Our 2025 Congress will take place at the Austria Center in the centre of Vienna. The U-Bahn is Vienna’s underground train network. The Austria Centre has a dedicated U-Bahn station, Kaisermühlen-VIC. This station is on the red U1 line. The U-Bahn has four lines alongside a network of rapid transport lines.

There is not a direct line from Vienna International Airport, but the S7 rapid transit line and CAT has trains every 30 minutes from the airport to the city centre. From the S7/CAT line, change at Praterstern onto the U1 line northbound for the Vienna Center. You can find more information about the U-Bahn on the Vienna Info website.

Transfers from the airport are not included in travel passes. You will need to buy a ticket before you travel. You can buy tickets from the multilingual ticket machines in subway stations, at any ticket office and at the Wiener Linien online store, in most newsagents or on a smartphone using the WienMobil app for iOS and Android. Make sure you validate your ticket before you start your journey.

The ride-hailing apps, Bolt, Uber and Lyft are also popular in Vienna. We recommend you download the app and register before you travel.

We recommend downloading the Wien Mobile app before you travel to Vienna. It includes live information about all public transport as well as information about car sharing, walking and cycling routes and enables you to book and pay for your journeys.

When you arrive at the Congress for the first time (or the Pre-Congress Teaching Course if you are registered for that), we will give you a travel pass for use on public transport throughout the Congress. The passes are valid on all streetcars, buses, U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains in the Vienna core zone.

You will receive the pass when you pick up your name badge at the registration desk, so will need to make your own way from the airport and to the Congress Centre. The travel pass will be for unlimited use for the full length of the Congress and you are welcome to use it for your own social activities as well as for Congress activities.

You will need to validate your ticket before your journey. There are blue ticket validation machines at the entrances to U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations. Please insert the ticket into the validating machine with the text side facing up until you hear a beep. In streetcars and buses, tickets must be validated in the vehicle itself.

Wiener Linien carries out regular ticket inspections on public transport and in subway exit areas. Please therefore keep hold of your valid ticket until you reach your destination.

Your Congress name badge will serve as your ID when using your travel pass, so please make sure you have it with you whenever you travel. Please note, we will not be able to replace lost or damaged travel passes. If you need a replacement, you will need to buy one, which you can do at any U-Bahn station.

The currency in Austria is the Euro. You can find live exchange rates online using this link.

The official language in Austria is German. Many people also speak English. This website provides some common German phrases. Importantly, the German word for Vienna is Wien. When you see signposts for Wien Mitte, they’re directing you to central Vienna.

The Austria Center is towards the north east of the city and easily accessible by public transport. It has recently had a full refurbishment and we are looking forward to hosting WMS 2025 in its state-of-the-art facilities. The venue is arranged over five floors. WMS 2025 will take place on Level -2. Because we are on Level -2, each of the room numbers is preceded by a -. This is to make it distinct from level 2, which is near the top of the building.

The Austria Center is highly accessible for wheelchairs. As the Congress will take place on floor -2, anyone using a wheelchair will need to use the venue's lifts to get to the Congress floor. Once on the Congress floor, there are no steps. For the lifts, there is room to manoeuvre of at least 150cm in diameter both in front of and behind the lift. The elevator door is at least 80cm wide. The cabin has a minimum area of 110x140cm and the door is located on the narrow side, OR there is a manoeuvring space in the cabin with a diameter of at least 150cm. The lift buttons are at a height of 85 to 110cm. 

The venue's full accessibilty information is available here.

We’re aiming to make WMS 2025 our most sustainable Congress yet. We want all our delegates to be a part of our sustainability efforts, so this section gives you information about what we’re doing and how you can contribute.

• Reducing meat on the menu: Meat comes with a high carbon footprint. It is also an element of many meals that makes it difficult to provide kosher or halal options. By reducing the amount of meat on the menu, we are reducing our carbon footprint while increasing the number of options with cultural dietary needs. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday will all be meat free days.

• Providing less food generally: To avoid waste, we're working with suppliers to ensure enough, but not too much, food is available. We've chosen food options that can be left out longer, reducing waste.

• Providing leftovers to service workers: Due to local regulations, we can't partner with a community fridge, but we can allow venue staff and suppliers to take leftover food. In addition, we will provide takeaway boxes if delegates wish to take away any leftover food away wiht them within 30 minutes of the service time finishing.

• Reducing single use: As much as possible, we will use washable cups, cutlery, plates, and fabric tablecloths and supplement these with disposable versions. Please leave these items on the side to be collected and washed.

• Encouraging you to bring your own: We are phasing out new lanyards. Please bring your WMS-branded lanyard from a previous Congress if you have one. We also encourage you to bring a reusable water bottle to refill at our drinking stations.

• Going local: We are using locally sourced ingredients and products. Information about the food's origin will be available.

Look out for members of the Environmental Sustainability Committee at the Congress, who will be wearing "committee member" badges and who will be available during refreshment breaks to discuss our sustainability priorities.

The WMS Pre-Congress Teaching Course takes place for the day and a half immediately before the Congress begins. This year, that’s 6^th and 7^th October.

The venue is the Austria Center and the rooms for the Pre-Congress Teaching Course are rooms 2.41/-2.42. The breakout rooms on Tuesday are -2.32/-2.33.

Our new Pre-Congress Teaching Course Co-Chairs, Nicol Voermans and Jorge Bevilacqua will host the Course and have made minor changes to the format of the Course for 2025.

The Course will be delivered and attended by established and young physicians, researchers, therapists, and neuropathologists from all over the world.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the modern approach and developments in myology during the Course, which will also be streamed for online-only attendees.

The first day of the course (Monday 6^th October) features presentations from a number of established experts in the field, including new interactive sessions, and participant case presentations. The second day will focus on live patient examinations and outcome measure assessments. Delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions about the diagnosis, treatment, symptoms and progress of each of the patients. In the interests of patient confidentiality, we are unable to live-stream the sessions on Tuesday.

Throughout the Course, there will be refreshment breaks, including lunch on the first day. We encourage all delegates to use these breaks as opportunities to network. If you don’t know anyone in the room, feel free to approach one of the Congress management team. We can provide introductions.

