The annual ACR conference will be delivered virtually this year, but rheumatologists will still have an opportunity to socialise and can avoid having to chime in at awkward hours thanks to some thoughtful scheduling.
The annual ACR conference will be delivered virtually this year, but rheumatologists will still have an opportunity to socialise and can avoid having to chime in at awkward hours thanks to some thoughtful scheduling.
Live sessions will be run during regular working hours for most participants and can also be accessed as playback sessions on demand. “Community hubs” have been introduced, which will help specialists network virtually.
The Medical Republic spoke with Monica McDonald, a public relations specialist from the ACR, about the conference.
Q: How are you delivering the ACR conference this year?
A: ACR Convergence 2020 will be all virtual.
Q: What should Australian rheumatologists expect from the first virtual meeting? The same as usual? How will it be different?
A: The planning committee reimagined the entire meeting to assist with scheduling for meeting participants in different time zones. We have divided the daily educational sessions into two time blocks: 10am-1pm ET; 3pm-6pm ET. Each educational time block will include oral abstracts and invited speaker presentations and are designed to provide most participants the opportunity to attend live during “normal” waking hours in at least one time block. We will also offer a few encore sessions with live Q&A in case the timing is not convenient, and all sessions will be available on-demand. We hope Australia rheumatologists will join us live in the 3-6pm ET time block which will be 7-10am in Sydney.
Q: How will ACR avoid some of the tech issues that were experienced during EULAR virtual earlier this year? What platforms will you be using?
A: Prior to launch, we will conduct significant testing and we will provide staggered advance access to help reduce the load.
Q: Will ACR be delivering the same volume of content as a F2F conference?
A: Although we have reduced the number of concurrent sessions and will not offer our hands-on workshops, we have will have an extensive program. The final program will be released in August.
Q: Will sessions be live or pre-recorded?
A: We will offer a mix of live and pre-recorded content. However, all Q&A will be live.
Q: Will there be an opportunity for rheumatologists to socialise at the virtual event?
A: Yes. We are most excited about introducing the community hubs. The hubs are a unique feature that allows attendees to engage with experts and connect with peers who share the same research or clinical interests. Each community hub will be co-hosted by leaders in the field, and will include a mix of informal education and networking opportunities including study groups. All participants will also have the option to request meetings and schedule private group meetings within the new platform.
Q: How will sponsors be able to showcase their products?
A: The meeting will include an extensive virtual exhibit hall.
For more information, you can view the ACR Convergence 2020 schedule at a glance and FAQ by visiting https://www.rheumatology.org/Annual-Meeting.
