How do you organize a medical conference using an event app?

You are a scientist or a committee member, or perhaps both. And you have been asked to organize the congress. You think it sounds great, but this is completely new to you. What follows is a process in which you have to arrange things you have never done before: abstract handling, parallel sessions, accreditation applications, integration with a registration system. And all of that alongside your regular work. This article helps you gain a grip on that process and shows how a good event app makes the difference between stress and clarity at any moment.

The challenge of a medical congress

Medical congresses are different from other events. Attendees are specialists who carefully guard their time. Speakers present research results that have been in preparation for months or years. Organizers often work in a committee where no one is a full-time event professional. And there are requirements surrounding accreditation, abstract handling, GDPR compliance, and information security that simply do not play a role at other events. That makes preparation crucial. And it makes choosing the right tools decisive.

Start with the structure

The backbone of any medical congress is the scientific program. Parallel sessions, multiple speakers per time slot, room changes, attendees need to be able to consult that overview quickly and filter for what is relevant to them.

In Networkapp, you build the entire program in the dashboard: sessions, times, rooms, speakers, and abstract titles. Attendees see the program directly in the app, put together their personal agenda, and receive a push notification as soon as something changes. A speaker who drops out, a room change, or a running-over session—you adjust it in the dashboard and every attendee sees it immediately on their screen. No printed program booklet that is outdated before the congress even begins.

Abstract handling

For scientific and medical congresses, abstract handling is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone processes. Researchers submit abstracts, a review committee evaluates and selects them, and the accepted abstracts get a place in the program as a poster presentation, short lecture, or full session.

Networkapp links directly with the abstract handling tools that medical organizations already use, including Eventure and Easydus. Accepted abstracts automatically appear in the correct session in the app, including the name of the submitter, the title, and the summary. You don’t have to enter anything twice, and the chance of errors in the program is practically zero.

Registration and attendee management

Medical congresses almost always work with a separate registration system for sign-ups, payments, and accreditation applications. Networkapp does not replace that system, but links up with it seamlessly.

Attendees register via the registration portal you are already using—for example, Eventure, Easydus, Swoogo, or aanmelder.nl and automatically end up in Networkapp. No new account, no re-entering of data. Does an attendee change their session choice in the registration system? Then they will see that reflected immediately in their personal agenda within the app. Everything runs automatically and synchronized, without you having to lift a finger.

Hassle-free attendance tracking

For medical specialists, congress attendance counts toward their re-registration. Attendance must be registered per session in a way that aligns with the accreditation body’s requirements.

Networkapp supports this registration through built-in check-in functionality per session. Attendees check in via the app when they attend a session. That data is immediately available in the dashboard and can be used as substantiation for the accreditation application. No manual attendance lists, no separate Excel files—everything is in one overview.

Discuss specific accreditation requirements early in the process with Iris. She knows what most accrediting bodies expect and will configure the check-in functionality precisely to those requirements.

Security and GDPR compliance

Medical organizations rightly demand high standards for information security. Attendees are professionals who work with sensitive information, and their personal data must not fall into the wrong hands.

Networkapp is ISO 27001 certified according to the latest standard, audited externally every year—not just on paper, but in practice. All data is stored on servers in Europe and never leaves the EU. The data processing agreement is available as standard and ready for immediate deployment in your board’s or committee’s file.

For organizations operating under additional compliance requirements, such as Arvodi 2018, Arbit 2022, or NEN 7510, Networkapp provides all necessary documentation. NATO trusted Networkapp for an internal event. If our security is good enough for NATO, it will also meet your organization’s requirements.

The right message at the right time

In the run-up to a medical congress, communication is crucial. Attendees want to know what to expect, how to consult the program, and what practical arrangements have been made.

Through Networkapp, you send push notifications to all attendees or a specific group, straight to their phone, without them needing to open an email. A room change, a running-over session, or a practical reminder, attendees see it immediately. Moreover, through Networkapp, attendees are already active before the congress begins. They build their personal agenda, view abstracts, and contact other attendees via the networking feature. Engagement doesn’t start on the day itself, but weeks in advance.

Networking and interaction

A medical congress is more than a succession of lectures. It is a moment where peers meet, discuss research results, and initiate collaborations. You must actively facilitate this networking; it does not happen by itself. Networkapp provides concrete tools specifically designed for the medical context:

• Matchmaking: Based on specialization and area of interest, attendees find the people they want to talk to and schedule an appointment directly.

• Speed dates with speakers: Organize structured, brief conversations between attendees and researchers; everyone knows in advance who they are speaking with and what about.

• Live voting and Q&A: Make sessions interactive. Attendees ask questions via the app and respond to polls, which deepens the discussion and increases engagement.

• Discussion groups per session: Attendees can continue the scientific discussion even after the room has emptied.

Evaluation and reporting

After the congress, Networkapp automatically delivers the data you need for the evaluation. Through the dashboard, you can see session attendance, engagement scores, and user statistics per attendee. Which parallel session drew the most visitors? Which speaker scored highest on interaction? These insights serve as input for the next edition.

Right after the congress, you can use Networkapp to send an evaluation questionnaire to all attendees. The results are available in the dashboard and can be exported for the committee or the board. Sponsors and exhibitors receive an overview of their contact moments, profile visits, and lead data via Networkapp’s Leadscan feature. This allows you, as the organizer, to deliver a measurable sponsor deal that you can resell for the next edition.

Colleague at a distance

Organizing a medical congress is impossible without the right partner. At Networkapp, that partner is Iris, project manager, sounding board, and the voice on the other end of the line. She has guided dozens of medical congresses, knows what abstract handling entails, and understands what is at stake if the app does not perform as expected on the day of the congress.

Iris thinks along with the setup, coordinates the integration with your registration system, and is reachable if something isn’t right just before the congress. No ticketing system, just someone who answers the phone and resolves the issue.