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2025 Accredited Symposia Guide

CCC 2025 ACCREDITED SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEW 

An Accredited Symposium (AS) is an accredited medical education program co-developed¹ with a physician organization (Canadian Cardiovascular Society [CCS]) with support from one or more Sponsors. AS are included in the Scientific Program at the annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) and in 2025, each AS will be a 60-minute session.  

These programs are much anticipated each year by the cardiovascular community and present balanced learning, latest research, and CCS Guidelines, while serving as an important tool to inform clinical practice. Open to all CCC delegates, AS sessions are a great opportunity for attendees to gather input and feedback directly from the speakers. AS are popular with delegates, presenters, and sponsors alike. The AS programs are one of the major highlights of CCC and are featured as “must attend” programs for delegates, so they may learn from key cardiovascular thought leaders who are at the forefront of cardiovascular care and research.  

 All CCC AS are accredited by the CCS through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) for Maintenance of Certification Section 1 Group Learning 2 credits (and American Medical Association PRA 1 credits).

 AS are developed in accordance with The Royal College National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities (Standard) which defines the development, implementation and evaluation for accredited presentations. This Standard applies to all accredited CPD activities including the AS, where financial and in-kind support contributes to the development, delivery and/or evaluation of said activities.  

 This AS guide provides an overview of the process to follow to develop and implement an AS co-developed with the CCS at the CCC 2025.  

IN-PERSON PROGRAM DELIVERY 

Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2025 – Accredited Symposia 

The annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) meeting is hosted by CCS and includes participation of more than a dozen health organizations. 

The CCC is the largest gathering of cardiovascular and allied health professionals in Canada. This event brings together the individuals who work across the spectrum of cardiovascular health – from research to patient care – and stimulates interaction within the cardiovascular community. It is a forum to showcase the best research and to promote learning, through scientific sessions, interactive workshops, late-breaking clinical trials, and lively debates. The CCC 2025 planning committees are designing a program with all delegates in mind.  

The 2025 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress will take place October 23-26 at the Centre des congrès de Québec. All AS will be delivered in person at the CCC 2025 in Québec City, Québec and will be recorded. Recordings of the AS will be accessible on demand through the CCS Learning Management System, CardioCampus, for delegates with eligible registrations after CCC 2025. The content will remain available for up to 12 months.  

At CCC 2025, the AS will be held in the largest session rooms available to maximize in-person attendance.  An AS session offers lunch – coordinated by the CCS (see below for budget details) – in an accessible area adjacent to all concurrent AS. Audience interactivity tools for polling and Q&A will be accessible to all delegates.   

A rehearsal timeslot will be scheduled prior to the session to a maximum of 90 minutes. A dedicated audio-visual technician will support both the rehearsal and session.   

See below for details on optional program expansion with a CCS Section 3 Learning on Demand program.   

Co-Developing an AS with the CCS 

1) The CCS receives commitment from the Sponsor(s) to co-develop an AS with the CCS by reserving the AS opportunity through the CCC 2025 Investor Services Center. 

2) The Sponsor(s) then completes the task assigned to them in the CCC 2025 Investor Services Center (ISC) to submit a completed Proposed Educational Program Submission through Cadmium to the CCS. Please note that the deadline for these is strict.  Detailed timeline, including deadlines, is below.   

3) The CCS CPD Committee reviews the Proposed Educational Program Submission and selects a Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) for the proposed AS. Modifications or clarifications to the Education Program Submission may be required before the CPD Committee accepts the Proposal.

• • Experience/expertise in the topic area 
  • Proven ability to lead accredited programs  
  • Proven presentation skills  
  • Ability to build and deliver an unbiased program 
  • CCS Membership Status – All members of the SPC must be a CCS Member 

The selection of the AS SPC Chair is at the sole discretion of the CCS CPD Committee. The CPD committee is also responsible for the selection of the program's additional faculty, however, input from the sponsor(s) provided in the Proposed Educational Program Submission is taken into consideration.   
4) Sponsor(s) will be informed in writing of the selections for Chair and SPC faculty members after the CPD Committee reviews the AS submission. The SPC Chair and faculty will be assigned and confirmed in writing with the sponsors by the CCS CPD Team prior to the start of any program development.  

5) The CCS drafts a budget and shares with Sponsor(s) – once aligned, the CCS sends a Grant Request to Sponsor(s). 

6) The CCS then follows the timeline below to develop and execute the AS.   

