From 17-20 June 2024, The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) held its International Congress at EICC. With over 2,800 delegates in attendance, leading psychiatrists from across the world met to share knowledge, debate, collaborate, educate and network at the college’s annual flagship event.
CREATING a welcoming, accessible and approachable environment was key when it came to organising the 2024 international congress. RCPsych created an event that blended learning and professional networking with social opportunities, cultural enrichment and fun.
RCPsych’s Head of Events, Jessica Letters, explains how the RCPsych worked with EICC to ensure the event was engaging, welcoming and memorable.
Maintaining momentum
When online events became the go-to format during the pandemic they highlighted the value of in-person events, and how meeting face-to-face more easily facilitates networking, education and unplanned business opportunities.
“It’s about making the event into an attractive enough prospect that cannot easily be replicated online”
However, post-pandemic, event planners knew they had a challenge on their hands to once again promote physical events to an audience now accustomed to on-screen learning. This is a challenge that Jessica recognises when organising RCPsych’s annual Congress.
“Online events are still popular with our members so we wanted to create something of a ‘destination event’ with the annual Congress”, explains Jessica. “Although people primarily come for the CPD and educational content, they also have the chance to bump into others they have not seen for years, and make new connections.
“It’s about making the event into an attractive enough prospect that cannot easily be replicated online. For us, that means having a cutting edge scientific programme – but weaving other experiences around it, too.”
Building out the event programme
In addition to the scientific programme, RCPsych introduced a Congress Fringe programme in recent years and built on this even further in 2024. Now, it has become a significant part of the annual Congress.
“As well as our established academic programme with five streams and keynotes, our aim, specifically for this year, was to weave Fringe activities throughout the Congress.”
With heavy topics often being discussed at the Congress, the Fringe programme also gives delegates a chance to decompress
The fringe programme, in Jessica’s words, “embodies anything that isn’t scientific content.” It included mindfulness sessions, poetry, immersive theatre, dance, music and an art workshop, as well as nature walks and yoga. With heavy topics often being discussed at the Congress, the Fringe programme also gives delegates a chance to decompress and a chance to experience something different.
This year, RCPsych used the EICC’s light and spacious atrium to host creative performances during refreshment breaks, which the EICC team was very supportive of. “We suggested having a stage in one of the central areas, and the EICC was really helpful in turning that idea into a reality,” says Jessica. “Our Event Planner and Technical Planner in particular were really enthusiastic about the idea, and they suggested where the stage would work best and what it could look like. They really helped to turn our vision into a reality.”
Making the event welcoming to all
The RCPsych has a diverse membership and in recent years the College has been taking steps to make the Congress more accessible, particularly for neurodivergent attendees.
“We want to make everybody feel welcome at the Congress,” explains Jessica. “We want people to feel like they belong at Congress – that they’re a part of the College, and the wider psychiatry community.”
RCPsych worked with EICC’s catering partner, Leith’s, to host a plain food station, with neurodivergent delegates in mind.
“Part of making everyone feel welcome is acknowledging neurodiversity within our attendees and taking steps to support neurodivergent delegates, which I know is something the EICC is really on board with.”
For the first time this year RCPsych worked with EICC’s catering partner, Leith’s, to host a plain food station, with neurodivergent delegates in mind.
“Following feedback from our members, we floated the idea of having a catering station serving just plain food, but I wasn’t sure how it would be received or whether we’d be able to do it. However, the catering team assured us it was possible, and so we were able to work with them to organise it.
“We received some really lovely feedback, including feedback from one delegate who said that they'd never been able to eat with their colleagues at Congress before and had always had to go out for food. The plain food option made them and their autistic colleagues feel really welcome.”
Working with the EICC team
Since 2000 EICC has hosted nine International Congresses, and Edinburgh’s compact nature is cited as a bonus by delegates. For Jessica, working with the team at EICC is another real highlight.
“Not only is the team familiar with our event – which is really helpful – but everybody works so well together, too. You don't get that in every venue. It feels seamless, and everybody collaborates within the EICC team, so you feel like you’re dealing with one team rather than multiple ones.
“The team onsite was also excellent. They’re really well-briefed and know what to expect, and the communication between the whole team seems to work really well.”
Using the space
“We had backup streams planned and put into place, so if a room became full there was another area displaying the content”
With higher than usual registrations, the RCPsych team were concerned about overcrowding. However, the technical team at EICC did some problem solving and came up with innovative solutions to ensure all of the spaces were used safely and efficiently.
“We had backup streams planned and put into place, so if a room became full there was another area displaying the content,” says Jessica. “That was incredibly helpful, and allowed us to avoid overcrowding issues. We also recorded all the content so it’s available for anyone who was unable to attend.
“We used all of the spaces available, which was great, and we had a few lounge spaces for networking, too.”
The biggest takeaway
Speaking from a personal standpoint, Jessica says the event’s highlight was the feedback from the plain food station which has prompted the team to think what other changes can be made to Congress in the future and RCPsych’s other events.
The Fringe programme was another highlight and Jessica is looking forward to seeing this build in the future.
More general feedback Jessica and her team received about the conference was that the space and set up provided a great opportunity to network, and that the atmosphere in the EICC was really positive and welcoming.