FAQs

ACG 2021 will be held October 22-27 as a hybrid conference. The in-person ACG 2021 Annual Meeting educational sessions and exposition will be held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay, and our virtual conference will be delivered online through the ACG 2021 Conference Platform.

Mandalay Bay is the official ACG headquarters hotel, and rooms have been blocked for ACG attendees at a reduced rate. Book your room now at book.passkey.com/go/SACG1021MB.

The meeting will be Friday, October 22 through Wednesday, October 27. Friday starts with a choice of two full day programs (Practice Management Course or the ASGE Endoscopy Course), or two half-day programs (GI Pathophysiology, and What’s New in GI Pharmacology). Click here for more information on the Friday Courses. Saturday and Sunday, October 23 – 24 is the Postgraduate Course. Click here for more information. The ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting begins Sunday, October 24^th with an Exhibit Hall Opening Reception at 5:15 pm for all attendees and guests, and will run until Wednesday, October 27 at 12:15pm. Learn more about the Annual Scientific Meeting.

The ACG Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course is being planned as a hybrid conference, with attendees having the option of registering to attend in-person in Las Vegas, virtually via the online platform, or both. The in-person meeting will take place October 22-27 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

In-person attendees will have access to everything you expect at live ACG conferences as well as access to the sessions on the Conference Platform (based on course registration).

Virtual registrants will use the Conference Platform to watch the live-streamed sessions during the conference dates.

Both in-person and virtual registration include access to presentation handouts, slides, live-streamed sessions, and on-demand content on the Conference Platform (based on course registration) until March 31, 2022; handouts and slides will remain available on the mobile app after that date.

Yes, presenting authors whose abstract has been accepted for either oral or poster presentation must register as an attendee and pay any appropriate fees. Please note that ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting registration is free for all ACG members, as well as for Residents and Trainees who provide a letter from their Program Director verifying status.

We recommend wearing business casual attire and comfortable shoes. Presenters typically dress more formally. Meeting rooms are often cool, so layered clothing is recommended. October temperatures in Las Vegas are typically in the the mid 70s°F (about 24°C) during the day, and mid 50s°F (about 13°C) in the evening.

Attendees of ACG 2021 who need additional reasonable accommodations or who have special needs should contact registration@gi.org no later than September 30, 2021.

Guests at the Mandalay Bay can leave their luggage at the hotel’s Baggage Check desk. ACG staff are not responsible for lost or stolen luggage.

There will be complimentary Wi-Fi in the meeting spaces. Information about the network and password will be provided to all attendees on-site.

Yes, included with your registration is access to the course presentations via the ACG 2021 Meeting app, which will be housed within the ACG Mobile app.

With the app, you will have full access to all available slide presentations for each course for which you have registered. The app also contains a fully searchable schedule of events, list of program participants, abstracts, maps, exhibit information, and more.

In addition, the app will sync with a personal schedule that meeting registrants can create online before the meeting. Visit the ACG 2021 Conference Platform.

Once you have registered for ACG 2021, you will be able to create an account on the Conference Platform that allows you to select presentations and events to build your own personal schedule, making it easy to prioritize your time by planning your ACG 2021 activities in advance. Once you have created an account, you will be able to access your schedule at any time using this site, and can continue to add or remove activities and presentations.

The ACG 2021 event app will be available shortly before the meeting, and can be accessed within the ACG Mobile app. Once you log into the event app, the schedule you created in ACG 2021 Conference Platform will synchronize to your app account, putting your personalized schedule at your fingertips when you are on-site at the meeting in Las Vegas. You will also have the option to allow the app to add sessions to your personal Outlook or Google calendar.

To use the ACG 2021 event app, you must first have the ACG Mobile app installed on your device. ACG Mobile is available free from both Google Play and Apple app stores. Information on how to access the ACG 2021 app will be emailed to all registrants shortly before the meeting.

