The American Association for Cancer Research registered more than 18,000 people from all over the world for its 101st Annual Meeting 2010 in Washington, D.C., which was held April 17-21. Registration increased by 19 percent from the 2009 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo.

“The face of health care is changing and much of that debate is taking place in Washington, D.C.,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Hosting our Annual Meeting in the midst of such discussion not only inspired collaborations among scientists that will lead to breakthroughs, but also encouraged the development of new ways to communicate these results to clinicians, patients and the public.”

The economic impact of the Annual Meeting on Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area was approximately $30 million. This figure includes the costs of hotels and lodging, food and beverage, the convention center and other related expenses.

Because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland with its plumes of ash, and subsequent flight cancellations throughout Europe, there were nearly 1,000 Annual Meeting registrant cancellations. Approximately eight percent of invited speakers were unable to attend; however, the majority of these speakers presented remotely through teleconference technology, or had a colleague present in their place. Total international attendance accounted for 23 percent of the participants — a decrease of three percent from last year.

“While travel complications caused by the volcanic ash cloud prevented some of our international members from attending, the AACR was able to adapt quickly and deliver a stellar conference with minimal programmatic interruption,” said Linda M. Still, CMP, director of meetings and exhibits at the AACR.

The AACR’s Annual Meeting attracts leading academic, industry and government laboratory and clinical scientists, as well as students, cancer survivors, patient advocates and other health care professionals. This year, more than 6,000 scientific abstracts were selected for presentation, complementing an outstanding program of scientific and educational events.

The AACR’s 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 will be held in Orlando, Fla., from April 2-6.

Source: American Association for Cancer Research