The long and weary return to an in-person RANZCO Scientific Congress will come to an end this month, as the college puts three years of disruption behind it to deliver the premier Australian ophthalmology event at the Brisbane Exhibition and Events Centre.
When the 53rd congress takes place 28 October – 1 November, it will come as a relief for Dr Elsie Chan, Scientific Program Committee chair, Ms Alex Arancibia, head of RANZCO Member Support and Ms Denise Broeren, director of Think Business Events, who have been tasked with rescheduling the event multiple times since the last in-person congress in November 2019.
“We need to look at this with a lens of humour as it’s been a long road to October 2022. The conference centre, venues, speakers and presenters have been extremely accommodating with so many postponements,” organisers told Insight.
At the time of writing, RANZCO had accepted almost 700 registrations, but there is now a trend of delegates booking at the last minute to avoid flight and accommodation cancellation costs in the event of catching COVID-19.
“These registration numbers are a little lower than usual than where we’re usually at with two months to go, but we expect them to reach well over 1,000 by the time of the congress,” organisers said.
There are more than 70 exhibitors and over 100 booth spaces confirmed, along with six hosted sessions. While online conferences have served their purpose, RANZCO believes the return of face-to-face conferences is paramount so members can meet in a format that best meets their learning and networking needs.
“We have seen the wonders of technology at play with the 52nd congress being virtual. There were high levels of interaction and involvement. However, the congress was missing the corridor chats, interactions in the trade and social functions. We know many members value these, hence the demand for an in-person event. For those that can’t make it for any reason, the congress is hybrid,” organisers stated.
The hybrid format will mean plenaries are live-streamed, and concurrent sessions will be recorded and available a week after the presentations. All content will be available to registered delegates for 90 days, and then housed on RANZCO Learning for members.
“Hybrid can mean any number of things – striking a balance between having accessible content, managing a complex budget, being sustainable and delivering a great experience is tricky. It is also a juggling act between live, pre- recorded and virtual presenters, digital cameras, streaming technology, and all the logistics that go along with it,” organisers said.
“We’re not game to predict what 2023 might look like, but we’re working hard to stay on the cutting edge of conferencing.”
The congress is also set to host new innovative sessions, including concurrent presentations on the Business of Eyes, Sustainability and Health and Wellbeing – which move away from the science of ophthalmology.
There will also be the Named and Update lectures. On the day prior to the congress, there will be a hybrid workshop on Ocular Trauma in Low Resource Settings. And on Saturday 29 October, Dr Lynn Gordon will be addressing the Women in Ophthalmology-hosted luncheon.
The Congress Dinner on Sunday 30 October will feature a procession of handovers, with Past-President Dr Heather Mack AM handing to current President Prof Nitin Verma AM and then on to incoming President Dr Grant Raymond.
More event details, including the full program, can be found here.
More reading
Products slated for launch at RANZCO 2022
RANZCO to host inaugural Advances in Ophthalmology virtual event
RANZCO’s plan to overcome ‘fragmented nature’ of NZ diabetic retinopathy screening
