Big conferences learning to live with pandemic restrictions forge ahead

HIMSS 21 drew more than 17,000 despite pandemic

PARCA eNews – Sept. 12, 2021 – Kudos to HIMSS for taking the risk of holding one of the largest in-person medical conferences amid what looked like at the time, a waning pandemic.

Held Aug. 9-13 in Las Vegas, it looked to have been perfectly timed. Cases and deaths from COVID-19 had plummeted from the peaks of November and December 2020, vaccinations had surged and people had begun to think we might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Then the Delta variant began to spike just prior to the conference, some vendors pulled out and several speakers cancelled their presentations.

The conference went on with more than 17,000 people in attendance, down from pre-Covid attendance of more than 40,000 people. Still those who came shared new information, and knowledge, resumed valuable personal connections, and re-established professional networks.

As Taha Jangda wrote for MedCity News, "… everyone agreed that even though we had fewer conversations than during past HIMSS conferences, we had more meaningful ones. They were longer and more in-depth. People were more engaged because they had fewer places to be…"

One thing for sure with the cases of the Delta variant nearly reaching last year’s previous peaks for cases and hospitalization, the environment for large trade conferences has changed maybe forever.

Online attendance at HIMSS 21 reached nearly 5,000 participants, and like working from home, the pandemic has shown that conferences from home may become a permanent fixture of conference planning.

Next up the RSNA Annual Meeting set for Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. at the massive McMormick Place in Chicago. With the lifting of some restrictions on International travel RSNA is hoping for a good turnout. To keep attendees safe the conference will require proof of vaccination and mask wearing at all indoor spaces, and of course a virtual meeting component will allow remote attendance.