SIAARTI 2019: a conference celebrated in Rome with ever-growing results

The annual congress dedicated to anaesthesia & resuscitation recorded a tremendous increase in participants (+1.000 attendees) and lively interaction thanks to fresh content, a more international profile and multi-format events.

When entering La Nuvola Congress Center in Rome, the brand-new venue designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the sensation is astonishment and a sense of openness, which is due to the big dimensions and the transparent all-glass structure. It feels like the right place to celebrate an important event like the SIAARTI (Italian Society for Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care) Congress.

The Congress held from 16-19 October was organised by Core PCO: AIM Group International. It saw record-breaking numbers: 3.900 participants, which is a substantial 34% increase on the 2018 numbers. This was really an unprecedented result, coupled with more diversified attendance, 51% of attendees were women and 60% were under 40 years old.

Several key features helped achieve these results:

• International profile. The 2019 meeting was organised jointly with the Focus Meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA), held 15-16 October at La Nuvola. It gave a more international profile to the faculty (345 speakers) and helped increase interest and attendance.
• Fresh Content. The ICare theme highlighted, for the first time, the human touch of the profession. All the scientific sessions were grouped around the same theme in different Learning Tracks, so that it was easy for participants to identify the sessions that were most interesting to them.
• Multimodal Format. Content was shared in a variety of ways: not only plenary & keynote and scientific sessions, but also Master Readings, Meet The Expert, Hands-On Workshops and Simulation Rooms. One, much appreciated innovation was the Talk Show Area where a moderator guided an interactive discussion with a speaker in the open lobby area,.
• Sponsors on the Spotlight. The event attracted a large number of sponsors, 120 in total who were very impressed with the bright and airy +3.000 sqm. exhibition area. The Innovation Centre also allowed sponsors to hold corporate presentations about new products or services in a dedicated space.
• Focus on the young professional. SIAARTI pays particular attention to attracting young physicians. They had a dedicated space: the Proxima Area, where dedicated meetings, junior-senior discussions, abstract presentations and other activities were organised.
• Public awareness. The 16^th October celebrated  the International Day of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation so it was decided to involve local primary and high schools with the “Kids Save Lives” project. 100 children and teenagers participated in education and simulation activities at the congress center.
• Social & Charitable Partnerships. The link with the local community was strengthened through social and charitable partnerships with several local non-profit organisations, active in the “care” system, like Save the Children, Emergency, WeWorld and Lotta contro la Fame (fight against hunger).

This rich event was celebrated with a strong commitment from the association board, a lively participation of the delegates and an incredible dedication of the AIM Group team, who have been collaborating with the scientific association for several years and act as a real extension to the client team.