Congress

ERS Congress 2025 outline for patient representatives

04/09/2025

Practical information for patient representatives


We are looking forward to welcoming everyone planning to attend the ERS Congress either onsite in Amsterdam or online. In anticipation of the Congress, the page offers guidance and information, as well as answers to some frequently asked questions that are specific to ELF and patient representatives. You can also visit the ERS’s dedicated webpage for ERS Congress here.

Important: If you are joining us in Amsterdam, please print your badge before coming to the Congress centre. All registered attendees should have received their badge by email. You can also download your badge from myERS by logging into the MyERS portal.

  • Registration

    Everyone attending the Congress needs to be registered in order to access the Congress centre and online content. All registered attendees will receive their badge by email in September.

    If you are attending in-person, please print your badge before coming to the Congress centre. You should print your badge in colour, on A4 paper. When you arrive at the Congress centre you will be able to collect a badge holder and lanyard. Everyone at the Congress must wear their registration badge at all times so that the security personnel know that you have permission to be inside the Congress centre.

  • ELF travel bursaries

    If you were successful in obtaining an ELF travel bursary towards your costs, then we will send you an email to let you know what you need to do to claim your bursary. If you have not yet received your email, please contact us.

  • Accessing online content

    If you are registered to attend the Congress virtually, we will send you information in advance on how to join Patient Organisation Networking Day and access the online ERS Congress sessions.

  • Download the ERS Congress app

    The ERS Congress app is the official companion for this year’s event. The app will be available on iOS and Android devices later in September. Users can access the app before, during and after the event to browse the programme, access the onsite map, watch back sessions and network with other users.

    More information will be available soon.

The Congress Centre


The ERS Congress 2025 is taking place in the RAI Amsterdam from 27 September – 1 October 2025. This is a large venue and, while everything is well-signposted, it can be easy to get lost.

ELF will publish a map of the centre in September that is clearly annotated with the locations relevant to patient representatives, including the ELF World Village stand, community space and the Patient Organisation Networking Day location. We will also mark areas to sit and other facilities.

The ERS have published their practical information for attending Congress. This page provides helpful guidance for quick reference by delegates, including topics such as:

  • Access to congress content (live/replays/online/onsite)
  • Bike rental and transport options
  • Car parking
  • Catering (access to food and beverages onsite)
  • First aid onsite

It also includes information on accessibility and wheelchair hire. For those wishing to hire a wheelchair in Amsterdam, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance via email.

The World Village

The World Village is a dedicated space for Congress attendees to gather, strengthen existing partnerships and make new connections. There will be an ELF stand and new patient community space with seating available. Throughout the Congress, they will be a point of information and a space for patient representatives to meet and network. During the Congress, come to the World Village on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for networking at the community space, as well as talks in the World Village Auditorium. Visit ‘ELF Events at ERS Congress’ for our schedule of events each day.

IMPORTANT:

In most European countries, the promotion of prescription drugs by pharmaceutical companies is legally restricted to healthcare professionals. The definition of a ‘healthcare professional’ can vary from country to country. This also applies to participation in medical meetings, where the classification of attendees may differ between international and national events. As a result, some ERS Congress participants may not be permitted to enter the Congress Exhibition area.

In the Netherlands, however, patient association representatives are considered healthcare providers. This means that patient representatives attending the ERS Congress in Amsterdam this year will have access to the exhibition area. Please note, though, that local regulations do not override the internal policies of individual pharmaceutical companies. Patient representatives are therefore kindly asked to introduce themselves as such, so they can be guided to the appropriate sections of each exhibitor’s stand.

All ERS symposia, as well as the majority of industry symposia, will be accessible to patient representatives. If an industry symposium has specific audience restrictions for legal or compliance reasons, the session organiser is responsible for managing these limitations. Such restrictions will be clearly communicated outside the session room. ERS and ELF are not responsible for enforcing these restrictions, which must be fully respected.

ELF events and activities


There are a number of events at ERS Congress that ELF is involved in. A comprehensive list will be published soon.

 

  • The ELF Patient Organisation Networking Day will take place on Saturday 27 September in-person and online. It brings together organisations in the ELF patient organisation network to learn about and discuss important topics in respiratory health. This year the event will focus on ‘Improving respiratory health – thinking globally, acting locally.‘ Please note that patient representatives must have registered in advance for this event.
  • Our Healthy Lungs for Life campaign is coming to Amsterdam. This year activities include: a public lung function testing event and our annual Take the Active Option at Congress event. Find out more about Healthy Lungs for Life in Amsterdam here.

Patient Organisation Networking Day 2025

We are looking forward to welcoming you to ELF Patient Organisation Networking Day on Saturday 27 September in Room 5a, RAI Amsterdam. For information about the programme and start times, visit the event page. For those registered for Patient Organisation Networking Day, please find below some important information about the event for either in-person or online attendance.

For those attending in-person:
  • Several attendees have informed us that they are highly sensitive to fragrance and second-hand smoke. So, we are asking all attendees to not wear perfume, aftershave or other scented products during the event.
  • There is no ERS Congress mask policy but if you prefer to wear a mask, please feel free to do so. There will be masks available at the Congress Centre.
  • There will be stickers available at ELF Day for any attendees who would like to socially distance. They will say ‘Please keep me safe’ on them. If you see anyone with this sticker, please try and keep a reasonable distance from them.
  • If you have any specific seating requirements, please let us know before or on the day of the event and we will do our best to accommodate you.
  • Please be considerate of your own and other people’s health. If you suspect you have COVID-19 or are acutely unwell on the day, please do not attend in person. We will be able to accommodate you online.
  • There will be plug sockets available in the room for anyone needing to plug in any equipment. Please note you may need to bring a relevant adaptor,
  • There will be a photographer taking some photos at some points during the day – if you do not wish to have your photo taken, please make the photographer or the ELF team aware.
  • The temperature in the room can vary and not something we can predict or control in large venues. We recommend bringing layers (e.g. jumper, cardigan, scarf) so you can adjust and stay comfortable throughout the day.
ERS Congress opening session:

Following our event, you are all invited to attend the ERS Congress opening session which takes place from 17:45-20:00 in the Auditorium and gives you a further chance to network with each other. ELF staff will be available to take you to the room after our event finishes.

For those attending online:
Joining instructions:

We are running the day as a hybrid event. You should have received an email with instructions for how you can join online on the day. Please read these in advance as it will include information on how to log on to the ERS platform, this is essential for entry into the session. To join, you will access via the ERS live stream. For the breakout discussion groups, you will need to join a separate Zoom link.