There was never a “no meeting option” for Maria Aaron, MD. As the secretary of the AAO annual meeting, Dr. Aaron only saw three choices during the coronavirus pandemic: 1) a socially distant, infection-controlled live show; 2) a completely virtual online conference; or 3) a combination of an online and in-person gathering.

When spring yielded to summer without any relief from escalating virus cases, Dr. Aaron and her colleagues had to limit their options down to one scenario.

“By mid-July, based on the epidemiologic projections, governmental recommendations and public health mandates, it really became necessary for the Academy to cancel the live meeting,” says Dr. Aaron, who is currently planning AAO 2020 Virtual, which is scheduled for Nov. 13-15. “It had also become more clear that we were not going to be able to bring in our international members for a live event and, in order to be safe, we had to go virtual. And, of course, our members’ safety is the most critical and important thing at this time.”

While the rationale was understandable, the determination to eliminate a show that draws more than 20,000 health-care professionals, exhibitors and their guests each year was not easily arrived at. However, during the past 8 months, Dr. Aaron and other meeting planners have found that they are looking forward to introducing a new type of experience to their audience. Further, they are eager to learn how expectations for the annual meeting will shift, not just due to new safety protocols but because the concept of meeting virtually is becoming more ingrained in people’s personal and professional lives.

Likewise, providers within the industry appear eager to experience the newfound flexibility offered by learning online to help compensate for their busy schedules, according to those who spoke with Ophthalmology Management — even if they do look forward to getting back to in-person meetings as soon as safely possible. OM also gathered insights from exhibitors and other industry representatives about the benefits and challenges of the new conference “normal.”

BEEN HERE, DONE THIS

Although we are living in an almost-unprecedented time, the concept of an online conference is not unknown among Dr. Aaron and her peers. The AAO has provided education online for almost 15 years, through its Ophthalmic News and Education (ONE) Network, an online platform that produces peer-reviewed prerecorded content for ophthalmologists and other clinicians.

Ideas will be borrowed for AAO 2020 Virtual, which is scheduled to include more than 100 hours of interactive sessions that will be broadcasted live; Subspecialty Day meetings; the practice management program of the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives (AAOE), the Academy’s practice management affiliate; and a virtual Expo. The agenda will also include cocktail parties, talent shows, happy hours and virtual hangout areas such as lounges, where people can get together to talk in a more casual atmosphere.

THE BENEFITS OF GOING VIRTUAL

“It’s human nature to want to be together and there is really no replacement for the live trade show, but I think people are excited about this event,” says Dr. Aaron. “We have to rally around 2020, despite all of the challenges that we are facing. There are benefits to the virtual experience.”

Among those benefits are not having to plan travel time, fewer expenses and, due to the pandemic, having the ability to collect continuing medical education (CME) credits when they otherwise would not be available, says Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU and Tulane University, and a surgeon with OCLI Vision, Long Island, N.Y.

“Everyone wants to go back to the way things were, but virtual meetings will continue,” she says. “Companies will also save a great deal of money by connecting with their colleagues via Zoom meetings.”

Matthew Wade, MD, a cornea and cataract specialist at Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at University of California Irvine, also expects the draw to online learning to continue. He even senses an onus on live events to meet what’s becoming a changing set of audience demands.

“Interest is strong for virtual events, and demand for in-person meetings will decrease,” says Dr. Wade, who has participated in online events both as a learner and educator. “In-person meetings will need to morph — not to stay relevant but to stay effective because virtual meetings can appeal to smaller niche audiences. Virtual meetings also increase access compared to in-person meetings, and recorded instruction gives participants the chance to consume content over time, which is superior for learning retention.”

AVOIDING “VIRTUAL FATIGUE”

Despite the well-documented advantages of online meetings, Dr. Aaron is carefully considering the long-term effect of “virtual fatigue” as providers become more reliant on online meetings while also aiming to ensure that conference programing remains viable enough to outweigh any lethargy that could set in. Today’s various virtual meeting platforms provide the technology for this to be done through a combination of larger and smaller “breakout” events and encouraging providers to engage with one another during sessions by using chat functions and polling tools to share thoughts in real time, even if the session has been prerecorded.

“We are trying to make the program as interactive as possible,” Dr. Aaron says. “Having attendees ask questions through the chat function creates additional interactivity, and it gives speakers more feedback to address.”

The AAO is also encouraging providers to not anticipate being in front of their computer or other device for hours on end and suggests that they consider waiting to view some content for a future time — all education will be available on demand for registrants.

“We encourage connecting through your phone and taking a walk, folding your laundry or cooking dinner while you’re listening to a presenter,” Dr. Aaron says. “We don’t want our attendees to think that they need to be sitting all day in front of their computer in order to get access to all of the information being shared.”

THE PRE-RECORDED FORMAT

Both Dr. Wade and Dr. McDonald appreciate having sessions pre-recorded and then having the presenters enter the room after the session ends to mingle with attendees and address questions, a strategy that Dr. Aaron says the AAO has utilized.

