2021 in review: Events

The Events Team at World Obesity in 2021 has brought a mix of virtual, hybrid and in-person events. Whilst the pandemic was at the forefront of our minds, we have been able to adapt our events portfolio and stay well connected with the world.

This year, we have delivered two World Obesity Live events, four online SCOPE Schools, two hybrid events for the Global Obesity Forum, connecting with our funders. We were also able to run our first in-person event since the pandemic started in early 2020, the fantastic Stock Conference in Dublin, Ireland which involved fruitful conversations and networking. We also conducted a series of virtual policy laboratories and webinars run by our youth working groups.

In 2020, alongside colleagues, we launched a series of webinars on COVID-19 & Obesity under the World Obesity Live sub-brand. The focus in 2021 was to use World Obesity Live to work with our members to disseminate knowledge across the globe. This year, we held two webinars with our members in Africa and the Caribbean. In total, we had 15 speakers take part in these webinars, and we also made a conscious effort to include the patient perspective as this follows on from feedback received from previous webinars in 2020. As well as this, we had delegates attending from 73 different countries which really signifies the global reach the webinars have.

As successful as our online events have been, we were thrilled to be able to run our first in-person event in September. The Stock Conference this year was a chance to discuss the role of genetics and Obesity. Prof. Sadaf Farooqi and Prof. Karine Clément chaired our 2-day event in Dublin, Ireland which contained a mixture of lectures, breakouts and networking opportunities. The benefits of in-person discussions were clearer than ever, and bringing colleagues together from around the globe proved beneficial. A consensus paper will be created as a result of the Stock Conference on the role of genetics on the obesity.

We hope to build upon the momentum behind our in-person events, and we are pleased to announce the return of our International Congress on Obesity (ICO), which will be held on 18^th – 22^nd October in Melbourne, Australia. Our greatly anticipated congress will be held in collaboration with World Obesity members Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS) and the Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity (AOASO). The congress will be open to approximately 1,000 delegates from a range of disciplines, including clinicians, policy makers, scientists and UN representatives.

We are curating an exciting and dynamic programme that will bring together experts on a wide range of topics, including obesity research and practice, pandemic preparedness, basic molecular and cellular science, clinical management and treatment, systems biology, public health and policy. We hope you will be able to join us!