If you have registered with specific dietary requirements, you will find a dedicated "special diets" table as part of the food service. Event staff can help answer any questions you may have about allergens or food content.

All in-person delegates are also invited to attend the Course dinner on Monday evening. It’s a great opportunity to network with other Course attendees and faculty. The venue for the dinner is a short walk from the Congress venue at the Donauturm, Vienna’s tallest landmark. We were originally due to host the dinner in the ground floor restaurant, but due to renovation works, the dinner will now take place at the rotating restaurant at the top of the tower, Café Turn.

The event starts at 19:30 and the Congress team will help make sure you get to the right place at the right time. There is no formal dress code for the Course dinner.

If between registration opening and the date of the dinner you haven't yet confirmed your place or you no longer wish to attend, please contact [email protected] so we can amend the booking.

Whether you’re joining in-person or virtually, you can take advantage of our live translation service, Wordly. We will publish a link in the days running up to the Congress opening. With the link, simply select the language you want the translation in.

When you first arrive at the Congress venue, you will need to visit the registration desk on floor -2 of the Austria Center. The registration desk will be open at the following times:

Day	Open	Close
Monday (Pre-Congress)	07:30	19:00
Tuesday (Pre-Congress)	07:30	11:00
Tuesday (Congress)	13:30	19:00
Wednesday	07:15	19:30
Thursday	07:00	15:00
Friday	08:00	17:30
Saturday	07:30	14:30

When you registered for the Congress, you will have had the opportunity to select a number of additional activities such as the Peer Networking session and group activities. You’ll find a full list of what you have booked in your confirmation email. We will also send you an email with your joining instructions in the days before the Congress, which will provide this information again.

On Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, you should expect short queues or small crowds in the registration desk area as these are our busiest times, but we will make sure we have plenty of people processing registrations and answering your questions.

We will be using badge printing machines to print name badges on site. If you were a delegate at WMS 2024 in Prague, you will be familiar with this process. To print your badge, you will need the QR code from your joining instructions email. You may find it more convenient to take a screen grab of your QR code than to search for the email. Please try to have your QR code handy when you approach the registration desk. We will have people on hand to help you with printing your badge.

At the registration desk we will also give you your lanyard, travel pass and a legacy token. You’ll need to wear your name badge at all times so organisers can easily identify you. Your name badge will also feature a number of coloured symbols. These relate to specific pre-booked events, any dietary requirements you have made us aware of, and your ticket type, to make it easy to see what you have booked. You will be able to find a key to these symbols at the registration desk, in the Congress app and on the screens around the venue.

We have two lanyard types. Most delegates choose our standard lanyard. We also offer a social distancing lanyard. This reminds other Congress attendees that you have requested personal space. This may be due to a weakened immune system and caution around airborne viruses, or it may be because you are uncomfortable with close personal contact. If you would prefer a social distancing lanyard, you can select this when you visit the registration desk. If you have a WMS branded lanyard from a previous Congress, please bring it with you to reuse at WMS 2025.

If you are arriving at the Congress with your luggage, we can store bags for you in the classroom opposite the registration desk.

Once you have arrived and collected your name badge, you are invited to join our Regional Networking Reception. This event is new for 2025.

The WMS launched its Regional Networks earlier this year to build global bridges for neuromuscular care for each of the global regions with the aim of facilitating collaboration, learning and support across each region. To introduce these networks to our Congress delegates, we will be welcoming everyone to WMS 2025 with an information session hosted by our Regional Network leads. We will be serving both hot and cold drinks, offering a relaxed environment for you to meet fellow professionals, share experiences, and explore regional differences and resources. All delegates are encouraged to attend, learn from one another, and contribute to our growing global community.

The Congress Exhibition will also open for the first time on Tuesday 7^th October. Taking a look at the stands is a good way to plan how you want to spend some of your time at the Congress. You can decide which of the exhibition stands you might want to return to and even schedule visits with the exhibitors to talk about your work and/or theirs.

Whenever the Congress Exhibition is open, you are welcome to view the exhibition stands and talk to exhibitors. We ask that meetings between exhibitors and Congress delegates do not take place while the Congress scientific sessions are also running.

To facilitate informal meetings, our Exhibition will feature meeting pods. We added these to our exhibition space to provide comfortable spaces for informal meetings. To help us meet everyone’s needs, we have come up with these brief guidelines:

• Sharing is caring – the meeting pods have space for up to four people. To give everyone the chance to use the pods, we ask that you keep meetings to 30 minutes or less. If you need to hold a meeting with more people or for more, please arrange it off-site or find a quiet corner. 
• Timing is everything – the meeting pods are available whenever the Congress Exhibition is open. We kindly ask that you don’t use the pods during Congress sessions.
• Silence (or quiet) is golden – the Congress exhibition is a working area, please try to keep noise levels to a minimum to avoid disrupting others. If you’re using electronic devices, we ask that you keep the volume low or use headphones for audio if needed.
• Keep it clean – the meeting pods are for everyone, so please leave them as you find them. We ask that you take any rubbish, empty cups and personal items with you.
• Consider your neighbours – while we’ve created the meeting pods to help you make the most of your Congress, they might not be the best place for private or sensitive conversations.

If you are presenting a poster you might want to head to the poster hall and get set up. Posters and the Congress Exhibition will be in Hall X1 on floor -2.

• Volunteers will assist you in locating your poster board and hanging it.
• Poster presenters are requested to set up their printed poster, on Tuesday 7th October 2025 14:00-18:00 or Wednesday 8th October 2025 before the first morning tea/coffee break.
• Posters will be displayed in Exhibition Hall X1.
• Your exact poster number and location will be available in the programme and app. A list will also be available on digital boards displayed around the venue.
• Presenters are responsible for setting up and removing their poster by the required time.
• Posters should be removed by no later than 11:30 on Saturday, 11th October 2025. The WMS Congress Secretariat will not be responsible for loss of the poster after this removal time.
• We will supply six sticky dots per poster or Blue tack for material/canvas posters. Please only use the supplied dots and blue tack to hang your poster. At the end of the Congress, please assist us by removing the dots from the poster boards when you have removed your poster. 

