Following an online-only conference in 2020, this year’s iteration of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) Annual Meeting will take a hybrid format, with sessions held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and online from 28–29 September. In this letter, ESVS president Hence Verhagen (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) outlines what attendees can expect from the two-day event.
Dear colleagues,
For many years the ESVS Annual Meeting has been bringing together vascular specialists from different parts of the globe to offer a common platform to advance and share knowledge in the field of vascular surgery.
In 2020, for the first time ever the meeting was held in a completely new format, with all the educational and scientific activities purely online. All meetings and conferences have followed the same path for the last 18 months, resulting in a widely-felt desire and need to meet each other face to face. Therefore, the Society decided to move towards new horizons and introduce a hybrid 35th ESVS Annual Meeting with sessions held both on-site in Rotterdam as well as online.
The Programme and Academy committees have put great efforts to tailor an exciting and high-standard programme with special attention given to providing the audience enough time and tools to interact and connect with the leading experts in the field. With interactivity at the heart of our focus, the programme will feature:
- Debates
- Interviews
- Q&A sessions
- Expert discussions
- High standard scientific presentations
- On-site hands-on workshops
This year’s scientific programme will include the best science from submitted abstracts, sessions with debates on controversies in vascular surgery, updates on clinical trials, discussions of ESVS guidelines and many other hot topics. In addition, European Vascular Surgeons in Training (EVST) will be organising two dedicated sessions with presentation and discussion of interesting case reports.
Furthermore, the ESVS Academy will be offering hands-on workshops for those of you present on-site as well as a set of interactive workshops for those following online, on various topics such as open surgery, venous diseases, trauma management, endovascular treatment, etc.
To keep you up to date with the latest developments in the device and pharmaceutical industry, our industry partners will be in attendance, offering symposia to present the latest developments and address all your questions.
Last but not least we will be thrilled to welcome you at our networking dinner to celebrate a long-awaited reunion.
In addition, please note that the 35th ESVS Hybrid Annual Meeting in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) with 14 European CME credits (ECMECs).
In the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic, ESVS follows very closely, and on a regular basis, the evolution of the restrictions in Europe, and especially in The Netherlands*, in order to have the most accurate and up-to-date information. The Executive Committee trusts that a meeting in Rotterdam will be possible and safe in September. Nevertheless, should the situation go against our plans, we are ready to transform our event into a fully online interactive experience!
Obviously, we all feel a great desire to finally meet each other in person again, so I am strongly inviting you to join us life in Rotterdam and I am very much looking forward to seeing you all on-site or online during the exciting ESVS 35th Hybrid Annual Meeting!
Prof Hence Verhagen,
ESVS President
*ESVS is delighted to announce that the on-site element of the 35th Annual Meeting will go ahead in Rotterdam with official approval from the Dutch Government received on 19 August!
