FAQ
Q: Do I have to be an IGCS member to register for the conference?
A: No. IGCS meetings are open to both members and nonmembers. Being an IGCS member you will pay a lower registration rate and experience significant other benefits. For information on membership benefits and how to join, please visit https://igcs.org/membership/member-benefits/.
Please note the registration is nontransferable or refundable. The meeting is available live and on-demand until December 4, 2021 if you miss any of the live sessions.
Q: How do I register?
A: Register for the virtual conference here.
Group registration is available for all options. Email reg_igcs21@kenes.com for more information.
Q: How can I confirm my registration?
A: An email confirmation and payment receipt will be sent to you immediately after registration is completed. If you have questions or need assistance with your registration confirmation, email reg_igcs21@kenes.com
Q: Are there lower registration rates for students, trainees, and nurses?
A: Yes. Medical students, residents, fellows in training, and nurses receive a substantial discount. Refer to the pricing on the registration web page. The discount is applied based on the selections made during registration.
Q: What if I am interested in a group registration?
A: IGCS is pleased to offer group registrations and the potential for discounts to many regional and gynecologic oncology-related organizations. If you are interested, please contact the IGCS CEO, Mary Eiken at mary.eiken@igcs.org
Q: Why did IGCS decide to change the in-person meeting to fully virtual?
A: Based on careful monitoring of conditions in Rome, the resident countries of our delegates, and in discussions with local health authorities, we have concluded that COVID-19 infections are not likely to abate before the meeting. Thus, is it out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our international delegates that we have reached the difficult decision to transition the IGCS 2021 Annual Global Meeting, initially planned as a hybrid meeting, to a virtual format only.
The decision came from the IGCS leadership after it was determined it is not feasible to hold a meeting in person due to the recent changes in travel restrictions preventing many of our international speakers and attendees from traveling to and from Italy. An increasing number of countries are enforcing quarantine before and/or after traveling internationally and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has issued a level 3 Travel Health Notice for Italydue to COVID-19, indicating a high level of cases in the country.
Q: I registered for an in-person pass, what should I do now?
A: All in-person passes will be converted to a virtual pass, and the appropriate (partial) refund will be given for the difference in fees per the IGCS cancellation and conversion policy. The fee that will apply will be based on the registration fee and category applicable at the time the original registration was booked.
All in-person registrants will be contacted by our registration department from the email address reg_igcs21@kenes.com.
Q: Will I need to register again for the Virtual conference?
A: No. All in-person registrations will automatically be converted to a virtual pass and delegates will be contacted individually with details.
All delegates will receive an email from the meeting organizer a few days in advance of the meeting with a link to the portal and a unique login code. The portal will open on August 28th. Please view the FAQ section on the Virtual Platform for more information.
Q: Can I donate my partial refund to the IGCS?
A: Yes, please contact us to let us know that you would like to donate your partial registration refund. Email reg_igcs21@kenes.com for details.
TRAVEL
Q: I booked a hotel room through the official meeting site; how do I cancel?
A: If your hotel reservation was made through the official IGCS housing agent, Univers, or if you completed a VIP housing form, we will be in touch with you directly about cancellation and additional options should you wish to continue your plans to stay in Rome. If you made your hotel reservation on your own, you would need to cancel directly with the hotel.
Q: Will I be able to get a refund for my airline flight?
A: Each airline has its own policies regarding cancellations, refunds, and credits with changes happening daily. Please contact your airline directly for options.
CONFERENCE INFO
Q: Are sessions still being held Central European Time?
A: Yes. There may be some changes to the schedule, but most of the program timeline will remain the same. Visit https://igcs2021.com/program/ for the latest available information. Please allow until August 10th to see updates to the program.
Q: Will any sessions be live on the virtual platform?
A: Yes. All the sessions originally scheduled to be held live in Rome will now be held live on the virtual meeting platform. Live sessions include live Q&A segments and polls for audience participation.
