“Virtual meetings have made the world a smaller place in terms of reducing the friction for attendance by those from remote geographies, but practically, we saw a marked decrease in international attendance at the AAO-HNS meeting, likely reflecting the uncertainties of international travel and the diminished experiential aspect for those who would enjoy visiting a major U.S. city,” said Dr. Brenner.
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April 2022Additionally, Dr. Brenner cited the financial ramifications for professional organizations, which may have insurance to cover cancellation of a meeting but will still have to navigate uncertainty regarding both the course of the pandemic and how attendees will respond to it. “The pandemic presents challenges for organizations that require conference revenue for their sustainability,” Dr. Brenner said.
Further, partnership with industry may suffer with virtual meetings. Reduced interaction with attendees makes virtual meetings less attractive to industry. This partnership “is critical to not only the adoption of new technology and fiscal support of the meeting, but also to bridging the gap from discovery to clinical implementation,” Dr. Brenner noted. “Individuals like to see and touch new devices, tools, technologies, and other resources.”
The Future of Meetings
The Triological Society recently held an in-person meeting in California with more than 400 attendees. “Our members greatly wanted to be back in person,” said Dr. Pensak. He noted that COVID-19 testing and vaccine verification were available and that congregating activities were held in ventilated settings, with many participants choosing to remain masked. “Until such a time as it will be safe to return to more closed venues, the geography of any meeting setting will play a role in determining the structure of the meeting operations,” he said.
“Selectively, we’ll return to a variation of the traditional meeting. Collegial interpersonal activities are a vital part of the professional experience,” Dr. Pensak added. “That said, organizations may very well choose to selectively provide virtual meeting opportunities to expand out their participatory audience, provide a cost-effective vehicle for transmitting new discovery science, and create niche opportunities for members to participate in academic, educational, or clinical forums.”
Until such a time as it will be safe to return to more closed venues, the geography of any meeting setting will play a role in determining the structure of the meeting operations.
—Myles L. Pensak, MD
Lucas believes that future meetings will be held in a hybrid format, with smaller live, face-to-face components to reduce participants’ time away from practices. “While it seems everyone is hoping to go back, 100% live comes with higher risk that may not be justified now that we’ve learned how to produce virtual education. Hybrids broaden member opportunities and ease their planning.”