ESC Congress Goes Virtual Amid COVID-19 Concerns

May 6, 2020 — The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), one of the world's largest cardiovascular conferences, is cancelling its in-person meeting and moving to a virtual meeting Aug. 29 through Sept 1, 2020, due to the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) containment efforts.

The decision by the ESC follows an announcement from the Dutch government banning public gatherings until Sept. 1 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The current pandemic has prompted the government of the Netherlands to ban all public gatherings before Sept 1, so the ESC Congress cannot take place in Amsterdam as planned.

The new theme of the virtual meeting is aptly named "Challenging Times, Infinite Possibilities." The ESC said it is creating a digital platform to disseminate the key cardiovascular science in an engaging format and will feature key opinion leaders from around the world.

The virtual meeting will include a dedicated COVID-19 track showcasing first-hand experience of top experts across the globe.

ECS said late-breaking trial sessions will present highly anticipated clinical results. Novel research presented in abstracts covering all areas of cardiovascular science. Key opinion leaders will explain how this new research impacts practice. New ESC clinical practice guidelines will be introduced and discussed by those who wrote them in virtual sessions.

The ESC said it will keep its call for late-breaking science open until May 21.

Updates for the virtual meeting can be found at www.escardio.org/Congresses-&-Events/ESC-Congress.