In addition to the Exhibit Hall Opening Reception on Sunday evening, which is open to all registered attendees of the Postgraduate Course or the Annual Scientific Meeting, there will be various Friday and Sunday evening receptions. Registered attendees of the Postgraduate Course or the Annual Scientific Meeting are welcome to attend these receptions as well. The always-popular GI Jeopardy competition will be held Saturday, following completion of the Postgraduate Course. Full details are available in the Special Events section of the site.

For more information on what to see and do in Las Vegas, visit www.visitlasvegas.com.

Information about tours will be available in early summer.

Special GI Fellows-in-Training-focused offerings at the ACG 2021 include the Trainees Luncheon, and the popular GI Jeopardy and EndoTitans competitions. Full details are available on the Fellows-in-Training Events page.

Physician participants in any of the Friday courses, the Postgraduate Course, or the Annual Scientific Meeting may earn both CME hours and ABIM or ABP MOC points. Following each course, participants who wish to obtain CME credits and MOC points must successfully complete the CME course evaluation and the MOC assessment available on the meeting evaluation site. MOC points awarded will be equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for each activity. Full instructions will be provided to meeting attendees at the time of the course. Learn more about credits/points for specific activities.

In-person (Las Vegas) Postgraduate Course participants will be given a print copy of the SAT upon arrival at the live Postgraduate Course and will also receive access to the online version of the test when it is released on September 22. (Note: If you are registered to attend the Postgraduate Course in person in Las Vegas and are unable to make it, your printed test booklet will not be mailed.)

Virtual Postgraduate Course participants will receive access to the online version of the SAT when it is released on September 22.

In addition, ACG 2021 participants not registered for the Postgraduate Course may choose to purchase the online version of the 2021 Self-Assessment Test through the ACG website at https://satest.gi.org beginning September 22, 2021.

Registration for all hands-on endoscopy sessions, including the GI Fellows Only sessions, will take place online. Details about the sessions and registration times will be announced in August and all registered attendees at that time will have priority to register for sessions. Early registration for in-person attendance is strongly encouraged to allow for access to the hands-on session tickets.

Yes, there will be a Speaker Ready Room where speakers can pick up their registration badge and materials and check their presentations. All speakers are requested to check-in at the Speaker Ready Room at least one day before their presentation, and speakers must review their slide presentations. In addition, a mock podium setup will also be available so speakers can practice using the AV system.

We will not be able to accept membership applications at the meeting. Please fill out the online membership application.

Yes, dues can be paid on-site at the Registration Desk for the current or upcoming year.

Attendees using the Conference Platform website can elect to share their contact information with other Platform users, and can also be messaged directly from within the Platform. The list of Platform users can be found in the Networking section.

Attendees using the mobile app can elect to share their contact information with other app users, and can also be messaged directly from within the app. The list of app users can be found in the People Tile in the app.

No, you do not need to be a member of the ACG to attend. Everyone with an interest in the fields of gastroenterology or hepatology is welcome to attend. There are registration categories for members and non-members.

Yes, Annual Scientific Meeting registration is free for all ACG members, as well as for Residents and Trainees who provide a letter from their Program Director verifying status. Discounted rates are available for all of the other courses as well.

ACG is offering flexible registration options for this year’s hybrid conference. Registrants can choose to attend in-person in Las Vegas, participate virtually, or select a combination of both. Pricing is the same for all courses, whether selecting in-person or virtual registration.

In-person attendees will have access to everything you expect at live ACG conferences as well as access to the sessions on the Conference Platform (based on course registration).

Virtual registrants will use the Conference Platform to watch the live-streamed sessions during the conference dates.

Both in-person and virtual registration include access to presentation handouts, slides, live-streamed sessions, and on-demand content on the Conference Platform (based on course registration) until March 31, 2022; handouts and slides will remain available on the mobile app after that date.

