The world’s leading spine experts this week gathered at ACC Liverpool for the UK’s first ever EUROSPINE annual congress.
A total of 3,500 international top surgeons, healthcare experts and industry professionals met at the waterfront venue, home to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena, for the four day event, expected to generate more than £5m in economic benefit to the city.
The annual meeting is Europe’s most important platform which sees orthopaedic, trauma and neurosurgeons, as well as conservative treating physicians and basic scientists such as engineers and biologists, come together to share the latest findings from their research.
Keynote speakers included BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner who was left paralysed after he was shot by terrorists in Saudi Arabia in 2004. Professors including Dr Ferran Pellisé, president of Eurospine; Dr Philip Sell, Dr Jörg Franke and Dr Everard Munting attended from Spain, UK, Turkey, Germany and Belgium respectively.
Dr Tim Pigott, and Dr Martin Wilby, spinal neurosurgeons at The Walton Centre, Liverpool, helped to secure the event in the city, working with PCO Mondial. Dr Pigott said: “This is the first UK meeting and it was important that it came to Liverpool which is my adopted city.
“It was building ACC Liverpool that enabled us to be able to do this. The venue has fantastic facilities and is in an excellent location in the city centre. It ticks all the boxes for people travelling here from all over the world and is good for the city in terms of the amount that people spend during their stay.”
The D-end of the arena was transformed for a plenary session and 114 global exhibitors were installed across the arena and hall two of the venue. Production was provided in-house by the ACC Liverpool team and included exhibition rigging and AV for 26 stands, AV for plenary and break-out sessions and the installation of office equipment in registration areas.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, said: “EUROSPINE was our largest production of the year so far with 27 technicians on site every day. It provided an opportunity to showcase our city and venue to thousands of delegates from all over the world, including North America and Asia.”
Liverpool Convention Bureau provided support including accommodation bookings and placing fringe events.
Kate Currie, interim Convention Bureau manager, said: “We are fortunate to have local Ambassadors who are as passionate as we are about Liverpool and help attract these large international conferences to the city, further cementing Liverpool as a top class destination.”
EUROSPINE has been held in locations including Amsterdam, Vienna and Milan and will take place next year in Lyon.
Photo credit: Apace Amfort
