ESHG keeps growing, and we are proud that every year more of you choose to join us. A meeting of this size brings a wealth of science, people and opportunities. It also brings some necessary compromises. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback after ESHG 2026. We read every comment carefully. Below, we explain what we are improving for ESHG 2027, and why some things work the way they do.

A. Posters and Lightning Talks

Poster display times

What you told us: Posters seemed to be on display only briefly. That made it hard to see all the posters you were interested in and to meet the authors, especially if you were presenting your own poster at the same time.

Our response: Each poster is on display for a full conference day, from 9:30 to 17:15, in the exhibition area. Within that day, the Poster Viewing with Authors slots take place during the lunch break and in the afternoon. No scientific sessions are scheduled during these slots, so it is reserved for meeting presenters at their posters. After the conference, all posters remain available on the virtual platform, where you can also contact the presenters directly.

ESHG 2026 was the first edition with this new concept. In earlier years, all 1,800 posters were on display for four days. Now, around 600 posters are shown each day, in rotation over three days. We were one of the last European meetings of our size to make this switch, and there are two main reasons for it:

  • Cost: It considerably reduces the cost of exhibition space, poster walls, materials and staff, which helps keep registration fees down.
  • Venues: It opens up venues that we had simply outgrown because of the space the posters required. This gives us more choice of host cities in the future.

A change of this size usually takes two or three editions to settle in, and we will keep refining it.

Lightning Talks

What you told us: There were not enough headphones, the exhibition hall was too noisy, and the talks overlapped with poster viewing.

Our response: Lightning Talks (formerly the Best Poster Sessions) are short oral presentations of the best posters of the day. They are held in the poster area during the first half hour of the Poster Viewing with Authors slots, and this timing is intentional. It highlights the day’s best posters right where they are displayed, and the authors can then go straight back to their posters to continue the conversation in person.

We were delighted to see how popular this session became this year. For ESHG 2027, we will look for a quieter spot within the poster area and provide more headphones and more seating.

B. Schedule, Programme Density and Breaks

Long days and short breaks

What you told us: The days felt packed and tiring, especially the first day, which ran from 8:30 into the evening. Breaks of 15 minutes were too short to change rooms, get food or network.

Our response: The 15-minute breaks are meant for moving between lecture halls. Every day also includes longer breaks of 30 to 60 minutes for networking and meals.

ESHG is now the second-largest human genetics meeting in the world. We aim to offer the broadest possible programme, from the most popular topics to the newest developments and niche interests. At the same time, we have to keep the meeting to a number of days that delegates can realistically spend away from work and family. Fitting all of this in requires a full schedule. That is why every session is live-streamed and available on demand for six months after the conference.

We have shared your comments on the pace of the programme with the Scientific Programme Committee. They will take them into account as they plan future meetings.

Overlapping sessions

What you told us: Scientific sessions, corporate symposia and poster viewing often ran at the same time, forcing difficult choices.

Our response:

Poster Viewing with Authors does not overlap with any of the main session types. During this slot, the only other programme items are the Lightning Talks, which are intentionally part of it as explained above, and a few sessions for specific audiences: corporate sessions, a Get2Gether meeting and an interactive session.

Elsewhere in the programme, parallel sessions come with its breadth. Removing most overlaps would mean cutting down to just a couple of rooms, and therefore to a fraction of the content. This is exactly why we kept the hybrid format after COVID. Every scientific session is recorded and available on demand for six months, so you can choose freely on site and catch up on the rest afterwards.

C. Logistics, Catering and Amenities

Registration queues

What you told us: Queues on the first morning were very long, with waits of up to 45 minutes, and some participants missed the opening talks.

Our response: Saturday morning is the busiest moment of the entire conference. Over 50% of all delegates register within its first 2-3 hours, most of them shortly before the opening sessions begin at 8:30. Even with several times more printing stations, some queuing would be unavoidable when thousands of people arrive at once. Two hours later, the stations would stand almost unused for the rest of the conference. Printing stations are charged per unit rather than per day used, so adding many more would increase costs considerably for a very limited benefit.

There is an easy way to skip the rush: badge pick-up opens on Friday from 14:00 to 18:00. This slot is still underused. If you are in town, collecting your badge then will save you time on Saturday morning.