In addition to the scheduled poster sessions, you will be able to show your presentation to your colleagues throughout the entire Congress at the traditional poster boards, designated ePoster screens as well as using the Congress app.

As it is an open area, you might find that some people start viewing your poster even though this won’t be one of the programmed poster viewing sessions. We encourage you to engage with any visitors and use the opportunity to talk about your work.

This meeting is for members of the Executive Board and secretariat only. The Executive Board meets virtually once a quarter and has an in-person meeting on the opening day of the Congress. This year will also be the first time our new Executive Board members meet following our 2025 election.

The first Industry Symposium takes place from 16:30-17:30 on Tuesday 7^th October. You can register your interest in advance and will have received emails describing what will be included in each one along with the booking link.

Industry Symposia will also take place on:

Wednesday 8^th October 07:45-08:45

Wednesday 8^th October 19:00-20:00

Each of the Wednesday symposia sessions will have two Symposia running in parallel. You can catch up with the ones you are unable to attend using our virtual platform.

The Industry Symposia are 60-minute sessions provided by our industry sponsors. The topics are designed to be interesting and relevant to our audience. Each session will include a presentation and the opportunity to ask questions. You can ask a question by raising your hand in the room or you can submit a question through our Congress app or virtual platform.

Many of the Industry Symposia sponsors will provide food and drinks as a part of their session which will be available from 30 minutes before the symposium starts. You are invited to help yourself to these and then take a seat for the presentations. If you would like to follow up with the presenters, you will be able to find them at their exhibition stand throughout the Congress or use the directory feature in the Congress app to contact them virtually.

The opening ceremony marks the official start of the Congress. It will take place from 18:00-18:45 in the Congress Hall. It will start with a short welcome from this year’s Local Organising Committee representatives who will hand over to the evening’s entertainment. Joining the audience for the opening ceremony will provide you with your first opportunity to feel part of the whole Congress. There won’t be audience participation in this session.

Please note, no food or drinks can be taken into the Congress Hall.

The networking reception is an informal event that provides the first opportunity for delegates to meet and catch up. You will need to have registered and paid to attend the networking reception. Your name badge will have an orange dot with a pair of scissors if you are registered to attend. If you are not registered to attend, your time is your own to explore Vienna, meet colleagues or head back to your hotel.

The networking reception will take place from 18:45 to 21:00. You can make your way there immediately after the opening ceremony. We will be serving food and drinks and will provide options that meet all dietary requirements. If you have registered with specific dietary requirements, you will find a dedicated "special diets" table as part of the food service. Event staff can help answer any questions you may have about allergens or food content. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options will be available. There will be some music playing but this event is an opportunity for people to network and chat so the volume won’t be overwhelming.

As with all Congress events, there is no official dress code. Some people will be wearing the clothes they have travelled in, some will be in business dress, and others will be dressed more casually. As the networking reception starts immediately after the opening ceremony, there is no real opportunity for or expectation of people changing their clothes for the evening.

You are welcome to leave whenever it suits you. The event will finish at 21:00 and the Vienna U-Bahn runs until midnight. In previous years, some delegates have made plans to meet colleagues for social activities after the Congress activities draw to a close; you may prefer to head back to your hotel. Your time is your own.

Because the Congress Centre is located near to the centre of Vienna and we are providing travel passes, we are not running shuttle buses this year. We encourage you to use public transport. Vienna prides itself on being a walkable city, it is flat and compact. You may find that on foot is the best way to get around.

From 7:45-8:45 our second set of industry symposia take place. There will be light refreshments served so if you want to skip breakfast at your hotel you can get food and drink at the Congress. You can find out more about what happens in the industry symposia using the day one description.

The Congress welcome is hosted by the outgoing WMS President Volker Straub. It takes place in the main Congress hall and we encourage you to attend. It’s an event that helps set the tone for the whole Congress and describe what to expect. As it is our 30th anniversary year, this event will include ceremonial cake cutting and the screening of a special 30th anniversary film. 

The morning programme continues in the main Congress hall with the first scientific content following straight on from the Congress welcome. Sessions run from 9:30-11:00 and 11:30-13:30 with a 30-minute break from 11:00-11:30 for refreshments and exhibition/poster viewing.

The scientific presentations on day one all follow Topic 1: Neuromuscular diseases as multisystemic disorders. Invited speakers (INV in the programme) will start each of the morning sessions with oral presentations (O in the programme) to follow. Each of the invited speaker presentations will last 30 minutes and each oral presentation will last 15 minutes including time for questions. There will be time for questions after each presentation.

You can ask questions by putting your hand up in the room. We will have microphones in the room to make sure you can be heard by the speakers on the stage. Alternatively, you can submit questions via our virtual platform and app. The moderators on stage will be responsible for selecting the questions.

If your question isn’t selected you can follow up with the speaker during the Congress. There are many scheduled networking events and refreshment breaks. If you particularly want to speak to one of the presenters, you can ask the team at the registration desk to provide an introduction. Within the Congress app, you also have access to a full directory of Congress attendees and can contact them through the app.

None of the scientific sessions are mandatory. We encourage you to attend all of the sessions to get the most out of the Congress but if there are sessions that aren’t relevant to your work or you need to spend some time catching up on emails, there are plenty of spaces throughout the Congress venue where you can sit away from the presentations.

Throughout the Congress, you can access our live translation service, Wordly. We will share a dedicated translation link in the days running up to the Congress. You can use this link when you are streaming any Congress session and have live written or audio translation in your preferred language.

We have scheduled refreshment breaks at frequent intervals throughout the day. We encourage you to use these breaks in the schedule to attend to any personal needs, stay hydrated, and network with other Congress delegates. At each of the breaks we will provide a selection of food and drink designed to meet all dietary needs. If you have registered with specific dietary requirements, you will find a dedicated "special diets" table as part of the food service. Event staff can help answer any questions you may have about allergens or food content.

Our industry exhibitors and poster displays are both within easy reach of the Congress hall, so refreshment breaks provide the perfect opportunity for you to interact with our exhibitors or view posters.

We encourage our industry exhibitors and patient advocacy groups to send their scientific representatives to the Congress so they can share their latest projects, trials, and breakthroughs. Away from the presentations in the Congress hall, the networking opportunities are the biggest draw of the WMS Congress. Please do take the time to visit our exhibitors and find out what they can share.