Q: How long will I be able to access the virtual conference on the platform?
A: All session recordings and e-posters will be available for 90 days after the meeting (until December 4, 2021).
Q: How do I submit an abstract and/or an abstract with a surgical film?
A: All abstracts and surgical films must be submitted online. Visit the abstract submission page to view the topics, guidelines and access the submission portal. The submission guidelines document found on the website will answer many of your questions and the submission portal takes you through the process step by step.
Q: May I present more than one abstract?
A: Individuals are limited to submit and/or present a maximum of five (5) abstracts for IGCS 2021.
Q: When will I find out if my abstract has been accepted for presentation?
A: Notification of acceptance will occur mid-June via email. Further instructions regarding presentation specifics and the new digital platform will be sent at the time of the acceptance letter. Selected abstracts will be assigned as oral presentations and/or poster presentations.
Q: When is the abstract submission deadline?
A: The deadline for abstracts and surgical films is June 29th.
Q: Will there be a late-breaking or seminal abstract acceptance?
A: Yes, we are excited to accept abstracts that meet the late-breaking criteria of the congress. The late breaking abstract submission site will be open in mid-June.
Q: If my abstract is accepted, what is the presentation format?
A: Authors who are selected as a presenter of an oral abstract in a plenary session will be provided with instructions for the live session along with the date and time of the session(s). Abstracts may also be accepted for oral posters or for placement in our virtual abstract poster hall with the option for the author to include a short-pre-recorded audio message.
Oral abstract presenters will have the option to present from a remote location using video conferencing technology or if able, may present in person at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Italy.
Details, specifications, and instructions for each presentation type will be sent with the acceptance letters.
Individuals chosen to present oral surgical films will receive additional information as well.
An accepted abstract or film will require the presenting author to be registered for the meeting.
Q: When will abstracts be released?
A: Abstract titles, authors, and full text will be released publicly in advance of the meeting and will be accessible from the meeting website and igcs.org.
The full text of the abstracts will be published in a supplementary issue of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer after the meeting. The supplement will be open access.
Q: How will digital posters be integrated into IGCS 2021?
A: The virtual platform brings many perks for poster presenters.
IGCS accepts hundreds of abstracts for the Abstract Poster Hall and delegates can view the submitted posters at any time throughout the duration of the meeting. A new feature of the virtual meeting platform brings audio files (podcasts) recorded by the presenting author of each poster that delegates can listen to when accessing the Abstract Poster Hall.
Q: Is there a featured poster session?
A: Yes, there will be a session dedicated to featured poster presentations. This session will take place on the virtual platform. Presenting authors will have the opportunity to verbally disseminate the research while sharing their e-poster and will also have a Q&A segment with the session moderator.
Q: Will there be a Surgical Film Cinema this year to display films that were submitted?
A: Yes. Usually, several surgical films are accepted during the call for abstracts and surgical films to run on a loop. The selected surgical films will be available to view on-demand and have a dedicated area within the virtual platform lobby.
Q: What is the overall format of the meeting?
A: IGCS 2021 will be IGCS 2021 will be a fully virtual meeting. Below, you can read about the different features of the virtual platform.
Q: What do I get with my virtual delegate pass?
· Exclusive access to the entire IGCS Virtual Meeting Program which takes place from August 30 – September 2, 2021.
· Ability to participate in live Q&A segments and polls during the live educational sessions.
· On Demand access to recordings of ALL sessions within the IGCS Virtual Meeting Program until December 4, 2021.
· European Continuing Medical Education Credits (ECMEC®) for healthcare professionals for most of the sessions attended. A list of sessions eligible for credit will be made available prior to the meeting. Credits may be converted to American and Canadian units.
· Access to the Virtual Abstract Poster Hall with hundreds of e-posters and audio files uploaded by the presenter.
· Access to the Surgical Film Cinema which features selected surgical films that were collected during the open call for abstracts and surgical films.
