The launch of ASM Microbe 2016 is set to take place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) on June 16-20. In 2016, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will combine their two very successful annual meetings, the General Meeting and the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), for the very first time.
The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)’s Convene magazine has been following ASM’s planning efforts in a series of articles since October of 2015. As we look forward to ASM’s arrival in Boston, here is a snapshot of their story.
Culturally, the General Meeting and ICAAC were two very different events. With 40,000 members, ASM’s General Meeting annually drew 7,000 to 8,000 attendees each May. Serving as its membership meeting, most areas of microbiology were represented… except for the areas covered at ICAAC annually in September, 50-60% of whom traveled internationally.
Reflecting the state of the economy, the attendance numbers and sponsorship dollars were on the decline – especially with the decrease of NIH funding, limiting the grants that allowed attendees to travel to the event. These declines were what pushed the ASM leadership to take a step back and realize the efficiencies achieved with one meeting… and the opportunity to unify the entire ASM community.
This month, at the launch of ASM Microbe, the first impression will be impressive. With 10,000 to 12,000 attendees, it will take up all of the BCEC, plus meeting space at the Seaport World Trade Center, the Westin Boston Waterfront, and the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. Surrounding the four venues, ASM is creating what they’re calling a “conference campus” which they’ll distinguish with ASM Microbe flags, banners, and sidewalk clings.
ASM promoted the 2016 Boston event at their 2016 General Meeting with a town-hall information session, signage, and samples of the giant microbe models that will be part of ASM Microbe’s wayfinding. They also dedicated a significant portion of ASM’s booth to Microbe, “with fuzzy little microbe toys, microbe coloring sheets, and a photo stand where attendees could take their picture against a Boston backdrop while wearing a lobster or crab hat” (Convene, Oct. 2015).
Originally conceived as a co-location, the meetings are far more integrated in year one than anticipated. The ultimate goal is to fully integrate the two meetings.
All of these changes aside, ASM Microbe is catching attention for another reason. In mid-February, they announced that Bill Gates would headline their event. Gates “will be interviewed onstage by ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Richard Besser about the importance of microbial sciences to the Gates Foundations’ work in areas such as polio eradication and HIV/AIDS prevention” (Convene, March 2016).
While this year they are indeed blending the two conferences, ASM had originally planned for a separation of audiences, with the ICAAC fee-based sessions all grouped together on Friday. Once Gates was named as their keynote, ASM was presented with a challenge: he was only able to speak on the first day of the conference (Thursday), instead of during their planned Saturday keynote slot. This forced ASM’s hand and required them to shuffle around the conference program, which, as it turns out, created a better, more integrated meeting. With people arriving earlier to hear Gates, ASM had to ensure there was programming fitting for everyone each day. So they moved “about 25 ICAAC workshops and other sessions to Friday, from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday” (Convene, March 2016).
In addition to their program, ASM also sought to make an impression on attendees from the moment they walk in the front door of the BCEC. From signage to the registration area, the planning team at ASM wants people “to walk in, see what the lobby looks like, and say, ‘Wow, this is not the same meeting.’”
The Signature Boston team is proud to welcome ASM Microbe 2016 to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. We look forward to the success of this year’s exciting, new event!
You can learn more about ASM Microbe 2016 on their website asmmicrobe.org or by following them on social media at #ASMMicrobe2016 on Twitter or on their Facebook event page.
Read the original PCMA articles: October 2015, December 2015, and March 2016.