23rd Pinguini Pediatric Congress

Clients: European Society of Hypertension

Location: Fira Barcelona, Spain

Solution: Conference Management (PCO)

The 2018 edition was a unique challenge. For the first time a larger congress centre was chosen, with the AIM of exceeding and engage 1,000 attendees. The great communication mixed with a creative approach guaranteed the congress success both in terms of numbers and active participation.

CLIENT CHALLENGE

The Pinguini Pediatric Congress was established by some Italian specialists to deliver a more informal meeting, with a practical approach, to encourage an open discussion on the most common questions that arise during their daily outpatient practice. For that reason, the congress has always been characterised by a high level of interaction and dialogue among participants.

Furthermore, over the editions, the last 14 of which were organised by AIM Group, the congress has developed a strong identity, with a unique, surprising opening ceremony and an original leitmotif that determined all the branding and collateral materials.

The major objectives of the 2018 edition were to:

• Define an effective communications plan, with a strong emotional and motivational message, similar to the style of corporate conventions rather than medical congresses;

• Involve participants in memorable experiences while taking advantage of the prominent scientific program.

• With the aim of exceeding 1,000 participants, it was decided, for the first time, to hold the event at a larger congress centre. So it was necessary to keep participants’ attention level high and stimulate plenty of interaction, even during plenary sessions.

OUR SOLUTION

Encourage Participants to Be Creative

Taking inspiration from the Divine Comedy, it was decided to integrate the sharing of scientific knowledge with the local culture, since the congress is held annually in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. So to encourage participants to be creative, we themed the entire congress around one of Florence’s greatest masterpieces, Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” and we coherently designed:

• The congress visual identity which was used in the website, invitation emails, newsletters, advertising posters, signage, menus and all other informative materials;

• The room setup including big silhouettes of Dante, Virgilio, Beatrice, Caronte and Cerberus. The names of the rooms and spaces were also themed. for example, the refreshment area was the “Gluttonous Circle” etc.;

• The scenic design, including the stage, lights and music;

• Two different themes for the two conference days: Hell for the first day and Paradise for the second day;

• The long awaited opening ceremony, where the two presidents, dressed in medieval clothes emerged from smoke and the flames of Hell to announce the event and welcome participants.

Use the Audience as the Real Showstopper

In order to foster active participation from the delegates, even in plenary sessions, the focus was on building a dynamic and open atmosphere and constantly encouraging interaction. Some of the solutions used to involve the participants included the following:

• Televoting systems, questions to the public, requests for feedback and time for Q&A were planned and solicited throughout all sessions.

• Short, three-minute videos were projected, between one intervention and another. These videos addressed specific clinical problems. At the end of the congress, they were uploaded to the site and remain available for consultation. In parallel rooms, some longer videos on everyday outpatient practice were projected in loops . The authors of the videos were made available, at certain times to converse with the participants.

• An actress poignantly portrayed as a teen girl feeling trapped in the wrong body was used to the present the delicate theme of gender dysphoria.

• Clinical cases of hypothetical anamnesis were also included where participants were asked to identify mistakes on the spot and propose different solutions.

OUTCOMES

The results were stunning!

Over 1,100 people attended the congress, exceeding the expectations and recording a strong growth of 23% vs 2017.

Participants were surprised and emotionally engaged, and loved to interact whenever possible. Learning was never as powerful at the Pinguini Pediatric Congress, as outlined in the customer surveys.

Exhibitors recorded good response and engagement, thanks to strong visitor flows during dedicated times, and the lively atmosphere and attention among delegates.

The congress presidents have already asked us to develop the creative design for the next edition! As those who organise events know well, no sooner the hard work of one event has been celebrated but the next challenge has already started!

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