Changes to BGS England region meetings from 2020

The BGS has a reputation for delivering impressive events. We aim to maintain that standard across all the events we deliver, so delegates know that any BGS meeting they attend will be well-organised and of a consistently high quality. By introducing additional central support to our England region meetings, BGS members will be provided with an enhanced experience. This will include an app to manage your attendance, family friendly facilities, PowerPoint presentations and recordings post-event. For more details, read the What are the benefits of these new changes? section of this page.

To provide for these new developments and to cover the increase in cost of venues and external providers, the BGS will be introducing a small registration fee for all delegates attending England region meetings. These fees will ensure we are offering the best experience to our delegates and are reflective of the multi-disciplinary workforce in attendance, with pricing based on profession. We will be introducing early-bird discounts of 20%, available to all attendees, and BGS members will be granted an additional 50% reduction on meeting fees. Access to grants and volunteering opportunities will be offered to support attendance at region meetings. More details about fees can be found under the What are the new registration fees? section below. Membership benefits are listed on our membership page and in the Additional benefits for BGS members section on this page.

To provide for these new developments and to cover the increase in cost of venues and external providers, the BGS will be introducing a small registration fee for all delegates attending England region meetings. These fees will ensure we are offering the best experience to our delegates and are reflective of the multi-disciplinary workforce in attendance, with pricing based on profession.

The registration fees are very competitive in comparison with similar events from other organisations, and provide CPD accreditation for less than £10 per-CPD credit (if a BGS member).

BGS members will have access to a 50% reduction on the meeting fees. We will also be introducing an early-bird discount of 20%, available to all attendees, and access to grants and volunteering opportunities will be offered to support attendance at region meetings.

The introduction of the fee for attendance is also part of a wider pricing review for all BGS conferences. The pricing principle is that a consultant member can undertake the requisite 25 hours external CPD a year through attending BGS events for less than £500. This could be by attending a Spring meeting (£380 for 18 CPD hours), a SIG meeting (£100 for 6 CPD hours) and a local meeting (£50 for 6 CPD hours) and booking using the early bird discounts.

• The standardised mandatory registration fees will come into effect from 1^st January 2020.
• Early-bird discounts will be available for all region meetings held from January 2020 onwards.
• Other benefits such as the abstracts prizes and website functionalities are gradually being implemented from September 2020, with the aim of being fully integrated by the end of 2020.

Attendees at region meetings from 2020 will be provided with an enhanced experience, and the guarantee of consistently well-organised and high-quality meetings.

The BGS secretariat will act as the central point of contact for all queries regarding region meetings, providing delegates with quick and easy access to support. Delegates can join the events team at registrations@bgs.org.uk or by calling 020 7608 1369.

Region meetings delegates will have access to our website functionalities which include:

• Past meetings information, CPD certificates, and invoices via your account  
• E-learning content via the BGS website
• Ability to submit your abstracts for all meetings via BGS online platforms. The BGS is working towards publishing posters on its website post-event to increase the visibility of your work
• Access to a mobile application in order to register for and access information about meetings easily, connect with colleagues at meetings and get up-to-date information about events
• Online resources including publishing meeting slides post-event (subject to the organising committee and speaker consent)

One of the British Geriatrics Society’s primary objectives is to showcase high-quality research at its conferences. Abstracts are encouraged at a regional level, and most regions will organise a call for abstracts to be presented as platform presentations and/or posters to be displayed at the meeting. From 2020, the winner of best poster and best platform presentation at a region meeting will be invited to present a poster at a future BGS meeting, as a poster presented elsewhere. They will also be offered a free day’s registration at a future BGS bi-annual meeting—equivalent to £95 for BGS members and £131 for non-members.

Deadlines for abstract submission and guidelines can be found on the BGS website.

BGS Region Meetings have always been a forum to showcase local knowledge, and provide a unique opportunity to network with colleagues locally. Region meetings also support the collaboration between professionals from multi-disciplinary backgrounds to enable the delivery of high-quality healthcare to older people. By joining an organising committee, you will have the chance to influence the topic for a future meeting and help create the best programme to enable colleagues to deliver high-quality healthcare to older people.

Contact your local chair or email conferences@bgs.org.uk to express your interest in helping to organise a future region meeting. To find out who is chair of your region, visit the BGS regions page or email committees@bgs.org.uk

Medical students can be offered complimentary registration at the region chair's discretion if they agree to volunteer at the meeting. Duties at the meeting can involve supervision of the auditorium, welcoming attendees, helping at registration, helping with Q&As, etc.

Medical students interested in volunteering should contact the region chair, who will put them in contact with the local meeting organiser. To find out who is chair of your region, visit the BGS regions page or email committees@bgs.org.uk