As the COVID-19 pandemic prevented large gatherings and hindered travel, otolaryngology society meetings were moved online. Today, in-person meetings are returning, but online options may be here to stay.
“Overall, our 100% virtual meetings fared well; they either matched or exceeded prior 100% live programming in terms of registration,” said Jami Lucas, executive director and CEO of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA) and its foundation. “In 2022, we’re opting to host all our live programs as hybrids. Our first was a resounding success in January. Roughly half our audience was live, and many participants found that having options on how to participate made it easier to commit.”
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ENTtoday looked at this topic in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first started (“I’ll See You When I See You,” Sept. 2020). Here, we discuss how well online only and hybrid meetings have been received, and what might happen in the future.
Online Meetings Fared Well
“Online meetings, given the current circumstances, have fared reasonably well, certainly, from the perspective of getting colleagues ‘together,’ sharing information, and providing a forum for discussion and question answering,” said Myles L. Pensak, MD, Triological Society executive vice president and professor emeritus of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio.
While not as effective socially, online meetings enabled participation from a worldwide audience, permitted participants to choose their viewing time, and allowed for a minimum disruption of work and home responsibilities. “Clearly, virtual meetings cost less,” added Dr. Pensak.
However, virtual programming can take more staff time, and production companies may take advantage of this latest boon with pricing. “We were able to negotiate out of our 2020 and 2021 hotel obligations, allowing us to focus on producing our virtual programming,” said Lucas. “Overall, our programs netted the same or better financial results.
“We embraced virtual to find new ways to deliver content and engage the virtual audience,” Lucas continued. Using games in AAOA’s live programming increased engagement, and the virtual format allowed for some new opportunities. “We offered virtual office tours to share how folks modified their practices to be COVID-19 safe and hosted mid-day Surgeons’ Lounges to open dialogue among our faculty and attendees.”
In 2022 we’re opting to host all our live programs as hybrids. Our first was a resounding success in January. Roughly half our audience was live, and many participants found that having options on how to participate made it easier to commit.
—Jami Lucas
The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) hybrid meeting in Los Angeles, held in 2021, had a large live footprint and was one of the first meetings of its size in the pandemic era. “While there has been a learning curve both for presenters and attendees on technology use and working with vendors, the overall feedback was extremely positive,” said Michael J. Brenner, MD, an AAO-HNS annual meeting program committee member and associate professor in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
Hybrid meetings potentially reduce the physical foot traffic if some choose to experience the meeting remotely instead of in person, but they increase flexibility in how individuals can experience the meeting. “On-demand content also allows participants to receive more CME credit hours, and online access obviates the need to choose between two simultaneous sessions,” explained Dr. Brenner. Another lesson from the 2020 virtual meetings was that a concentrated experience enhances live content, allowing for protected time when participants can engage deeply with the conference. “When meeting content is spread over several weeks, there tends to be no protected time for participation, and a long rollout can translate into loss of momentum after the opening ceremony and initial days of the event,” Dr. Brenner said.
Virtual and Hybrid Meeting Challenges
Hybrid meetings present several challenges and uncertainties, Dr. Pensak said, such as who will attend, the expectations of those who attend or present in person or virtually, the cost structure, and material availability.
The International Federation of Otorhinolaryngological Societies (IFOS) canceled its June 2022 meeting, due to be held in Vancouver, Canada. “Virtual meetings in their current format aren’t the answer,” said Brian D. Westerberg, MD, head of the division of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Providence Health Care in Vancouver and a previous IFOS vice president. “Being unable to meet with friends to enjoy a face-to-face conversation is a major deterrent. This was the reason we finally decided that COVID-19 was going to preclude us from running a successful scientific and social meeting in the manner in which we had hoped.”
According to Dr. Brenner, “Large, in-person meetings create opportunities for networking that aren’t easily emulated with electronic chat rooms.” He added that some of the most significant connections between mentees and mentors occur at live meetings. “For residents who may have their first experience presenting before a professional society or academy, live presentation brings an unrivaled level of energy, proximity, and feedback interaction,” he said.
“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.
Additionally, 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.”
According to Lucas, AAOA has implemented some reverse classroom concepts, with pre-work prior to the live meeting components. “This helps generate questions in advance to allow the faculty to address specific audience needs. This is complemented by time-limited, post-meeting, on-demand access.” Lucas added that recording the live stream and posting the content for 60 days after the meeting has generated some post-live event registrations.
However, Lucas noted that hybrid meetings will require different planning and faculty training to assure that both live and virtual audiences gain the same educational value. Logistics will also need to be considered to assess what live content is streamed and what is a live-only benefit, as well as how to help contain the costs of producing both live and virtual meetings. “The old format of multiple concurrent sessions would be very costly to produce as a hybrid,” Lucas said.
Transportation and travel are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Thousands of people flying to a city for a few days has a huge environmental impact, said Dr. Westerberg. “We need to find a better way to hold medical/surgical conferences,” he said, adding, “If we go back to the same-old, same-old, we will have failed our profession and society.”
Katie Robinson is a freelance medical writer based in New York.
What Do Attendees Want?
Wwe asked some of ENTtoday‘s editorial board members what they hope for in the future of conferences. Here’s what they had to say:
“In the near future, I think that we’ll see an evolution in conferencing platforms that will eventually offer a virtual reality meeting environment, which will continue to close some of the gaps between online/hybrid and in-person meetings in terms of networking, training opportunities, and job prospects.” —Sarah Bowe, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist in San Antonio, Texas.
“A very reasonable solution for societies and organizations would be to host live, in-person events, with appropriate safety measures. The materials could then be made available online after the meeting to encourage in-person attendance, which not only drives the financial solvency of the organization but allows for the camaraderie, mentorship, and collegiality that we all crave. Presenting the materials for those who could not attend in person for whatever reason, later but in a timely fashion, engages all participants extremely well.” —Sujana S. Chandrasekhar, MD, partner at ENT & Allergy Associates in New York City
“I hope future meetings will be offered in a hybrid format where attendees could choose to attend in person or from home. Hybrid meetings could also allow in-person attendees to virtually engage in large keynote presentations from a hotel room or other remote location, with the option to physically participate in smaller interactive sessions.” —Sonya Malekzadeh, MD, professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.