Congress Participation Planning 2027: Are You Ready for ESMO and EASL?

2027 Congress Participation Guide for Pharmaceutical Companies

Congress participation is one of the most visible and costly components of pharmaceutical companies’ scientific communication strategies, and 2027 is set to be one of the busiest congress seasons in recent years.

ESMO Breast Cancer 2027 Milan,

ESPGHAN 2027 Lisbon,

EULAR 2027 Berlin,

EASL 2027 London

ESHRE 2027 Stockholm

Five major European medical congresses are concentrated within an approximately ten-week period between May and July. Hotel inventories in the host cities have already begun to be allocated through group room blocks. For companies bringing healthcare professionals (HCPs) to these events, congress participation planning has become a strategic operation that must be organized months in advance.

In this article, we examine the five leading congresses of 2027 one by one, highlighting what companies should pay attention to during the congress participation process and the tangible benefits of early planning.

2027 European Medical Congresses: Congress Participation Calendar

The backbone of the 2027 congress season consists of five events held in five different countries and across five different therapeutic areas. Each destination has its own city dynamics, hotel supply, and visa requirements—making each congress deserving of its own participation strategy.

ESMO Breast Cancer 2027 — Milan (12–14 May)

The season begins with ESMO Breast Cancer 2027. Europe’s leading breast cancer oncology congress will take place on 12–14 May at the Allianz MiCo Convention Centre in Milan. Oncology remains one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most competitive therapeutic areas, meaning demand for congress participation at ESMO Breast Cancer consistently exceeds supply.

The key consideration in Milan is the city’s dynamics. Allianz MiCo is located in the CityLife and Portello district, where the supply of hotels within walking distance is limited. Combined with the possibility of overlapping trade fairs during congress week, securing hotel room blocks for HCP groups months in advance becomes critical.

ESPGHAN 2027 — Lisbon (2–5 June)

June begins with ESPGHAN 2027. The 59th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition will take place in Lisbon from 2–5 June. It is the year’s most important scientific event for pharmaceutical and medical nutrition companies operating in pediatrics and nutrition.

Lisbon has rapidly emerged as a congress destination in recent years, yet its hotel capacity remains relatively compact. For large-scale events such as ESPGHAN, centrally located hotels sell out early, leaving companies that delay congress participation planning with accommodations outside the city center or significantly higher accommodation costs.

EULAR 2027 — Berlin (9–12 June)

Just four days after ESPGHAN concludes, EULAR 2027 begins in Berlin on 9–12 June. The European Congress of Rheumatology is the year’s flagship event for companies with immunology and rheumatology portfolios, welcoming tens of thousands of participants at Messe Berlin.

Berlin’s advantage is its broad hotel inventory; its challenge is the limited number of hotels offering direct access to Messe Berlin. When planning congress participation for EULAR, transportation planning—particularly for HCP groups attending early morning scientific sessions—is just as important as accommodation.

EASL 2027 — London (16–19 June)

The third major event of June is EASL 2027. The International Liver Congress of the European Association for the Study of the Liver will take place on 16–19 June at ExCeL London. As the world’s leading hepatology congress, EASL is also the event among these five that requires the greatest level of advance visa planning.

The reason is straightforward: London is outside the Schengen Area. A UK visa requires a separate application process, separate documentation, and a separate timeline for HCP groups. Pharmaceutical companies planning participation from Türkiye should initiate the visa process at least 2–3 months before the congress and finalize participant lists even earlier. In addition, hotels around ExCeL London fill up quickly during congress periods, meaning congress participation budgets for London must be secured earlier than for the other destinations.

ESHRE 2027 — Stockholm (4–7 July)

The season concludes with ESHRE 2027. The 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology will take place in Stockholm from 4–7 July. It is the benchmark event of the year for companies operating in reproductive medicine, fertility, and women’s health.

Stockholm presents a unique challenge due to timing. Early July coincides with the peak holiday season across Scandinavia. As congress demand overlaps with leisure travel demand, hotel rates rise significantly and flight availability becomes more limited. Companies planning congress participation for ESHRE 2027 should secure both accommodation and group flight reservations early to maintain budget control.

Why Should Congress Participation Be Planned 12 Months in Advance?

All five congresses share one common characteristic: hotel availability during the congress period is limited, while demand is consistently high and predictable. Industry practice is to secure congress hotel room blocks 9–12 months in advance, making now the ideal planning window for the 2027 congress season.

Benefits of early congress participation planning include:

Guaranteed availability: Group room blocks at hotels within walking distance of or directly connected to the congress venue
Budget predictability: The difference between early group rates and last-minute prices can become substantial for large HCP groups
Visa scheduling: Sufficient time for group Schengen and UK visa applications
Operational flexibility: The ability to negotiate cancellation and name-change conditions in advance for participant list changes
Compliance assurance: Ensuring hotel category, nightly rate limits, and documentation comply with company policies from the outset

Compliance in HCP Group Management: The Invisible Side of Congress Participation

In the pharmaceutical industry, congress participation is not an ordinary business trip. Hosting healthcare professionals is governed by ethical standards, industry association regulations, and internal company compliance policies. Therefore, the travel partner is expected not only to make reservations but also to establish an auditable operation by providing:

Hotel category and nightly rates aligned with company policy limits
Individual expense tracking and transparent reporting
Centralized documentation for invitations, flights, transfers, and accommodation
Financial risk management for changes and cancellation scenarios

Working with a travel management company (TMC) capable of applying corporate travel discipline to congress operations significantly reduces the administrative burden on medical and compliance teams.

End-to-End Congress Participation Management with Viking Tourism

With more than 40 years of experience, Viking Tourism provides specialized congress participation management services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. For international congresses including ESMO Breast Cancer, ESPGHAN, EULAR, EASL, and ESHRE, we manage group airfare, congress hotel room blocks, visa coordination, airport-hotel-congress transfers, and HCP group operations from a single point of contact.

Our MICE team also plans congress-related side events—including satellite symposium logistics, advisory board meetings, physician group meetings, and evening events—as part of the same integrated planning process. Through our VikingOn platform and reporting tools, every participant’s journey can be monitored in real time, while budgets are reported transparently by expense category. Our digital tools simplify the process, but behind them stands an experienced team available whenever needed. When a physician’s flight is cancelled in the middle of the night during congress week, it is not technology itself that resolves the issue—it is the people behind the technology.

The 2027 congress season features five major destinations: ESMO Breast Cancer 2027 Milan, ESPGHAN 2027 Lisbon, EULAR 2027 Berlin, EASL 2027 London, and ESHRE 2027 Stockholm. This intensive three-month schedule involves parallel visa processes, group flights, hotel room blocks, and compliance documentation.

Companies that approach congress participation not simply as booking flights and hotels, but as a strategically managed end-to-end business travel operation, will gain advantages in budget control, HCP experience, and auditability. Starting the planning process today—before room availability becomes limited—may be the smartest travel decision for 2027.

Contact us for more information: vikingturizm.com.tr/iletisim