Instructions regarding event material such as
announcements, posters, programme booklets, websites,
website programmes, etc.
All educational material must be free of any form of advertising and any form of bias.
The EACCME® will reject any application that, in its opinion, includes advertising of any product or company directly related to any educational material (essential criterion).
Specific examples that will lead to automatic rejection of an application include:
- the use of a sponsor’s name in the title of the scientific programme, a scientific session or a scientific lecture;
- the display of brand names and/or individual logos in scientific lectures or in the scientific programme.
The EACCME® will accept a single page acknowledgement, in the scientific programme, where all sponsors are recognised for their support of the LEE. The details of industry satellite symposia (title, speakers, sessions, sponsors…) may only be published in a separate section after the scientific programme. All advertising components (including the listing of exhibitors) must be clearly separated and distinguished from the scientific/educational components of the programme and identified as such.
In case of sponsorship being in the form of material used for hands-on courses (i.e. surgical instruments and equipment etc.), the providers are authorized to mention the equipment that will be used in the industry section of the event material. Providers also need to include a statement informing the participants that there is a variety of different similar products that they can use beyond the ones provided at the event.
EACCME® does not require that brand names are erased from the physical material used for hands-on courses.
1. Programme booklet
Adverts and names of companies must not appear next to scientific and educational information. The booklet should be divided into two parts:
I. A first section for all the scientific/educational information, such as:
• President’s foreword, invitation, scope of the event, scientific/organising committees, list of faculty, programme overview, scientific programme etc.
• Within the scientific programme and overview, sponsored symposia should be identified as such, but the names of the sponsors must not be mentioned, neither the details such as title, speakers, etc. You therefore indicate them with a formula such as “industry-sponsored symposium”;
• Within this first “scientific” section, must not appear adverts, acknowledgements of sponsors etc.
II. A second section for all the other information, such as:
• Registration, venue, etc.
• Acknowledgement of sponsors, where the names and logos of sponsors may appear;
• (detailed) list of sponsored sessions, with the titles, speakers, names and logos of sponsors;
• Advertisement from industry.
Industry names/logos may also not appear in the vicinity of the EACCME® accreditation statement.
Sponsors’ names and logos as well as commercial adverts may not be printed on the front/back covers, on the second page (inside front cover) and inside the first section (scientific/educational information section) of the programme booklet.
2. Online content (Website, social media, etc.)
The same principle applies, whereby industry names/logos may not appear alongside scientific/educational information. In this respect:
I. All versions of the programme (pdf and other “uploads”, as well as programmes as webpages) must respect the rules above;
II. Sponsors’ names and logos, as well as adverts from industry, may not appear on the home page, on all the pages with scientific/educational information, and ideally should be placed under a separate tab dedicated to sponsors; again, do not have commercial logos where you will place the EACCME® accreditation statement.
Regarding the communication about the event from external parties, the EACCME© accepts that when a commercial company supports a LEE, they can announce the event via their website or social media but not via mailing.
