Using the RSNA 2020 app for hotel and session alerts

The RSNA 2020 mobile app was designed to keep radiology professionals informed during the Annual Meeting in Chicago, held from 29 November to 4 December 2020. For Australian delegates, it could bring programme changes, session reminders, venue information and practical travel details into one place, reducing the need to check several emails throughout the day.

The app worked alongside the meeting’s hotel booking and group registration services. Your accommodation confirmation, room block and booking reference might have been issued through the registration website rather than displayed automatically in the app. Before planning your schedule, review the RSNA background and keep your hotel confirmation accessible.

Install and sign in before departure

Download the official RSNA 2020 app from the relevant app store before leaving Australia, then sign in with the email address used for meeting registration. If the app offered an activation code or attendee login, use the details from your registration correspondence rather than creating a separate account.

Allow push notifications, calendar access and, where appropriate, location services. Push alerts were useful for urgent programme changes, while calendar access helped place selected sessions beside flights, hotel check-in times and team meetings. Check that your phone’s operating system and the app were updated before flying from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide.

Link the app with your accommodation plans

Hotel information may have appeared under travel, registration or attendee services rather than in the session timetable. Look for your property name, address, check-in date, check-out date and booking reference. If the details were missing, compare the app with the confirmation email from the hotel registration provider.

Delegates staying in a team room block should save the organiser’s contact details separately. A group coordinator may have received amendments to room allocations, arrival dates or billing arrangements that were not sent to every traveller. Australian corporate travellers should also retain invoices showing taxes and payment terms for employer expense claims.

Useful details to keep together include:

• Hotel name and street address
• Booking or confirmation reference
• Check-in and check-out dates
• Group organiser or registration contact

Choose session alerts carefully

The programme could contain hundreds of scientific presentations, education sessions, industry events and networking activities. Search by specialty, speaker, presentation type or keyword, then add priority sessions to a personal schedule. Selecting everything may create excessive alerts and make important reminders harder to notice.

Use notification preferences to distinguish between reminders, room changes and last-minute announcements. A reminder 15 or 30 minutes before a session may be helpful, while repeated alerts for every saved item can become distracting during a busy day. Build in travel time from the hotel, especially when moving between accommodation and the convention venue.

A focused alert list might include:

• Plenary and keynote sessions
• Presentations linked to your subspecialty
• Meetings with colleagues or exhibitors
• Programme changes and room updates

Convert Chicago times to Australian time

Time-zone confusion was a major issue for Australian attendees, particularly those joining remotely or coordinating with colleagues at home. Chicago was generally behind Australia, and the difference varied because the United States and Australia observe daylight saving on different dates. The app’s event time zone should be checked rather than relying on your phone’s automatic display.

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide use daylight saving during the southern-hemisphere summer, while Brisbane, Darwin and Perth do not. In late November and early December, an alert shown in local Australian time could differ between these cities. If travelling from Melbourne to Chicago, confirm whether the phone changes to Central Time automatically and test a saved calendar entry.

Keep hotel and event alerts separate

Accommodation messages and conference notifications may arrive through different systems. A booking confirmation can include cancellation deadlines, payment conditions and check-in instructions, while the event app may focus on scientific content. Do not assume that deleting an app alert cancels a hotel booking or changes a room reservation.

For Australian travellers, review cancellation terms carefully before departure. The Australian Consumer Law does not automatically provide a universal right to cancel every accommodation booking without cost, especially when the booking concerns overseas services. Check the provider’s written conditions, the payment currency and any card surcharges before accepting a change.

Protect personal information by using a strong account password and avoiding hotel booking details on shared screenshots. Under the Privacy Act 1988, Australian organisations have obligations concerning personal information, but an overseas event platform may have its own privacy terms and data practices.

Troubleshoot missed notifications

If session reminders stopped arriving, check the app’s internal settings first, then review the phone’s notification permissions, battery-saver controls and mobile data settings. Airport Wi-Fi and hotel networks can be unreliable, so save your schedule for offline access when the app allows it.

Silenced alerts may also result from Focus, Do Not Disturb or a muted device. Confirm that the phone’s date, time zone and automatic time settings are correct after landing in Chicago. If the app displayed stale information, compare it with the latest official email or event announcement before travelling to a session room.

Quick checks can include:

• Notification permission for the RSNA app
• Mobile data or reliable Wi-Fi access
• Correct time zone and automatic clock settings

Use the app during the meeting week

Each morning, review the day’s saved sessions, room locations and any overnight announcements. Allow extra time for registration queues, security procedures, transport and the walk from a nearby hotel. Chicago weather in late November and early December can be cold, so outdoor travel between accommodation and the venue may take longer than expected.

Keep a backup of essential information in your email or calendar, including your hotel address and registration number. If your phone battery is low, a portable charger can preserve access to boarding details, maps and urgent event updates. Team leaders should also circulate major programme changes through the group’s agreed channel rather than relying on every delegate seeing the same push notification.

For future RSNA planning, use the event website, booking records and app-based alerts together. Save your accommodation confirmation, personalise the scientific programme and enable only the notifications that support your schedule, so important hotel and session information remains easy to find.