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Peter Baierl manages the Executive Office of the European Society of Radiology, ESR
On the anniversary of the death of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen the European Society of Radiology (ESR) held the 1st European Day of Radiology on 10 February 2011. Why?
The objective of this action day is to bring to the foreground the accomplishments and achievements that radiology performs daily for people. We are not merely concerned with the image of our discipline, but also with that of the radiologist, who in the imaging diagnostic area contributes to saving lives every day. With the European Day of Radiology we would like to introduce the newest technologies in the field of radiology to the public. Thanks to its minimally invasive character radiology is a great relief for patients as well as often being more economical than conventional methods.
Radiological societies from 19 countries agreed to take part in the European Day of Radiology, for the first time coordinated press activities and events on the themes of radiology took place on the same day across various countries. In Austria for example people without medical insurance were able to be examined for free in selected clinics, there was a press conference, moreover, that was very well attended and had extensive media coverage. In Italy the Italian Radiological Society (SIRM) held an official event that was reported on Italian television and organised numerous activities. In other countries too press conferences, TV appearances and various information campaigns took place. The strong interest from the media and the willingness to participate among the national organisations made this day a complete success. We are already thinking about ideas for the next action day.
Creating awareness is one of the major challenges for the ESR, please name other ones.
One of our challenges is to expand our efforts from the European to the global level. Approximately 44 percent of our 52,106 members are from the non-European area, that is why we have to think and act in a more global framework. Furthermore, with the newly created European Diploma in Radiology we want to push forward the establishment of unified education in radiology following clearly defined standards of quality.
In two days you are expecting about 19,000 participants to the European Congress of Radiology 2011 (ECR). Five years ago there were 13,922. How have you achieved this?
It would be wrong to credit this development only to the last five years, since it would be unfair to a process which has taken roughly 20 years. The ECR Office, after all, has been organising the European Congress of Radiology since 1991. But in society management, just like in many other areas of life, the motto applies, “no sweet without sweat”. We work with a team that is purely service-oriented, always keeping in mind above all the satisfaction of the participants, and aiming at the same time to maintain and to advance the innovative character of the congress from year to year. But our departments are also responsible for this rapid development, each of them doing excellent work. More than anything else, it is the scientific programme of the ECR’s that fulfils the highest standards of quality; it is surely one of the reasons that this year we will be able to expect over 19,000 participants. In spite of the high number of participants, we have designed a highly efficient, quick and customer-oriented registration process, allowing everything to function as smoothly as possible.
In the area of onsite management too we strive every year to once again surpass the results of the previous years and to design the congress location even more perfectly, ranging from technical equipment to infrastructure to decoration. An additional service for our participants is provided by the in-house travel service, which in direct cooperation with the local hotels offers no-fuss booking and accommodation arrangements. This complete package is rounded out by our extensive congress publications, which from the conception to the writing of all the texts, to layout and production of the entire publication, is accomplished in the corresponding departments of the ESR Office, including a daily newsletter, produced overnight during the congress. Many people can organise a functioning congress, the true art lies in developing it further from year to year and being perfect in each and every area of it.
In contrast to other European associations you do not “tour” through Europe. You remain in Vienna, in the Austria Center Vienna. Why?
I am of the opinion that there is no reason to change a stable and well-functioning system. Of course specific economic reasons play a role too, a congress location that changes annually would result in about 50 percent additional costs, and at this point in time that would be an utter waste of money.
You want to be the “most innovative congress”. Are you? Please justify your answer.
Because every year we make efforts to establish two or three innovations at the ECR and, moreover, in comparison with other congresses I believe that I can claim this title for the ECR. This year’s congress will feature several innovations too. One of them is the European Diploma in Radiology mentioned above, with which we want to establish unified radiological standards.
We will also offer a new service for speakers who are not very fluent in English. The “Ghost Speaker Service” will make it possible that presentations are recorded by a native speaker beforehand and then these audio files are integrated into the live talks. These presentations are previously uploaded to the ESR’s own presentation platform, where their functionality is checked.
We also strive to incorporate new communication technologies. Thus, this year there will be a mobile congress programme for smartphone users. In addition we aim for a high degree of interactivity for many of our talks and intensely integrate the audience by means of state-of-the-art conference technology. In addition to these novelties we of course rely on proven innovation from the past, such as since 2003 the completely electronic poster exhibition. The ECR is in a continuous process of renewal, but also re-evaluation too!
More and more organisers are considering how they can incorporate open conference formats (fish bowl, open space) and social media in the dramaturgy of their conferences. What are you doing?
In principle we are always open for new ideas, however, one has to constantly consider whether they represent an improvement on the established methods used till now, or whether they merely should assume a supplementary function. There are very good opportunities in the area of social media for networking and the global exchange of information, which we also intensively employ. This means that at the ECR there exists a Twitter service too, aside from the customary digital sources of information, informing participants about the next items on the event agenda.
When introducing new conference formats one always has to ask oneself, to what extent do they contribute to an increase in the quality of the talks? In my opinion, the quality of the content and the best possible presentation of this content to the audience should be at the foreground of a scientific talk – a bad talk is not made any better by even the best or the most modern of conference formats. The substance that provides the basis for the success for the ECR is, in spite of all the modernisation, still its excellent scientific quality.
Peter Baierl manages the Executive Office of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) in Vienna. It was founded in December 2005 by merging the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and the European Association of Radiology (EAR), thus establishing a single forum for radiology in Europe. The next ECR will be held 3-7 March 2011 in Vienna, Austria. www.myesr.org