Dear Exhibitor,
We are writing to you regarding the status of the European Congress of Radiology 2020.
As you know, due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe, the decision was made to postpone ECR 2020 until July. Since that time, the outbreak has worsened, with Europe becoming the epicentre of the global pandemic. Public health authorities in Austria, as well as much of the rest of the world, have restricted large meetings and enforced travel bans. As we are currently witnessing, almost all specialty and subspecialty societies and other congress organisers already had, or will shortly be obliged, to cancel their meetings for 2020, due to the pandemic and the uncertain future.
With this in mind, it is with a heavy heart and much regret that the Board of Directors of the European Society of Radiology has decided not to hold an onsite European Congress of Radiology in 2020.
As you can imagine, this serious decision was not taken easily. The choice not to hold ECR 2020 onsite presents a significant burden for the European Society of Radiology and will also influence future congresses and endeavours. However, as a medical community, we have a social responsibility to our members, industry partners, staff and the general public. In the current crisis, the ESR must lead by example, and it is clear that your, your team members’, partners’ and customers’ safety will always be our No.1 priority and we sincerely hope for your understanding and support of this decision.
In our continued commitment to our congress attendees, we are pleased to announce that ECR 2020 will go ahead as an online congress taking place on July 15-19, 2020. Further information regarding the online event will be made available in the near future, as we want firstly to ensure that we only deliver useful and unique content. Still, we are already working on various opportunities for you, as an exhibitor, to be represented in our online congress. Please give us some more time to work on attractive offers for you! We will get back to you within the course of the upcoming weeks.
In parallel to the above-mentioned activities, we are still, with no hesitation or doubt, working at full speed towards our preparations for the ECR 2021, scheduled to take place on March 3-7 in Vienna/AT. At that time, we are confident that we will again have the opportunity to offer you and the whole radiological community the first opportunity to meet again in person in our beautiful city to exchange knowledge, network, present your products and much more.
With this in mind, we would like to clarify some details that come along with this decision:
- The ECR 2020 could not take place in March this year, due to the ongoing pandemic and its accompanying effects, such as travel bans and prohibition of mass gatherings in Austria
- The ESR was eager to offer an alternative date in July 2020, which now proves to be impossible once again due to the pandemic, travel bans and prohibition of mass gatherings
- The ECR 2020 will be organised – although in a slightly different scope – as online event; the ESR will work on best possible options for companies for this online event; the respective offers are still being worked on and will be communicated in due time
- The ESR is also very pleased to make you a unique offer: all your bookings for the ECR 2020 will be fully transferred to the ECR 2021 without any further charges
- You will receive a message regarding all your bookings (from exhibition booth space to symposia bookings and promotional tools) for you to double-check and re-confirm their transfer to 2021. With this, we will be able to go through each individual booking and agree on the respective shift to the next year.
- Please get in contact with any third party regarding your bookings related to the ECR 2020 to agree on their respective shift to the following year. We would also ask for your understanding, that the ESR will of course be pleased to help you with your negotiations with third party companies as far as possible but is not liable for any potential costs that may occur.
- Regarding your flight and accommodation bookings, please check the cancellation policy of your provider. As there is not yet an official statement by the Austrian government regarding travel restrictions, border openings or the allowance to hold major events in July, you should consider to wait with the cancellation of your booking if you are not eligible for free cancellation now. Most airlines offer a voucher for the booked flight or a rebooking to a different date or destination. Please check the website of your operating airline.
We will publish all related regulations issued by the Austrian government and authorities on our website. Please check regularly for updates.
Still, please be informed that due to the current situation parts of the ESR staff is on short-time work, which results in a significant reduction in workforce. We therefore hope for your understanding, that we do need some time to be ready to work on the details with each one of you! In case of any urgent matters, please of course do not refrain from contacting us at promotion@myesr.org!
We are a family; helping and protecting one another during moments like these is of the utmost importance. At no time have the services to radiology and healthcare been more important than now and the ESR would like to thank you for your commitment in the field.
We hope you stay safe and wish you all the best during these trying times.
Yours sincerely,
Denise Cosulich
Peter Baierl
