EuroPCR 2013 took place last month and, while the weather might not have seemed like springtime in Paris, within the Palais des Congrès the camaraderie and warmth of all who participated was unmistakeable. The success of this edition would not have happened without the efforts, commitment and passion of so many of you. As President of the EAPCI and Co-Director of EuroPCR 2013, our official course, I would like to take a moment and thank all those whose hard work and vision made this course possible.
I begin by thanking my Co-Director, William Wijns, for his leadership and shepherding of this complex event. I would also like to thank the members of our association, the EAPCI, who can be proud of our very active participation during this meeting. So many of you committed time to make this possible on an individual level, while others of our association came representing one of the National Societies or national Working Groups, of which there were 44 present.
Above all, we thank the more than 12,000 active participants – I underline active because EuroPCR is not a course where you go to sit idly and listen to simple lectures. The essence of EuroPCR is its interaction because it is designed “by you and for you”. At EuroPCR your participation is constantly solicited and it is you, the attendees, who make a crucial difference in the way education occurs…for this we thank you. Thank you for taking up the challenge to become the driving force behind EuroPCR.
It was this interactivity that was one of our greatest success stories at EuroPCR 2013, and the very mark of PCR itself. Add to this, for the first time in the Main Arena and the Maillot Room (for the newly revamped endovascular programme), the new React@PCR –which you, the audience, used admirably well. In this, we see the constant evolution in the way EuroPCR is designed.
None of this would have been possible without the 1,440 faculty who took the stage, and I thank them for leading us to a higher level of knowledge of our speciality, whether in the presentation of live cases, clinical cases or abstracts. Special thanks, as well, to the 16 live centres, their operators and their teams, who gave the very best of themselves…and of course thanks to the more than 120 industry partners who truly understand the meaning of education, and the necessity of supporting, in the most transparent way, the advancement of healthcare.
We thank the committee members who spent one year in the preparation for this week in Paris. The quality of what they did –and continue to do– ensures the excellence of this course, and it is a never-ending challenge as we look towards the future.
Sixty facilitators –the people who worked with the VITAL programme– are part of the essential fabric that is EuroPCR. They were there actively engaged in encouraging participation, underlining the philosophy of PCR found in Jean Marco’s statement “Sharing is the heart of education”. Our facilitators allow us to better understand our science because they have mastered the art of using knowledge and experience as a source of mutual education.
The current work of PCR Educative Solutions, pushing new and more creative sessions, pioneering ideas in communicating knowledge and promoting younger clinicians to the forefront, is at the root of the PCR concept of “innovation in education”.
One last “thank you” goes to all those behind the scenes who make a meeting like EuroPCR possible. If we stand on strong foundations it is also because of the quality of the technical and logistical support that we have. The dedication of Europa Organisation is omnipresent with its more than 100 talented and passionate team members, along with the carefully selected and highly coordinated service providers who work ceaselessly to make the presentation of EuroPCR flawless.
Innovation and evolution: always turning towards the future
At the opening session of EuroPCR 2013 we said welcome home: this is your meeting, this is your place, created “by you and for you”. We were pleased to see you taking this to heart and taking ownership of the course. While this is our key meeting, we all realise that education does not stop with the end of EuroPCR…it continues every day of our lives, professionally and practically. If you missed the opportunity of joining us this year, you do not have to wait until the next EuroPCR to participate in the educational and professional experience: the EuroPCR spirit lives on in all the meetings and activities that the EAPCI and the PCR family organise throughout the year. It continues with your active membership in our association and with the ESC eLearning platform, it continues with PCRonline and the various courses and programmes of the PCR family: PCR Seminars, EAPCI and PCR meetings throughout Europe, including the officially endorsed PCR London Valves in the UK in September and the second edition of the Resistant Hypertension Course in Berlin in February, 2014.
Now that EuroPCR 2013 is over, the time has come to analyse what has occurred. While the foundations we have built are strong, what we have constructed is a living course, and to remain so we must continue to evolve. More than ever, we are committed to the idea of “by you and for you” and we need your reactions, opinions and criticisms in order to grow. There is a survey on our website, the results of which will help us tease out what worked, but also, and perhaps more importantly, what needs our attention and can be improved. I promise you we will be taking your comments seriously because we know that the quality of EuroPCR 2014 will depend on how we respond to you, your reactions and what we can learn together.
Yes, we thank you all for what you have contributed to making EuroPCR 2013 a success, but at the same time we challenge you to make EuroPCR 2014 even better. Together we can accomplish this: by you and for you, we can do so much more!
