Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You might find the answer to your question below. If you still have queries, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Registration
How do I register for the 2021 Virtual Conference?
You can register online via this website HERE.
Is there a group registration option?
You can register a group online by accessing the relevant form on the Registration page.
I have already registered for the 2020 Conference in Edinburgh. Am I automatically registered for the Virtual Conference?
No, you will need to register for the Virtual Conference via this website HERE.
If in doubt, please contact the registration team to confirm your registration status: accounts@bmla.co.uk
When are registrations closing?
We strongly encourage all those interested in attending the virtual conference to register in plenty of time ahead of the event (up to 24 hours before) to ensure that virtual platform access details are sent and received in sufficient time and that you have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the platform and facilities available.
Registrations will remain open during the virtual conference. However, if registering in the 24 hours ahead of the conference or during the conference, please expect a slight delay in receiving your login details. This means you might miss some of the live-streamed sessions.
Will there be virtual courses this year?
Yes, Educational Courses will be delivered virtually this year. You can choose to attend as many of the courses as you wish and can read more about the content and faculty HERE. To register for the courses, follow the relevant button on the Registration page
Can I register for the Educational Courses only?
Yes, you can choose to register for course only and do not need a conference registration to access this content. To register for the courses, follow the relevant button on the Registration page.
What are the 2021 Virtual Conference and Educational Courses fees?
Please head over to the Registration page for a full breakdown of fees.
What will be available for me as a registered participant?
BMLA 2021 Virtual Conference & Educational Courses in association with ELA will offer you a full virtual experience and the opportunity to take part in every aspect of the meeting, including:
- Access to the full meeting programme – live streamed panel discussion, oral presentations, sponsored masterclasses, webcast sessions. Create your own schedule, attend any and all sessions you want, when and where you want
- Network with colleagues – browse a list of participants and click on their name to contact them
- Visit the virtual exhibition – journey through the exhibition 'booths', explore sponsor materials, engage with exhibitors directly and chat with other visitors
- Certificate of attendance
- Join the debate – interact via themed chats carefully designed to allow participation from all over the world, regardless of time zones
Can I access the Virtual Conference & Educational Courses without registering?
No, we ask all those interested in attending the live streams and on-demand content to register online ahead of the meeting. Only registered participants will receive the necessary log in details for the Virtual Conference platform.
Do I need to be registered to present my abstract and for the publication of the abstract?
BMLA will invite accepted abstract presenters to present their clinical or scientific research based upon the abstract content and all selected presenters must register to attend the conference and present their abstract. Your abstract will not be publicised if you are not registered for the conference.
Will it be possible to get CPD points by attending the virtual meeting?
The Courses and Conference have been approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 17 category 1 (external) CPD credit(s). Each medical specialist should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the educational activity. As usual the certificate of attendance will be available after completing the online post-conference evaluation.
How do I get my certificate of attendance?
As usual the certificate of attendance will be available after completing the online post-conference evaluation.
Programme
I’m in a completely different time zone to GMT, how can I still participate in the conference?
I’m in a completely different time zone to GMT, how can I still participate in the conference?
We realise that not everyone joining is in the same time zone, but we have tried to make the conference content as flexible and available as possible to everyone. All sessions will be available on-demand in the platform between 4 and 24 hours after the live stream. You can still engage with presenters and exhibitors via the chat functions outside of the GMT conference hours. Just remember to check back later for their response.
The scientific content and exhibition booths will be available on demand for a period of 3 months (until 6 August 2021) after the meeting ends for registered participants only, unless speakers/presenters/exhibitors have requested their content/recording be removed post-conference. Educational Courses material will be available on the virtual platform for 1 week post-event after which time, they will be removed.
I will not be available 6-7 May. Will I still be able to access the virtual meeting and its content?
The scientific content and exhibition booths will be available on demand for a period of 3 months after the meeting ends (until 6 August 2021) for registered participants only, unless speakers/presenters/exhibitors have requested their content/recording be removed post-conference. Educational Courses material will be available on the virtual platform for 1 week post-event after which time, they will be removed. I will not be available 6-7 May. Will I still be able to access the virtual meeting and its content?
What if I’m not available during certain sessions?
All sessions (except the Educational Courses) will be available on-demand in the platform between 4 and 24 hours after the live stream. Simply log it at a convenient time and access the recording of the desired content.What if I’m not available during certain sessions?
I am registered for a course, what should I do?
I am registered for a course, what should I do?
I am registered for a course, what should I do?
If you have registered for any/all Educational Courses, the material will be made available via the online platform ahead of the start of the virtual conference.
The content will be released on 22 April 2021 and you will have the opportunity to review the material at your leisure in preparation for the live Q&A sessions scheduled on the morning of Thursday 6 May (for Core of Knowledge, Courses 1 and 2) and the morning of Friday 7 May (for Courses 3 and 4). Read more HERE. The Educational Courses material will be available on the virtual platform until 1 week post-conference (until 14 May 2021).
Will the conference sessions be interactive?
Will the conference sessions be interactive?
Will the conference sessions be interactive?
You will have the opportunity to interact with fellow attendees on the virtual conference portal, through the one to one chat function or arrange video meetings. During the live streaming, you will be able to send in your questions in real time. These will be answered by presenters during the Q&A sessions. Breakout sessions will be arranged on relevant topics for all attendees to discuss relevant conference topics.
Will there be a possibility for Q&A?
