This year’s ASCO Annual Meeting will feature a reimagined Trainee and Early-Career (TEC) Lounge with an enhanced focus on networking and recharging—physically, emotionally, and professionally. For our early-career professional attendees, the lounge is a great entry point into the larger meeting itself—a place to meet others, get questions answered, and take a moment to sit down and plan out your meeting experience. 

 

In addition to career development panels and roundtable sessions, the larger space will allow for more participants and collaboration. There will be an area for one-on-one mentoring meetings between experienced professionals and attendees, community tables, comfortable spaces for peers to catch up, and “Learning Bars”—bar-style seating areas where attendees can connect and participate in career chats over refreshments. 

 

The upgraded space was created in collaboration with ASCO’s Trainee and Early Career Advisory Group (TECAG), who develop the lounge’s education programming. While the move to a larger venue was needed due to the rising number of meeting attendees, the lounge’s accommodations were designed to meet the needs of young professionals as reported by TECAG members. 

 

“What I’m looking forward to at the new TEC Lounge is the increased space and versatility of the new location to sit down and connect with small groups of friends but also a dedicated area to have impromptu one-on-ones with mentors and mentees looking to connect,” said TECAG member Fernando Diaz, MD, a fellow of geriatric oncology and geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

 

To accommodate more visitors, the lounge space will now be in Hall C adjacent to Registration. The custom design is intended to feel cozy, with designated zones throughout to create an intimate space within Hall C. It also will have longer hours than past years, opening Friday morning through mid-day Tuesday. 

 

“The number of early-career oncologists attending the ASCO Annual Meeting is growing, and it’s a population that’s important to the future of oncology,” said Mandy Davis, ASCO vice president of meeting services. “We want to make sure that they have a space for networking and building their communities that is both professional and engaging.” 

 

Visitors to the lounge can enjoy complimentary services throughout the day (including continental breakfast, barista service, light snacks, and happy hours) in addition to extensive programming and activities. Planned session topics include: 

“The ASCO Annual Meeting is the only place I can catch up with my colleagues in all the various oncology-related interests I have,” said Dr. Diaz. “I love speaking with fellow trainees and early-career oncologists in the TEC Lounge because it’s a great opportunity to present mentees and first-time attendees to fellows/oncologists who may have some good advice to share. I see my geriatric oncology colleagues at the in-person ASCO Geriatric Oncology Community of Practice Session and the poster sessions that include geriatric oncology research.” 

 

Other related activities happening nearby are the Career Fair, which is open to any oncologist at any career stage who’s looking for a new job. The Career Fair will be located in Hall C, North Building, Level 2, adjacent to the TEC Lounge. The professional headshot booth will be outside of Hall B1.