2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting moving to Las Vegas

The 2021 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting, originally scheduled to be held in San Francisco, is moving to Las Vegas.

The 2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting will now be held July 23-27 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

In announcing the move, ASCRS cited current restrictions in San Francisco, noting that their impact on events and meetings made it impossible to hold the annual meeting in California as planned.

“As we all continue to adapt to the evolving COVID-19 environment, I know many of us are experiencing fatigue in terms of our clinical practices and virtual conferences,” said ASCRS President Terry Kim, MD. “That is why I am so excited about the announcement of our in-person annual meeting in Las Vegas. I could not think of a better destination where we can all get back to interacting with friends and colleagues and experiencing the outstanding educational events of ASCRS.”

Dr. Kim said ASCRS will be working with the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and hotel staff to provide the safest meeting environment possible.

“The facility’s hospital-grade air filtration system and the Seven-Point Safety Plan developed with medical professionals and put in place by the facility will provide the latest in health and safety for guests and staff,” Dr. Kim said.

Attendees and industry partners can still expect exceptional programming and exhibit interactions at this year’s ASCRS Annual Meeting. Thursday, July 22 will feature the new Eyecelerator Innovation Conference; Friday, July 23 will host ASCRS Subspecialty Day programming in the areas of cornea, refractive, and glaucoma, as well as the ASCRS Subspecialty Day Exhibit Hall; and the main ASCRS program will take place Saturday July 24–Tuesday, July 27.

Steve Speares, ASCRS executive director, noted that the Mandalay Bay Convention Center is the fifth largest center in the United States, giving conference organizers plenty of space to work with.

“This will allow us to stage our meeting with whatever local requirements may be required for spacing and social distancing,” he said. “We will use three hotels within the Mandalay Bay complex: Delano Las Vegas, Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, and the hotel at Mandalay Bay. We think this unique setting will enhance our members’ expressed desire to get back to live events and to reconnect with fellow surgeons and friends in industry.”

The meeting was previously scheduled to take place in San Francisco, California, but needed to be moved due to area restrictions associated with COVID-19.

For additional information, visit annualmeeting.ascrs.org.