ESCRS 2026: Bringing 17,000+ minds together in London

The numbers behind ESCRS 2026 tell a story of extraordinary scale: 1,853 speakers, 2,679 talks and 402 sessions across 42 different session types, alongside more than 10,000 sqm of sold exhibition space and 19 industry satellite symposia.

For MCI Switzerland, delivering international congress organisation from Switzerland meant transforming this scale into a cohesive five-day experience where participants could move between scientific education, emerging technologies, hands-on learning and meaningful exchanges with their peers.

The result was a congress where variety became a strength, offering the international ophthalmic community different ways to discover, participate, learn and connect.

Innovation was at the heart of ESCRS 2026, with several new formats designed to strengthen engagement, education and the adoption of emerging technologies.

The inaugural Cataract Legends Competition saw surgeons compete using AI-assessed simulation platforms, bringing technology and skills development together in a new competitive format. The 3D AI Digital Summit explored practical applications of artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making and practice efficiency.

Another first, the 3D Operating Microscope Showdown, offered an unbiased comparison of next-generation surgical visualisation technologies. These new concepts complemented interactive debates, simulation training and expert-led educational forums across the programme. 

For a team specialising in medical congress organisation in Switzerland, projects like ESCRS demonstrate how congress management can go beyond operational delivery to help create environments where scientific knowledge, technology and human interaction come together.

Rather than simply talking about the future of ophthalmic care, ESCRS 2026 created opportunities to experience it.

One of the congress’s most distinctive experiences was the ESCRS Arena, a space designed around interaction, collaboration and practical learning. 

Built in the style of the British Parliament, the Arena introduced rapid-fire surgical video sessions, parliamentary-style expert debates, sustainability challenges for young ophthalmologists, case-based roundtable discussions and community-building events. 

By combining education, discussion, competition and audience participation, the Arena encouraged delegates to do more than listen. It created an environment for knowledge exchange, challenged conventional thinking and fostered collaboration across the ophthalmic community. 

For MCI Switzerland, this approach to association congress management is about creating the right conditions for people to actively participate, exchange knowledge and build meaningful connections at scale.

Behind the scale, innovation and record-breaking numbers is something even more important: a partnership built on trust.

For the sixth time, ESCRS trusted MCI Switzerland as its PCO partner for the Annual Congress, giving both teams the opportunity to continue building, evolving and raising the bar together. 

For an event management company in Geneva working with international associations and communities, this kind of long-term collaboration is especially meaningful. It allows every edition to build on the last while continuing to explore new ways to engage, educate and connect.

A heartfelt thank you to ESCRS for their continued trust and collaboration. We are incredibly proud to be part of this journey and to contribute to bringing the ophthalmic community together around learning, innovation and connection.