Case Study: SCTS Annual Meeting 2026

As one of the most prominent events in the UK cardiothoracic calendar, the three-day meeting brought together over 1,200 delegates, faculty, and exhibitors, reinforcing its position as a leading platform for education, collaboration, and innovation within heart, chest, and lung surgery.

Advancing Cardiothoracic Practice Through Education and Collaboration

The SCTS Annual Meeting continues to strive towards its core mission:
“Making Heart, Chest and Lung Surgery Better.”

The programme was structured across two key components:

University Day (Sunday)

A dedicated educational stream featuring:

• Lecture-based sessions from national and international leaders
• NAHP-led wet and dry lab practical sessions
• A research-focused programme
• A medical student stream designed to inspire the next generation

Main Meeting (Monday–Tuesday)

• Presidential plenary session
• Abstract-driven presentations across multiple sub-specialties
• Keynote lectures from internationally recognised experts
• Opportunities for delegates to present research, ePosters, and moderated posters

Audience and Impact

The event welcomed approximately 1,226 attendees, including:

• 970 delegates and 256 exhibitors
• Consultants, trainees, nurses, AHPs, researchers, academics, and students

Delegates attended to:

• Gain CPD-accredited education
• Present and gain exposure for abstracts and research
• Participate in hands-on wetlab sessions
• Network with peers and industry leaders
• Take away practical insights to improve clinical practice

Objectives

Planning and Delivery

Planning for SCTS 2026 began approximately eight months in advance, with intensive coordination in the final months leading up to the event.

Millbrook delivered a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Delegate, faculty, and exhibitor management
• Registration platform design and on-site registration
• Abstract and programme management
• App development
• Badge design and printing
• Travel coordination for faculty
• Wetlab management
• AV liaison and presentation management

Complex Registration & Programme Management

Using CVENT, Millbrook built separate registration pathways for delegates and sponsors to accommodate highly complex requirements, including:

• Multiple registration types (paid, complimentary, guest, contributors)
• Discount codes linked to programme roles (e.g., speakers, chairs)
• Group booking and invoicing solutions
• Dietary requirements, including support for Ramadan and Kosher meals
• A client access portal for real-time reporting

Oxford Abstracts was used to manage over 400 abstract submissions, enabling:

• Committee-led peer review
• Programme building across multiple parallel tracks
• Easy navigation for both organisers and delegates

The CrowdComms app provided a central hub for:

• Programme access
• Abstracts and speaker information
• Session ratings and engagement

Marketing and Promotion

Millbrook supported SCTS with a structured marketing approach, including:

• Content calendar creation for social media
• Targeted email campaigns
• Promotion of key deadlines such as early bird registration
• Highlighting international faculty and keynote speakers
• Showcasing practical elements such as wetlabs and networking opportunities

Challenges and Solutions

Managing Complexity at Scale

The scale and complexity of SCTS required careful coordination across multiple systems and stakeholders. Millbrook addressed this through:

• Dedicated oversight of registration approvals and discount code usage
• Allocation of exhibitor passes aligned to sponsorship levels
• Continuous programme updates across multiple platforms

Registration & Payment Flexibility

Initial registration did not include invoicing, which limited accessibility for NHS organisations.
Millbrook introduced a controlled invoice workaround for group bookings, increasing accessibility while maintaining oversight.

On-Site Efficiency

High registration volumes and detailed data capture led to longer queues.
Future improvements include:

• Streamlining registration questions
• Introducing contactless payment (PDQ machines)
• Improving kiosk placement and staffing

Programme Management

With multiple sub-specialties (cardiac, thoracic, congenital), programme updates were complex.
A proposed solution for future events includes assigning dedicated ownership per sub-specialty to improve efficiency.

The Results

Engagement and Outcomes

App Engagement

• 1,027 delegates logged into the app (81% adoption)
• 18,920 total page views
• 7,629 peak daily views
• Agenda page most viewed (8,734 views)

Educational Impact

• 81% of attendees agreed keynote lectures met their educational needs

Feedback and Testimonials

Delegate feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

• 97.6% found registration straightforward
• 96.9% said event information was clear and well presented
• 82.9% found the app easy to navigate
• 75.6% rated the speaker rating feature 4★ or 5★

“Smooth and very welcoming!”
“Easy, well managed and straightforward.”
“Thanks to the registration team at the venue, they are amazing and very helpful.”

Sponsor feedback highlighted strong engagement:

“Being able to communicate via the app is great… I was very impressed that people responded and came to see us.”
— Adam Flide, Mölnlycke

Operational Excellence

Despite the scale of the event, delivery was supported by:

• Strong team adaptability, including a smooth maternity leave handover
• Rapid onboarding of newer team members into complex roles
• Continuous on-site coordination with SCTS for real-time programme

Lessons Learned

What worked well:

• Strong internal collaboration and team adaptability
• High engagement through the app and programme
• Successful delivery of a complex, multi-stream conference

Opportunities for future optimisation:

• Streamline platforms to reduce duplication (e.g., consolidating systems)
• Improve communication workflows across stakeholders
• Introduce clearer registration categories to prevent discount misuse
• Enhance real-time tracking for social events such as the conference dinner

Conclusion

The SCTS Annual Meeting 2026 successfully delivered a large-scale, high-impact event that balanced complex logistics with an outstanding delegate experience.

By combining innovative programme delivery, strong operational execution, and meaningful engagement, the event continues to set the benchmark for cardiothoracic conferences across the UK and Ireland.