Thousands of urology professionals from around the globe, including physicians, educators, researchers, and technicians, are headed to San Francisco this week to hear all about groundbreaking research, new guidelines, and the latest advances in urologic medicine.

Organization: American Urological Association

Conference: 2018 AUA Annual Meeting

Venue: Moscone Center

City: San Francisco

AUA2018 starts early Friday morning with a  four-hour Prime Time Plenary, which includes many of AUA’s featured programs. Among the options is “S.O.S—Setbacks and Operative Solutions,” where a panel of experts will review edited video of a challenging situation in the operating room and discuss how to prevent it, anticipate it, recognize it, and manage it. Also noteworthy:

Hub of it all. The Square, located next to registration, is a place for attendees to engage with AUA staff, explore programs and resources, and relax and refuel with colleagues. Attendees can also get their member headshot taken here, receive Twitter training from the association’s social media experts, and place their silent auction bids.

Up for debate. During the various hourlong Survivor Debate sessions, panelists will debate timely and controversial subjects in the urology field. One participant will be left standing as the winner after the others are gradually eliminated by audience consensus—similar to the TV show Survivor.

Training camp. The Science & Technology Hall is home to lots of training opportunities and activities. The Skills Challenge lets attendees visit exhibitors’ booths to test their skills and knowledge and compete against colleagues, while hands-on workshops allow them to fine-tune surgical techniques.

Follow the meeting’s other happenings via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (#AUA18).

(Natali_Mis/iStock/Getty Images Plus)