Yes, yes, yes… There was never any question of postponing it again, despite the health crisis. In addition, this pandemic is in the process (we can and should hope!) to decrease its virulence thanks in particular to vaccination. We just have to adapt ourselves and adapt our technical means to make it a fantastic international meeting!

For health reasons, we were not able to keep the dates initially planned, in September of last year… We had immediately chosen to postpone for a full year, which turned out to be valid, given the a priori regularized resumption of our activities next fall.

Originally it was two days, Thursday and Friday, but only a few weeks ago the local government postponed a very important congress on cybercrime in Europe, initially scheduled for June, exactly the same week and at the same place as our EHS. We had no other solution than to postpone a single day, that is to say, a Friday and a Saturday… But the main thing was to keep Lille-Grand-Palais the same week!

We did not want, if it remained possible of course, to go “pure” virtual… Conviviality, friendly contacts between colleagues, effective participation “live” in debates, “corridor” discussions, are only allowed through a real “face-to-face”. We, therefore, chose the “hybridization” option, both virtual and presential, with the possibility of placing the cursor between the two options depending on the evolution of sanitary conditions.

No worries… Our congress organizer MCI France has already experimented with this hybrid option for several years and has used this “virtual” technology on numerous occasions since the start of the current pandemic. In addition, the Lille Grand Palais congress site is ideal for setting up recording and live broadcasting studios. One can think moreover that this “hybrid” mode will become the rule for all the next international congresses… fewer travel expenses, fewer costs, more ecology!!!…

Usually, we have between 800 and a thousand attendees for EHS congresses… Of course, the current sanitary conditions must be considered. However, a survey of our stakeholders indicated a percentage of around 60% face to face against 40% in virtual, which is of course only a survey… However, with the support of Hip Toulouse who generally welcomes nearly 400 participants, we can consider around 500 delegates on site and perhaps 600 in virtual, especially since the registrations for the virtual are at 50% off, which will undoubtedly be extremely attractive for those who cannot come to Lille…

No, the program itself has not been changed. Simply the dates of this 2021 congress are more favourable than last year, which allowed several speakers to be free. At Lille-Grand-Palais, equipped with two large auditoriums and 3 additional rooms, we will offer 16 symposia, 4 round tables, a guest lecture by Professor Martin Krismer, and 27 oral lecture sessions (207 lectures grouped into 15 themes), in addition to e-posters and 6 satellite industry symposia. The Industry exhibition area will be present on-site for visits during breaks and catering…

The organizers of Hip Toulouse have renewed their confidence in us, and we thank them very much in these difficult times. They will propose their two symposia as previously allotted in the large Pasteur auditorium, which is also equipped with an English French translation for our French-speaking friends who are not familiar with English. As for Canada as a guest nation, this year we no longer have any conflicting dates with the ISHA, and therefore we will have the pleasure of welcoming Professor Paul Beaulé, alongside Professor Vendittoli for an extremely attractive round table. “Carte blanche to our Canadian colleagues and friends”!

We naturally hope that many speakers will be able to be on-site… Nevertheless, if some must attend virtual, their pre-recorded lecture will be broadcast during their session, and they will be able to intervene live, on the screen placed on the podium, during the discussion thanks to a special channel, at the same time as the speakers present on the podium… This is the great merit of hybridization, which allows being present virtually alongside the speakers on-site.

We received around 500 abstracts, all the high quality, from 166 presenters of 30 countries, including 13 from outside Europe. They were reviewed and scored by two to five reviewers, who selected the top two lectures for each presenter. Finally, 207 abstracts were accepted to participate in the 27 slots of oral sessions, while they were grouped into 15 themes addressing all topics related to the hip. Of the remaining abstracts, 215 were accepted for e-posters. The last checks and sorting have already been carried out and the authors will soon receive their official agreement for the presentation of their work. Once again, we congratulate all the science teams for their excellent work.

Indeed… Due to technical constraints, all communications presented in virtual must be pre-recorded… We cannot encounter any unexpected technical problem of a “live” computer link break, in such tight timing. Recordings can be made either by video recorded “in-house”, or via the recording platform set up by MCI. Please note that all recordings must be picked up from the congress studios by 15th August to allow for editing and finalization. Instructions on this will be given on the site very soon. Conversely, participation in discussions for “virtual” speakers will be possible live via a special channel. Note that after having discussed it again, it was decided that the presenters “on-site” will be able to present their work on the podium… oblige them to watch their conference on the screen, as in the cinema, while they make the effort to participate in situ in the congress could have seemed very frustrating!

It is not currently possible to give a definitive ruling on this question… Due to the sanitary constraints still currently the rule, and in particular the distance between the tables, it will not be possible to keep the Hermitage Ganthois for our gala dinner on Friday night. Alternately,  it is possible to provide it on the top floor of Lille-Grand-Palais, which benefits from a beautiful view over the rooftops of Lille, and which can be arranged accordingly. On the other hand, a welcome cocktail will be arranged for everyone on Thursday evening in the salons of the Hermitage Ganthois…  it would be a shame to miss this Flemish heritage treasure with such a magnificent history!

The EHS congresses generally took place over two and a half days… This year, we had decided to stay at two full days because the experience showed a certain disaffection in the rooms on the third morning, with the start of a full weekend… This is why the option of simply two full days was chosen… We would have liked it to be possible again this year, but local political constraints on the use of the conference venue mean that we have to postpone by one day, and so to skip Thursday and continue Friday AND Saturday… I was personally very upset by this postponement, but finally, many surgeons confirmed to us that it was finally somewhere good news because they gain an extra day in their operating room!!!… And then, it will certainly make you want to enjoy a really exciting guided tour on Sunday in this magnificent city of Lille!