In the summer of 2019, the 5th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology took place at the Norway Convention Center, just outside of Oslo. The event gathered over 6,900 neurologists from all over the world for four days of presentations, networking, and fun activities. VisitOSLO, who is a partner of Innovation Norway, have been in a bidding process to win EAN 3 times since 2009, and the event helped to put Norway on the map as the ideal location for an academic event of this size.
The ideal venue for a large scientific congress
European Academy of Neurology organised their 2019 congress at the Norwegian Convention Center in Oslo. The convention centre proved to be the ideal location for a congress of this size. Located between the city centre and Oslo Airport (Gardermoen), the convention centre is quickly and easily accessible. Thanks to a regular train service, it is also well connected to plenty of accommodation in the greater Oslo area.
The venue has all the facilities you need to organise a memorable event that offers plenty of different perspectives. The EAN congress featured many interesting talks, such as a lecture by Nobel Prize Winner Edvard Moser and a panel discussion of the challenges of women in neurology. In addition, there were also different workshops, teaching courses, career development sessions, and many other seminars to choose from. For the evening programme, an ensemble of neurologists even went on stage to entertain their colleagues with a beautiful classical music concert.
«Great venue with great people in a great city”. Florian Wild, Congress Manager, EAN.
All attendees on board with an interactive quiz
Another fun activity that boosted engagement during the event was the “EAN BrainChallenge” neurology quiz. Participants could win a prize by performing diagnostic analyses in a challenging environment. The audience could also take part in the competition by answering questions through the dedicated EAN Congress app. The quiz was a fun intermezzo for congress participants to mingle and get to know each other better. It helped to lighten the mood and create a pleasant networking environment.
“The congress is an important source of inspiration for further research, and we wanted to boost the involvement of our colleagues, especially the younger generation of neurologists. The congress was a bit like neurology's version of the Lillehammer Olympics!” says Erik Taubøll, chair of the national organisation committee.
Close collaboration with partners
To bring this event to Oslo, the organisation committee worked closely with VisitOslo and the team at the convention centre. The application for getting the conference to the venue was very comprehensive and required a lot of input and preparation from the team. They had to cover a wide range of topics, such as technical facilities, accessibility, safety, hotel availability, and many more.
It was the collaboration of partners with the right knowhow and experience that made this bid successful. Erik Taubøll explains: “With the strict criteria that apply for an event of this magnitude, we would never have managed without the support from our experienced partners. This congress really put Norwegian neurology on the map.”
For more practical information, have a look at our congresses page. Learn more about Norway’s many congress destinations and find a suitable venue.
