Description of session types Plenary Symposia The Plenary symposia are the core of the Congress activities. These are exhaustive reviews of a major subject of the specialty, addressed to all Congress participants. Plenary symposia are scheduled at "prime time" in the programme, unopposed to other activities in order to achieve maximum attendance. Two parallel Plenary symposia will be held, one mainly clinical and the other on basic science. Leading international speakers have been invited to conduct these symposia.
Symposia The Main symposia are state-of-the-art educational sessions in which the speakers critically review diverse aspects of a specific topic. The target audience is delegates who are primarily interested in the subject or wish to update their knowledge in the area.
Workshops Workshops are sessions in which the speakers are expected to share with the audience their personal experience in a field, either clinical or basic. These sessions are addressed to participants who wish to acquire practical knowledge on a specific subject, and therefore, we expect there to be an interactive discussion during or at the end of the session. Issues regarding diagnosis, management and different aspects of research will be reviewed.
Postgraduate Courses Postgraduate courses are half-day sessions, proposed by the Sections or Interest Groups of EAACI. They are designed to provide a thorough review in an area of special interest. Delegates attending these courses will achieve a comprehensive knowledge of that particular topic.
Nurses Programme European Meeting of Allergy Nurses (EMAN); In recent years, a specific programme for allergy nurses has been included in the Congress programme. This covers practical aspects of nurses' work, which will be reviewed by professionals from different European countries.
EAACI - SSAI Basic Symposium The “EAACI – SSAI Basic Symposium” is addressed to bench researchers as well as to all physicians interested in translational research. It is a joint programme established by EAACI and SSAI (Swiss Society of Allergy and Immunology) to meet common research interest of both societies. The two sessions comprise lectures of highly renowned scientists who will provide the latest developments in their fields. The symposium will be closed with short communications by young scientists, chosen for their high scientific value.
PAPRICA “Prime Allergy for Primary Care Physicians” (PAPRICA) is an EAACI initiative aiming to provide state-of-the-art continuous education not only to primary care physicians but also to allergists. The lectures are given by academic experts closely related to the daily clinical practice as allergists. After over a dozen symposia around Europe and Asia, PAPRICA will be for the first time embedded into the EAACI Annual Congress and is open to all participants of the Congress.
Business Meetings Business Meetings of the Sections and Interest Groups are where EAACI members meet to plan their activity and make proposals for future events. Each meeting starts with an academic lecture or debate in order to attract more participants to attend and participate in these groups.
Meet the Expert The Meet the Expert sessions allow delegates to meet in a small group with outstanding researchers and clinicians. The format is designed to facilitate informal discussions, allowing participants to present their questions and gain new perspectives.
Hot Topic The Hot Topic sessions consist of presentations followed by a discussion. The topics are selected close to the time of the Congress, with an eye to presenting new and exciting data in a more informal format than a typical conference session. Hot Topic sessions allow members to gain an insight into the latest news in allergy and clinical immunology.
Pro & Con We all know that in medicine and science nothing is black or white, but there are many different shades of grey! The Pro & Con sessions allows speakers to argue about controversial topics in an attractive format which provides “food for thought”. These lunchtime sessions take place in the exhibition area.
Sponsored Symposia Each Founder Sponsor of EAACI has a Company Sponsored Symposium within the main Congress programme. The content of these symposia is proposed directly by the Founder Sponsors and approved by the Scientific Programme Committee prior to inclusion within the main programme.
Satellite Symposia After the main programme has finished for the day, the Satellite Symposia take place. These symposia are organised independently by the sponsoring companies.
Sister Society Sessions The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has collaborated with a number of so called ”sister societies” to develop symposia that represent regional or scientific areas common to both the EAACI and the sister society. This is your chance to expand your knowledge beyond the traditional limits.
Oral Abstract Sessions The most exciting work from nearly 2’000 abstracts submitted to the Congress will be honoured with a place in these sessions, which start with a brief introductory talk from one of the chairs. Each presenter explains their work and answers questions from the audience.
Poster Discussion Sessions A group of 12-16 related posters are displayed while the audience walks round to review the work and talk to the presenters. The moderators will lead a discussion of all the work in the session, asking the audience and the presenters to set the work in context and draw out important themes and conclusions.
Thematic Poster Sessions Abstracts are grouped thematically into blocks of 15-20 posters and displayed for a whole day. At lunchtime, presenters attend their posters to discuss their work and answer questions from delegates. Two experts in the relevant field will also review each poster, talk to each presenter and award a prize for the best poster in the group.