Industry Manual

Dear Supporter,

We are happy to present you with the IFSO-EC 2026 Industry Symposia Manual which will take place in Málaga, Spain on May 06-08 2026.

Venue Adress
NH Málaga
C. San Jacinto, 2, Distrito Centro, 29007 Málaga
Website: https://nh-Málaga.firstview.us/en
This manual covers important information and is designed to assist in preparing for your Industry Session. We trust that you will find it helpful and suggest that you read all the information presented. It will take you very little time now and could save you a great deal of time later.
Please forward this manual to everyone who is working on this project.

Please forward this manual to everyone who is working on this project.

For further support, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

Aleksandra Sinapova

Exhibition & Industry Coordinator

E: asinapova@kenes.com | M: +359 895 76 0548

Exhibitors and Supporters Portal

Each supporter will receive an e-mail with login details to access the Portal. The Portal enables supporters to:

Submit a company logo and profile
Submit deliverables as per contract
Order lead retrievals/scanners

The login details will be sent to the person signing the contract. This person is responsible for passing on the login details to third party if needed.

Access to all Portal services will be available only after submission of your company profile and logo.

Only deliverables, as indicated in your contract, should be submitted via the Portal. Items not included in your contract will not be processed.

Lastly, Kenes Group is offering participants and supporters special rates for various hotels in Barcelona. Information, pictures, location and rates are available on the hotel accommodation page:
click here or email us at avillafaina@kenes.com .

Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information or assistance.
We look forward to welcoming you to Málaga and wish you a successful Industry Session!

Deadline and Key Dates

Action Item (Please refer to your signed contract)	Deadline	Contact Person
Staff Hotel Reservation	As soon as possible	Alejandra Villafaina avillafaina@kenes.com or https://hotels.kenes.com/congress/IFSOEC26
Payment of Invoice Balance	Must be received in full one week prior to the Congress	Pazit Hochmitz phochmitz@kenes.com
Symposium Final Program (for approval by Scientific Committee)	As soon as possible and no later than Tuesday, March 10	Aleksandra Sinapova asinapova@kenes.com
Program book advert	Friday, April 03
Promotional E-mail Blast (Exclusive and Joint)	Friday, April 10
Promotional Post E-mail Blast	Friday, April 10
Text for Push Notifications	Friday, April 03
Mobile app adverts	Friday, April 10
K-Lead Retrieval System	Tuesday, April 21	To reserve your Scanners, please refer to the on‐line Exhibitor’s Portal
AV– scheduling Tech rehearsal, placing orders for extra AV for the Sponsored Symposia and AV for Congress rooms ONSITE	Friday, April 10	Mike Perchig nest@nest-av.com
Placing orders for Voting/ ’Ask the Speaker’ and other Technology Products and Services	As early as possible, preferably before Friday, April 03	Alix McKee amckee@kenes.com
Catering Services for Symposium and Meeting room	Tuesday, April 14	NH Málaga Email: nhMálaga@nh-hotels.com Catalogue: Click here
Hostesses & Temporary Staff Hire	Please contact directly the company	Email: angela@h4e.es
Shipping & Material Handling Services
Door to Door Shipments	Please contact MERKUR EXPO LOGISTICS GMBH	Merkur Expo Logistics GmbH Gernot Iven Email: Gernot.Iven@merkur-expo.com Mobile: + 49 (0) 175 5880290 For shipping instructions please click HERE
Airfreight shipments	Please contact MERKUR EXPO LOGISTICS GMBH
Shipment via Frankfurt Advance warehouse	No later than Friday, April 24
Direct to the Venue	Subject to time slot, only full load trucks NB! Please note there should be a person from your side to receive your Deliveries

Industry Symposia Timetable

Coming soon.

Timetable and halls are subject to changes. The most updated timetable is published on the Congress website.

Important notes:

Industry Symposia are not included in the main Congress CME/CPD credit.
Please coordinate when you would like to set up the hall prior to the start of your Symposium with the Industry Coordinator Aleksandra Sinapova. A member of the Kenes Operational team will be available should you need any assistance.
Handouts can be distributed at the entrance to the Symposium Hall; however, it is NOT permitted to place material on the chairs inside the hall.
Printed tent cards placed on the head table are allowed and should be produced and provided by Supporter.
We ask presenters to follow the time schedule precisely in order that the day’s events may run smoothly. An updated scientific timetable can be found on the IFSO-EC 2026 Website.

