Factors influencing sessions' and speakers' evaluation: an analysis of seven consecutive European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology congress editions

Background The variables affecting participants' satisfaction with a scientific conference in dermatology have not been systematically assessed. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) has collected a huge number of questionnaires related to sessions' and speakers' evaluation over the years. The critical analysis of satisfaction's score is important and helpful for continuous improvement of the scientific programming. Objective To identify factors that positively or negatively affect sessions' and speakers' scoring in the largest European congress of dermatology. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of all sessions' evaluation forms collected between 2009 and 2015 during seven consecutive EADV congresses. A predictive model for sessions' and another for speakers' score evaluation were built based on multivariate linear regression. Results Overall, 4964 speakers and 1022 sessions were evaluated. Topics more positively associated with total sessions' scoring were as follows: dermoscopy, neutrophilic diseases and hidradenitis suppurativa. Conversely, types of sessions which considerably negatively associated with total sessions' scoring included short thematic presentations and free communications. Furthermore, types of sessions which were more positively associated with high total speakers' scoring consisted of focus sessions and plenary lectures, whereas the most appreciated topics encompassed dermoscopy, screening programs, melanocytic naevi, panniculitis, organ transplanted and immunosuppressed patients, neutrophilic diseases, dermatopathology and history of dermatology. Finally, short thematic presentations, free communications and guidelines session showed overall poor scores. Conclusion Focused and specialized topics are more prone to capture attention of participants when compared to sessions of heterogeneous content. Quite surprisingly, a practice‐oriented topics such as guidelines, did not achieve a high score. Our findings provide new knowledge about components, which increase the level of satisfaction of participants and should facilitate the programming of attractive scientific congresses associated with increased training satisfaction.