FAQ

The physical Congress has been cancelled for 2020 as a direct result of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its far-reaching consequences on travel, gatherings, and social distancing rules. ESPEN has decided to transition the physical event, planned for 19–22 September in Lyon, into a digital Congress.

ESPEN’s primary concern is the health and safety of its whole family, including members, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors, as well as local staff and suppliers. ESPEN has decided to move to a digital experience, ensuring continued education and cutting-edge science to its physicians, dietitians, pharmacists, nutritionists, scientists, nurses, and everyone involved in the field of clinical nutrition.

The ESPEN Executive Committee, Local Committees, organisers and local partners have been consulting regularly to discuss the current situation, its constant state of evolution and the uncertainty of consequences on everyday life – especially large gatherings of people. ESPEN understands that, given the number of uncertainties in France and globally, it was the only viable solution – and one that needed to be decided with enough time to allow for the organisation of a unique and innovative ESPEN experience, virtually.

The virtual event (with “live” and interactive sessions) will take place in September with the following timeline; the full schedule is to be released in the coming weeks:

  • LLL Courses on Thursday, September 17 and Friday, September 18 (subject to change)
  • ESPEN Virtual Congress Saturday, September 19 to Monday, September 21.

Of course, as the Congress will be virtual, all the content will be available for viewing/reviewing for a longer period, some up to a year.

Full details on the programme, platform and user information coming soon – please watch out for upcoming emails and check out espenCongress.com regularly for the latest information.

Your registration will automatically be transferred and applied to the ESPEN Virtual Congress, and any overpaid amount will be refunded to you. Registration prices and deadlines for the new virtual Congress will be announced soon.

Should you wish to cancel your registration, the official cancellation conditions will apply for cancellations received up to Wednesday, 7 August 2020, deposits will be refunded less 25% administrative charge. After this date, no refunds will be possible.

The fees and deadlines are being updated, and more information will be available soon.

The program is currently being updated by the ESPEN Committees and the online programme will be updated to reflect the new version soon.

You will receive an email from the Congress secretariat regarding your participation in the programme and eventual next steps.

All abstracts that were submitted for the ESPEN 2020 Congress in Lyon will be reviewed as planned and notification letters will be sent to abstract submitters by mid-June.

All accepted abstracts (posters and oral presentations) for those that register for the Virtual Congress will be published, post-event, in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, and each abstract will have a unique DOI.

  • Abstracts accepted as oral presentations will be requested to submit a pre-recorded presentation, and there will be a live and moderated Q&A component. Full technical details and guidelines will be sent to all accepted presenters as soon as possible.
  • Abstracts accepted as posters will be requested to submit an ePoster and will be made available on the virtual Congress platform during the Congress period. Full technical details and guidelines will be sent to all accepted presenters as soon as possible.
  • Abstracts accepted as outstanding posters (those that would have been eligible for the traditional “guided poster tours”) will be asked to send a pre-recorded presentation with slides and/or ePoster for publication on the virtual Congress platform. Full technical details and guidelines will be sent to all accepted presenters as soon as possible.

Late-breaking submission will open as planned on May 13th.  Due to these exceptional circumstances, ESPEN has decided to remove the application fee for the late breaking abstract submission.

The submission deadline has also been extended to 30 June, 2020.

If accepted for the virtual Congress, late-breaking abstracts will be presented as ePosters only.

All Travel Grant applications will be reviewed as usual and applicants will be informed via the notification letter by mid-June. The Travel Grant winners will not receive a monetary payment this year as no travel costs will be involved in the virtual Congress, however the registration will be complimentary for these winners.

You will be contacted by the Congress secretariat regarding your investment, the available options, and new opportunities to support ESPEN and the 2020 virtual Congress.

Please check the cancellation policy of your booking that you received with your confirmation.

If you have a non-refundable booking, we are working closely with the hotels to find an optimal solution and will send an update shortly.

For any questions related to hotel accommodation, please contact: espenR@mci-group.com

Please contact your airline, travel agent or insurance directly regarding ticket cancellations – many companies are offering a refund and/or voucher programmes. ESPEN is not liable for any cancellation fees or penalties related to these transactions.

Yes, the registration will reopen as soon as the website is updated.  Registration prices and deadlines for the new virtual Congress will be announced soon.

For questions regarding abstracts, please contact espen.scienti@mci-group.com

For questions regarding your registration and/or hotel reservations, please contact
espenR@mci-group.com

For questions regarding industry support and exhibition, please contact: Corentin.Ruy@mci-group.com

For all other questions, please contact espen@mci-group.com

Please note that we are currently receiving a great number of emails and phone calls, and we are doing our best to reply to each one as soon as possible. Under the current circumstances, we kindly ask you for patience, but we will respond as quickly as possible.