A “First-Timer’s” survival guide for online and in-person participants
1. Make a plan
You will get the most of the conference if you do some preparation work in advance of the meeting. Spend some time thinking about the most important sessions and talks that you would like to see. The meeting programme in the virtual conference platform and the ESHG mobile app. You will be able to read all the abstracts and make your personalized itinerary in both the virtual conference platform and ESHG Mobile app. It is far better to do this before you get to Vienna. Maximise the use of your time on site!
Familiarise yourself with the colour coded session types: different types are designed for a different audience. Avoid being disappointed by a session that will be too basic or too specialised for your interests, despite an interesting title.
2. Pace Yourself
The meeting has a packed schedule. You will probably find something interesting and useful from 8.30 until 20.00 hrs each day – but we would not necessarily recommend to do so! You will get saturated pretty quickly and by Monday or Tuesday, your ability to absorb useful information will be severely diminished. Again, prioritise what is the most important.
Remember that all presentations, will be available as on-demand content in the virtual conference platform after the conference until September 15, 2022.
3. Parallel Events
When you attend a session (educational or scientific), you might find that not all of the session is relevant or interesting to you, or you might have spotted a talk in another parallel session room that you’d like to see. It is completely okay to leave one session and join another (but etiquette dictates that you wait for the end of a talk to leave / join the audience).
4. Interact
Make the most of the opportunity to network. Most people (junior or senior) are delighted to meet new faces and to chat about their work – so don’t be afraid to approach those big names and introduce yourself, and just start chatting!
5. Ask Questions
Don’t be shy about asking questions at the microphone! This is especially true in the educational programmes. Everyone in the audience is there to learn – and so if you have a question, there’s every chance that others will have the same question.
Note that, especially in large halls, it is sometimes difficult for the chairperson to see you in the dark, especially if you are standing in the back. Do not hesitate to address the chairperson in case she or he does not see you.
Online participants can at any time in the session ask questions through the virtual conference platform.
6. Get There Early!
This is a principle that will serve you well on many fronts. We have literally thousands of people attending the meeting, and yet some people are surprised to find lines at the registration desk on Saturday afternoon. You will not want to miss the opening plenary this year – so get there early (registration opens on Friday afternoon) – and is open all day Saturday to Tuesday.
It is similar for the queues for food at the opening reception (Saturday evening) and networking party (Monday evening). Just think, with 3000+ people, it is IMPOSSIBLE for everyone to get served immediately.
7. Stay cool and relax!
Sounds cheesy…. but the meeting is extremely busy, and you could try and push yourself to run between every single talk that you want to see, to try and see all 1,500 posters, to go to every session, workshop and so on….. but you’ll be exhausted! It is far better to have come away with some new friends, have chatted with a ‘big name’ in your field, and have two or three ‘nuggets’ of information that will shape your research.
8. Business Cards
Although these are becoming a dying breed, we noted that having business cards ready to exchange was helpful, especially when another meeting attendee passes you theirs, but it is a matter of personal preference.
Various types of fellowships for early career presenters from European and (new) Non-European countries. See here for all details.
You might also be interested to know, that the Scientific Programme Committee decided to have at least 30% of its members aged under 40 years.
Early Career Award Winners of the last meetings have been invited to co-chair a session at the next conference.
Tips for the In-person Participation
All registered participants have received a personalised QR code with which they will be able to print their badges (with the respective booked lunch and networking event tickets) for the conference. The registration desks open already on Friday, June 10, from 14.00 – 19.00 hrs. So in case you are already in Vienna the day before, pass by and avoid queuing on Saturday morning.
Do you always want to be up-to-date? The virtual conference platform and the ESHG Congress App will guide you through the programme day by day or by session type. You can review the profiles of speakers, help you to find exhibitors by name or by service provided. Add abstracts or entire sessions to your personalised calendar, receive push messages with important reminders and give feedback on talks or sessions. The Conference App for the ESHG 2020 will be published 2 weeks before the conference.
Do you have a specific comment on the running presentation? To discuss with colleagues, know that many attendees will be using twitter with the hashtags #eshg2022 #sessionnumber (e.g. #eshg2020 #S01).
For all sessions, remember to use the discussion microphones in aisles of the lecture halls.
The programme of the plenary lecture hall will be live streamed on this area at all time during the exhibition opening hours.
- Poster Group A: Sunday, June 12, 13:00-14:00 hrs CEST (for posters with board number ending “A”, e.g. P01.01A, P01.03.A – this refers to your final poster board number – not the abstract control number!)
- Poster Group B: Sunday, June 12, 16:00-17:00 hrs CEST (for posters with board number ending “B”, e.g. P01.01B, P01.03.B – this refers to your final poster board number – not the abstract control number!)
