A striking feature of the 2025 congress, the heart sculpture was presented after the event to imaging specialist Bracco, where it is now displayed at its worldwide headquarters in Milan, Italy.
A gathering of more than 20,000 medical imaging professionals — radiologists, researchers, and other stakeholders — seemed the ideal environment to push cutting-edge immersive meetings technology to its limit. Hosted each year by the European Society of Radiology (ESR), the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) mixed interactive installations and virtual-reality elements to bring its educational content theme, Planet Radiology, to life at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) in late February/early March of 2025.
Christian Barylli
“Our goal was to connect several of the most important conversations happening in our field: sustainability in health care, global equity in access to imaging, and the rapid technological transformation of radiology,” Christian Barylli, ESR’s creative director, told Convene. “We wanted a theme that reflected radiology’s role not just within hospitals, but within society and the broader health of our planet. Our aim was to make the entire congress feel like a journey through Planet Radiology. Instead of simply moving between lecture rooms and exhibition stands, attendees experienced a series of themed environments throughout the venue.”
The team’s imagination and dedication paid off. In September, the 2025 edition of ECR won two Gold awards for Best Congress/Conference and Best Convention at the Bea World Festival in Rome, Italy, where the global business events community celebrated events exemplifying creativity and innovation. Here’s a look at how Barylli and the planning team used state-of-the-art technology to create an immersive experience for attendees.
Tech-Enabled Storytelling
ECR 2025’s digital environment was developed using Unreal Engine, a sophisticated 3D-imaging tool, and was brought to life using motion-capture technology and LED panels. “We took the title ‘Planet Radiology’ quite literally and brought an entire planet to life through 3D animations, populated with fauna and flora inspired by radiological structures, and featuring a Mother Nature–inspired character, Gaia, who served as the patron of the event,” Barylli said. “We developed a storyline that continued through the opening ceremony and three plenary lectures, each featuring specially built 3D environments that explored radiology and its impact on the planet. The sessions took visitors on a journey — from the bottom of the ocean, where Linda Moy [M.D., professor of radiology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine] discussed single-use plastics and gadolinium [a contrast agent in MRI scans], to the jungle, where
Simon Reeve addressed planetary health, and finally up above the clouds, where Rowland Illing [global chief medical officer and director of healthcare and life sciences at Amazon Web Services and visiting professor of informatics and imaging at University of Oxford] spoke about cloud computing and storage. The narrative extended beyond the scientific program as well, continuing through the charity gala and the closing party. In that sense, it became a cohesive storyline running through the entire event.”
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A no-holds-barred spirit of exploration was key for the ECR team as they worked to realize their Planet Radiology vision. “When we first started exploring this, our creative team consisted of just five people. We sat down together, brainstormed how we could make it happen, and the following week we bought our own motion capture suit” — a form-fitting garment embedded with sensors to track a performer’s physical movements in real-time — “and essentially taught ourselves everything we needed to know to make it work,” Barylli said. “We tend to approach these projects with a strong spirit of experimentation and curiosity. Every year we push ourselves to try something new. It keeps the process exciting for us — and hopefully it keeps surprising our [attendees] as well.”
A focal point of ECR 2025’s stage set was a functional, supersized heart sculpture in the exhibit hall. “The sculpture stood in the main entrance area, so it was one of the first things attendees encountered when arriving at the congress. Using projection mapping, we created the effect of a living, pulsating structure. The piece combined anatomical imagery with elements inspired by nature, symbolizing the connection between human health and planetary health,” Barylli said. “Because of its scale and location beneath the main stage area, it quickly became a landmark within the venue — a natural meeting point for visitors and a strong visual anchor for the entire congress experience.”
The dazzling special effects weren’t just for show, but served as the connective tissue for ECR 2025’s interrelated themes. “Rather than presenting the scientific program as a series of isolated sessions, we structured it around a shared story about how radiology contributes to a healthier world,” Barylli said. “This approach allowed us to connect topics such as AI, innovation, education, sustainability, and access to imaging under one unified idea.”
Embracing the Planet Radiology theme for ECR 2025 also underlined the society’s commitment to social justice and sustainability. “Through initiatives like the Imagers Fixing the World program, we were able to showcase projects where radiologists are actively addressing global challenges,” Barylli said, “whether that’s improving access to imaging in underserved regions, reducing environmental impact in radiology departments, or developing new technologies that transform patient care — thus inspiring our visitors to do the same.”
A Digital Canvas
The long-term partnership between ECR and ACV — ECR has been permanently held in Vienna since 1991 — helped to actualize ESR’s technologically ambitious vision for ECR 2025. “In recent years, we have invested heavily in modernization and digitalization to provide our clients with the ideal setting for their events,” ACV’s managing director, Susanne Baumann-Söllner, said in a press release. “On Level 0 and the newly redesigned Level 2 alone, there are more than 5,000 square feet of LED displays which provide the perfect canvas for innovative event staging.”
“For us, immersion starts very early in the planning process. We don’t think about the congress as a set of separate pieces — program, stage design, exhibition, technology — but as one cohesive experience that tells a story from the moment people enter the venue,” Barylli told Convene. “And to be honest, no one knows the Austria Center Vienna better than we do. After decades of working together, we understand the venue inside out.”
Baumann-Söllner spotlighted ESR as a group that takes full advantage of the facility’s possibilities for immersive high-tech experiences. “We are setting new standards in the events industry and helping our clients create unforgettable experiences for their participants. For me, this award for ECR 2025,” she said, referring to its recognition as Bea World’s best event, “is a fantastic confirmation of this strategy.”
Kate Mulcrone is Convene’s digital managing editor
On the Web
Read about how ECR 2027’s art poster conveys its theme, Healthcare Reimagined.
