#WMS2025
#WMS2025
Abstract Submission Guidelines Preparing your Presentation Presenting at WMS 2025 Late-Breaking Abstracts
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The Congress venue is the Vienna Centre. It has its own underground (U-Bahn) station and is close to the centre of the city. As we did in Prague, we will be providing all delegates with a travel pass. As a result, you will be able to travel around Vienna easily, no matter where in the city your accommodation is. You can find more information about arriving at the Congress and travel to and from our group activities and networking events in the Congress guide.
Yes, there will be a dedicated quiet space called the quiet room (it will be signposted in the venue) where you can take some time to re-ground before returning to the Congress activities. No devices, talking, eating, or food will be allowed so the space is truly welcoming and calming for all.
Absolutely. Networking is important at our Congresses. If you need introductions, please email us in advance or speak to the team at the registration desk onsite. Alternatively, our Congress app features a directory of all attendees, and you can message speakers and other delegates using the chat function.
Your booking confirmation email includes a list of everything you have booked. Your joining instructions email, which we'll send you in the days leading up to the Congress, will also include this information. If you still need help, please contact our Registration Manager.
We don’t have any universal requirements, but encourage you to bring your own masks and hand sanitiser. You can also choose our social distancing lanyard when you arrive at the Congress, which will remind other delegates to keep their distance.
You can find general information about Industry symposia and our sponsors and exhibitors in the Congress guide. The Congress programme includes information about industry symposia session times and exhibition opening times.
There are many reasons for different organisations to get involved in this very important event. If you are looking to attract new partners and collaborators, generate exposure and raise the profile of your organisation then the WMS Congress is for you.
WMS Congresses attract neuromuscular stakeholders from around the world. They will come together online to share, collaborate, learn and inspire. If your organisation is in any way involved in the development of drugs, equipment, research or therapeutic interventions in neuromuscular disorders or interested in the commercialisation of research products then this Congress is key.
Please visit the sponsorship and exhibitions page of our website or contact Rachel Lockett email: [email protected] for more information or to discuss your requirements and objectives in more detail.
Changes might include adding a presenter, changing a detail or withdrawing your abstract entirely.
Up until the submission deadline, you can make changes and resubmit your poster.
After the submission deadline, or if you have any questions, please email our Abstract Manager at [email protected].
Posters are categorised based on topic and each topic has a set poster session one to four. We are therefore unable to move your poster to a different poster session.
The WMS does not have a strict policy around encore/previously presented abstracts. In general, presentations will be judged according to novelty and interest for the members of the Society. The Journal does not transfer copyright for standalone abstracts (not a part of the article). They have a non-exclusive license to publish those abstracts. So, the author may present/submit their abstract at other conferences. Please contact the presenting author directly if you wish to use any content from their presentation in any way.
We have detailed guidance on what to include and how to submit your presentations on the preparing your poster page of the Congress website.
Yes, in fact we encourage it. The QR code should take viewers to information hosted by you. We recommend also including a clickable link in your e-poster.
Please check the programme for your presentation/s details.
Your poster number should be in the top left corner as either P and then the number for posters or VP and then the number for virtual posters.
If you don't catch the poster presenter you want to speak to during the poster sessions, registered attendees can chat with the presenter at any time during the Congress week via the Congress app and virtual platform.
Yes. A digital abstract journal will be available to all registered Congress delegates, both virtual and in-person, from a week before the Congress opens. It is the author’s responsibility to submit a correct abstract. If accepted, any errors in spelling, grammar, or scientific fact may be reproduced as typed by the author.
The Programme Committee reserves the right to shorten the abstract title to allow its publication in the Congress programme and Neuromuscular Disorders Journal and edit the content to remove acknowledgements and misspellings identified by the Programme Committee. The abstracts will also be available for WMS members and subscribers to the journal, via the journal, after the Congress.
The full programme with accepted abstract titles will be available on the Congress website in June.
The late-breaking abstracts will be added to the programme in late September.
E-Posters will be available to view on the virtual platform and Congress app from the Congress opening day.
Press embargoes stand until 12:00am Central European Standard Time (CEST) (GMT +1) on the day of the presentation for that abstract. For late breaking abstracts, this will be the last day of the Congress.
NMD Journal, as the partner journal of the WMS and the WMS Congress has exclusive rights to publish the presentations in advance of the embargo.
