The 55th Annual Meeting and Exposition is quickly approaching, and there are many new offerings this year including Scientific Spotlight Sessions, Continuing Conversations (formerly “Scientific Forums”), a Special Symposium on Innovation and the Future of Hematology (mentioned in Dr. Abkowitz’s President’s Column), two Featured Topic Discussions on novel targets in hemostasis and thrombosis and chimeric antigen receptors, and a Friday Scientific Workshop on Myeloid Development. In addition, ASH is keenly aware of the vast size of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the number of attendees at the meeting. Thus, the Society has taken great strides to make the meeting feel more intimate by creating Hematology MeetUps, areas throughout the convention center furnished with tables and chairs so that attendees can gather for informal, impromptu conversations and small meetings. These MeetUp areas will be designated on the convention center maps to help attendees find the nearest location.
In addition, ASH Live: Remote Session Viewing Lounges located at each end of the convention centers will allow attendees to view sessions that are taking place at the opposite end of the convention center. Each remote session viewing lounge will have television monitors/screens displaying the slides from a selection of sessions. Participants will be provided with a set of headphones so they can listen to the session speaker. Please note that not all sessions will be broadcast into the remote session viewing lounges. Look for more specifics about this new feature in ASH News Daily and in the annual meeting app.
This year ASH received 6,024 abstracts – the second-highest number on record. To accommodate presentation of the large number of outstanding abstracts, this year’s poster viewing sessions will take place in two halls (E and G) in the convention center with the hall for the general session (Hall F) in between. The evening Poster Hall Receptions will have food available in both halls. The expansion of the poster viewing session into to two halls will allow for additional lounge seating and round tables within each hall to encourage informal gathering and conversation among colleagues.
To alleviate confusion, there will be signage (including a color-coded map) in and the around the Poster Halls showing the scientific categories of the posters being presented in each of the two halls, and information on the organization of the poster sessions will be published in the Program Book, Meeting Notebook,ASH News Daily, and in the annual meeting app.
The larger amount of space provided by using two halls will enable ASH to pilot two poster discussion sessions on featured topics. These sessions will take place in Hall E over lunch. Look for more information and updates about these sessions online and in the annual meeting app as the meeting approaches.
The staff and leadership look forward to greeting you at this year’s meeting. For more information, go to the annual meeting page.
