Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and the Pavilion

500 Cardiothoracic Surgeons Return to BIC

The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland has returned to the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) for the first time since 2002. The association is holding their annual meeting at the BIC, a two and a half day event of which up to 500 delegates are expected to attend daily, injecting an estimated over £330,000 into the local economy through business tourism spend.

The annual meeting opened on Sunday 22nd March with several seminars and presentations, finishing with a civic reception hosted by Bournemouth Mayor, Cllr Stephen Chappell. Conference sessions in the BIC’s Tregonwell Hall, including a Thoracic session, Congenital/paediatric session and a Tyco Surgeons Assistants Forum, started today and will run until the end of tomorrow. International guest speakers include David Adams, Alessandro Brunelli, Alain Carpentier and Tom DeMeester.

A large exhibition is running alongside the conference programme in the BIC’s Purbeck Hall, featuring exhibitors such as Bristol Heart Institute, NHS Heart Improvement and UK Medical. Nearly 40 exhibitors will have a presence at the event over the two days.

Clive Tyers, Head of Conferences, Exhibitions and Events at the BIC said: “It is great to welcome the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland back to the BIC. This is an international event with delegates and speakers travelling from as far as Italy, France and America, so it really puts us on the map as a leading international conference and exhibition centre.”

Recent statistics value Bournemouth’s business tourism at £127.6m, of which the BIC and Pavilion contribute £73m annually through the conferences and exhibitions staged at the venue. The remaining £54.6m is a result of conferences, events and meetings at other venues in Bournemouth, often facilitated by the Bournemouth International Conference Bureau (BICB).

The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland was set up by the profession to develop cardiothoracic surgery. It represents the views of cardiothoracic surgeons on all major topics of interest in the speciality, develops guidelines on clinical management and working practices. The BICB acted as the accommodation agency for the event, assisting in booking hotels for the expected 500 delegates.