No printed syllabus materials or USBs will be available. All registered attendees will have access to the course presentations via the Conference Platform and meeting app. Both also provide a fully searchable schedule of events, list of program participants, oral and poster abstracts, exhibit information, and more. A Final Program book will be available to all registered attendees. In-person attendees can pick up a Final Program book, which includes a listing of all sessions and useful on-site information. Virtual attendees will have access to a digital copy of the Final Program book. No Final Program books will be mailed.

Continental breakfast in the morning and beverage service during program breaks will be available for registered attendees of any of the Friday courses, and for the Postgraduate Course on Saturday and Sunday. Beverage service during program breaks will be available for registered attendees of the Annual Scientific Meeting (Monday-Wednesday). The Exhibit Hall Opening Reception on Sunday evening, open to all registered attendees of the Postgraduate Course and the Annual Scientific Meeting, will feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.

No, we only offer registration for the entirety of either event.

Membership is NOT included in your registration fee. Please visit the ACG website for more information on joining or visit the ACG Booth in the Exhibit Hall during the meeting for a membership application.

No.

Yes, please visit the on-site ACG Registration Desk at Mandalay Bay. Registration will remain open until December 31, 2021.

Beginning on Friday, October 22, at 6:00 am, attendees who pre-registered to attend in-person in Las Vegas can pick up registration materials (name badge, a copy of the Final Program book, and a reusable tote bag) at the ACG Registration Desk at Mandalay Bay. On-site registration will be open at that time as well.

Speakers (including oral abstract presenters) should go directly to the Speaker Ready Room to pick up their registration badge and materials, and check their presentations.

Yes, you can edit your registration for the meeting at any time by visiting meetings.gi.org, and looking up your registration by last name and order number. If you have additional questions, please e-mail registration@gi.org.

If there are available seats, this can be done at the ACG Registration Desk. Seats may be limited, and some events may be sold-out in advance. Please email the Registration office at registration@gi.org with any questions.

Yes. Guest badges can be requested at no extra charge when picking up your badge and meeting materials on-site in Las Vegas. A guest badge allows access to the Exhibit Hall and entrance to the Exhibit Hall Opening Reception, but does not allow access to any of the courses or scientific sessions. If your guest wants to attend any of the courses or scientific sessions, they must register as an attendee.

Registration cancellations must be emailed to registration@gi.org by September 27, 2021. You must provide an explanation. You will be charged a $50 administrative fee for cancellation of any paid event. Refunds, less the $50 administrative fee, will be processed after the meeting. After September 27, 2021, no refunds will be possible.

Once you have completed your registration for ACG 2021, you will receive a receipt/confirmation e-mail. The e-mail will outline the courses and any optional events that you have registered for, as well as show proof of payment. If you do not receive this e-mail upon completion of your registration, please contact registration@gi.org or call 301-263-9000.

Group Meeting Registration is reserved for groups of 6 or more registrants. If you have any questions about group registration, please email registration@gi.org or call 301-263-9000. There are no discounts for group registrations.

Mandalay Bay, located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S., will be the official ACG headquarters hotel. ACG 2021 will be held entirely in Mandalay Bay’s South Convention Center. Book your room now through the housing website. Booking directly through ACG’s housing website ensures you will receive the special rates and amenities ACG has negotiated with the hotel. Reservations will be accepted until September 27, and are subject to availability. You will receive a confirmation email from the hotel when you complete your reservation.

Do not book with any housing bureau that contacts you directly, or through any alternative websites. Neither ACG or any legitimate housing bureau will ever contact you unsolicited to book your hotel reservation. The American College of Gastroenterology cannot guarantee that other housing companies are legitimate and cannot guarantee your reservation at ACG 2021 if you book outside of the official housing website.

We recommend attendees fly into Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS).

Depending on your citizenship and what country you are coming from, you may need to allow several months to get a visa for travel to the U.S. Visit the ACG 2021 website’s International Travelers page for details. Please visit the U.S. Department of State for specific travel information.