Speaker’s Expenses

IFSO-EC 2026 will not cover Industry session(s) speaker expenses.

As indicated in the sponsorship agreement, the supporting company, in addition to the support fee, must cover all speakers’ expenses, including registration fees, accommodation and travel expenses.

This also applies in the case where the Sponsored Symposium speakers have already been invited by the Congress and have made prior travel arrangements independently

Technical Rehearsal Onsite

We strongly recommend scheduling a technical rehearsal in the hall itself and testing the Presentations during that rehearsal. Please make arrangements directly with the Congress Audio Visual Coordinator, Mike Perchig at: nest@nest-av.com
A technical rehearsal is offered free of charge; however additional charges may apply, depending on hall availability, rehearsal requirements and overtime of the technicians.

Catering

Catering is exclusive to NH Málaga and should be ordered advance. Supporters who wish to order food and beverages for their symposium are welcome to do so directly with NH Málaga:

Email: nhMálaga@nh-hotels.com

Catalogue: Click here

Deadline: Tuesday, April 14

Food and drinks are allowed to be taken into the symposium halls. No buffet is allowed.
Please foresee a break following the symposium of at least 30 minutes to clean the hall.
If you are planning to have catering together with the symposium, it is recommended to indicate in all publications that breakfast/lunch boxes will be served as long this does not contradict the supporter’s internal compliance policy.

Symposia Session Halls Onsite

Coming soon

Location and Layout

Click here for virtual tour.

Audio-Visual (AV) Equipment

Audio-Visual (AV) Equipment

Coming soon

Presentations Upload Onsite

If you are using a PowerPoint presentation (or any other PC-based application), please note that you have to deliver it on a USB Memory stick to one of the technicians in the Speakers’ Ready Room as soon as you arrive at the Venue in the morning – and at least 1 hour before the start of the session.

Please note that congress computers in the Halls are being are supplied with Office 2019 (at least) and the native ratio of the projection on the screens in the halls is 16:9.

If you include video clips in your PowerPoint presentation, be sure to test it with the technician in the Speakers’ Ready Room at least 2 hours before the start of the session or as soon as you arrive at the venue in the morning. Please make sure to check it with the technician in the session hall where your lecture is taking place, during a coffee or lunch break prior to your session, at least 30 minutes before the start of the session – even after checking it in the Speakers’ Ready Room.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR MACINTOSH USERS

To use MAC presentations on the PC compatible congress computer, please note that you need to prepare it according to the instructions below, before taking it to the speaker room:

Convert it to PowerPoint or PDF.
Use a common font, such as Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana etc. (Special characters might be changed to a default font on a PowerPoint-based PC).
Insert the images as JPG files (and not TIF, PNG or PICT – these images will not be visible on a PowerPoint based PC).

As previously mentioned, we strongly recommend scheduling a technical rehearsal and testing the Presentations during the rehearsal. Please note that an extra charge might incur.

Please plan directly with the Congress Audio Visual Coordinator, Mike Perchig at: nest@nest-av.com

Symposium Promotion Onsite and Virtual

Due to CME/CPD accreditation criteria for this Congress, the following rules apply:

IFSO-EC Logo should NOT be used in any promotional materials created by the supporter.
Materials created by companies should NOT utilize the main event marketing look and feel.
When promoting your symposium, please always indicate on any of your promotional materials “This session is not included in the main event CME/CPD credit”
When promoting your symposium, you are allowed to use the phrase: 14th Congress of the European Chapter of the International Federation for Surgery and other Therapies for Obesity (IFSO-EC 2026), which will take place in Málaga on May 06-08, 2026.

In addition, it is not permitted to use the IFSO-EC 2026 logo on any of the symposia materials.

