Education Congress Research Ltd, based in Vienna, organises a number of congresses including the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), the annual meeting of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), which represents more than 56,000 radiologists worldwide. As one of the world’s largest medical conferences, the ECR attracts more than 20,000 people to Vienna each year. With 300 companies exhibiting across more than 26,000m², its technical exhibition is also the largest in Europe.

The ECR is now an officially certified green meeting, which makes it the largest congress in Europe to receive the Austrian environmental certification. To achieve the certification, the congress had to ensure environmental sustainability in several different areas. In order to achieve the lowest possible CO2 emissions from transport, congress participants were offered public transport tickets on the congress website along with accommodation in ten eco-friendly hotels.

By cooperating with two catering companies that also boast eco-friendly credentials, the congress could offer locally-sourced products and avoid the use of disposable plates and plastic bottles.

For the congress programme, a printing company was contracted based on its ability to guarantee the highest printing quality while using recyclable paper from environmentally friendly and sustainably managed forests.

Through a major expansion of the ECR Live programme, ECR 2014 attracted 5,400 online viewers, a development that is very much in the spirit of green meetings. This particular project will be extended further over the coming years.

For further information please consult our website: http://www.myesr.org/start/