What about the fears of zoom-fatigue and lack of engagement ? It turns out that they were totally unfounded , with an average viewing time of almost six hours – a further confirmation of the conference ’ s ability to engage . The icing on the cake was a post event survey where 91.5 % of respondents said the conference was ‘ very good ’ or ‘ excellent ’ in terms of usefulness .
At a time when NHS pressures were at their highest , the conference strengthened the RCP ’ s relationships with key industry leaders and top political figures , including former health secretary Matt Hancock , CMO professor Chris Whitty and head of NHS Test and trace baroness Dido Harding .
Going virtual allowed the event to have a more international flavour than ever before with speakers from as far away as the Hong Kong College of Physicians . In fact , the event closed with a presentation on Covid-19 vaccines by Dr Greg Poland from the USA . The inclusion of these global insights was not just powerful but timely and highly
relevant – their success and widespread appeal to the whole community has also ensured their inclusion at future events .
Such a widespread audience and appeal , as well as online attendance , ensured that the conference had the most diverse speaker line-up of any RCP conference . They achieved a near 50:50 split in gender balance and 29 % of the speakers were from minority ethnic backgrounds , both figures showing a significant increase since Medicine 2019 .
In the words of David Parker , commercial and event director at the Royal College of Physicians : “ The aim was to give our members and the medical workforce an opportunity to learn , network and take time for themselves . The statistics and feedback show this was achieved . We reimagined a typical in-person conference , created an engaging marketing campaign , designed a beautiful platform and brought physicians from the world together during a global healthcare crisis . What a success !”
Best Conference by an Agency PCO
King ’ s Live is the flagship annual conference and masterclass of the KL Foundation . The meeting brings together global medical trainees , consultants and leading experts in the field of endoscopy for a five-day scientific programme . The educational content and live surgical demonstrations are key to the advancement of gastroenterology and endosurgery .
MCI has worked with the registered charity since 2016 as their PCO and 2020 provided a great opportunity to showcase the agency ’ s creative approach as well as their knowledge of digital transformation . Historically , the annual conference had live surgeries in front of audiences of around 250 in-person attendees , alongside a series of hands-on masterclasses in endoscopy procedures . Covid would change all of that .
In 2020 , the face-to-face meeting was not possible due to Covid restrictions , meaning that www . conference-news . co . uk