For ESHG 2027, we are also improving the registration process itself:

  • Layout: A better layout for the self-printing area, with more printing stations
  • Staff: More staff to guide participants
  • Signage and flow: Redesigned signage and participant flow, so that delegates who already have their badge, and exhibitors who print at dedicated stations, can bypass the registration area
  • QR reminder: A reminder email with your badge QR code on Friday and again on Saturday morning, so you can have it ready when you arrive

Catering, seating and restrooms

What you told us: Lunch boxes were too expensive, there was too little seating in the break areas, and the queues for the women’s restrooms were long.

Our response:

  • Lunch boxes: Prices are set by the local catering company and passed on to participants at cost. ESHG negotiates the best possible price based on the number of lunch boxes sold in previous years. Prices can vary from year to year with the host country’s general price level and its local VAT rate.
  • Seating: We are working to add seating in the exhibition hall and, where possible, in other areas of the venue. How much we can add depends on the space available at each year’s venue.
  • Restrooms: Restrooms labelling (M/F/Gender neutral) defer by country and venue and may be uncommon for many of our international guests. We adjusted the signage on site during the conference and for future editions, we will review the restroom layout and signage with each venue in advance, so that facilities are clearly labelled from day one.

D. Conference App and Virtual Platform

App performance

What you told us: The app reloaded slowly, updated too often, showed intrusive ads at launch, and made it awkward to go from “My Programme” to finding the right room.

Our response: During the conference, we update the app continuously and add last-minute changes almost in real time, so you always see the most current information. As a result, the app checks for updates every time you open it.

The app is made possible by one main sponsor. Their full-screen ad is shown for two to three seconds after the title screen. There is no other advertising anywhere in the app or while you use it. However, if the app has not been used for a while, it may need a complete restart, and in that case the ad is shown again.

The app is continuously being enhanced. We have worked closely with its developers for many years, and we will address the navigation between “My Programme” and room locations and the search function with them.

Synchronisation between app and platform

What you told us: The web-based virtual platform and the mobile app were not synchronised.

Our response: At ESHG 2026, we introduced Single Sign-On (SSO) across all online services for the first time. One login now covers membership, registration, abstract submission, presentation upload, the virtual platform and the conference app. Your login profile is already shared across all of them. The next step is to synchronise your personal programme as well. A solution for this is in development with our app and platform providers, and we are confident that it will be in place for ESHG 2027.

E. Scientific Content and Speaker Diversity

Early-career researchers

What you told us: You would like more visibility for early-career researchers.

Our response: Almost 50% of talks are given by early-career scientists, who are marked with an asterisk (*) in the programme. ESHG puts considerable effort into encouraging early-career scientists to present and to get involved with the Society, including through:

  • Best Talk and Best Poster Awards
  • Around 200 conference fellowships
  • Opportunities to chair a session at the following year’s conference
  • ESHG-Y initiatives such as matchmaking and the networking evening
  • EduCom programmes, including mentorship and observerships

Underrepresented regions and gender balance

What you told us: You would like to see more researchers from underrepresented regions on stage.

Our response: We share this goal and are working on it on several fronts:

  • Affordable access: Since 2026, ESHG has offered heavily discounted membership fees for low- and lower-middle-income economies. The same discount tiers apply to conference registration.
  • Fellowships: Around 40 fellowships are reserved for participants from disadvantaged regions.
  • Programme committee: The Scientific Programme Committee now includes 5 members from non-European Countries. Inclusivity and diversity are an explicit goal of ESHG’s strategic plan for the coming years.
  • Speaker selection: The committee actively looks for invited speakers from beyond the usual countries.
  • Gender balance: More than 50% of our invited speakers in 2026 were women, and the share will be even higher in 2027.

Ultimately, the diversity of the programme also depends on the abstracts we receive. The number of submissions from many regions is still limited, and that narrows the choice. So our message to early-career scientists everywhere is simple: submit your abstract. A solid submission from an early-career scientist has a very good chance of earning a travel fellowship.

ESHG is built by its community, and your feedback is part of that. We will keep improving wherever we can. Please keep telling us what works and what doesn’t!