Please consult your U.S. Embassy or local Consulate to determine visa requirements for entry to the U.S. ACG 2021 provides several documents as proof of your intended participation in the conference. Once you have completed your registration for ACG 2021, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing a link to a personalized Letter of Invitation. Please note that ACG cannot provide Letters of Invitation to individuals that have not fully registered for the conference.

A variety of ground transportation is available at the airport, such as rental car services, taxi, and shared ride services, such as Uber or Lyft.

Self-parking is available at Mandalay Bay. Valet parking is currently unavailable. For the most up-to-date information, visit Mandalay Bay’s parking webpage.

The abstract submission deadline was Monday, June 21, 2021, at 11:59 pm, Eastern Daylight Time. Abstracts will not be accepted after this time. No modifications, additions, corrections, or changes of any kind, either to the abstract or authors information, will be permitted after the submission deadline.

Download the submission instructions for complete details.

No. You must register for the ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting separately. This is required if your abstract has been accepted for either oral or poster presentation.

Notification of abstract acceptance as an oral or poster presentation will be sent via e-mail to person listed as the Presenting Author of a submitted abstract in late July, 2021. Presenting authors will be notified of the assigned date and time of presentation in the acceptance email. No changes in assigned dates or times will be permitted.

Sometimes a presenting author’s e-mail address is entered incorrectly. If the email address is correct and is still active in July, the organization’s spam filter may have flagged the notification email. You must provide an e-mail address that will be in use July through October 2021 (a personal rather than institution email may be preferable), otherwise notification may not be received.

If you are a Presenting Author and have not receive notification by July 31, 2021, please email abstracts@gi.org, and provide the following information: Abstract title, presenting author’s full name, submission ID (found on the abstract confirmation receipt).

To withdraw your abstract, please email abstracts@gi.org, and provide the following information: Abstract title, presenting author’s full name, submission ID (found on the abstract confirmation receipt).

Yes, late-breaking abstract submissions will be accepted August 16 through September 2, 2021. Late-breaking abstracts are considered only for oral presentation and NOT as posters, and must not have been submitted during the earlier abstract submission period. Late-breaking abstract submissions will only be considered if there is a reasonable expectation that the study content was not available by the standard deadline; content must also be of the same or higher quality than the standard abstract submissions. Details will be available in the summer on this website.

Yes, there will be a Speaker Ready Room where all speakers can pick up their registration badge and materials, and check their presentations. All speakers should check-in at the Speaker Ready Room at least a day before their presentation, and speakers must review their presentations. In addition, a mock podium setup will also be available so speakers can practice using the AV system.

Abstracts accepted for oral presentation will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, October 25-27. Oral presenters whose abstracts are scheduled for Monday morning, during the Presidential Plenary Sessions, on October 25, will have 9 minutes to present, with 3 minutes for audience questions. All other oral presenters will have 7 minutes to present, with 3 minutes for audience questions.

Yes, presenting authors of accepted posters must be stationed at their poster during their designated 75-minute period on the day their poster is scheduled for display. Presenters will be able to discuss their work with any interested attendees. Abstracts accepted for poster presentation will take place in the Exhibit Hall on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, October 24-26, and accepted posters will be scheduled for display on one of those days.

All poster presenters will display their poster on their assigned day. Set-up, removal and display times are as follows:

*Any posters left after the Exhibit Hall closes each day will be removed and placed on a table near the poster boards. Any posters remaining once the Exhibit Hall closes on Tuesday will be discarded.

All poster sessions will be in the Exhibit Hall. Presenting authors will receive the assigned date and time of their poster presentation, along with the assigned poster number, when acceptance notifications are sent out in July. No changes in dates or times will be permitted.

Each presenter is responsible for putting up and removing his/her own poster material. Poster set-up hours will be 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm on Sunday, and 8:30 am – 10:30 am on Monday and Tuesday. Authors will need to wear their registration badge to enter the Exhibit Hall, as it will not be open to attendees during the poster set-up times. All poster boards will be located in the rear of the Hall.

