AACR annual meeting
How AACR extended education impact with purposeful AV
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) represents more than 65,000 members across 143 countries, all working toward the same goal: accelerating cures for cancer. AACR’s Annual Meeting is where that mission and their community come together. It’s also where the stakes to get things right are highest.
Counting on the association to get it right
For an organization of this size, a technical hiccup during a keynote isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a credibility issue, in front of a board, a global membership, and a scientific community that expects precision. And every dollar spent on AV eventually gets defended in a room that isn’t the Plenary Session.
AACR’s team needed to deliver education at scale, with nothing detracting from the vital information. They didn’t need spectacle. Or bigger screens. The essential need was reliable access to content: for the thousands of attendees on-site, and the members who couldn’t join in person.
Planning pressure points:
- Consistency across a sprawling footprint. The show spans general sessions, hundreds of breakout and meeting rooms, multiple exhibit theaters, and a high-traffic show floor, each needing the same level of production — not a tiered experience split across rooms or sessions.
- Zero tolerance for technical risk. With CE credits and scientific credibility on the line, potential tech glitches cannot happen.
- Budget accountability. Every AV dollar needs to trace back to an actual learning outcome, not a production highlight or enhancement without purpose.
- A shelf life beyond the show. A handful of days on-site can’t be the only place the research lives. Global membership means attendees need access to the information beyond the on-site meeting.
Turning the show floor into a learning hub
The shift for AACR wasn’t about any single piece of equipment. It’s a reframe of what AV is for and how it can accelerate and enhance learning. Rather than a production layer bolted onto programming, well-orchestrated AV and event tech become connective tissue running through every element:
- General session production anchors the flagship content with the standard scientific audiences expect. Attendees visibly locked in, taking notes and photos rather than zoning out.
- AV meeting rooms carry that same standard into breakouts, so no session feels second-tier just because it’s not in the main hall.
Presentation management keeps hundreds of speakers moving on schedule and glitch-free. - Orchestrate overflow and on-demand extend sessions to attendees who couldn’t fit in the room on site, then allow the content to be accessible through any online platform long after the event concludes.
- Digital signage (including displays) built directly into exhibit structures. This intentional element helps attendees navigate a large, multi-venue footprint without adding staff. Or overhead.
- AV exhibits and custom solutions bring the same rigor to spaces like the exhibit theaters and “AACR Central,” where built-in LED, integrated signage, and dedicated content screens turned the show floor into an active learning space rather than simply a backdrop for booths.
None of these benefits are new to Freeman, but what has shifted for AACR is that the experience is built and run as one connected system. So attendees moving from a breakout room to an exhibit theater as well as those attending the livestream at home, all encounter the same high-level production.
AV as infrastructure, not spectacle
Outcomes measured against what truly matters to AACR: reach, participation, and impact, not visual sizzle without purpose.
1. Reach
Content extends well past the show’s physical dates through streaming and on-demand access, putting research in front of members across 143 countries.
- Post-event viewers: 4291 [4/23 – 8/24]
- Post-event active platform users: 6342
2. Participation
Attendees engaged with sessions both live and afterwards. The platform will remain open through 10/31/26.
- Online event attendance/users during event: 8296 [4/17-4/22] – A 25.5% increase from 2025
3. Impact
CE-eligible content is delivered at scale with reduced technical risk, while budget stays predictable against plan.
- Extending the platform post-show allows attendees to access on-demand content that can be used toward obtaining CE credits.
“With Freeman behind it, we have complete confidence that the technology and production will perform seamlessly. That reliability allows us to focus on what matters most: the science, the discoveries, and the meaningful connections that drive progress against cancer. Freeman understands the AACR, our scientific community, and the unique complexity of our meeting. They anticipate challenges, provide solutions before we ask, and help us consistently deliver an event that meets the highest standards of scientific excellence.”
– Lauren Santarone, CMP, Senior Director, Meetings at AACR
Impacting a global research community
The AACR annual meeting provides essential, life-changing education and research to its members. Every year for more than 35 years, Freeman and the AACR teams have worked together to create an environment built to deliver essential information to empower its global membership, no matter where they are.
In addition to education, this thoughtfully orchestrated meeting reinforces AACR’s valuable purpose and credibility with its members and board. Well-orchestrated AV and logistics ensures the science reaches the people doing important work that benefits their field and the world.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) represents more than 65,000 members across 143 countries, all working toward the shared goal of accelerating cures for cancer. The AACR Annual Meeting is where that mission and the AACR community come together. It delivers education and research to AACR members, whether they attend in person or join online, and reinforces AACR’s credibility with its members, board, and scientific community. Freeman has partnered with AACR on the meeting for more than 35 years.
Freeman provides AV and logistics for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting as one connected system. Freeman’s services include general session production, AV for meeting rooms, presentation management, overflow and on-demand streaming, digital signage built into exhibit structures, and custom AV for spaces like the exhibit theaters and “AACR Central.”
The AACR Annual Meeting spans general sessions, hundreds of breakout and meeting rooms, multiple exhibit theaters, and a busy show floor. With continuing education (CE) credits and scientific credibility at stake, AACR needed zero tolerance for technical risk and a budget where every AV dollar traced back to a learning outcome. Freeman treated AV as infrastructure for learning rather than spectacle, delivering the same standard of production in every space so no session felt second-tier. Built-in digital signage also helped attendees navigate a large, multi-venue footprint without adding staff or overhead.
AACR represents more than 65,000 members across 143 countries. Freeman supported overflow viewing, livestreaming, and an on-demand platform so members could access AACR Annual Meeting sessions live and after the meeting ends. The platform stays open through October 31, 2026, and on-demand content can count toward CE credits.
The online event drew 8,296 attendees and users during the meeting, and the post-event platform reached 4,291 viewers and 6,342 active platform users in the four months following the event. AACR measured success by reach, participation, and impact, with CE-eligible content delivered at scale, reduced technical risk, and a budget that stayed on plan. The Freeman team’s connected approach to AV meant attendees in a breakout room, an exhibit theater, or watching the livestream off-site all experienced the same high-level production.