At the EANM’24 congress in Hamburg (October 2024), a series of targeted initiatives helped bridge the gap between early-career professionals and the broader nuclear medicine community, providing structured opportunities for networking, learning, and career advancement.
Young Professionals Lounge
EANM introduced its EANM Young Professionals Lounge (YPL) in 2023 and redesigned it for its 2024 congress edition. This space is exclusively tailored for participants under the age of 38. This threshold reflects the typical age at which nuclear medicine professionals transition from residency to an independent medical career.
By integrating this into the congress infrastructure, EANM ensured that early-career professionals had a dedicated hub for professional exchanges and informal discussions. In addition, the YPL welcomed daily talks by top nuclear medicine experts and dedicated EANM volunteers, who shared insights into their professional journeys, aiming to inspire the next generation.
This model can be applied across various association events to foster engagement without overwhelming new participants and help them create an informal yet highly valuable networking ecosystem.
Increasing Accessibility with the EANM Next-Gen Programme
Financial constraints often limit early-career participation in congresses. To address this issue, EANM launched the EANM Next-Gen Programme in 2024, which offers fully funded places (covering registration and accommodation) and a tailored programme to 100 professionals under 38 years old.
With over 600 applications for 100 spots in 2024, EANM has decided to expand the programme to 150 participants for the EANM’25 congress.
By actively removing financial barriers, EANM ensured greater inclusivity, a critical consideration for associations looking to future-proof their membership base.
To help young attendees navigate the congress programme, the EANM Young Professionals Council (YPC) also hand-selected key sessions and marked them with a special logo, ensuring a focused, high-value experience.
Reimagining Exhibition Spaces with INSPIRE by EANM
Beyond traditional lectures, EANM transformed the exhibition experience to create an interactive learning environment through the INSPIRE by EANM initiative, which aims to secure the future nuclear medicine workforce by developing activities encouraging students, schools, universities, and other stakeholders to join the nuclear medicine community.
Supported by EANM’s industry partners Lilly, Novartis, Nusano, and Siemens Healthineers, this immersive exhibit consisted of large screens displaying video interviews featuring both experts and patients.
Additionally, EANM Science Day introduced high school and undergraduate students to the field, allowing them to attend the congress for free for a day.
Effective Communications Via Social Media
With young professionals actively engaging on social media, EANM has significantly expanded its digital presence. The first step was launching Instagram last year, as it quickly became popular among our younger community.
EANM has also focused on producing engaging content and fostering direct online interaction. During last year’s congress, we actively encouraged young attendees to use social media to share live insights and inform colleagues about our events.
What’s Next? Lessons for Future Medical Congresses
Building on EANM’24’s success, the EANM’25 congress (October 4-8, 2025, Barcelona) will expand its young professional initiatives. In addition, EANM has recently launched its EANM mentorship programme, ensuring ongoing engagement beyond the congress setting.
For medical associations aiming to future-proof their events, EANM’24 proved that integrating young professionals into the fabric of a congress not only enhances the overall experience but also helps shape the next generation of the profession.
All photos by Nikolaus & Conny Faistauer
By actively removing financial barriers, EANM ensured
greater inclusivity, a critical consideration for associations looking to
future-proof their membership base.