The 34th Annual International Society for Medical Innovation and Technology Conference (iSMIT 2023)

Challenge:

For the first time since its inception in 1989, iSMIT, an international organization, chose Taiwan as the venue for its annual meeting. Departing from the common choice of holding conferences in Taipei, this conference was held in Lukang, Changhua, the location of the Show Chwan Memorial Hospital and IRCAD Taiwan. In addition to the academic exchanges and paper presentations typical of previous iSMIT conferences, the organizers had high expectations for the design of interactive program, exploration of sustainable topics, and execution of sustainability initiatives. This not only required meticulous planning but also tested the team's resource integration and execution capabilities.

Innovative Strategies:

1. Sustainability: Under the commitment and oath of the conference chair, Dr. Huang Shih-wei, iSMIT 2023 conveyed the concept of sustainability for the first time in the conference's history. Beyond common practices like reducing disposable utensils and providing transportation shuttles at green exhibitions, this conference incorporated the concept of medical sustainability into its agenda. Meet Taiwan also invited the conference to co-author a report on sustainable conference cases to serve as a benchmark.
2. Innovative Program: In addition to infusing sustainability into the agenda, this year's conference utilized Meeting Design to:
   
   • Guided Networking: Systematic guidance enabled attendees to meet new friends and engage more deeply.
   • Booster for Funding: Facilitated clearer collaboration between startups and think tanks, incubators, etc.
   • Super Panel: Invited all keynote speakers to engage in in-depth discussions, generating more insights.Furthermore, new features such as Startup Corner and Hands-on Workshop were added to provide opportunities for startups to interact with experts and scholars.

3. Local Touch: The conference dinner featured local artisans and electronic music performances to introduce Taiwan's cultural essence to international participants and promote cultural exchange.

Achievements and Results:

The conference attracted 239 experts, scholars, clinical physicians, and medical device engineering specialists from 17 countries, like the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Additionally, the conference arranged for medical device manufacturers to exhibit around the conference venue.