Posters should remain on display until 6:45 pm on Sunday, 4:30 pm on Monday, and 4:15 pm on Tuesday. The College cannot be responsible for these materials and any posters not removed at the end of the daily sessions will be discarded.

Standing poster boards will be 6 ft wide x 4 ft high (183 cm wide x 122 cm high). The poster should be sized to fit within these dimensions. Pushpins will be available at each board. Each poster board will display the assigned poster number.

A FedEx Office Print & Ship Center located at Mandalay Bay offers poster printing service, and may offer the option to order a poster online and pick it up on-site. The FedEx Office Center is located between Mandalay Bay’s North and South Convention Centers. Visit their website for information, or call them at (702) 262-5320. Poster presenters are not obligated to use this service.

If you are the presenting author for two or more posters being displayed during the same poster session, you may ask a co-author to be present at one of the posters during the time you are required to be stationed with your posters. If that is not possible, we recommend posting a sign on one of the posters indicating you will be standing at a different poster, and include your cell phone number so reviewers can text to have you come to the other poster.

Yes, posters will be presented at ACG 2021 both as physical printed posters at the in-person meeting, and as ePosters (PDF format) on the virtual ePoster Hall site.

In addition to displaying their poster in the Exhibit Hall on the assigned day, authors must also provide a high-quality PDF version of their printed poster for the virtual ePoster Hall site, which will open in mid-October. Authors will record a 3-minute talk for their ePoster that summarizes their abstract study or case. The ePosters will also be supported by enhanced engagement and networking opportunities.

Guidelines for both printed posters and ePosters will be provided to all poster authors upon acceptance notification.

The ACG 2021 Conference Platform is open! Once registered for ACG 2021, all attendees – both in-person and virtual – are encouraged to create a platform account. A Conference Platform account lets you curate your personal ACG 2021 experience – create your profile account to connect with other attendees, browse the sessions and start building your personal schedule, view presentations, abstracts, ePosters, and special events, and explore the Exhibit Hall layout and visit exhibitor booths.

All ACG 2021 registrants are strongly encouraged to create a Conference Platform account and explore the site prior to start of the meeting. While anyone can preview this site without logging in, you must be logged in with your account in order to attend any livestream sessions, view presentation slides, and connect with other attendees.

Based on course registration, virtual registrants will use the Conference Platform to access the daily livestreamed sessions; in-person registrants will also be able to watch the daily livestreamed sessions if they wish. (Livestream sessions will NOT be available in the mobile app, they will be on the Conference Platform website only.)

Based on course registration, all registrants can use the Conference Platform to access on-demand content starting October 22, 2021, and can also access presentation slides. On-demand content and presentation slides will be available on the Conference Platform until March 31, 2022 (slides will be available on the mobile app after March 31, 2022).

Additionally, the Conference Platform offers extensive networking opportunities through its My Experience feature, giving attendees the ability to connect via text or video chat with other attendees based on shared areas of interest. The Platform will also recommend presentations, sessions, and exhibitors of interest, based on your personal account.

The Conference Platform is also home to the virtual exhibit hall, the ePoster Hall, information about special events and industry-sponsored presentations, and resources to help attendees navigate the meeting as live or virtual attendees.

For those using the mobile app (which will be available shortly before the meeting), your Conference Platform account will sync to your mobile app account, making your personal ACG 2021 daily schedule available on your mobile device. (Livestream sessions will NOT be available in the mobile app, they will be on the Conference Platform website only.)

Plan several visits to the Conference Platform in the months leading up ACG 2021 to select the sessions you want to attend and fine-tune your schedule. We will continue to add items to the agenda, new exhibitors, and accepted paper and poster abstracts.

Starting October 22, sessions will be livestreamed from Las Vegas each day, and broadcast in Pacific Time on the ACG 2021 Conference Platform. Both in-person and virtual registration include access to livestreamed sessions (based on course registration). Livestream sessions will NOT be available in the mobile app, they will be on the Conference Platform website only. (Note: To watch livestream sessions, you must be logged in with your platform account, which can be created using your ACG 2021 registration order number. Click for details.)

