RSNA 2020 Tips for Visiting the Technical Exhibits
RSNA 2020 took place from 29 November to 4 December 2020 as the Radiological Society of North America’s annual scientific assembly. Although the event was associated with Chicago and McCormick Place in the original planning materials, the meeting ultimately moved online, including its technical exhibition.
That change altered the meaning of “visiting” the exhibits. Attendees could explore imaging systems, software, artificial intelligence tools, clinical platforms, and other radiology technologies through a digital event environment rather than walking between physical booths. Preparation was still important, especially for professionals hoping to compare products or arrange conversations with exhibitors.
A focused plan helped participants get more value from the virtual showcase. Instead of browsing randomly, visitors could identify relevant companies, review demonstration times, prepare technical questions, and reserve space in their schedules for follow-up discussions.
Check The Digital Exhibition Schedule
Begin by reviewing the official programme and the technical exhibit listings before the meeting opened. Exhibitors often organized demonstrations, product presentations, downloadable materials, and one-to-one appointments at different times. A short list of priority companies made the online experience easier to manage.
Pay attention to time zones when booking demonstrations or meetings. International attendees could easily confuse Central Time with their local time, particularly when sessions were scheduled close together. Adding appointments to a digital calendar with automatic time-zone conversion reduced the chance of missing a live presentation.
The exhibit area was most useful when paired with scientific sessions. For example, a radiologist attending a session on workflow automation could then visit vendors offering orchestration, reporting, or image-management solutions. This connected the commercial information with a clinical question already in mind.
Set Clear Product Priorities
Technical exhibits cover a wide range of specialties, from CT and MRI to ultrasound, radiography, PACS, radiology information systems, structured reporting, and artificial intelligence. Before browsing, define the problems that matter most to your department. These might include reducing reporting delays, improving image quality, supporting remote reading, or integrating new clinical applications.
Create a simple comparison document for each product category. Useful fields include deployment model, interoperability standards, workflow impact, training requirements, cybersecurity features, service arrangements, and approximate purchasing considerations. Recording details during the meeting is more reliable than relying on memory after several days of sessions.
Avoid treating a polished demonstration as a complete evaluation. Ask whether the product has been implemented in organizations similar to yours, how upgrades are managed, and which systems it can connect with. For AI products, ask about validation populations, performance monitoring, false-positive management, and the role of the radiologist in the final decision.
Prepare For Product Demonstrations
A demonstration becomes more valuable when exhibitors receive context in advance. If you represent a hospital, imaging center, research group, or purchasing team, provide a brief description of your current workflow and the limitation you are trying to solve. This encourages a more relevant conversation than a general sales presentation.
Prepare questions that expose practical requirements. Ask how long implementation typically takes, what data migration involves, whether the platform supports DICOM and HL7 or FHIR connections, and how users are trained. It is also useful to ask about uptime, technical support, licensing structure, and the process for reporting problems.
For group delegations, assign different responsibilities. One person can focus on clinical usability, another on IT architecture, and another on financial or procurement issues. A shared set of notes ensures that a promising product is assessed from several perspectives rather than judged only by its visual interface.
| Exhibition Focus | Questions To Prepare | Useful Follow-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Imaging equipment | What are the workflow, dose, speed, and maintenance implications? | Request technical specifications and service details |
| AI applications | How was performance validated and monitored? | Ask for published evidence and implementation examples |
| PACS and workflow tools | Which standards and systems are supported? | Map integration requirements with your IT team |
| Reporting platforms | Can templates, voice tools, and analytics be customized? | Arrange a focused workflow demonstration |
| Education and research tools | How are cases, users, and permissions managed? | Request access information and licensing terms |
Connect Exhibits With Scientific Sessions
The strongest exhibition strategy follows the scientific programme. A session may introduce a clinical challenge, while an exhibitor may demonstrate a tool designed to address it. Keeping brief notes about both makes it easier to distinguish a genuinely relevant solution from a product that simply uses familiar terminology.
Use session discussions and exhibit conversations to build a balanced view. Academic presentations may explain evidence, limitations, and emerging practice, while vendors can provide implementation details and demonstrations. Neither source should be considered sufficient on its own when a purchase or departmental recommendation is involved.
The virtual format also made recorded content especially important. If a demonstration conflicted with a scientific session, save it for later viewing when possible. Download brochures, technical papers, and contact information promptly, since online exhibition portals may remain available only for a limited period.
Organize Accommodation And Team Logistics
For attendees who had arranged travel around the original Chicago meeting, accommodation planning remained relevant even when participation moved online. Teams staying together could use a quiet shared location for internal discussions, while individual attendees needed dependable internet access, an appropriate workspace, and a schedule that allowed for concentrated screen time.
Hotel selection should match the purpose of the trip and the size of the delegation. A central location, meeting space, reliable connectivity, and flexible cancellation terms may matter more than a luxury rating. Those comparing premium properties can review this five-star stay guide before committing to a higher accommodation category.
Groups should also coordinate registration details, calendars, and responsibilities before the event. A shared spreadsheet can track exhibit appointments, scientific sessions, staff assignments, and follow-up deadlines. This is particularly helpful when several radiologists, technologists, administrators, or researchers are evaluating different solutions for the same organization.
Protect Your Time And Information
Online exhibitions can become tiring because they combine presentations, meetings, downloads, and extended screen use. Schedule short breaks between demonstrations and avoid filling every available minute. A smaller number of purposeful conversations often produces better results than collecting dozens of generic brochures.
Use professional judgment when sharing clinical or institutional information. Do not upload patient-identifiable data into a demonstration environment unless an approved process is in place. Questions about privacy, encryption, user access, audit logs, and data retention should be part of every serious technology discussion.
After the meeting, rank exhibitors by relevance and urgency. Send follow-up messages while the conversations are still fresh, identify which products require a formal evaluation, and separate educational resources from active purchasing opportunities. This turns a virtual exhibit visit into a practical technology review rather than a temporary browsing exercise.
Priorities For A Productive Exhibit Visit
- Select a small group of priority vendors before the programme begins.
- Prepare technical, clinical, financial, and implementation questions.
- Coordinate exhibit appointments with related scientific sessions.
- Keep structured notes that allow products to be compared fairly.
- Assign follow-up owners and deadlines after each promising conversation.
RSNA 2020 demonstrated that technical exhibition planning does not depend entirely on physical booths or convention-center routes. Whether reviewing recorded demonstrations online or preparing for a future in-person assembly, attendees gain more when they connect vendor information to defined clinical needs, realistic implementation requirements, and a clear follow-up process. Use these principles to organize your next RSNA exhibit schedule and make every meeting with a technology provider count.