If you need to use our refreshment breaks to take a break from the crowds and the stimulation the Congress provides, you might be glad to know we have dedicated spaces to support you. Our quiet room is a tech, food, and chat-free space where you can go to decompress. Our multi-faith room is a space for prayer or quiet reflection.

The NMD Board Meeting is for members of the NMD Journal Board only. If you are not on that Board you do not need to attend.

Now in its fourth year, our Congress Debate has become a popular session. Michelle Lorentzos from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Australia and Jorge Bevilacqua from the Universidad de Chile, Chile will moderate a debate on the topic of whether families should be offered n=1 treatments. We look forward to a lively discussion with contributions from people on all sides of the debate.

Our poster sessions continue throughout the Congress. There are scheduled poster sessions in the programme each day but feel free to walk through the posters during any of the refreshment breaks.

During each of the dedicated poster sessions, we will be serving drinks and light refreshments. We will cater to all dietary requirements.

Our posters will be displayed in the Hall X1. There will be around 700 posters representing the latest work of some of our delegates.

Because so many of our delegates are presenting posters, you may find that presenters aren’t with their posters when you view them. There are four poster sessions throughout the programme so you can try another time. Alternatively, if you particularly want to speak to a poster presenter we recommend you try to contact them through the attendee directory in the Congress app.

If you are a poster presenter, we recommend you spend at least some of the poster session near your poster, that way if people want to ask questions you can be there to answer them. We understand that you’ll want to view other posters too so try and balance your time. Our Prize Committee will tour the poster presentations to make their prize selections.

Look out for a new addition this year; our environmental sustainability posters. We asked submitters to provide abstracts under three environmental sustainability sub-topics and look forward to sharing work that describes the intersection of environmental sustainability and neuromuscular disorders.

Immediately following each of the poster sessions, we are holding short oral presentations. These last 30 minutes and each feature five presentations. These have been selected from submitted abstracts and provide an opportunity for people to share their work in more detail and ask questions. Our moderators in each room will manage questions and keep everything running to time.

Each presentation will last five minutes including two minutes for questions. We will run three short oral presentation sessions simultaneously. These will take place in rooms K1, K2 and -2.93/4. Following feedback last year that delegates could hear one presentation from a different room, we have double-checked the sound-proofing between rooms this year. We will post a timetable outside each room so you can check you’re in the right place for the session you want to see. You can ask a question by raising your hand in the room. If you don’t get a chance to ask your question, you can follow up directly with the presenter through the directory in the Congress app or by visiting their poster in the poster hall.

If you are presenting, you will have received an invitation by email to present your work. We will tell you in advance of the Congress when and where you will be presenting and invite you to attend a virtual briefing. You will also be able to find this information in the Congress programme on our website or in the Congress app. You should make your way to your allocated presentation room about 10 minutes before the full session starts even if you’re not on first. This will give you a chance to get a feel for the room, ask any questions of our technical team or the moderator, and make yourself comfortable before the session starts.

It's natural to be nervous. If you are, we recommend breathing deeply before you start, speaking slowly, and remembering you’re the expert; you’ve been invited to speak because our Programme Committee was so impressed with your work. The moderator for your session is there to support you and will help with the questions.

Our Interesting Case Discussions session has become a highlight of WMS Congresses. Following feedback from last year’s Congress, we have moved the session into the main Congress hall and increased the session from one hour to 90 minutes.

With more than 1,000 specialists in the field of neuromuscular disorders together in Vienna, we’re taking the opportunity to solve some of the complex cases that have challenged clinicians.

For the first time in its history, in October 2025 the WMS membership will elect a dedicated early to mid-career member representative to the Executive Board. This session is a unique opportunity for early to mid-career delegates to meet the newly-elected WMS Board representative and to collaborate with fellow early-mid career attendees to shape future activities within the WMS and the WMS Congress. This is a unique opportunity for participants to have their say in early to mid-career focussed content at future WMS Congresses, journal content, and WMS activities. Session attendees will also gain access to a valuable international professional peer network, providing opportunities for future collaborations, sharing expertise, and career development. We will serve a buffet lunch immediately outside the room for attendees to bring in with them.

We are accepting registrations for this session until 14:30 on Wednesday 8th October, so if you would like to attend, please visit the registration desk, where we will be happy to help you. 

Our group activity this year will be a self-guided tour of the highlights of Vienna followed by a reception at the Palais Liechtenstein.

Günther Bernert and Verena Bittner-Call from our Local Organising Committee have shared their highlights of the host city.

When you access the tour information in the Congress app, you’ll be able to select your own route from a list of recommended points showcasing the Viennese architecture or local food at your own pace. You will have two hours between the Congress closing at 15:00 and the reception doors opening at 17:00 to make your way through the city with or without the available guides.

All the routes in the self-guided tour will bring you towards the Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein for our group activity reception.

The Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein, built more than three centuries ago, the Palais is home to an extraordinary collection of artworks, including those by Rubens, Raphael and Rembrandt, and other masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the High Baroque.

The rooms themselves feature the Baroque frescoes of Johann Michael Rottmayr and Andrea Pozzo making the Garden Palace. In the Hercules Hall, guests can marvel at the painted ceiling featuring the demi-god.

The palace is not normally open to the public and we have arranged exclusive access for WMS delegates.

The doors will open at 17:00 and you can enjoy:

• a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• freshly made hot and cold canapes
• speeches from Dr Christian Liechtenstein describing the history of the palace
• exclusive access to the galleries and the princely library with expert guides available to answer your questions

Accessibility

Vienna is an historic city with some cobbled streets. Most pedestrian areas are wide, level and step free. Where there are steps, there are alternative routes available.

The Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein is accessible. The main entrance has a large shingle courtyard area. The shingle is well compacted, but may be slightly uneven. To enter the building, there are two stone steps. There is a ramp to the left hand side of the doors. The doors are wide and can be held open for access.

There is a lift at the Palais Liechtenstein. It has an internal height and door height of 2m, door width of 90cm, internal width of 1.5m and depth of 1.1m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 700kg.  