Interviews with presenters, speakers or other people attending as part of the Congress agenda should be arranged through the communications lead, Catherine Ross. Vox pop style interviews with attendees are permitted. Embargoes should be respected at all times.
Because this is a hybrid meeting, the content may be available prior to the session being broadcast at the scheduled time in the programme. In this instance, the media embargo remains as stated above.
The author affiliation for abstracts submitted for WMS 2025 should be for the organisation at which the work was carried out. If, in your new role, you are still providing intellectual input, it may be appropriate to include affiliations to both your previous and current institutions.
No. Your submitted work should be your own. You are welcome to use AI tools, such as Grammarly to check the spelling and proofread your work, but we strongly discourage using AI to generate the text itself.
The WMS audience is global, encompassing all time zones. To meet the needs of our worldwide audience, we make the Congress content as flexible as possible.
All in-person delegates have access to the full virtual programme, so they can catch up on sessions they may have missed.
All virtual delegates can join the sessions live or on-demand.
We aim to add on-demand sessions to the virtual platform four to 24 hours after the live stream. You can access this from the progamme menu in the virtual platform.
Virtual delegates can also engage with presenters and exhibitors using the chat functions, but please be aware the person you are contacting might not be available to respond immediately. Most of the scientific content and exhibition information will remain available on the virtual platform for three months after the Congress.
Most Congress sessions include a live Q&A. This is built into the timings for each session.
In person attendees can put their hands up to ask questions in the room or ask questions via the app. Virtual attendees can submit questions through the virtual platform. Moderators will select a combination of in person and virtual attendee questions.
Through the Congress app, you can also interact with other Congress attendees. The app features a directory of everyone who is registered and you can use it to make contact, exchange contact details and make arrangements to meet.
WMS is all about networking! We deliberately schedule long lunch breaks and multiple networking events throughout the Congress to encourage you to make connections.
Due to the packed programme, we discourage Congress sponsors or other organisations from running any kind of meetings in parallel. Any meeting or event which is organised before or after the Congress must not be badged in any way as a pre/post WMS event for example, nor any connection be made to attendees being able to attend as part of their WMS itinerary.
We will launch the Congress virtual platform as the Congress goes live on Tuesday 8th October. We will send everyone who has registered to attend an email with access credentials in the run up to the Congress opening.
The late breaking news presentation title and author information will be added to the programme in mid-September and the abstracts will be available in the app, platform and journal at the beginning of the Congress.
We will host four poster sessions where in-person attendees can interact with poster presenters. The posters are available to view throughout the Congress week. Virtual attendees can view the posters as e-posters in the virtual platform and can submit questions to the authors.
The timetabled poster sessions are:
Wednesday 14:30-15:30 and 17:15-18:15
Friday 14:15-15:15 and 15:45-16:45
E-Posters will be available to view on the platform and app from the Congress opening on 7th October 2024.
The poster presenters will have uploaded their e-posters and virtual poster presenters have been invited to submit a short video/audio file to accompany their presentation. Poster presenters attending in person will be available during the official poster sessions throughout the week, but messages to the presenter and other delegates can be sent anytime during the Congress week.
All the content which the presenters and speakers have consented to will remain on the platform for three months post-Congress for registered delegates to view on demand. A link to each abstract journal file will be added to the presentations on the platform. The abstracts as a whole will be available for WMS members and subscribers to the journal only, via the journal, after the Congress.
Embargoes stand until 12:00am Central European Standard Time (CEST). GMT +1 on the day of the presentation for that abstract. For late breaking abstracts, this will be the last day of the Congress.
NMD Journal, as the partner journal of the WMS and the WMS Congress has exclusive rights to publish the presentations in advance of the embargo.
Interviews with presenters, speakers or other people attending as part of the Congress agenda should be arranged through the communications lead, Catherine Ross. Vox pop style interviews with attendees are permitted. Embargoes should be respected at all times.
Because this is a hybrid meeting, the content may be available prior to the session being broadcast at the scheduled time in the programme. In this instance, the media embargo remains as stated above.
We take online registrations only and you can book your place here.
We do not offer a group registration. Each individual attending needs to be registered separately. However, agencies can assist by completing and submitting registrations on behalf of attendees.