Industry Session Agenda

The final session agenda should include the following information:

Session Title (up to 110 characters including spaces)
Session Description (up to 200 words, you can also include hyperlinks inside of it)
Speaker Presentations Titles
Timing – duration of each speaker presentation and full timing of the agenda
Speaker/Moderator Full Name
Speaker/ Moderator Country
Speaker/ Moderator E-mail
Speaker/ Moderator Affiliation
Speaker/ Moderator Bio and Photo (please see specs below)

Please see below specs for Speaker Bio and Photo.

Speaker Bio – up to 200 words.
Speaker Photo – 180×240 px, JPG Format

Please click here in order to provide above requested information as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday, March 10 if you need any assistance please contact the Industry Coordinator: Aleksandra Sinapova at asinapova@kenes.com.

Promotional Items

This section includes guidelines which will assist you to prepare promotional items related to your industry sessions, however, kindly refer only to the relevant items in accordance with your sponsorship agreement.

Guidelines to follow when creating your promotional items and content:

When creating adverts for mobile app, program book and mailshots is allowed to promote product, symposia, or company promotion. Only when promoting symposia please add the following text inside: This session is not included in main Congress CME/CPD credit
When creating adverts for External and Internal lobby flags in the virtual platform is allowed to promote symposia or company promotion. Only when promoting symposia please add the following text inside: This session is not included in main Congress CME/CPD credit

Important Note for Industry Compliance:

Direct promotion of pipeline (non-authorized) products in Spain is not allowed. (Article 1.1 in Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry, Farmaindustria, 2023). However, there are some exceptions:

Presentation of pipeline data is permitted within the context of scientific congresses if it is purely scientific, complete, unmodified, and supervised by a scientific society.
Disclaimers such as “Product not yet approved” or “Not authorized in Spain” are required and must be clearly visible to avoid the presentation being considered promotion.
Satellite symposia or presentations by company-employed doctors are generally considered promotional unless rigorously shown to be unbiased and purely informative.
Information on pipeline products can also be disseminated via scientific publications and abstracts, with no promotional modification

1.Mobile App Push Notification

For supporters entitled to a push notification as per their signed contract, kindly submit the text by Friday, April 03 to asinapova@kenes.com according to below guidelines:

Message Title – Maximum 40 characters including spaces
Message body – Maximum 140 characters including spaces
Preferred date and exact local time, please coordinate with your industry coordinator
*Note the final schedule will be determined closer to the congress, considering other push notifications.
Push notifications will be sent out during breaks in order not to disturb the participants who are inside the halls.

2.Mobile App Advert

For Supporters sponsoring the App please send via email to and asinapova@kenes.com by Friday, April 10.

File format: PNG or JPG (up to 800 KB)

Size: 780 x 1688px

Kindly be advised that the advertisement is presented as a static image; therefore please ensure your design does not include any clickable URLs. Also, for optimal readability on mobile devices, we suggest avoiding small text.

3. Program Book Advert

For Sponsors entitled to adverts in the printed program book as per their signed contract, please submit the file to asinapova@kenes.com no later than Friday, April 03 in one of the following formats at a resolution no less than 300 dpi: EPS, Illustrator, JPG or PDF.

Please refer to the diagram below for advert dimensions for the final program.

4. Exclusive and Post Email Blast

Sponsors entitled to an Industry Mailshot as per their signed contract, please click here for the design requirements. Please make sure to forward these guidelines to your web-designer/programmer. Please upload the HTML version of your mailshot and other relevant files together in zip folder and send us everything with the subject line to Aleksandra Sinapova at asinapova@kenes.com no later than Friday, April 10.

To ease your design process, we’ve created some ‘ready-to-use’ HTML templates that you can modify to suit your specific needs. These templates are designed to align with the design guidelines detailed in the PDF. Feel free to request these templates at any time.

5.Joint E-mail Blast

For the joint e-mail blast, please prepare two files according to the following specifications:

1 Banner/Image Format: JPEG Width: 300 pixels Height: 250 pixels
1 PDF or any website (to be linked to the banner/image)

Please send the required file(s) to the Industry Coordinator: Aleksandra Sinapova at asinapova@kenes.com and no later than Friday, April 10.

The exact launch date of the joint e-mail blast will be advised closer to the Congress. It will be sent out to the preregistered participants who have agreed to receive promotional material from supporters.