Toilets are on the basement level, cloakrooms are on the ground floor and there is step-free access to the terrace and gardens. The galleries are on the first floor and there is lift access.

Weather

The group activity and reception will go ahead come rain or shine so please dress appropriately. If we are faced with extreme bad weather and have to cancel the event, we will offer a refund, which we will process after the Congress closes.

If the event goes ahead and you choose not to attend, we will not be able to issue a refund.

Additional note

Bring your travel pass and Congress name badge to access the reception venue.

The General Assembly is for current WMS members. It’s our equivalent to an annual general meeting. Members of our Executive Board, including the WMS President, will provide an update on the Society’s progress over the previous year, current priorities, and achievements. There will also be an update on WMS finances from the WMS Treasurer and a WMS membership update from the WMS Secretary. As it is an election year, the new Executive Board will also announce the newly appointed Executive Officers at this meeting.

WMS members will be asked to approve the content of the meeting. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions. Lunch will be provided for General Assembly attendees.

If you are not a WMS Member or if you would rather spend the time viewing the poster exhibition, the industry exhibition and poster exhibition will continue throughout the session and lunch will be served.

This is an internal meeting for selected industry representatives, WMS Executive Board members, and Congress organisers. If you have not been asked to attend this meeting, you can continue to enjoy the lunch break and poster session.

Our Congress Networking Dinner is on Friday night. To attend, you need to have registered and paid in advance. We will serve a three-course meal and then a disco will provide an opportunity for dancing. There is no formal dress code but people who attend the Networking Dinner tend to use the opportunity to dress up.

The venue for the Networking Dinner is Aula Der Wissenschaften. This beautiful building has been used for more than 300 years as a venue for scientific discussions.

When you arrive at the venue we will check you in and give you a dietary requirement place card if appropriate. Please place this card in your place setting for your server to see clearly. We will work to ensure there are menu options that meet all dietary requirements. There is no table plan, though two tables are reserved as alcohol-free tables. No alcohol will be served at these tables for the duration of the evening. This is to provide a comfortable environment for those who would be more comfortable sitting with others who don’t drink alcohol.

There are also two lifts at Aula, where we will host our Congress Dinner. The main lift has an internal height of 2.17m, door width of 0.99m, door height of 2.09m and internal space of 2.25x1.55m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 1,650kg. The rear lift has an internal height of 2.17m, door width of 0.9m, door height of 2.09m and internal space of 2.1x1.1m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 1,000kg. 

Getting to the Dinner

Transport will be by U-Bahn. You can use your WMS travel pass and there will be staff at the Austria Center U-Bahn Station and at the dinner venue to guide you. From the Vienna Center, you can take the red line (U1) directly to Stephansplatz. The venue is a short walk from the Stephansplatz U-Bahn station.

From the U-Bahn station, head to the eastern corner of the square, where Stephansplatz turns into Schulerstraße. Continue along Schulerstraße until you can turn left onto Riemergasse. Continue along Riemergasse and cross Wollzeile. Once you have crossed Wollzeile, the Aula building will be directly in front of you. Enter by climbing the stairs. There is a lift to the right hand side of the stairs for those that need it.

The Networking Dinner starts at 19:15 two hours after the Congress finishes. If you would like to use the time to explore Vienna before dinner you are welcome to make your own way to the dinner.

The event finishes at 01:00 but you are not expected to stay until the end and are welcome to leave whenever suits you. You can use your travel pass to make your way back to your accommodation or continue your night out in Vienna. Please keep in mind that the Vienna Metro stops at midnight.

Dietary accommodations

If you have advised us during the registration process of a specific dietary requirement, you will be issued with a place card when you arrive to check in for the dinner. Please place this card in your place setting for your server to see clearly. Please introduce yourself to your server so they are fully aware of your requirements. We will work to ensure there are menu options that meet all dietary requirements. Special meals will only be available for those who have pre-requested them with us during registration.

This is our keynote lecture named after WMS founder Victor Dubowitz.

The 30-minute lecture will include time for questions and the session will be moderated. The speaker this year is Ichizo Nishino, who will talk about myology in Asia.

Each year our Prize Committee reviews all of the presented abstracts and selects those that are most deserving of prizes. You can read about previous prizewinners here. Everyone who submits an abstract is eligible for consideration by the Prize Committee. There is no additional application process.

If your name is called during the Prize Giving Ceremony, please make your way to the stage. You will be presented with a certificate alongside the other winners and runners-up in your category. You will be asked to stay on the stage for a moment while we take photos of individual winners and then a group photo before returning to your seat.

If you need to travel home before the Ceremony and win a prize, we will mail your certificate to you.

You can find more information about the categories and prizes on the relevant page of the Congress website.

We will briefly showcase the forthcoming 2026 WMS Congress which will take place in Hiroshima, Japan. No audience participation is required.

In a symbolic ceremony, the Local Organising Committee of the 2025 Vienna Congress will hand over the WMS flag to the Local Organising Committee for the 2026 Hiroshima Congress. No audience participation is required.

After we close the Congress, we will serve a light, informal, buffet-style homeward lunch. It’s a final opportunity to catch up with fellow delegates, say goodbye, and have something to eat before heading home. If you need to get to the airport, there’s no need to stay and if your flight isn’t until later you’re very welcome to stay for a while.

Whenever you’re ready to leave, you can head to the airport or train station to start your journey home. We will provide luggage storage on the Saturday for anyone who needs to check out of their hotel before coming to the final Congress day.

Your Congress travel pass will work until the end of the day on Saturday, so you can use it for transport out of the city. Remember, there isn’t a U-Bahn station at the airport so you will need to catch a bus, travel into the centre of Vienna to catch the train or organise a taxi.

The Congress finishes at 14:30, but organisers will remain on site until around 15:30 when we have been asked to vacate the venue. You are welcome to use the space until then.

If you aren’t travelling until later, your hotel may be able to store your luggage so you are free to explore the city a final time. Alternatively, there is a left luggage service at Wien Mitte railway station, which is on the orange U-Bahn line.

If you would like to stay in Vienna on the Saturday night you are welcome to book additional accommodation. If you are an invited speaker and your accommodation is being arranged by Congress organisers, please let us know in advance that you would like to stay on in your hotel. We can arrange the additional nights but will need to pass the cost on to you.

