16 Case Study 3
June 2018
BSI Congress in Brighton
Association technology experts Shocklogic helped power a meeting of immunologists at their big Brighton congress
The British Society for Immunology ( BSI ) is one of the oldest , largest and most active immunology societies in the world . Founded in 1956 , it recently celebrated its 60-year anniversary and has over 3,000 members .
The BSI ’ s main objective is to promote and support excellence in scientific research , scholarship and clinical practice in immunology for the benefit of human and animal health and welfare .
The BSI ' s flagship event is its Annual Congress , the largest national Immunology congress in Europe .
The congress has been going since 1993 , and is a fantastic opportunity for immunologists from the UK and around the world to come together . Attendees are drawn from all sectors of the immunological community , from researchers to clinical immunologists .
The 2017 Congress took place on 4-7 December , at the Brighton Centre in Brighton , UK .
Event technology and association event management specialists Shocklogic supported the congress with various services and technology solutions . This included the complete online and onsite registration management and logistics , with 1,237 registrations from 36 countries , and printed badges . This was a new record for the congress as a stand-alone event .
Self registration meant delegates could bring along their eTicket either as a print-out or on their mobile device , scan themselves , and print their own badge . Shocklogic also provided real-time lead retrieval scanners for exhibitors .
Shocklogic has been involved with the congress since 2012 , and in 2017 provided two new services .
Firstly , Shocklogic built the official congress website , which was macro-responsive and integrated with all the other systems . This included the official mobile app , with a 74 % download rate .
The congress app allowed delegates to view the full programme , create a personal agenda , view exhibitor / sponsor stand location and information , access a real-time Twitter feed , explore sessions ‘ Happening Now ’, view venue floor plans and more .
A special session at the BSI Congress is ‘ Bright Sparks in Immunology ’. This aims to showcase the research of early-career researchers as well as providing them with the experience of giving talks about their work to a large audience . It is unique because it combines competition with science and networking .
Bright Sparks is open to all PhD students and postdocs who are submitting an abstract for presentation at the congress . The top three presenters in each session receive a certificate and prize money , with the overall winners given the opportunity to deliver their presentation in one of the congress ’ s plenary sessions . In total , the congress had 470 submitted abstracts ( 90 oral and 380 posters ) and 131 invited speakers .
There is no British Society for Immunology Congress in 2018 , instead the BSI will be attending the European Congress of Immunology , taking place on 2-5 September 2018 in Amsterdam , The Netherlands .
The national BSI Congress then returns in 2019 to Liverpool on 2-5 December 2019 , where organisers expect more great developments and interesting surprises .