General Attendees Information

We will be in Melbourne for a three-day in-person conference from 30 October – 1 November 2023. Our in-person delegate tickets have now sold out.

We are also offering some of the conference content virtually. Registration to attend online closed at midnight on 26 October.

There will be an event app and virtual platform for the event, which you will receive access to in advance of the event.

If you have any questions or require any information whilst attending the event, please visit the Registration and Enquiries Desk on the ground floor or ask a member of the International Forum Team who will be able to assist you.

We aim to make the International Forum as accessible as possible. If you have specific access requirements you can add these during the registration process or get in touch by emailing Becky Wanbon at rwanbon@bmj.com.

Complimentary cloakroom facilities will be available next to the Customer Service Desk on the ground floor level of the convention centre.

Our in-person attendance packages have now sold out. You can see the fees to attend in-person here.

Online attendance registration is now closed, see the fees here.

Your in-person registration fee grants you access to all keynote and plenary sessions; any welcome reception/networking event that we organise; lunch and refreshments for the days you have registered for; access to the exhibition and posters; online access to all materials after the event; and certificate of attendance.

Please note that we have now sold out on all our in-person attendance packages, and registration to attend online is also now closed.

All bookings are made online and are payable by credit/debit card or cheque. We can only issue invoices for groups of 5 or more.

1. Log in to your registration by clicking the link to ‘Manage Your Booking’ on your registration confirmation email.

2. Go to the ‘Agenda’ tab at the top of your registration summary page. This will display the ‘Session Selection page’.

3. Review the programme and click the ‘Select’ button next to the sessions that you’d like to register for.

4. Please ensure you click ‘Proceed’ once finished to ensure your changes are saved.

A helpful guide can be found here.

We can only issue invoices for groups of 5 or more attendees. To ensure that your invoice is correct, we will contact you to confirm that your booking is complete before we issue your invoice. The below will affect your invoice – if you plan to make any of the changes listed below please let us know by emailing events@bmj.com and we will delay sending your invoice until you have completed your booking.

1. Adding additional delegates to your booking
2. Removing delegates from your booking
3. Changing any information of who or where the invoice should be addressed to
4. Adding a purchase order or reference number

If we have issued your invoice and you wish to book additional delegates at a later date, we suggest that you create a new booking and pay with credit/debit card. Alternatively, if the new booking is 5 or more delegates we can issue a separate invoice for the new group.

If you register online and pay with a card, you will automatically be sent a receipt from Worldpay. If you have registered using another method and require a receipt, please email events@bmj.com.

We offer discounted rates for students in full-time education and for attendees from Low-Income, Lower-Middle-Income and Upper-Middle Income Countries. The discount applies to the International Forum registration fee for the main conference days only and we are unable to help with travel, accommodation, or other associated expenses.

We are delighted to offer a limited number of funded places for patient representatives/with lived experience, carers, and service users to join us at the International Forum. This information will be available soon.

There are no further discounts or sponsorships available outside these categories. You can find out more about our discounted rates here.

If you are unable to attend you should inform us in writing (please email events@bmj.com).

If written notice is received more than six weeks before the Event (i.e. on or before 18 September 2023), a full refund of the fees set out in your booking form will be given. If written notice is received between six and four weeks before the Event (i.e. 18 September 2023 – 2 October 2023), you will receive a full refund of the fees set out in your booking Form, less an administration charge of £250. If we receive written notice to cancel less than four weeks before the Event (i.e. on or after 3 October 2023) there will be no entitlement to any refund.

See our full Delegate Booking Terms and Conditions.

In your final days coming up to the event, you will receive an email with a QR code. This will be used onsite to scan and have your badge printed when you arrive. You will also be able to search for your badge with your name.

Badges must be worn at all times during the International Forum. Your badge guarantees you entry into the venue on the days shown on your badge.

Please ensure you are aware of any international visa requirements that may be applicable for your travel into Australia. Further guidance on visa options and steps to complete your visa application if needed, can be found here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/.

Following our environmental and sustainability aims for the conference, we recommend using public transport where possible. Below is a list of options:

• Travelling from the airport – Pre-bookable shuttle buses from both Melbourne International and Avalon airports are available. They terminate 10 minutes (walk) from the venue. Further details for the Sky-Bus can be found here.
• By tram – There is a free tram service across the CBD. The map of the tram zone can be found here. Tram routes 96, 109 and 12 (Stop 124A Casino/MCEC) will all take you to the Clarendon Street entrance. Otherwise, tram routes 70, 75 and the City Circle (Stop D5) take you to Flinders Street. From there, it’s just a short walk up Clarendon Street until you reach the venue. For tram timetables or further trip planning, use Public Transport Victoria’s Journey Planner.
• By train – The closest station is Southern Cross. Once you exit the station, you can catch the 96, 109 or 12 tram routes and arrive at MCEC in just a few stops. For train timetables or further trip planning, use Public Transport Victoria’s Journey Planner.
• By bus – From Monday to Friday, bus route 237 goes via Southern Cross Station to Lorimer Street, which is roughly a five-minute walk to MCEC. For bus timetables or further trip planning, use Public Transport Victoria’s Journey Planner.
• By car/taxi – If you choose to drive to the conference, we would recommend reviewing whether a car or taxi share could be arranged with other members of your team.
  • If you are being dropped off at the Exhibition Centre by private transport or taxi, the MCEC’s Clarendon Street entrance is the closest entrance, so ask to be dropped off there.
  • If you are getting a lift or taxi to the Convention Centre, ask to be dropped off at Convention Centre Place, next to Pan Pacific Melbourne and DFO South Warf. We have two nearby taxi ranks – Crown, Clarendon Street and DFO, Convention Centre Place.
  • If you are driving in, there is an abundance of convenient secure car parking available around MCEC. Nearby options include the South Wharf Retail, Siddeley St, Freeway and Montague Street car parks.

You can book your accommodation here.

When booking your travel and accommodation, we urge you not to make non-refundable travel arrangements. BMJ cannot be held responsible for non-refundable travel tickets. We suggest you make your refundable travel booking only after you have received confirmation of your registration from us. Bookings, cancellations or amendments to hotel arrangements should be made by directly contacting the hotel/accommodation booking agency that you are using. We are not involved with and do not accept any responsibility for such matters.

The programme is available to view here.

The International Forum in Melbourne has been approved for 24 credits by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (event code: 146053).

We will be sending a certificate of attendance email one week after the event.

Online access to live and on demand sessions will be available to all in-person attendees of the International Forum. Attendees will be given access to the online platform in advance of the event. The keynote presentations will also be streamed live on the International Forum website, and will be publicly available during the conference.

Our Call for ePosters is now closed. More information about the topics for submission can be found here.

All presenters will be invited to create a digital ePoster which will be made available on our online ePoster platform.  Attendees will be able to access the posters via our ePoster platform online on any device during and after the conference.

Attendees in Melbourne will also be able to browse all posters on a number of large digital ePoster screens in the venue.

Poster authors will also have the opportunity to present their poster project to peers on our Poster Stage in Melbourne during a 5-minute allocated slot. These sessions will be organised by topic and further information, including how to sign up and present, will be sent to all registered poster authors in due course.