The WMS prides itself on being inclusive and making our Congresses as accessible as possible. We appreciate that people with very young children may find it particularly difficult to travel. We have a family-friendly room at the Congress and you are welcome to bring young children. You will be responsible for supervising your children at all times. Last year, delegates brought their partners with them to supervise the children. The entire Congress will be live-streamed to the family-friendly room.

As well as snacks and activities for small children, our family-friendly room will include a private space for breastfeeding or pumping. To comply with Ethical MedTech rules, we have to charge a nominal fee for use of the family room. We do not want to create a barrier to using the family room, so we have made this a nominal fee of GBP 1 per day or GBP 5 for the entire Congress (and Pre-Congress Teaching Course for those attending) per family.

Alternatively, you may want to travel without children but struggle with the costs of providing care for them at home while you are away. Our Caregiver Grant provides up to £1,000 to people who either provide or need care to help cover the cost of replacing that care while you are away.

We encourage you to keep in touch with your loved ones while you are with us at the Congress. If you are video calling from the Congress, please be mindful of those around you and considerate of presenters. Taking or receiving calls of any kind during presentations is not allowed.

We all know the days at a WMS Congress can be long and full of great science and fantastic networking. To help you power through the sessions, we carefully cater for all dietary requirements.

We start planning the menus early in the year. We work with local catering companies who, in turn, work with local suppliers so we can bring you fresh, nutritious, seasonal food and drink with a minimal environmental footprint and maximum flavour.

Each year, we try to do an even better job of meeting your needs and not compromising on quality or sustainability. This year we are:

• Reducing the amount of meat on the menu. Meat comes with a high carbon footprint. It is also an element of many meals that makes it difficult to provide kosher or halal options. By reducing the amount of meat on the menu, we are reducing our carbon footprint while increasing the number of options that cater to cultural dietary needs. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday will be meat-free days.

• Providing less food generally. We all hate to see food going to waste, so we are working carefully with suppliers to make sure there is always enough food, but never too much. We have chosen food options that can be left out for longer, so the same snacks can be left out all day until they are gone, instead of being cleared and thrown away.

• Providing leftovers to service workers. We’re hoping there will be a lot less food at the end of each day. Due to local regulations, we are unable to partner with a community fridge or other food redistribution charity this year. However, we can allow individuals who work at the venue or for our suppliers to take leftover food with them.

• Reduce single use. From cups to cutlery, as much as possible will be washable. We will be using a combination of reuseable, washable and disposable food and drink service items. Please be mindful of this when you are disposing of your cups and plates and leave them on the side to be collected and washed if they are reuseable. Our approach includes printed and other materials.

• Alcohol free as an option. Whenever we serve alcohol, we will also have a range of alcohol free options available. We will also have alcohol free tables available at networking events so people can sit with others who don’t drink alcohol if that is their preference. Please be aware that if you sit at an alcohol free table, we will not serve any alcohol to that table for the duration of the event.

• Meeting your dietary needs. We recognise that there are various health and cultural/religious reasons why individuals adhere to a particular diet, and we strive to meet the needs of every individual. When you registered to attend the Congress, you selected your dietary preferences. In line with the points above about reducing food waste, we are carefully calculating the quantities of each dish to serve and are working hard to ensure that everyone has something to eat that meets their needs. For this reason, please stick to your selected dietary preferences and collect or accept the meal prepared for you, even if they are preferences rather than requirements.

• Going local. As much as possible, we are using locally sourced ingredients and products. During our networking events, people serving the food should be able to tell you about where the food or drink has come from. You can also look out for the information cards on serving trays, which should feature allergy information as well as information about where the food has come from.

If at any point you are unable to find food or a drink that meets your dietary needs, please approach a member of the Congress team so we can assist you in finding something suitable.

At WMS 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, we launched our legacy tokens initiative. Instead of using Congress funds to create branded merchandise which is not in line with our environmental sustainability ambitions, we decided instead to dedicate £10,000 to our Congress legacy. We built on our 2023 success in Prague in 2024 and will once again be dividing a £10,000 donation between local good causes selected by our Local Organising Committee in Vienna.

You will receive a token (a small round wooden disk featuring the WMS logo) along with your name badge when you register on your first day of the Congress, and an additional token at each Industry Symposia you attend. You can "vote" for the charity you would like to receive the donation on your behalf by depositing your token in the corresponding box. The clear boxes make it instantly visible to all delegates how popular each charity is.

The full programme is on the Congress website and in the Congress App. The app also includes an attendee directory. Wi-Fi is available at the venue.

The full and summary Congress programmes are available on the Congress website. Once the app goes live in the few days before the Congress, you will also be able to access the programme there.

As well as our quiet room, we provide a multi-faith space for people to use for prayer and quiet reflection. We provided this room for the first time at our 2023 Congress and received feedback that washing facilities would be beneficial. We have added these to our multi-faith room for our 2025 Congress. You can find the multi-faith space in room -2.64, and washing facilities immediately opposite.

To support early career researchers and clinicians as you raise your professional profile, we will once again be providing opportunities to have professional profile photos taken. You'll be able to use these photos for presentations, programmes and more. All profile photo sessions will take place in -2.62 at the following times: 

• Tuesday 7th 14:30-15:30
• Wednesday 8th 13:30-14:30
• Thursday 9th 14:30-15:30
• Friday 10th 12:45-13:15

Congresses are full of opportunities to learn and experience new things, but they are also rich in stimulation, and with the constant outward facing and switched on nature they can also be overwhelming, exhausting and triggering, both mentally and physically.

We will have a dedicated quiet space, which we are calling our Quiet Room in room -2.65 (it will be signposted in the venue) where you can take some quiet time to reground before returning to the congress activities. No devices, talking, eating or food will be allowed so that the space is truly welcoming and calming for all.

We also encourage you to take time out of your Congress day to get some fresh air.

Food and drink will be available at intervals throughout each day. We have worked hard to make sure we are meeting the needs of all dietary requirements, whether health-based, cultural, or personal preference. You can find more detailed information about our food and drink in the dedicated section of this guide.