· Ability to connect with authors, speakers, delegates, and industry representatives through the meeting messaging portal and during virtual social events.
Q: Will IGCS 2021 have Industry Supported Symposia, and will the content be available after the symposia?
A: Industry Supported Symposia will take place on the virtual platform without concurrent IGCS programming. The content and faculty are determined by our industry colleagues. Recordings of the industry symposia will be available within the meeting portal no less than 24 hours after the symposia and available for on-demand viewing until December 4, 2021.
Please refer to the meeting schedule/program for details about each industry session.
Q:What opportunities are available to support the meeting?
A: Please contact Mary Eiken, IGCS CEO at mary.eiken@igcs.org for more information.
Q: I registered for the meeting. How do I access sessions during the scheduled broadcast?
A: Registered delegates will receive an email from the meeting organizer a few days in advance of the meeting with a link to the portal and a unique login code. The portal will open on August 28th.
Q: Do I need any specific technical requirements to access the meeting portal or to optimize my viewing of the meeting?
A: The meeting portal can be accessed from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Please make sure you have an up-to-date browser version. See more information below.
It is recommended that delegates use the best internet connection as possible. In general, wired connections are better than WiFi connections, and WiFi connections are better than cellular (3G/4G/LTE) connections. Plan ahead and, if possible, join from a location where you can access a fast, reliable, wired connection.
Close any unused applications on your computer. Virtual meetings can demand significant memory and processing power from your computer. Closing other applications during the session will help the virtual meeting run better.
Avoid activities that will steal bandwidth. Don’t start any bandwidth-intensive activities immediately prior to, or during, the meeting. Avoid large downloads, uploads, streaming, cloud backups, cloud file synchronizations and other high bandwidth activities. System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems:
· MacOS X with macOS 10.7 or later
· Windows 10
· Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 or higher
· iOS 7.0 or later
· iPad OS 13 or later
· Android 4.0x or later
Browsers – recommended Chrome
· Windows: Chrome 40+, Edge 12+, Firefox 27+
· Mac: Chrome 40+, Firefox 27+
· Linux: Chrome 40+, Firefox 27+
Q: If I have trouble accessing the meeting portal or if I lost my login code, who should I contact?
reg_igcs21@kenes.com
Q: Is there a guide that explains how to use the Virtual Meeting Platform?
A: Yes. Please click here for a detailed guide explaining the features of the platform.
Q: Will the meeting take place at different times each day?
A: As Rome is the hub of IGCS 2021, the program will reflect times that are conducive to those in Europe. However, in consideration of our global audience and presenters, the program will also include live sessions held in different time zones. Please refer to the schedule for more information.
Q: I want to watch the scheduled broadcast, but I have a conflict. Can I view the session later?
A: Yes, all broadcasted sessions will be available on demand 24 hours after the original broadcast until December 4, 2021 at 23:59 pm CET.
Q: Will there be a live Q/A with speakers during scheduled broadcasts?
A: There will be a live Q&A feature that will appear inside the scheduled broadcast, allowing attendees to connect, pose questions and discuss the science. Faculty and abstract presenters will be participating in some of the sessions.
Some sessions, such as the Tumor Board will have live polls that the delegates can participate in real-time. Delegates watching the on-demand recordings will not be able to enter the live polls.
Q: How do I claim continuing medical education credits?
A: The CME/CPD certificate will be available after completing the online evaluation and credit claiming procedure.
Before September 30,2021:
1. Complete the online evaluation form https://it.surveymonkey.com/r/3GCZKYX. Please note that web browsers Mozilla Firefox 2.X or higher, or Google Chrome are recommended.
2. The CME/CPD certificate will be sent via email once the evaluation form is completed.
The CME program will also be available on demand for 90 days after the end of the Congress . If you need assistance, have questions, or need additional information, please contact the CME provider at igcs2021@bluevents.it.
Please visit the CME/CPD page for more information about education credits: https://igcs2021.com/cme-cpd/
