*Image courtesy of EASD – European Association for the Study of Diabetes
Organizing a global medical conference is no small task. When it comes to STEMM meetings, the stakes are even higher: scientific accuracy, smooth information flow, and participant engagement are critical. The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) is no stranger to these challenges. With almost 14,000 participants and more than 2,000 abstract submissions, their 61st Annual Meeting in September 2025 in Vienna, Austria, was set to be one of the largest diabetes conferences in the world. But ensuring success in a hybrid format—both onsite and online—required a trusted technology partner.
That’s where CTI Meeting Technology came in. With our all-in-one program management platform, cOASIS, and our experienced project management team, we helped EASD deliver a seamless, and engaging scientific program, attracting a global audience of experts in diabetes research and care.
The Client: European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) – A Leading Organization in Diabetes Research & Education
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, EASD is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing diabetes research and knowledge. Its powerful mission is to promote excellence in diabetes care through education, collaboration, and scientific exchange. The Annual Meeting is the organization’s flagship event, recognized as the largest international diabetes conference. Each year, it brings together thousands of scientists, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders from all around the world to present the latest breakthroughs, share insights, and foster collaboration.
The 61st EASD Annual Meeting (EASD 2025), held September 15–19, 2025 at Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center in Vienna, marked another milestone. The event included:
- 13,000+ participants worldwide.
- 200+ sessions.
- Over 2,000 abstracts submitted, including late-breaking submissions.
- Hybrid participation, enabling global access.
The Challenge: Coordinating a Hybrid Scientific Program at Scale
Large-scale STEMM conferences are inherently complex and the vast size of the scientific program adds further layers of difficulty. For EASD, several challenges stood out:
- Unifying two audiences: Onsite participants needed an equally rich experience as virtual attendees. Creating a consistent program without duplicating effort was essential.
- Volume of scientific content: With more than 2,000 abstracts submitted (and 1,354 accepted), the review and allocation process had to be highly efficient to meet tight deadlines.
- Dynamic scheduling: Over 200 sessions (including plenaries, symposia, and workshops) had to be coordinated across multiple rooms, and speaker availabilities.
- Maintaining scientific integrity: EASD is known for rigorous peer review and high-quality content. Ensuring these standards while scaling to thousands of submissions required a robust review system.
The challenge wasn’t just about logistics, it was about creating a unified, and accessible hybrid experience that reflected EASD’s reputation for excellence.
The Solution: An Integrated SaaS Program Management Platform
CTI partnered with EASD to provide a combination of self-service tools, integrated software modules, and hands-on project management. Our cOASIS platform served as the backbone of the scientific program management, enabling EASD to manage every aspect of the meeting’s program development and execution from a single interface.
cAdmin: The Central Hub
The cAdmin module gave EASD real-time visibility into the program development. With dashboards covering submissions, the team could monitor progress at every stage. The robust reporting tools empowered them to generate insights on demand, while customization features ensured workflows matched their needs. For organizers, this meant less guesswork and more informed decision-making, something essential when managing thousands of moving parts.
Participant Portal: Streamlined Participant Experience
The Participant Portal provided a single, intuitive entry point for participants. Attendees could submit and manage abstracts, access session details, and stay up to date with the latest program updates. EASD took advantage of customization options, adding a banner, guidelines, and related links to create a user-friendly experience.
Abstract Submission & Review: Handling Over 2,000 Submissions
Abstract management is at the heart of any scientific meeting. For EASD 2025, the Abstract Submission & Review modules enabled efficient collection and peer review of thousands of submissions. Configurable forms allowed reviewers to score, flag noteworthy content, and add comments. The system included both online and offline review options, flexibility was key.
The Campaign Tools ensured clear communication with presenters, from confirmations to final notifications. For a large meeting with many moving parts, this was crucial to ensure that only ground-breaking research and relevant information would be shared timely during the conference.
Session Submissions & Symposia Review
Beyond abstract handling, EASD also relied on cOASIS for managing symposia proposals. The system allowed members of the community to submit proposals directly, which the committees could then review and evaluate in one centralized place. This created a structured, transparent, and inclusive process for selecting sessions.
Since 2024, EASD has also added late-breaking abstract submission and review, giving them the flexibility to include the latest research developments in the program. This ensured the Annual Meeting featured the most current science available.
Online Session Builder: A Key Value
EASD’s scientific committee valued the online Session Builder for its ability to simplify complex program planning. By using score reports to identify high-quality abstracts and searching by topic to group related submissions, the committee could quickly build cohesive sessions and assign chairs to each session. This eliminated the need for a paper-based process, allowing the team to create an outstanding scientific program efficiently—all online, saving time, travel, and administrative effort.
This approach enabled the committee to focus on what mattered most: the quality and integrity of the scientific content, rather than administrative burden.
Additionally, the Campaign Tools streamlined communication by sending invitations to accepted presenters and session chairs, with all invitations displayed in the central portal. This gave users a clear overview of their pending invitations and allowed the organizers to track responses efficiently, ensuring a smooth and transparent process for confirming participation.
cAPI: Seamless Integrations
To connect with external systems, CTI provided cAPI integrations that allowed EASD to extract and share data efficiently. These robust APIs ensured flexibility and access to up-to-date information across platforms.
Dedicated Project Management Support
While the cOASIS platform provided powerful tools, EASD also benefited from CTI’s hands-on project management team. Our experts supported every step: from testing workflows to training staff and troubleshooting. This human element ensured that the EASD team felt supported, confident, and ready to focus on what mattered most: delivering a scientifically rigorous and engaging program.
The Outcome: A World-Class Hybrid Event
Thanks to CTI’s technology and expertise, EASD successfully delivered one of the world’s largest diabetes conferences this year. Key outcomes included:
- Efficient abstract and session management: Thousands of submissions and hundreds of sessions were organized flawlessly.
- Time and resource savings: With self-service tools and expert support, EASD streamlined workflows and reduced administrative burdens.
- Seamless integrations: With external systems via cAPI.
- Reliable communication with presenters: Making content management easier and keeping scientific content on track.
Operational Efficiency for Organizers
For the EASD organizing team, having a centralized system meant reduced stress and increased confidence. Instead of juggling multiple tools or manually reconciling data, the team could oversee abstract management from the cAdmin dashboard. This efficiency freed them to focus on content quality and participant engagement rather than troubleshooting logistics.
A Word from the Client
Professor Tina Vilsbøll, Chair of the EASD Scientific Program Committee, said: “Abstracts are central to the scientific quality of our program and without a trusted partner like CTI, who truly understands the needs of scientific meeting organizers, we could not manage, review, score, and allocate submissions as efficiently as we do.
With the cOASIS platform, we’ve also been able to manage important innovations, such as late-breaking submissions and new session formats.
In short, developing and delivering a four-day scientific program across up to nine parallel tracks would not be possible without our longstanding partnership with CTI.”
Conclusion: Turning Hybrid Complexity into Success
The success of the EASD 2025 Annual Meeting in Vienna proved that with the right technology and expertise, even the most complex conferences can be transformed into opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and global reach. With cOASIS as the foundation, CTI enabled EASD to deliver a world-class scientific program at its meeting that advanced diabetes research, fostered collaboration, and engaged participants across the globe.
With CTI, organizations don’t just get a software provider. They gain a trusted partner ready to provide seamless, scalable, and integrated meeting solutions.
👉 Ready to transform your next hybrid meeting? Book a demo and see how our technology can power your success.