Substantial food will be available at meal times. Snacks will be available during refreshment breaks and in the poster sessions. Water and fruit will be available at all times and tea and coffee will be served each morning as delegates are arriving.

If you need something to eat outside of these times, for example if you are diabetic, please let the Congress organisers know and we’ll be able to provide something appropriate for you.

We appreciate that your first Congress can be daunting, but rest assured our WMS audience is a very friendly one and delegates are eager to meet and learn from one another. If you would like to be introduced to other delegates when you arrive, please let us know via email in advance or at the registration desk at the venue. We will be happy to make some introductions so that you feel more comfortable.

The Myology Café is a regular virtual networking session for anyone involved in the field. At our Congresses, we bring our virtual Café into the real world. Our Congress Myology Café will be serving barista-made hot drinks. It will be open for all the programmed refreshment breaks. Check the signs in the Café to see when we’ll be holding meetings and other informal sessions.

We will have members of some of our committees at the Myology Café and Committee exhibition stand at particularly points during the week:

• Wednesday 8th October, 11:00-11:30 Myology Developments Across the World and Guidelines Committees
• Thursday 9th October, 11:00-11:30 Environmental Sustainability Committee
• Friday 10th October, 10:15-10:45 Featured Cases and EDI Committees

Activity	Price (all prices are in GBP and subject to 20% Austrian VAT)
Pre-Congress Teaching Course Dinner	Complimentary for Pre-Congress Teaching course delegates
Opening Ceremony and Welcome Reception	£10
Networking Group Activity (self-guided tour) and Reception	£35
Networking Dinner	£40

The networking reception is an informal event that provides the first opportunity for delegates to meet and catch up. You will need to have registered and paid to attend the networking reception. Your name badge will have an orange dot if you are registered to attend. If you are not registered to attend, your time is your own to explore Vienna, meet colleagues or head back to your hotel.

The networking reception will take place from 18:45 to 21:00 in hall X1 of the Austria Center. You can make your way there immediately after the opening ceremony. We will be serving food and drinks and will provide options that meet all dietary requirements. If you have registered with specific dietary requirements, you will find a dedicated "special diets" table as part of the food service. Event staff can help answer any questions you may have about allergens or food content. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options will be available. There will be some music playing but this event is an opportunity for people to network and chat so the volume won’t be overwhelming.

As with all Congress events, there is no official dress code. Some people will be wearing the clothes they have travelled in, some will be in business dress, and others will be dressed more casually. As the networking reception starts immediately after the opening ceremony, there is no real opportunity for or expectation of people changing their clothes for the evening.

You are welcome to leave whenever it suits you. The event will finish at 21:00 and the Vienna U-Bahn runs until midnight. In previous years, some delegates have made plans to meet colleagues for social activities after the Congress activities draw to a close; you may prefer to head back to your hotel. Your time is your own.

Because the Congress Centre is located near to the centre of Vienna and we are providing travel passes, we are not running shuttle buses this year. We encourage you to use public transport. Vienna prides itself on being a walkable city, it is flat and compact. You may find that on foot is the best way to get around.

The Myology Café is a regular virtual networking session for anyone involved in the field. At our Congresses, we bring our virtual Café into the real world. Our Congress Myology Café will be serving barista made hot drinks. It will be open for all the programmed refreshment breaks. Check the signs in the Café to see when we’ll be holding meetings and other informal sessions.

We will have members of some of our committees at the Myology Café and Committee exhibition stand at particularly points during the week:

• Wednesday 8th October, 11:00-11:30 Myology Developments Across the World and Guidelines Committees
• Thursday 9th October, 11:00-11:30 Environmental Sustainability Committee
• Friday 10th October, 10:15-10:45 Featured Cases and EDI Committees

Our group activity this year will be a self-guided tour of the highlights of Vienna followed by a dazzling reception at the Palais Liechtenstein.

Günther Bernert and Verena Bittner-Call from our Local Organising Committee have shared their unmissable buildings, streets and photo opportunities of the host city.

When you access the tour information, you’ll be able to select your own route from a list of recommended points showcasing the Viennese architecture or local delicacies at your own pace. You will have two hours between the Congress closing at 15:00 and the reception doors opening at 17:00 to make your way through the city with or without the available guides.

All the routes in the self-guided tour will bring you towards the Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein for our group activity reception.

The Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein is a glorious baroque jewel in Vienna’s crown. Built more than three centuries ago, the Palais is home to an extraordinary collection of priceless artworks, including those by Rubens, Raffael and Rembrandt, and other masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the High Baroque.

The Badminton Cabinet is the most valuable piece of furniture in the world and features scenes rendered in pietra dura; inlaid artwork made of semi-precious stones depicting scenes from wildlife. The golden carriage on the ground floor is one of the finest examples of eighteenth-century Parisian coach-building, and one of the few to survive the turmoil of the French Revolution.

The rooms themselves feature the Baroque frescoes of Johann Michael Rottmayr and Andrea Pozzo making the Garden Palace. In the Hercules Hall, guests can marvel at the painted ceiling featuring the demi-god.

The palace is not normally open to the public and we have arranged exclusive access for WMS delegates.

The doors will open at 17:00 and you can enjoy:

• a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• freshly made hot and cold canapes
• a performance from a Baroque trio
• speeches from Dr Christian Liechtenstein describing the history of the palace
• exclusive access to the galleries and the princely library with expert guides available to answer your questions

Accessibility

Vienna is an historic city with some cobbled streets. Most pedestrian areas are wide, level and step free. Where there are steps, there are alternative routes available.

The Garden Palace at the Palais Liechtenstein is accessible. The main entrance has a large shingle courtyard area. The shingle is well compacted, but may be slightly uneven. To enter the building, there are two stone steps. There is a ramp to the left hand side of the doors. The doors are wide and can be held open for access.

There is a lift at the Palais Liechtenstein. It has an internal height and door height of 2m, door width of 90cm, internal width of 1.5m and depth of 1.1m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 700kg.  

Toilets are on the basement level, cloakrooms are on the ground floor and there is step-free access to the terrace and gardens. The galleries are on the first floor and there is lift access.

Weather

The group activity and reception will go ahead come rain or shine so please dress appropriately. If we are faced with extreme bad weather and have to cancel the event, we will offer a refund, which we will process after the Congress closes.