The following courses will be livestreamed: The Friday morning GI Pathophysiology Course; the Friday afternoon What’s New in GI Pharmacology Course; the Friday ASGE Endoscopy Course; the Saturday-Sunday Postgraduate Course;* the Monday-Wednesday Annual Scientific Meeting.*

*Both the Postgraduate Course and the Annual Scientific Meeting include simultaneous symposia sessions; the Annual Scientific Meeting includes simultaneous oral paper sessions. ACG will livestream one of the simultaneous sessions, and the remaining session(s) will be recorded and posted as on-demand content to the Conference Platform after the meeting.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SUMMIT: The Friday Practice Management Summit will not be livestreamed and will only be available to in-person attendees; this course will be recorded and posted as on-demand content to the Conference Platform after the meeting.

Both in-person and virtual registration include access to recorded on-demand content (based on course registration) on the Conference Platform.

Sessions that are livestreamed from Las Vegas each day during the meeting will be recorded and posted as on-demand content to the Conference Platform after the meeting. Sessions that will not be livestreamed (such as some simultaneous symposia or oral paper sessions) will be recorded live and posted as on-demand content after the meeting. Access to all on-demand content will be based on course registration.

The following courses will be recorded: The Friday morning GI Pathophysiology Course; the Friday afternoon What’s New in GI Pharmacology Course; the Friday ASGE Endoscopy Course; the Friday Practice Management Summit; the Saturday-Sunday Postgraduate Course; the Monday-Wednesday Annual Scientific Meeting.

Starting October 22, 2021, attendees whose registration includes purchase of the 24 Postgraduate Course Bonus Sessions and/or the 15 Annual Scientific Meeting Bonus Sessions will be able to watch these sessions as on-demand recordings on the ACG Conference Platform until March 31, 2022. (There will be no in-person Bonus Sessions offered in Las Vegas.)

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Members of the working press are welcome at Virtual ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting (ACG 2021). All scientific and poster sessions are open including plenary sessions, symposia, research and clinical forums, and postgraduate courses. Registration is free.

To register for press credentials, submit the form here.

All research presented at ACG 2021 is strictly embargoed until 3:30 pm EDT on Sunday, October 24, 2021.

The embargo policy means that no news, information, results of any abstract or research finding can be released to the media or published before Sunday, October 24 at 3:30 pm EDT.

This embargo includes revealing anything about the results (including the title of the abstract—since often times the title indicates the finding) in a press release or “curtain raiser.”

Exhibitors, Attendees, Guests, and Media are strictly prohibited from taking video or audio recording of the Exhibit Hall or any educational session or event of the meeting for publication, rebroadcast, or placement on a non-ACG website or print publication without prior written permission from the ACG. Still photography is permitted only for personal, non-commercial purposes, including social media. Attendees can direct questions about the policy to ACG VP of Meetings and Exhibitions, Elaine McCubbin. Members of the media should send general questions to ACG Media Staff.

Press conferences at ACG 2021 sponsored by exhibitors or groups other than ACG are outside press conferences. The College requests that no group schedule a press conference at the same time as any ACG-sponsored Media Briefings. Groups holding outside press conferences are responsible for securing their own space, but are welcome to coordinate with ACG VP of Meetings and Exhibitions, Elaine McCubbin, to try to identify an appropriate venue. As a courtesy, please notify ACG of plans to hold a press conference at ACG 2021 by emailing ACG Media Staff.

The Newsworthy Abstracts are abstracts, selected by the ACG Public Relations Committee, which feature scientific findings that are innovative, newsworthy for the lay reader, relevant to those who suffer from common GI problems, and which represent a significant advancement in the diagnosis and treatment of GI diseases. Newsworthy Abstracts for 2021 will be posted in the weeks before the meeting via the Featured Science page.