World Physical Therapy 2011

The final programme is now available to view on the congress website, including all topics for platform presentations, poster discussion sessions and poster displays. If you’ve been waiting to book until the full programme was in place take a look, you won’t be disappointed, and register today!

To download a printable PDF of the daily overviews go to http://tinyurl.com/665hycd. With a one-page guide provided for each day of the programme, you can at a glance plan the sessions you would like to attend.

WCPT has also just launched its congress interactive planner. Here you can view the entire congress programme or narrow down sessions according to the day and type of session you’re interested in. You can also search using key terms or presenter names to find sessions or presenters of particular interest and add them to your Outlook calendar. For full details go to www.wcpt.org/congress/planner.

Registration for the satellite programme education sessions has re-opened with some spaces available in all sessions. Again, if you’ve been waiting to book until the full programme was in place, don’t hesitate and register today to make the most of these opportunities.

Don’t forget to book your hotel accommodation when you register to attend congress. WCPT has teamed up with the RAI Hotel and Travel Service, where discounted rates have been negotiated for congress delegates.

Their online reservation system allows you to search for hotels by star rating and area. Additionally you can view a map showing the location of the hotel in relation to the Amsterdam RAI (the congress centre) and find detailed information about each hotel. www.wcpt.org/congress/accommodation

Important note about accommodation reservation agents
We have become aware that other agents are contacting delegates and suggesting that they represent the event. WCPT is not affiliated with these reservation agents and we recommend that if you receive a call or email from a reservation agent other than the RAI Hotel & Travel Service that you do not book with them. In most cases they add a mark up on the rates and have less flexible policies.

For WPT2011, WCPT has partnered with 4 publishers:

• Elsevier: publishing all Congress abstracts as an on-line supplement to the Physiotherapy journal. Elsevier also publishes Manual Therapy and Physical Therapy in Sport.
• The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT)
• Maney Publishing: publishers of Physical Therapy Reviews, the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy and International Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Wiley Blackwell: publisher of Physiotherapy Research International

They will all be encouraging presenters to submit papers for publication post-congress. Presenters may be approached by any editors/editorial board members and any paper submitted will be subject to the normal editorial and peer review processes of the journals concerned. WCPT welcomes this as a means of facilitating wider dissemination of high quality research and service innovation.

WCPT already has nearly 4,500 followers on Facebook and you can now follow WCPT on Twitter – follow us at @WCPT1951 and get the latest on congress as well as other news about WCPT. If you are tweeting about congress please try to use the #WPT2011 tag.

Want to know more about the work of WCPT? These WCPT seminars are a new element in the WPT2011 congress programme. They are organised and hosted by WCPT and are designed to:

• introduce congress delegates to some of WCPT’s international work
• discuss the application of some of WCPT’s resources
• facilitate information sharing and promote collaboration on policy initiatives
• engage delegates with the work of WCPT

Topics include:

• what are you doing on September 8 – World Physical Therapy Day?
• “in official relations” with the World Health Organization: what does this mean for WCPT and its member organisations?
• the WCPT Executive Committee: meet the WCPT President, Vice President and the  regional members
• from policy to practice: putting WCPT policy into action

Find out more at www.wcpt.org/node/40541.

WCPT is leading by example in promoting ‘Movement for Health’ by setting aside a space for exercise within the WPT2011 exhibition. If you are a physical therapist registered to attend the congress, who is also a recognised yoga teacher, we’d love to hear from you if you are willing to run a yoga session during the congress. Please contact Catherine Sykes [email protected] for further details.

Party night: spend the evening of 22 June with your international friends and colleagues, and party in style at a unique location in the heart of Amsterdam – the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. A buffet dinner will be served in the elegant surroundings of the Winter Garden followed by an evening of dancing in the ballroom.

For further details go to www.wcpt.org/congress/socials#party. Party night tickets should be booked via the online registration form. If you have already registered and would now like to add the party night email [email protected] with your request.

Gala dinner: arrive in Amsterdam the day before the Congress opens and celebrate WCPT’s 60th anniversary at a gala dinner on Sunday 19 June. Join representatives from many of WCPT’s 101 member organisations at this exciting social event for a truly international evening and find out who the 2011 recipients of the WCPT Awards are. The evening will end with dancing and a DJ playing music from around the world.

For further details go to www.wcpt.org/congress/socials#gala. Tickets for the gala dinner should be booked via the General Meeting section of the WCPT website at www.wcpt.org/mygm.

Do you think you will need a visa to attend the Congress? If so, take a look at the visa information on the WCPT website at www.wcpt.org/congress/visas. Act now as visa applications can take up to 3 months and with less than 12 weeks to go before congress there is no time to waste!