GPFUQ #234 What’s the value of annual medical conferences?
Annual conferences hosted by academic and member organisations can be costly for attendees and risky for the organisers, but they can be very profitable, influential, and enjoyable events.
Every day, along with requests to write for obscure journals, my email inbox fills with unsolicited invitations to attend, speak at, or even be a keynote speaker at an international conference. Some relate to my areas of interest or expertise, but most have no real connection. These invitations are predatory,1 designed to flatter my ego and empty my wallet.
Even the value of reputable conferences can be a concern. Take, for example, the 2024 WONCA Europe 2-day conference in Dublin. A UK attendee would spend at least £1000 on conference fees, travel, and accommodation. Similarly, the 2024 Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) annual conference in Liverpool cost about the same but did offer discounts for specific attendee groups. Many participants may have their expenses covered by their academic or educational institutions. These conferences may not be predatory, but are they good value in terms of how they plan, assess, and report their economic, social, and environmental impacts and outcomes?
A generation ago, the large GP conferences were often organised by enthusiastic members of the hosting organisations. The aim was to strengthen the professional network and find and spread best practices faster. The quality of these conferences varied greatly from year to year and the financial risks were significant. Today, third-party commercial organisers frequently take on the financial risks, but impose their own rules and claim a share of the profits.
For instance, GUARANT International, a Czech company, organised the 2024 WONCA conference, and Haymarket Media Group managed the 2024 RCGP conference. Despite professional event management, UK medical conferences can fall short compared to the best in class (often their equivalent US conferences) in terms of their organisation, content, and experience.
These conferences can be important fund-raising events for their host organisations. Conference organisers need to have sponsorships, sell exhibition spaces, and attract presenters and attendees. They use marketing tactics to help them. These can include inviting potential attendees to be presenters at the conference, extending deadlines to attract more presenters, and adjusting presentation formats. For example, a presenter might submit a 90-minute workshop but be allocated only a 10-minute talk. If given a 90-minute workshop they may have a room that is too small or unsuitable for the session format. Commercial organisers may blame academic organisers for such issues, but complaints can go unanswered.
High-quality GP conferences should raise their standards and report on their ‘triple bottom line’ — the economic, social, and environmental impacts and outcomes.
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