The exceptional year 2016 is ending, and Congrex Switzerland is getting into its 35th-year journey in the conference, meetings and association industry.
The impressions from the past 12 months are worth to be remembered. We had the pleasure to host a record number of happy participants at numerous conferences around the world.
A special mention to the significant increase in the number of participants. These were achieved in September for the 32nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) in London, UK, with 9.392 participants (+4%) and the 23rd Congress of the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS) in Bologna, Italy, with 2068 participants (+24%).
Another mention, besides our other great conferences during the year, for our participation in the area of registration at the 1st SGAIM Spring Conference in Basel. This conference brought together the biggest national medical conference in Switzerland, as well as our flight booking services for the AIDS 2016 conference, the largest conference within the field of AIDS research with 16.500 delegates in Durban, South Africa.
We look at the next season 2017 with high expectations and proud to be celebrating our 35th birthday as professionals in the Meetings Industry.
Our upcoming congress season will start already in January with an important Neurology Symposium in Delhi, India, under the umbrella of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO). It will be followed by Swiss-based conferences Tumortage and the APCCC during the following months.
April being an exciting month with two conferences expecting to host a total of over 16.000 delegates, the World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) in Mexico and the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Conference in Vienna, Austria. These events will only be the warm-up for the most significantly busy months of the year. During Mai and June we will have the pleasure to welcome another 14.000 delegates at nine different conferences all across Europe, from Lausanne (SGAIM Swiss General and Internal Medicine) to Amsterdam (EAN), from Basel (careART, medART, SGP Swiss Pneumology – Chest) to Vilnius (ECTRIMS Teaching Course), from Baden (SGK Swiss Cardiology) to Madrid (ERA-EDTA European Renal Association) and Santiago de Compostela (ECTRIMS Summer School).
The second half of the year will bring seven more conferences and again more than 12.000 delegates in total, starting with Europe’s most relevant conference for the Life Sciences Industry Basel LIFE. Then will follow the Clay Conference in Davos, Switzerland, Swiss Hernia Days, ESO Stroke Workshop and the Urology Arena. Special mention to another ECTRIMS 2017 conference, which takes place in Paris in cooperation with ACTRIMS the American Committee for the Research in MS, where we are working already hard to enhance the Congrex 2016 experience.
Congrex Switzerland has been able to win several new long-term contracts in 2016, this as a result of our capability to offer taylor-made solutions to every individual client. Our highly motivated employees also convince our most demanding clients with their caring attitude and the consultative approach to the constantly changing framework conditions in the conference industry.
During this time of bringing family and friends together, may the meaning of this wonderful season spirit fill your heart and home with joy, harmony and love. And may you feel this happiness all year round.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year 2017.
Alain Pittet, Managing Director | Partner
Julia Bicher, Director Operations & Key Accounts | Partner
Sabine Adam, Director Business Development & Key Accounts | Partner
Saskia Strahberger, Director Finance & HR | Partner