If the event goes ahead and you choose not to attend, we will not be able to issue a refund.

Additional note

Bring your travel pass and Congress name badge to access the reception venue.

Our Networking Dinner on Friday night is our Congress dinner. We will serve a three-course meal with live entertainment followed by a DJ so people can enjoy dancing. There is no formal dress code but people who attend the Networking Dinner tend to use the opportunity to dress up.

The venue for the Networking Dinner is Aula Dr Wissenschaften. This beautiful building has been used for more than 300 years as a venue for scientific discussions.

If you would like to attend the Networking Dinner you need to pre-register. When you arrive at the venue we will tick you off on our list and give you a dietary requirement place card if appropriate. Please place this card in your place setting for your server to see clearly. We will work to ensure there are menu options that meet all dietary requirements. We will also have an alcohol-free table for those who would be more comfortable sitting with others who don’t drink alcohol. No alcohol will be served at this table. 

There are also two lifts at Aula, where we will host our Congress Dinner. The main lift has an internal height of 2.17m, door width of 0.99m, door height of 2.09m and internal space of 2.25x1.55m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 1,650kg. The rear lift has an internal height of 2.17m, door width of 0.9m, door height of 2.09m and internal space of 2.1x1.1m. The lift has a maximum weight capacity of 1,000kg. 

Getting to the Dinner

Transport will be by U-Bahn. You can use your WMS travel pass and there will be staff at the Austria Center U-Bahn Station and at the dinner venue to guide you. From the Vienna Center, you can take the red line (U1) directly to Stephansplatz. The venue is a short walk from the Stephansplatz U-Bahn station.

From the U-Bahn station, head to the eastern corner of the square, where Stephansplatz turns into Schulerstraße. Continue along Schulerstraße until you can turn left onto Riemergasse. Continue along Riemergasse and cross Wollzeile. Once you have crossed Wollzeile, the Aula building will be directly in front of you. Enter by climbing the stairs. There is a lift to the right hand side of the stairs for those that need it.

The Networking Dinner starts at 19:15 two hours after the Congress finishes. If you would like to use the time to explore Vienna before dinner you are welcome to make your own way to the dinner.

The event finishes at 01:00 but you are not expected to stay until the end and are welcome to leave whenever suits you. You can use your travel pass to make your way back to your accommodation or continue your night out in Vienna. Please keep in mind that the Vienna U-Bahn stops running at midnight.

The main scientific programme takes place in Hall D. Topics are:

• Wednesday: Neuromuscular diseases as multisystemic disorders
• Thursday: Multidisciplinary management of neuromuscular diseases
• Friday: Advances in therapies and drug development

The morning programme continues in the main Congress hall with the first scientific content following straight on from the Congress welcome. Sessions run through the morning with a 30-minute break from for refreshments and exhibition/poster viewing.

The scientific presentations on day one all follow Topic 1: Neuromuscular diseases as multisystemic disorders. Invited speakers (INV in the programme) will start each of the morning sessions with oral presentations (O in the programme) to follow. Each of the invited speaker presentations will last 30 minutes and each oral presentation will last 15 minutes including time for questions. There will be time for questions after each presentation.

You can ask questions by putting your hand up in the room. We will have microphones in the room to make sure you can be heard by the speakers on the stage. Alternatively, you can submit questions via our virtual platform and app. The moderators on stage will be responsible for selecting the questions.

If your question isn’t selected you can follow up with the speaker during the Congress. There are many scheduled networking events and refreshment breaks. If you particularly want to speak to one of the presenters you can ask the team at the registration desk to provide an introduction. Within the Congress app, you also have access to a full directory of Congress attendees and can contact them through the app.

None of the scientific sessions are mandatory. We encourage you to attend all of the sessions to get the most out of the Congress but if there are sessions that aren’t relevant to your work or you need to spend some time catching up on emails, there are plenty of spaces throughout the Congress venue where you can sit away from the presentations.

Throughout the Congress, you can access our live translation service, Wordly. We will share a dedicated translation link in the days running up to the Congress. You can use this link when you are streaming any Congress session and have live written or audio translation in your preferred language.

We have scheduled refreshment breaks at frequent intervals throughout the day. We encourage you to use these breaks in the schedule to attend to any personal needs, stay hydrated, and network with other Congress delegates. At each of the breaks we will provide a selection of food and drink designed to meet all dietary needs. If you have registered with specific dietary requirements, you will find a dedicated "special diets" table as part of the food service. Event staff can help answer any questions you may have about allergens or food content.

Our industry exhibitors and poster displays are both within easy reach of the Congress hall, so refreshment breaks provide the perfect opportunity for you to interact with our exhibitors or view posters.

We encourage our industry exhibitors and patient advocacy groups to send their scientific representatives to the Congress so they can share their latest projects, trials, and breakthroughs. Away from the presentations in the Congress hall, the networking opportunities are the biggest draw of the WMS Congress. Please do take the time to visit our exhibitors and find out what they can share.

If you need to use our refreshment breaks to take a break from the crowds and the stimulation the Congress provides, you might be glad to know we have dedicated spaces to support you. Our Quiet Room is a tech, food, and chat-free space where you can go to decompress. Our Multi-faith Room is a space for prayer or quiet reflection.

Our poster sessions continue throughout the Congress. There are scheduled poster sessions in the programme each day but feel free to walk through the posters during any of the refreshment breaks.

During each of the dedicated poster sessions, we will be serving drinks including alcoholic drinks and light refreshments. We will cater to all dietary requirements.

Our posters will be displayed in the Hall X1. There will be around 700 posters representing the latest work of some of our delegates.

Because so many of our delegates are presenting posters, you may find that presenters aren’t with their posters when you view them. There are four poster sessions throughout the programme so you can try another time. Alternatively, if you particularly want to speak to a poster presenter we recommend you try to contact them through the attendee directory in the Congress app.

If you are a poster presenter, we recommend you spend at least some of the poster session near your poster, that way if people want to ask questions you can be there to answer them. We understand that you’ll want to view other posters too so try and balance your time. Our Prize Committee will tour the poster presentations to make their prize selections.