Sophia Antipolis, Tuesday 31 January 2012: More than 30,000 healthcare professionals from over 150 countries are set to gather in Munich, Germany, for this year’s ESC Congress. Established as the world’s premier conference on the science, management and prevention of cardiovascular disease, the congress attracts cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurses, primary care physicians, scientists, technicians, medical students, healthcare industry leaders, regulators and others active in the field – without forgetting around 650 journalists from all over the world. It will be held from 25-29 August 2012 at the Messe München, conveniently located about 20 minutes from the city centre by subway. Bavaria's beautiful capital city offers unparalleled international access, an ideal infrastructure for visitors and a modern, friendly business environment.
The spotlight of the 2012 congress is “From Bench to Practice”. The theme will be explored in various types of sessions and foster critical discussion of how new techniques can be rapidly translated into clinical medicine. Journalists will hear how the latest innovations can benefit patients. “The spotlight was chosen because we have many innovations which have to be transferred into clinical practice,” says Professor Michael Böhm, Chairperson of the ESC Congress Programme Committee.
As in previous years, the scientific programme will highlight the most relevant issues in the diagnosis, management and treatment of cardiovascular disease, ranging from basic to clinical and population research. Topics will be arranged in themed villages (basic science, arrhythmias, etc) so that delegates with a special interest do not have to travel far between sessions and can maximise their time. Each village will be identified by a number and colour. Sessions will be accredited for continuing medical education (CME) points by the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC).
In response to feedback from delegates, this year’s congress will kick off on Saturday with a fuller day of scientific sessions. The grand finale on Wednesday will be a two-hour highlight session in which world leading experts summarise all the new and exciting developments in basic, clinical and population sciences presented at the congress.
Sessions have been organised into different types and tracks by the Congress Programme Committee, in collaboration with the ESC Working Groups, Associations and Councils. Special tracks include the congress spotlight, ESC Cardiologists of Tomorrow, ESC for General Cardiologists and Nurses, and State of the Art in Basic Science. The full scientific programme will be available online in June.
This year promises exciting clinical trial results and greater interaction during the sessions. For the first time clinical trials and registries on a particular subject will be presented in one update session. These sessions will bring the latest results in cardiovascular medicine to the public arena and be a rich source of news stories. Back by popular demand, the 2012 congress will again feature two types of focus sessions. FOCUS Imaging Intervention sessions will provide real time satellite transmission of live interventions conducted at hospitals in Europe. During FOCUS Cardiology Practice sessions an international panel of experts will discuss a clinical case and the audience will vote on how they would treat the case.
With a record 10,800 abstracts submitted from all over the world last year and more than 4,200 abstracts selected for oral or poster presentations, the congress organisers expect 2012 to be another bumper year. It was in Munich in 2008 that the ESC demonstrated its commitment to attracting and hosting the best of the world's original research by rolling out its atmospheric new poster area. Presenters and visitors continue to be drawn in by this ever evolving learning and exchange environment.
A new and improved mobile application of the congress programme will enable delegates and members of the press to search the programme, look for speakers and view the layout of the congress centre while on site. Both delegates and people unable to attend have asked for content to be made available online before, during and after the congress. The ESC will continue to lead the way with a broad variety of online content such as TV-style thematic reports, live interviews with experts from the congress studio, a selection of sessions streamed live from the event, and an online broadcast of the best of the conference after the event. This content will help journalists searching for stories and background material.
Around 200 exhibitors from the pharmaceutical, equipment and device industries will display their cardiovascular products and services. An Emerging Technologies Showcase Area will be devoted to companies offering innovative solutions in the field. About 70 sessions will be sponsored by industry as satellite symposia and hands on tutorials.
The ESC Congress is an international congress organised by Europeans. The programme will feature 29 joint sessions with international sister societies, and the ESC's 54 National Cardiac Societies and 34 Affiliated Cardiac Societies will be invited to send delegates and organise exhibits.
With five days of scientific sessions including more than 400 ESC sessions, the congress is the top international cardiovascular event of the year. “It is the leading cardiovascular forum in the world, given the size of attendance and the number of scientific sessions,” says Professor Michel Komajda, President of the ESC.
“The meeting is very international and the quality of presentations is excellent,” he adds. “The spotlight topic, From Bench to Practice, will focus on the fact that in life sciences it is very important to translate the results and progress made in the lab and apply this to clinical practice for the benefit of patients.”
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