International Student BioMedical Conference
The International Student BioMedical Conference (ISBMC) is a student-run medical conference organized by the Nigerian Students’ Association in Ukraine (NSA), with support from Lviv National Medical University (LMNU) and Student Travels Ukraine (STU).
Brand Naming x Verbal Identity x Messaging
Summary
When the Nigerian Students’ Association in Ukraine set out to host their first international conference, they needed a conference name that stood out in a sea of similar-sounding events. Our strategy focused on creating a short, clear, and professional identity by exploring naming conventions that defined their coverage, audience, and specificity. The goal was to ensure the name felt credible and approachable. The result was ISBMC (International Student BioMedical Conference), a unique and future-proof name that gave the event legitimacy, memorability, and wide appeal. Curious how we cracked it? Read on for the full case study.
Full Case Study
The Problem
This was the very first time the organizers were hosting an international conference, and they needed a unique identity. The challenge wasn’t about getting a trendy name; it was about finding uniqueness within a clear naming framework. With so many medical conferences out there, you’d be hard-pressed to find a simple, sensible name and abbreviation that isn’t already in use. So… how do you create a conference name that sounds credible, professional, and feels like it belongs in the world of serious medical conferences?
The Strategy
We started by reviewing the brand names of existing medical student conferences at the time. It quickly became clear that some of them were either too long or too complicated that participants just defaulted to using the conference abbreviation. However, we wanted something short, descriptive, and easy to pronounce with an abbreviation that felt professional and inviting. So, we created a clear framework for the identity based on three pillars: Coverage, Audience, and Specificity.
For Coverage, the event was international, with attendees expected from multiple countries. While we considered terms like Global or Worldwide, they felt too grand for an event expecting only around 100 attendees. For Audience and Specificity, the focus was clear: a medical conference for students. We also explored alternatives to Medical, such as Health, Scientific, or Clinical.
We then considered possible replacements for Conference, including Convention (too large), Seminar (too small), Symposium (close, but not quite right), as well as Summit, Forum, Congress, and Meeting.
We explored many conference names, each option shaping our perspective, but we kept circling back to what mattered most: clarity, credibility, and memorability.
The Solution / Result
International Student BioMedical Conference (ISBMC).
Ya! I know, simple right? That’s exactly the point. Surprisingly, it wasn’t already taken. Even better, it reflected that the event wasn’t just for medical students, but for students across the wider field of biomedical sciences. By adding “Bio,” we represented their full audience and created a simple, unique, and future-proof conference name with a clean abbreviation that rolled off the tongue.
We briefly considered International Medical Neuroconference (IMN) since the first theme was neurology. However, we quickly realized it would lock the conference into a narrow focus. ISBMC, on the other hand, kept the door wide open for growth.
The result? A successful launch. ISBMC attracted about 150 participants, representing 15 nationalities and 9 universities. This is an impressive turnout for a first-time, student-led international conference. The name gave the event a professional identity, and a memorable shorthand that participants proudly carried forward.
Conference Info
www.facebook.com/isbmc
*Visual Identity by our sister agency, Feel x Human.
*Original photos from ISBMC 2016 Neuroconference.
*Additional images from Pexels and Pixabay.
© Nigerian Students’ Association (NSA) Ukraine