Important notes for both Pre and Post, Joint Mailshots:

In case the webmail is promoting a sponsored session, please include the following disclaimer: This session is not included in main event CME/CPD credits.
It is not allowed to use the IFSO-EC logo.
The event’s banner will be added to the webmail’s header by Kenes.
The “From” field will be “IFSO-EC 2026 Supporters”.
The E-mail Blast will be sent out to the preregistered delegates who have agreed to receive promotional material from supporters.
Content received after the deadline may be processed for an additional fee.

Symposium Signage Onsite (Optional)

Symposium supporters have the option to create signage promoting their symposium according to the guidelines below. The symposium signage should be produced by the supporter.

1.Session Hall Signage

Self-Standing Sign at the Entrance
One stand-alone sign to be placed at the entrance of the session hall 30 minutes prior to the sessions published start time. Please make sure to indicate the following disclosure on the sign: This session is not included in main Congress CME/CPD credit.

Stage Banners

1 x free standing vertical sign to be placed on/next to the stage. Maximum dimensions: 150cm wide x 250cm high.
Banner placed in front of the head table facing audience. (Please refer to Section 4: Symposia Session Halls Onsite).

2.Self-standing signage in the Exhibition Area

The Supporter is entitled to place one sign (W85cm x H200cm) advertising the Symposium on the day of the session only. The sign may be placed in the exhibition area during exhibition opening hours. Please liaise onsite with the Kenes Staff.

Please note:

Due to CME/CPD accreditation criteria, you may not place signage advertising your symposium in any other locations unless coordinated with Kenes staff onsite

Meeting rooms

Supporters interested in renting a meeting room during IFSO-EC 2026 Congress should contact Industry Liaison & Sales, Mrs. Marieta Tseneva at: mtseneva@kenes.com

Catering:

Supporters who wish to order food and beverages for their meeting room are welcome to do so directly with the venue:

Email: nhMálaga@nh-hotels.com

Catalogue: Click here

Deadline: Wednesday, April 14

Miscellaneous Information

Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi will be available at the Congress venue. Please be aware that public Wi-Fi capacity is limited. Therefore, it is restricted to email and web browsing activity.

Waste Disposal

Please note that it is the supporter’s responsibility to leave the symposium session hall in a clean and tidy manner once your symposium has finished. Any items such as leaflets, banners, roll-ups must be removed from the hall at the end of your session. Any discarded waste, including promotional material, left behind will be removed by the Congress organizers at the expense of the supporter concerned.

Onsite Badges

Each supporter is entitled to 10 Symposium badges which allow access to the supporter’s symposium only (Individual names will not appear on the badges). Symposium badges can be collected 2 hours prior to the session from the Registration Desk and should be returned to the desk after the session ends.

Badge Scanner/ Lead Retrieval System

Lead Retrieval systems are a helpful tool for receiving participants’ contact information when they visit your booth. Information obtained by the lead retrieval system enables Exhibitors to enhance their database by securing valuable leads for further marketing and communication.

We are pleased to offer you the “K-Lead” Application. Exhibitors can download the “K-Lead” app onto their own smart phone or tablet and transform their device into an instant, easy lead retrieval system and capture participants’ full contact information with a quick scan of their badge.

Advantages of the K-Lead application:

Seamless Integration: Download directly to your device; no extra hardware needed!
Effortless Scanning: Quickly scan attendee badges to capture leads.
Customizable Notes: Add personal comments to each lead for better follow-up.
“Quick Scan” Function: Ability to quickly scan delegates as they enter the symposium hall.
Instant Access: Get real-time lead information for immediate engagement.
Universal Compatibility: Download from the Apple Store or Google Play using “Kenes K-Lead App.

Cost per unit: 750 EUR (excluding 4% credit card charges fees, excluding VAT if applicable).

Device is NOT included!

Deadline: Tuesday, April 21

Onsite rate of 850 EUR will be applied for order received after above deadline.

