This June saw Liverpool welcome another prestigious event to the City via its Ambassador Programme.
The 12th Joint European Ophthalmic Pathology Society-Verhoeff Zimmerman Society (EOPS-VZS) was held at The Spine and saw delegates from across Europe and the USA arrive in the City.
We catch up with Club Liverpool Ambassador, Prof. Sarah Coupland George Holt Chair in Pathology, Honorary Consultant Histopathologist at the University of Liverpool who led the bid to bring the event to Liverpool to find out more.
Sarah, lovely to meet you. Please could you us a little more about you and the EOPS-VZS?
“I hosted the prestigious 12th Joint European Ophthalmic Pathology Society-Verhoeff Zimmerman Society (EOPS-VZS) meeting in Liverpool. This meeting takes place every 5 years and comprises of 80-90 expert Eye Pathologists from Europe and the USA, who otherwise meet each year within their own groups in Europe or the US, respectively. EOPS-VZS is an educational meeting, whereby moderately difficult cases of varying eye diseases are presented to the group, to ensure that all diagnostic pathologists are maintaining their professional knowledge and keeping abreast of all new developments.
It is usual that the EOPS-VZS delegates bring along partners/family members – so the conference programme therefore had to include one for the delegates and another separate one for the partners, which typically involves quite a bit of sight-seeing. Each evening a dinner is held with the first one being quite formal and the subsequent ones being increasingly less formal.
For at least one afternoon, both delegates and partners come together and undertake an excursion as a large group. So, quite a few logistics are involved! In our meeting, Friday afternoon was a joint activity, which involved guided tours through Liverpool city, the Docks and then the Beatles Story. Saturday afternoon also involved a joint excursion to Anfield Stadium. The LOORG sponsored concert at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic was the final activity, ending on a great note (excuse the pun!)”.
Why did you want to bring this event to Liverpool?
“There were several reasons why I wanted to host the event in Liverpool. Firstly, I wanted to ’show off” Liverpool. Secondly, it’s a compact city so easy to organise a social programme for both delegates and partners. Thirdly, Liverpool is great value for money and finally the people of Liverpool are very friendly”.
The last time this Joint meeting took place was in 2016, in Charleston in the US, and so it was “Europe’s” turn to organise it. To host this 4-day event involves a competitive process and I was able to win the bid over the rival shortlisted city. The final vote for Liverpool was cast by the US group (the VZS), whilst they preferred the Liverpool programme I like to think the City’s musical and sporting heritage helped to win them over too”.
“I have received excellent feedback from the event, people have been very kind and praised my team, said how much they enjoyed Liverpool and the events, and how well everything went”
What has your experience been as an Ambassador?
“Very good. I have held several conferences over the years in Liverpool and so have come to know various venues within the city. I was approached by the Ambassador scheme about 7 years ago, and since then attended various of their events, which have showcased Liverpool venues that I did not know about. To anyone considering being an Ambassador I would say just do it!”