Historical Virtual Meeting in the History of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’ Diseases

The 2nd AAT-AD/PD™ Focus Meeting 2020 took place 2-5 April and for the first time was held as an entirely virtual event. The meeting was attended by 1143 healthcare professionals from 56 countries during the four days of the streaming. 

AAT-AD/PD™ 2020 was scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria. Yet, with mass lockdowns around the world amid a global pandemic, it was clear that the physical meeting in April would be called off. However, Kenes Group, together with the scientific committee, reacted quickly with a creative solution for an entirely virtual meeting.

Converting a meeting under three weeks into a complete virtual experience was possible due to the flexibility of the IT team at Kenes Group. Working around the clock, the team assisted personally 250 speakers to pre-record their lectures. 14 forums and Meet the Professor sessions were live-streamed during the event, adding new content to the custom platform daily. 

“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. For AAT-AD/PD™, the science of finding solutions for patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases has always been our DNA. Even in difficult times, the science remains our first priority. Exchanging data and sharing novel insights must not wait and that’s why we were exhilarated when the Kenes Group team suggested converting a meeting for over 1000 participants into an exciting online experience. In this way our community could continue their work in a safe and responsible way”, shared the Executive Organisers.

Ori Lahav, VP Clients & Operations at Kenes Group commented: “We are in this situation together, no matter where we are in the world. Once we announced going entirely virtual, we received very positive feedback, including continued registrations and new supporters, and that was truly inspiring for all of us at Kenes Group.”

The first AAT-AD/PD™ Focus Meeting 2018 was held in Torino, Italy with 1337 participants. The event is focused on showcasing the latest breakthroughs in treatment, translational R&D, early diagnosis, drug development, and clinical trials in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other related neurological disorders.