For the first time in three years, ATS 2022 International Conference attendees will get a chance to see the latest advances and discoveries in respiratory science, patient care, and global public health up close and in-person.

The Exhibit Hall inside San Francisco’s Moscone Center will highlight those discoveries as more than 200 exhibitors showcase and discuss the latest thoracic innovations on the market from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. daily, Sunday to Tuesday, May 15-17. Exhibitors’ products and services will encompass the following categories:

• Allergy, Immunology, and Inflammation
• Biotech
• Diagnostics
• Medical Education
• Research
• Pharmaceutical
• Patient Education
• Sleep Medicine
• Software
• Publications

“Reconnect and Re Engage” is the guiding theme for organizers of the Exhibit Hall this year. So as a bonus, there will be areas and programs specifically designed to allow attendees to network, kick back, and have fun.

“Our attendees definitely have a great urge and desire to be back in person and have that peer-to-peer conversation — to talk and just gather together while they learn the latest scientific information and connect with exhibitors and new attendees,” said ATS Chief Executive Officer Karen J. Collishaw, MPP, CAE.

Exhibitors will include prominent companies from years past, and plenty of new ones as well. In addition to exhibitor booths, which will be larger to accommodate social distancing as part of the conference health and safety strategy, Industry Theaters and Guru Bars will make a return.

Ranging in size from mini (up to 50 attendees) to medium (up to 125 attendees) and large (up to 250 attendees), the Industry Theaters offer opportunities to hear about brand launches and current therapies, as well as discuss current pipeline activity and participate in focused programs on disease awareness over lunch.

The Guru Bars are “burst sessions” of 20-30 minutes led by industry representatives who will outline intriguing discussion topics and offer their perspectives and solutions before posing challenging questions for attendees to discuss.

“It’s more of a peer-to-peer discussion,” Ms. Collishaw said, adding that they’re quite popular. “Although they seat 25, oftentimes they spill over and attendees hang out in the area to talk afterward.”

A new feature this year, The Fun Zone, will give attendees a place to cut loose. It will include a basketball shootout, air hockey, foosball, and game tables with card and board games.

Coffee & Connection Booths will offer a spot to sit down and talk with friends and colleagues while enjoying a caffeine kick.

A couple of interactive programs that include prize drawings, The Wellness Challenge and The Discovery Quest, will also return to the Exhibit Hall.

The goal of The Wellness Challenge, formerly known as The Walking Challenge, is to encourage attendees to walk 30,000 steps over the course of the conference. Prizes will be awarded to the top three steppers and to three other randomly selected steppers who’ve met the goal.

The Discovery Quest is a mobile app game that calls on attendees to visit 10 participating exhibitors, converse with them, and then answer a question related to each one. Those who answer 10 questions correctly are entered into a daily drawing for prizes.

The Exhibit Hall will also feature a professional photo booth for attendees to have complimentary professional headshots taken.