Dr. McDonald adds that pre-recording essentially eliminates the risk of a technical failure and has worked well in events that she’s attended. “There is nothing like an in-person meeting — the social, interpersonal and professional opportunity aspects cannot be overstated — but these types of virtual events are useful,” she says.

Though he believes a virtual draw is the appeal to niche groups, Dr. Wade sees the online option, when conducted correctly, as attracting more people globally.

“We will benefit from more international involvement at these meetings,” he says. “And I’m curious to see how live virtual patient feedback might be incorporated into meetings. On first thought it seemed to me that networking and relationship-building would not be as effective, but the opposite may be true because breakout rooms can increase the ease of connecting before, during and after the in-person meeting. I’m also excited to see how virtual physician education evolves.”

VIEWS FROM EXHIBITORS & EDUCATORS

The functionality and setup of virtual conferences and meetings is already evolving, says Chuck Hess, vice president and general manager of Bausch + Lomb Surgical, where officials have participated in a number of virtual conferences over the past several months, including those offered by the ASCRS, American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS) and American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).

“Perhaps more than ever, we have found them to be invaluable opportunities to support these organizations and their members,” Mr. Hess says. “Staying connected, even when we can’t be together in person, is critical to understanding the challenges we are facing, sharing the variety of ways we are working to navigate them and identifying all the ways we can continue to support and communicate with our customers. Given the pace and frequency of changes to our circumstances, this type of communication must continue.”

Providers who encounter B+L representatives at virtual meetings can expect an interactive environment that allows for engagement with company representatives. The learning platforms will feature a landing page that tells the story of product brands and offers users the option to select specific content areas that they want to explore. From a participant’s view, Mr. Hess says the virtual format helps to avoid choosing between compelling, conflicting lectures and trying to be in two places at once when visiting vendor booths.

“The virtual meeting has afforded me the opportunity to stay even closer to the latest research,” he says. “Virtual meeting tools and technologies have also provided a cost-effective way for us to enhance our sales training and collaborate with customers through virtual advisory boards. Discussions held during these types of engagements have led to the development and launch of our COVID-19 Customer Recovery Program, which offers a variety of alternatives to help practice owners manage cash flow and build flexibility based on feedback and input that we received.”

At Allergan, an AbbVie company, Ramin Valian, vice president of interventional glaucoma and reimbursement, says that the advantages to virtual conferencing have been presenting themselves for quite some time.

“The world has been shifting towards social and digital platforms to communicate data and research for years,” says Mr. Valian, who has also participated in a number of shows, including ASCRS, where new safety and efficacy data on DURYSTA, Allergan’s newest glaucoma treatment, were presented. “We’ve all had to adapt to conduct most meetings and events virtually, and I’m sure with each meeting more progress on the technical side will be seen to make for a better user experience,” Mr. Valian says. “We see this as an opportunity to produce shareable content that can reach wider audiences in the eye-care community, rather than just those that are able to attend onsite.” Moving forward, he advises that meeting planners try to creatively keep things as simple and basic as possible to enhance learning.

“Meeting planners should think outside-the-box for new mediums and virtual formats, but, ultimately, they should think about what’s going to be the simplest and easiest way for interested people to access information,” he says.

POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS

Despite the benefits and excitement for future shows, Mr. Valian acknowledges that there are challenges to the virtual method.

“Our industry relies on congresses to share our latest research that can advance medical treatment and connect face-to-face,” Mr. Valian says. “There’s a lot that you gain from that in-person interaction — discussing challenges in a freeform way, brainstorming solutions — that you just don’t get virtually. Despite the current environment, it is still so important that we’re able to communicate the latest eye-care data for the benefit of patients.”

Similarly, Mr. Hess sees the lack of in-person contact being a potential long-term complication if the pandemic lingers and/or meeting habits change over time.

“Ophthalmology is an extremely close-knit profession, and we all miss the personal contact and collaboration that only live meetings can provide,” he says. “A virtual format often provides ‘sound bites,’ but does not always allow us to delve into the details we might have discussed afterwards in the hallway or at a reception. Typing questions into a chat function can sometimes leave inquiries unanswered or stifle interaction. There is also the hands-on, experiential element, such as the ability to test out equipment, that simply cannot be replicated virtually. We will eventually need to strike a balance between the two formats, identifying and tailoring them based on their respective strengths.”

A “BLENDED” FUTURE

From the planning side, Dr. Aaron says that educators, exhibitors and providers alike can be assured that the goal will be to return to in-person settings once safety can be more confidently realized. However, this may come with a blending of what the online experience is teaching everyone involved.

“I don’t think the virtual meeting will ever ‘replace’ the live meeting and, in the long term, I think the expectation will be that the virtual component will be more robust than it previously has been,” she says. “Whatever the reasons may be, I think the expectation will be a more prestigious virtual component to the live meeting. We are an optimistic group, and we are going to make this a phenomenal experience in every way. The pandemic has forced us to be more creative and advance our virtual component of live meetings going forward.” OM