The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) has hosted its first physical large-scale international congress since the pandemic with the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology Congress (APLAR 2022) held on December 6-9.
The four-day congress featured a full slate of speeches, workshops and conferences as well as an exhibition showing latest rheumatology technology and industry trends and attracted 700 delegates, including about 400 experts, speakers and delegates from overseas.
In addition to keeping the organiser updated on the Hong Kong Government’s anti-epidemic and social distancing measures, HML Event managers provided solution-based advice and services to help overseas delegates efficiently fulfil the “0+3” requirements.
Measures were wide-ranging, from venue disinfection and provision of special dining arrangements to the setting locations for of a mobile specimen truck for PCR testing.
Following the virtual Congress in 2020 and hybrid Congress in 2021, Professor Debashish Danda, president of APLAR, and Dr Ronald Yip, Congress Chair of APLAR 2022, were excited to see the event return to a physical format.
“Thanks to HML’s support, we were able to host delegates from countries and regions around the world in a face-to-face setting at the HKCEC,” they said.
“The HML team’s flexibility, professional advice and coordination were exceptional, as were the planning process, execution and delivery.”
Monica Lee-Müller, managing director of HML, said she feels very confident about the opportunities that lie ahead for the convention and exhibition industry.
“Our experiences with the pandemic and the overwhelmingly positive response from APLAR 2022 attendees demonstrate clearly that online conferencing technologies cannot fully replace physical meetings,” she said.
“APLAR 2022 is also a stellar showcase of Hong Kong’s resilience and versatility compared to other regional cities, one that HML can present to overseas organisers of major conferences as we head into 2023.”
