Group team in Latin America was selected after the bidding procedures.

The president of PANLAR is well known in his field as a person who generates ideas and, expectedly, he wanted to take this opportunity to deliver innovative events. Therefore, he was pleased to hear that Kenes offers meeting architecture services, putting the actual design of the event, not the logistics, as first priority. He wanted a meeting where the delegate ROI is measured, and where there are ample amounts of interaction and innovation.

The Solution

Since the initial stages of the planning process, Rosa Garriga Mora, the Kenes meeting architect, worked very closely with PANLAR and the local society to design an event that would meet everyone’s expectations. The main goals were to communicate the message that innovation is in PANLAR’s DNA and to make a highly interactive event with a rather small budget. A lot of effort was put on designing the event down to every detail, including a flawless programme and briefing all the speakers and session chairmen. The limited budget was invested in adding technological solutions that would maximise engagement. Additionally, PANLAR requested Rosa to be the event’s MC (Master of Ceremonies) and to make sure that the plan was followed.

As part of the technology used at the event, there was an interactive app including a poll feature. The participants had lively discussions with the panellists and took a quiz at the end that tested their knowledge. Those with the most points got a prize – a complimentary registration to PANLAR’s next events. Everything worked smoothly thanks to the Kenes team on site.

The Outcomes

The feedback was overwhelming – everyone, from the client to the participants and even the sponsors, was all ecstatic about this event. They loved the new format and said it was the most interactive event they had been to. Through the post-event survey, it was discovered that the PANLAR community is ready for even more interactivity.

86% of the survey respondents agreed that the course had met their expectations and 91% said that they would attend another PANLAR event. There were some lessons learned too, which were used for the successful planning of the next PANLAR events.

PANLAR was one of the top winners at the 2018 Eventex Awards, winning first place for Best Association Meeting and Best Medical Congress.

What did the participants say:

“Excellent content and innovative approach to the session formats.”

“In this event, unlike the others I’ve attended, the presentations were very concise and provided very interesting data that we can apply into our daily medical practice. They were neither long nor boring.”