Unlock the Power of K-Lead Plus:

Automated Follow-up Emails: Immediately after scanning, send personalized emails to every lead. Make every connection count without lifting a finger!
Tailored Email Customization: Craft the perfect message with customizable subject lines, email content, and signatures. Attach PDFs to add a polished, personal touch that stands out.
Timely Engagement: Say goodbye to the hassle of manual follow-ups. K-Lead Plus handles it by sending tailored emails right after each scan, keeping your brand top of mind.
Trackable Insights: Monitor how your emails perform with engagement metrics. Learn what works and refine your strategies for maximum impact, ensuring you’re always improving.
Compatibility: K-Lead Plus requires at least one K-Lead license purchased.

Cost for K-Lead Plus: 350 EUR

Key Notes for K-Lead and K-Lead Plus:

Device Not Included: The application must be installed on your personal or company device (tablet/smartphone).
Reliable Data: Participant badge barcodes carry contact details as provided by registrants or their agencies. Note: Group registration may contain generalized information.
Content Responsibility: Information content is managed by the registrant or their agency, not Kenes Group or the Organizing Committee.
Easy Reservation: Secure your Wireless Barcode Reader in the Exhibitor’s Portal https://exhibitorportal.kenes.com.
GDPR Compliance: We’ve updated our privacy policy in compliance with GDPR. Your personal data won’t be shared without consent. Presenting your badge for scanning implies consent to share your details.
By purchasing the K-Lead and the K-Lead Plus, Exhibitors and Sponsors agree to Data Processing Agreement.

How to order K-Lead and K-Lead Plus? -> Please access the Exhibitor’s Portal https://exhibitorportal.kenes.com

Innovative Products for Industry Symposia Onsite

Maximize your Participant Experience – Use our innovative technologies for your Symposium

Kenes is proud to deliver a wide variety of quality onsite technology products and services.
We offer:

Live Streaming and many more products designed for capturing and recording symposium content.
Voting, Evaluations, and more products designed for increasing participant’s interaction during symposium sessions.
Translation services for any language are available in two options. The conventional approach involves local interpreters and the use of headphone receivers. Alternatively, we offer a cutting-edge AI-powered solution. With this innovative method, participants can access live translations and captions seamlessly by scanning a QR code on their mobile phones.

We also provide tailor made customized solutions – contact us to make it happen!
For more onsite products opportunities and price quotes – Click Here

PLEASE NOTE: All product solutions are offered exclusively by Kenes Group.

Please contact us to discuss your needs and our relevant solutions.

Please submit your order by Friday, April 03.Orders received after the deadline will incur rush fees.

Shipping Instructions

Kindly note that Merkur Expo Logistics GmbH is the sole official on-site agent nominated by Kenes Group to handle all in/out shipments arriving to this Congress.
Contact details:

Deliveries and Shipments

If you need to deliver materials for your session, please coordinate with Merkur Expo Logistics GmbH, the official on-site logistics provider appointed by Kenes Group. All in/out shipments for this meeting must be handled exclusively by Merkur.

Contact details:

Gernot Iven

Email: Gernot.Iven@merkur-expo.com

Mobile: + 49 (0) 175 5880290

For shipping instructions please click HEREWe strongly recommend sending your materials to Merkur warehouse in Germany.

Deadline: Friday, April 24

It has an additional cost but by doing so you make sure that your items arrive safely and on time to the event.

Shipments sent directly to the venue prior to Tuesday, May 05 will be rejected by the venue.

Supporters may choose to use their own services to deliver their symposia materials to the venue door (as of Tuesday, May 05 ). However, no other company is permitted to deliver, operate, and handle goods inside the venue. Merkur has the responsibility of receiving and handling all materials for a fee as published on the “Tariff” section (please refer to the full shipping instructions). Handling rates are based on the incoming weight of shipments.

In order to receive a price quote for handling and to assure arrival of your materials, please be sure to complete the “Pre-advise” form included in the shipping instructions.

Important:
Shipping Labels must be attached to all boxes. Labels will be provided by Merkur upon request.

Kindly note that all shipments should be insured from point of origin.

Contact Information

Kenes Contacts:

Industry Coordinator:

Aleksandra Sinapova

M: +359 895 76 0548| E-mail: asinapova@kenes.com

Industry Liaison & Sales:
Marieta Tseneva

Email: mtseneva@kenes.com

Hotel Accommodation:

Alejandra Villafaina

Email: avillafaina@kenes.com