“In October 2020, the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service (KAMT) signed an MOU on holding the 35th IFBLS World Congress and the 60th KAMT Congress & International Conference in 2022.” KAMT participated in the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) Board of Directors Meeting held via videoconference due to COVID-19 and explained the plan for the 2022 world congress and conference to select a venue among candidate countries as a result of voting by the member countries. 

Since IFBLS was founded in 1954 in Zurich, Switzerland, the federation has been continuing the efforts in protecting and improving the health of mankind through close relationship and cooperation with international organizations on healthcare such as WHO, etc. 

“2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service (KAMT), and it will be a memorable year by hosting the congress and international conference together.”

We expect to have about 10,000 domestic and foreign participants for this event, and there will be speeches on various topics, announcement of poster, social programs, exhibitions on medical devices and reagents, etc. It will become the venue for activating the exchange and network of domestic and foreign diagnostic testing technologies. 
“Medical laboratory technologists who are responsible for performing the COVID-19 diagnostic testing are the heroes in the success of K-Quarantine, and we look forward to showing the status of K-Quarantine and Korean medical laboratory technologists to the world through this event.”

Attracting such representative and international event is very encouraging, and all members are continuing the efforts in preparation to enable the successful hosting of the conference. 
“The event will be held at the Suwon Convention Center, which has various advantages in terms of holding international conferences.” There are various conveniences such as the lake part, department store and hotels, etc. nearby, along with tourist attractions including Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. In addition, it has the latest hi-tech conference systems that can be used, and systematic support can be received in holding the conference. Suwon is close to the capital, Seoul, and access is convenient from the airport, with an easy-to-use public transportation system available for the participants. There are also advantages of having many companies in the Gyeonggi-do region, with abundant infrastructure and tourism resources. KAMT considered these advantages in choosing Gyeonggi-do, particularly the Suwon Convention Center, for hosting the conference, and these advantages were very much beneficial to attracting the conference. “The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and Suwon Convention Center are continuing the efforts and cooperating actively for the successful hosting of the conference.”
KAMT managed many large-scale annual conferences and various domestic and international events, conferences, and educational programs, so it has extensive experience in the MICE industry. “In 2006, we successfully held the IFBLS World Congress and KAMT Congress & International Conference in COEX in Seoul, with more than 8,000 domestic and foreign visitors participating.”

However, the various field training, conferences, workshops and symposiums, etc. performed by KAMT were reduced and limited considerably due to COVID-19. In this difficult situation, we had to hold various events and conferences while complying strictly with the quarantine rules to show the expertise of the medical laboratory technologists, uphold their rights and interests, strengthen the capability of the members as well as contribute to national health. “KAMT searched for various methods to realize these two goals, and the solution was to establish a large-scale online videoconference system and a manual for holding the event and to host the event using the hybrid method of combining contact and contactless.”

The quarantine guideline was followed strictly while holding face-to-face conferences; even in this COVID-19 pandemic, however, there are events that must be held in a face-to-face manner. As for the 35th IFBLS World Congress planned in 2022, the principle is to hold the event in a face-to-face method. We are hoping that COVID-19 will be exterminated, and that overseas travel will be possible when hosting the 35th IFBLS World Congress to enable all medical laboratory technologists and health and medical service personnel from all around the world to gather in one place to exchange opinions and ideas in harmony. As the health and medical service personnel leading the efforts in quarantine and in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, KAMT and its members are looking forward to the day when the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over, and we can take off our masks to gather freely. 

While suffering from the difficulties of holding face-to-face events, it was ironic that we were able to acknowledge the necessity of face-to-face events and find solutions to hold the events while following the quarantine rules. “It is our members who enabled the successful hosting of the main events, showing good results on attracting the IFBLS World Congress and KAMT Congress & International Conference. We would like to express our deep gratitude to our members for their active cooperation and support.”

“In addition, we are grateful to Gyeonggi-do Province, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, and Suwon Convention Center for all the support provided from attracting the events to the successful hosting of the events.”

The Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service (KAMT) and its members will continue to serve the people even today in the field of healthcare to protect the previous everyday lives of the people. 

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In-ho, Jang
President of the Korean Association of Medical Technologists
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service
Member of the Health & Medical Service Personnel Policy Review Committee
Former Dean of Sangji University, Department of Clinical Pathology