During registration, you can indicate if you're registering on behalf of someone else and provide your agency's name. The process remains simple and familiar. You can still pay for the person you're registering.
If your agency cannot cover costs for networking dinners, receptions, or group activities, you can indicate this during registration and we will then share a link via the confirmation email for individuals to select and pay for these costs themselves.
From the 1st January 2025, new EU VAT rules apply to virtual event tickets. Previously, the UK and EU had aligned VAT rules for live online events, but the EU has now introduced changes that impact VAT charges based on the ticket holder’s location.
WMS Congress Ltd is a UK-based company, and under UK VAT law:
This means delegates based in the EU will be charged both UK VAT (20%) and the VAT rate of their country of residence.
Although the WMS Congress is taking place in Vienna, Austria, VAT on virtual tickets is determined by the location of WMS Congress Ltd, not the event venue.
Under UK VAT law, when determining if UK VAT should be charged on our in-person admission fees for events such as the Congress, we have to consider the VAT place of supply rules. The place of supply rules determine where a supply takes place for VAT purposes and therefore if UK VAT or VAT in another jurisdiction should be charged.
There are general rules for supplies to business and non-business consumers as well as a number of exceptions to the general rule. The supply of admission to an in-person event like our Congress falls under one of the exceptions to the general rule. The exception to the general rule states that the place of supply is where the event is taking place irrespective of whether you are a business or a non-business customer. Therefore if the event was to be physically held in the UK, UK VAT would be charged on the entry ticket at the applicable rate.
If the event is held outside of the UK, whether foreign VAT is charged will depend on the specific rules for that country. For an in-person event held in Austria, Austrian VAT is due at the applicable rate on all (both business and non-business customers) in-person tickets.
The presenting author must be registered for the congress in order to be able to submit an abstract. Only the presenting author can be the submitter of an abstract.
An abstract submitted by someone who is not the presenter will be refused.
For the full list of guidelines, please visit the Abstracts page of our website. If your submitted abstract has been selected for an oral/poster presentation you are not entitled to complimentary registration.
If you have recently applied for or renewed your WMS Membership but the start date is next month, you can still register for the Congress. All you need is your membership number which is mentioned on your payment receipt and your membership expiry date. All that matters is that you have an application/renewal in progress at the time of registration and that it will be current at the time of the Congress.
Please visit our Membership FAQ page for additional useful membership information.
The WMS provides grants of up to £1,000 to assist WMS member attending the Congress in person who have costs associated with their own care or the care of their dependent(s) during the Congress.
For more information about the caregiver grant, including how to apply, please visit the caregiver grant page of our website.
Yes, you are welcome to attend the Pre-Congress Teaching Course without attending the full Congress, but we would strongly encourage you to attend the Congress too.
If you have financial barriers to attending the Congress, please look at the fellowships page of our website and see whether financial support might be available to you.
We have published full details of our fees on the Registration page of our website.
Please be aware that we offer early bird prices for people who book before 5th June 2025.
Unfortunately we can't let you in unless you have pre-registered for the Congress and/ or the Pre-Congress Teaching Course.
It is possible to register for virtual attendance during the Congress, but it may take up to 12 hours for us to send you your virtual platform access credentials.
If you have registered for the Pre-Congress Teaching Course then morning and afternoon refreshment breaks on both days and lunch on Monday are included in your ticket. If you have registered for the course dinner on Monday then that is also included.
For the Congress, morning (on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and afternoon (on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) refreshment breaks and lunch (on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) are included in your ticket. If you have registered separately for the Networking Reception, Group Activity Reception and Networking Dinner then food is also included in those tickets.
If we have to cancel or reschedule the Congress, we will issue refunds in line with our terms and conditions. These are available to view on the registration page of our website.
If you would like to change your attendance type from in-person to virtual (or virtual to in-person), you can make that request in writing by emailing [email protected] before 1st September 2025.
Registrations for the Pre-Congress Teaching Course are capped at 100. This is to make sure all delegates are able to get the most out of the sessions and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There is no cap on virtual registrations.
We are not closing Congress registrations before the Congress opens this year. Delegates attending both in person and virtually can continue to register throughout the event.
It is worth noting that our networking activities fill up quickly, so if you want to book these as part of your registration, we recommend registering early to avoid disappointment. We will need to close networking activity registrations four weeks before the Congress opens to provide final numbers to our catering suppliers. You will still be able to register to attend the Congress, but not the networking events from 9th September 2025.