- Poster Group C: Monday, June 13, 12:45-13:45 hrs CEST (for posters with board number ending “C”, e.g. P01.01C, P01.03.C – this refers to your final poster board number – not the abstract control number!)
- Poster Group D: Monday, June 13, 15:45-16:45 hrs CEST (for posters with board number ending “D”, e.g. P01.01D,
Presenters are requested to upload a digital version of their posters to the virtual conference platform. Participants will be able to e-mail presenters through a messaging system in the virtual conference platform, if the presenter agreed to being contacted.
All posters will remain on display from Saturday to Monday.
A number of posters will be presented only as E-Posters, these are accessible in the virtual conference platform or at the 30 e-Poster stations in the E-Poster area in the Hall X4. The list of available posters can be viewed on any of these laptops. From there, they can be selected for viewing. Use the zoom-in, zoom-out function to focus on specific parts of the E-Posters.
CME Credits
The European Human Genetics Conference (ESHG 2022), June 11-14, 2022 has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 26 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). More information on how to claim these credits can be found here.
Tips for the Online Participation
1. Access to the virtual conference platform
You can access the virtual conference platform from your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile device with internet using the following link: https://www.m-anage.com/Login.aspx?event=eshg2022
The platform will be published, with limited content, for all registered participants as of June 9, 2022 at 10:00 CEST.
Important note: To have access to the virtual conference platform, a complete and fully paid registration is required. If you have not registered yet, please create an account and complete the registration form and payment here: Register for the conference
2. Virtual Conference Platform
The virtual conference platform is the “online venue” of the conference. The ESHG has aimed at incorporating similar aspects of the in-person conference to the virtual environment. Therefore, you will have access to the best presentations in the area of human genetics in both a live and recorded format. Moreover, you will be able to browse through all posters presented at the conference.
3. ESHG 2022 Programme
To make the best out of the virtual possibilities, the ESHG has separated its programme into the following session types:
Live Sessions
All in-person sessions of the 2022 conference will be live streamed in real time at a specific day and time. During these sessions you can listen to the presentations and afterwards participate in a real time Q&A with the speakers. You will be able to drop your question through the Q&A box available next to the live stream. All presentations will be recorded and turned into an on-demand content within 24 hours and will be available on the platform until September 15, 2022 at 23:59 CEST.
Please note that all times mentioned on our website and the virtual conference platform refer to Central European Summer Time (CEST), that is UTC+2.
To see what time this is in your time zone, click here https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/
Posters
All Poster presenters have been requested to upload a digital version of their poster to the virtual conference platfom. All of these will be available as of June 9, 2022 at 10:00 hrs CEST until September 15, 2022 at 23:59 hrs CEST. You will have access to the poster uploaded by the presenter and in many cases listen to the audio description found within the Poster on the virtual conference platform. Participants will have the opportunity to email presenters through the platform, if the presenters agree to be contated.
European Journal of Human Genetics Sessions
Join the session “How to publish in the European Journal of Human Genetics Sessions” on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 12:15 – 13:15 (Hall K)
4. Tailor your own programme
Within the virtual conference platform you have the opportunity to bookmark the sessions and presentations that interest you the most. This way you will be able to keep track of the presentations and not schedule 2 of them at the same time. However, since all presentations will be available as on-demand recordings until September 15, 2022 at 23:59 CEST, you will have the opportunity to decide on your own time to listen to all your favourite talks of the ESHG 2022.
In addition, you can download the ESHG 2022 Mobile App in which you will be able to create your own calendar and have a direct access to the virtual conference platform from your mobile devices.
5. Interact!
Don’t worry just because we do not see each other does not mean we cannot interact! You will have many different opportunties to interaction with the speakers and other colleagues:
- Live sessions: During live sessions you can ask questions to the speakers through the Q&A box located next to the live stream. Moderators will be monitoring all the questions coming through and will address a selected group to the respective speakers. In order to help the moderators select questions, we kindly ask you to only ask questions related to the session in the Q&A chat box (e.g., no general comments).
- Posters: Do you have a questions for the presenter? Within every presenter profiles you will be able to send messages/email to the respective presenter directly. In here you can leave your name and email with a message. The presenter will receive this information and contact you at their own discretion.
7. Abstracts
You can find all of the abstract in the respective presentations (oral and poster) in the virtual conference platform.
8. CME Credits
The European Human Genetics Conference (ESHG 2022), June 11-14, 2022 has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 26 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). More information on how to claim these credits can be found here.
9. ESHG 2022 Mobile APP
In the ESHG Mobile App you will be able to:
- Browse the programme by day or session type
- Read the conference abstracts
- Access the ESHG 2022 virtual platform directly from the mobile app
- Take notes and print or email them to you or your colleagues
- Add talks and sessions to your personal itinerary
- Browse sponsors by name or find them through the product index
- Get information on how to navigate the virtual conference
- Learn about Faculty, Award Lecturers and Early Career Award Candidates
- Have useful information always available.