Will there be a possibility for Q&A?
Will there be a possibility for Q&A?
Yes, many sessions will include live Q&A opportunities. Please see the programme for more information. You will also have the opportunity to send questions to chat with other delegates and presenters directly via the chat.
Masterclasses, Sponsorship & Exhibition
Will there be sponsored Masterclasses?
Will there be sponsored Masterclasses?
Will there be sponsored Masterclasses?
Yes, the sponsored Masterclasses will take place each conference day before the scientific sessions. Please visit the Programme page for more details. Additional information on content will be made available in due course.
I’ve only registered for one of the sponsored Masterclasses, does that mean I can only attend that one?
I’ve only registered for one of the sponsored Masterclasses, does that mean I can only attend that one?
I’ve only registered for one of the sponsored Masterclasses, does that mean I can only attend that one?
The Masterclass sign-ups were used to gauge interest only. Any registered delegate for the BMLA 2021 Virtual Conference as a whole can attend any of the live Masterclasses and view the content on demand. The Masterclasses plus the recorded Q&A (where the sponsor has agreed) will be available on-demand on the Virtual Conference platform between 4 and 24 hours after the live stream, so if you miss anything you can still catch up in your own time.
Will there be a virtual exhibition?
Will there be a virtual exhibition?
Will there be a virtual exhibition?
Yes, there will be a virtual exhibition area. You will be able to visit virtual booths for each of the organisations taking part. Book a meeting, download information, watch videos, send a chat message or book a video call.
Presentations & E-Posters
I submitted an abstract for the 2020 Conference, will it be rolled over to the 2021 Virtual Conference?
I submitted an abstract for the 2020 Conference, will it be rolled over to the 2021 Virtual Conference?
I submitted an abstract for the 2020 Conference, will it be rolled over to the 2021 Virtual Conference?
It is a new abstract submission process for the 2021 Virtual Conference. If you submitted an abstract in 2020 and would like a copy of this so that you can resubmit it, please contact us.
My abstract has been accepted. What happens now?
My abstract has been accepted. What happens now?
My abstract has been accepted. What happens now?
Once your abstract is confirmed as accepted, you will be asked to book a session with our technical team to pre-record your actual presentation in w/c 29th March 2021, as well as attend a briefing/rehearsal for the live Q&A element of your session/presentation. We are on hand to guide presenters through the whole process so if you have any queries please just Contact Us.
I am an oral presenter during the conference, what do I need to do?
I am an oral presenter during the conference, what do I need to do?
I am an oral presenter during the conference, what do I need to do?
We will communicate with you directly however, in summary, you will need to do the following:
- If you have not provided a photo with your registration and short biography during abstract submission, you will need to send us this information once your abstract is submitted, no later than 26 March 2021.
- Book an on-line session to pre-record your 10-minute oral presentation during week commencing 29th March. Booking details will be emailed to you with the abstract acceptance notification in mid-March.
- Attend a Zoom briefing/rehearsal session for the live Questions & Answers (Q&A) element a few weeks prior to the event. A calendar invite will be sent well in advance
- On the event day, you will need to be available to log into a designated Zoom room 30 minutes before your scheduled session time for final technical checks and briefings, ahead of the live Q&A. A calendar invite will be sent well in advance
I wish to withdraw my abstract. What do I do?
I wish to withdraw my abstract. What do I do?
I wish to withdraw my abstract. What do I do?
Should you need to withdraw your abstract, please contact office@bmla.co.uk and we will be able to guide you through whether this is possible, depending on the stage of the process.
Will there be an
abstract journal?
Will there be an
abstract journal?
Will there be an abstract journal?
Abstracts presented at the conference will be published online afterwards in the official journal for the BMLA - Lasers in Medical Science journal (LIMS).
Technical & Communications
What do I need, to attend the virtual meeting?
What do I need, to attend the virtual meeting?
What do I need, to attend the virtual meeting?
To attend the virtual meeting, you need a good internet connection, your computer/laptop and a headset/headphones as well as a valid Virtual Conference registration. If you have already registered for the Virtual Conference, you will receive access credentials for the virtual platform a few days prior to the meeting. We recommend you use an up-to-date
browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari or FireFox.
How do I access the Virtual Conference platform?
How do I access the Virtual Conference platform?
How do I access the Virtual Conference platform?
- A few days ahead of the conference access credentials for the Virtual Conference platform will be emailed to you.
- Personalised access credentials will enable you to gain access to the live and on-demand content, visit the virtual exhibition hall, take part in live Q&A sessions and interact with other delegates.
- These credentials are different from the profile log-in account details you set up to register and/or submit an abstract for the meeting (you will not be required to use the registration/abstract submission log in details after you have submitted your registration/abstract and have received your confirmation email).
- Please keep your virtual platform access credentials safe as you will need these details to enter the virtual meeting during the programme days and post-event.
Can I download the slides from the sessions?
Can I download the slides from the sessions?
Can I download the slides from the sessions?
No, the slides from the session presentations cannot be downloaded.
Why is the video not playing?
Why is the video not playing?
Why is the video not playing?
We recommend using an up-to-date browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari or FireFox for the best experience when viewing the on-demand and live-streamed sessions. If you are using Safari, please enable the popup blocker: www.lifewire.com/manage-pop-up-blocker-in-safari-4136249
Who do I contact with questions?
Who do I contact with questions?
Who do I contact with questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the organisers. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.