The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was the venue for one of the world’s largest international medical congresses, and certainly Kuala Lumpur’s biggest congress ever…
The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was the venue for one of the world’s largest international medical congresses, and certainly Kuala Lumpur’s biggest congress ever, when 8,294 people attended the XVIII FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO Congress) that was held from 5 to 10 November, 2006. FIGO (The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) is the only worldwide organisation that groups together obstetricians and gynecologists to promote the well-being of women and to raise the standard of practice in obstetrics and gynecology.
According to the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM), eight years ago, OGSM, assisted by AOS Conventions and Events (AOS), initiated the bidding process for the triennial congress which was last held in Santiago, Chile. Although up against some tough competition, the Malaysian delegation convinced FIGO members that Kuala Lumpur was capable of staging such a large and prestigious event.
Come November 2006, the 6,503 delegates and 727 accompanying persons from 149 countries and approximately 958 exhibitors participating in FIGO 2006 exceeded the local organiser’s expectations, leading Dr. Abdul Aziz Yahya, chair of the local organising committee to exclaim, “the FIGO Congress in KL was a success!”.
With support from the OGSM and the Malaysian Government, the Congress featured several highlights such as the launch of an official FIGO stamp, a forum on women’s health that was open to the public and a fellowship programme for healthcare providers from the least developed countries in the world. In addition, pharmaceutical companies, medical products and system manufacturers, publishers and educational organisations also showcased their wares and services at the Congress.
They, as well as non-profit organisations, made up the 113 exhibitors who took up the 7,208 square metre space. Within the exhibition halls, 757 posters were displayed and changed daily to garner renewed interest from delegates. Many exhibitors, especially those from Geneva, were impressed with the assistance, patience and fast response from the staff as “nothing seemed too much trouble”.
The Congress also saw a record number of the 442 invited speakers, 50 were from the United Kingdom and 36, from the United States of America. A further 1,891 presenters delivered oral, video and poster presentations with a significant number coming from India (190 presenters), Iran (181 presenters), the United Kingdom (168 presenters) and China (146 presenters).
To cater for such a massive gathering, in addition to the permanent audio/visual (AV) staff, the Centre partnered with local AV companies while four South African AV personnel were brought in to assist with monitoring and managing the halls, speaker preparation rooms and sponsored symposiums. 58 information technology (IT) technicians were also on standby and 20 internet access points set-up in the Exhibition Halls to enable delegates to surf the Net and check for important emails.
Delegates were also provided with a wide selection of international and local cuisines, with four catering outlets of varying types set up around the Centre. In addition, delegates attending the sponsored symposiums were given ‘Food on the Go’ – a specially packed lunch prepared by the Centre’s catering services. At the end of the six-day congress, an astounding 91,300 cups of coffee, 51,986 cups of tea and 59,562 cups of water had been consumed.
Expressing his satisfaction with the entire event, Lord Naren Patel, Chairman of the FIGO 2006 Congress Organising Committee commented, “We have the best convention centre in Kuala Lumpur, a perfect venue in delightful surroundings – that helped a lot to make things easy” while Professor Arnaldo Acosta, President of the FIGO Congress said, “The venue offered all delegates a superb facility for the meeting and it was truly a global experience for all to relish”.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
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