Please note that the app and the virtual conference platform operate independently from each other. However, you will have direct links from the app to the virtual conference platform to the respective areas.
You can find more information about the mobile on this page: https://2022.eshg.org/myconference/conference-app/
A “First-Timer’s” survival guide.
1. Make a plan
You will get the most of the conference if you do some preparation work in advance of the meeting. Spend some time thinking about the most important sessions and talks that you would like to see (note the difference between “live” and “on-demand sessions”). The meeting programme is available online. You will be able to read all the abstracts and make your own itinerary with the online programme planner available by end of May 2020. It is far better to do this before the actual meeting. Maximise the use of your time during these days!
Familiarise yourself with the colour coded session types: different types are designed for a different audience. Avoid being disappointed by a session that will be too basic or too specialised for your interests, despite an interesting title.
2. Pace Yourself
The meeting has a packed schedule. You will probably find something interesting and useful from 8.30 until 20.00 hrs each day – but we would not necessarily recommend to do so! You will get saturated pretty quickly and by Monday or Tuesday, your ability to absorb useful information will be severely diminished. Again, prioritise what is the most important to see live and what can be viewed on demand at a later stage. All sessions will be available online until 2 weeks after the conference, Educational Sessions and selected plenaries will then migrate to ESHG’s Youtube Channel.
3. Parallel Events
When you attend a session (educational or scientific), you might find that not all of the session is relevant or interesting to you, or you might have spotted a talk in another parallel session room that you’d like to see. It is completely easy to leave one online session and join another. Also note that al sessions are available as on-demand video until 2 weeks after the conference, Educational Sessions and selected plenaries will then migrate to ESHG’s Youtube Channel.
4. Interact
Live sessions have the opportunity to get in contact with the speakers present via the live chat attached to the respective session. Moderators will screen the chat and present them to the speakers. On demand sessions and posters have the possibility to get in contact with the respective author via a feedback form. Educational Sessions, although on-demand sessions, will have grouped “Q&A sessions” on Monday (14.45 – 15:15 hrs) and Tuesday (14:15 – 14:45). Most people (junior or senior) are delighted to meet new people and to chat about their work – so don’t be afraid to approach those big names and introduce yourself, and just start chatting, especially in an online environment!
5. Ask Questions
Don’t be shy about asking questions in the chat! Everyone in the audience is there to learn – and so if you have a question, there’s every chance that others will have the same question.
Note that, especially in chats with many attendees, it is sometimes difficult for the moderator to see your comment. Do not hesitate to repeat the question in case they did not see it the first time.
6. Stay cool and relax!
Sounds cheesy…. but the meeting is extremely busy, and you could try and push yourself to rush between every single talk that you want to see, to try and see all 2,700 posters, to go to every session, workshop and so on….. but you’ll be exhausted! Also note that usually the attention span in online events is a lot shorter than in real life. We have asked speakers to take this into account so that the key message does not get lost.
How to get the most of ESHG 2020.2
The online registration remains open from mid April to June 23 (so it is still possible to register to view the on-demand sessions until 2 weeks after the meeting. The presentation upload page for speakers and poster authors goes online by end of April.
Do you always want to be up-to-date? The ESHG Congress App will guide you through the programme day by day or by session type, will make available profiles of speakers and delegates, help you to find sponsors by name or by service provided. Add papers or entire sessions to your mobile calendar, receive push messages with important reminders and give feedback on talks or sessions. The Conference App for the ESHG 2020 will be published in May 2020.
Do you have a specific comment on the running presentation? To discuss with colleagues, know that many attendees will be using twitter with the hashtags #eshg2020#sessionnumber (e.g. #eshg2020#S01).
For all live sessions, remember to use the live chat provided.
All posters will be presented as e-Posters. The list of available e-Posters can be viewed on the virtual meeting platform. From there, they can be selected for viewing. Use the zoom-in, zoom-out function to focus on specific parts of the e-Posters and the navigation icons to browse though the multiple slide posters.
Interactive e-Posters will be discussed in 3 groups:
– Sunday, June 7, from 13:00 – 13:45 hrs
– Monday, June 8, from 13:00 – 13:45 hrs
– Tuesday, June 9, from 11:45 – 12:30 hrs
All e-Posters will remain online during the entire time.
Various types of fellowships for young investigators from European and (new) Non-European countries. See here for all details.
You might also be interested to know, that the Scientific Programme Committee decided to have at least 30% of its members aged under 40 years.
Post-doc Young Investigator Award Winners of the last meeting will be invited to co-chair a session at the next conference.