If you're registering in the 48 hours ahead of the meeting or during the meeting, please expect a minimum 12-hour delay in receiving your access credentials. This means you might miss some of the live-streamed sessions.
The registration desk will be open as follows (local time):
Monday: Pre-Congress Teaching Course 07:30-19:00
Tuesday: Pre-Congress Teaching Course 07:15-11:00, Congress 14:30-18:00
Wednesday: 06:30 – 19:30
Thursday: 07:00 – 15:00
Friday: 06:45 – 17:15
Saturday: 08:30 – 14:00
Yes please. All attendees must wear their name badge for all Congress sessions including social events.
This is so that we know you are part of the event, but your name badge also contains important information for the organisers such as dietary requirements, membership status and social events booked.
To qualify for CME points, we will need to scan you into each scientific session using the QR code on your badge.
If you lose your badge, please visit the registration desk where we can help you print a new one.
We are working with the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) to obtain accreditation for the Pre-Congress Teaching Course and the Congress. More information is available on the Certificate of Attendance page of our website.
We are working with the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) to obtain accreditation for the Pre-Congress Teaching Course and the Congress. If approved, each medical specialist should claim only those credits they spent in educational activities.
Once the Congress closes, we will send you a link to the Congress evaluation survey. Your certificate of attendance will be available once you have completed the evaluation. If you need a personalised CME points certificate, let us know and we can provide one.
To attend the Pre-Congress Teaching Course and/or the Congress virtually, you need a good, stable internet connection, your computer/laptop and a headset/headphones as well as a valid Congress registration. We will send you your login information by email at least 48 hours before the Congress opens.
Through the virtual platform, you will be able to access live and on-demand content, visit the sponsor information and take part in live Q&A sessions ahead of the Congress. Please keep your virtual platform access credentials safe as you may need these details to enter the virtual platform during the programme days and post-Congress.
These access credentials are different from the profile log-in account you set up to register for the event (you will not be required to use the registration log in details after you have submitted your registration and have received your confirmation email).
No, unfortunately the slides from the session presentations are not available for download. However, you do have access to the virtual platform until January 2025 in case you want to review any of the sessions.
We recommend using Chrome or an up-to-date modern browser for the best experience when viewing the live sessions in the virtual platform. If you are using Safari, please enable the popup blocker: www.lifewire.com/manage-pop-up-blocker-in-safari-4136249.
During the Congress week there will be live technical support available through the virtual platform and our team will be available onsite to assist you.
If you have any other questions, please contact the organisers or visit us at the registration desk. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
There are lots of ways to connect and engage with WMS 2025 attendees. You can follow the #WMS2025 hashtag on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to see what we're sharing throughout the Congress.
Yes. We will launch the Congress app at least 48 hours before the Congress opens. It will be available to all delegates, whether you're joining in person or virtually. Through the app, you will be able to view the programme schedule, digital posters and audio/video files, sponsor information, participate in session Q&A and polling and connect with other delegates.
We have a comprehensive section on travel in our Congress guide. There you can find information on the public transport system, how to get to the Congress venue and the travel passes we will be providing to all delegates attending in person.
For more information about accommodation in Vienna, please visit the accommodation page of our website.
You can find comprehensive information about our fellowships programme on the fellowships page of our website. To qualify for a fellowship, you must have registered to attend the Congress and have submitted an abstract.
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our guests. The Austria Center has a comprehensive accessibility statement, including dimensions of the lifts and height of the wash hand basins.
We have created a dedicated Accessibility page of the Congress website to explain the ways in which we are working to make this Congress more accessible.
Absolutely. We are working closely with the catering teams to provide a healthy, balanced meal for all delegates. We know how frustrating it is if you have dietary requirements and there isn't a proper meal provided at events.
If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or visit the accessibility page of our website for more information.
Austria is a member of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen area. Therefore, most tourist visitors do not require a visa to visit Vienna, just a valid passport (or ID card for EU citizens).
If you are travelling from a country that needs a Shengen visa, you will need to plan and apply in advance. You can find more information about which countries need a visa and how to apply on the European Commission website.
If you need an invitation letter, and didn't request one during the registration process, please contact the Registration Manager by email at [email protected].