Example Budget 

The CCS Grant request is submitted separately by the CCS – see timeline and detailed example budget below.   

To Note: 

• While all fees are based on prior AS budgets and represent average costs, they are approximate only. 
• There may be significant price changes for some line items due to specific requirements (including the selection of a medical education firm and the number of faculty members in the AS program); these will be reviewed and negotiated with the Sponsor(s) before the budget is finalized. 

Program Item	Item Total
1) Program Development  Medical education agency fee  Promotion, translation, graphic design	$25,000
2) Honoraria   Planning committee chair ($2,500 x 1)  Planning committee members/speakers ($2,000 x 2)	$6,500
3) CCS Program Management Fee - includes  RCPSC Accreditation  Administration Fees	$10,366
4) Direct Cost (per person) Speaker Expense (Per one faculty Travel, Hotel – up to 6 faculty)  CCC Passes, travel, accommodations & registration for Med Ed (per person)	$3,964
5) CCC 2025 Fees – includes  On-site rehearsal scheduled prior to the live session   Lunch offered to all AS attendees in an accessible area adjacent to all concurrent AS  Dedicated audio-visual technician (supporting rehearsal and live session)  Audience interactivity tools for polling and Q&A  Exclusive and unique metrics package - Sponsored Talk   CCS / CCC 2025 promotion	$50,000
Approximate AS Total Budget (before applicable taxes)	$95,830
6 ) Section 3 Learning on Demand program* [OPTIONAL]	$25,000
Approximate CCS Grant Request Total (before applicable taxes)	$120,830

*CCS Section 3 Learning on Demand  

You are invited to extend the reach of your AS beyond CCC 2025. The recording from the live delivery of the AS will be used to create a self-directed, online learning program, accredited for RCPSC section 3 credits.  

Developed by the CCS, this program will be made available following the CCC 2025 in January 2026. The program will be promoted through CCS channels and platforms and will be accessible via the CCS Learning Management System, CardioCampus.

All past CCC Section 3 Learning on Demand programs for AS are now available on the CardioCampus. Click here to access

You can secure CCC Section 3 Learning on Demand program for your AS after confirming commitment to an AS in the CCC 2025 Investor Services Center (ISC). 

Please refer to the Section 3 Add-on process document for more details, including budgets and timelines, or contact Vanessa Richardson at richardson@ccs.ca.    

AS Content Development - RCPSC 

Below is an important excerpt from the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Canada pertaining to the content development of a Section 1 accredited program. You are encouraged to access full details and further information about accredited education on the RCSPC website found here. 

 In accordance with this Standard, the CCS is responsible for:  

• Securing an educational grant from Sponsor(s) to financially support the development of the AS;  
• Contracting and managing a medical education firm to support fulfillment of the AS program; 
• Identifying and selecting a Scientific Planning Committee Chair; 
• Assembling and inviting the Scientific Planning Committee; 
• Management and disclosure of conflicts of interest; 
• Maintaining complete and total oversight for AS content development and delivery; 
• Complying to accreditation standards and any associated CCS policies for CPD activities;  
• Ensuring fulfillment of agreed upon outcomes and deliverables as defined by the SPC; and 
• Managing, independent of any faculties, speakers or Chairs, the AS budget in its entirety including securing grants, distributing faculty honoraria, and disbursements for program delivery.  

CONTENT OWNERSHIP 

Content developed and delivered at the CCC 2025 is exclusively CCS property and will be used at the CCS’s discretion and may not be used by any other parties without prior written permission from the CCS.  

Content developed and delivered for the CCC Section 3 Learning on Demand program is exclusively CCS property and will be used at the CCS’s discretion and may not be used by any other parties without prior written permission. Content may not be repurposed or reused for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the CCS. Please review CCS content ownership policies pertaining to your category of AS.  

TIME ALLOCATION 

Allocation of AS time slots during the CCC 2025 program is at the discretion of the CCS. AS time slots are scheduled so that, as much as possible, topic duplication is minimized across the full CCC 2025 program. An AS will only be slotted against other AS programs without overlapping in topic or content.  Sponsors may submit a preferred time for the co-developed AS program with their Proposed Educational Program Submission. The CCS will consider a Sponsor(s) preferred time slot, though reserves the right to assign time slots according to broader CCC 2025 requirements.  

CCC 2025 AS Program Time Slots: 

Date	Time (ET)
Thursday, October 23, 2025	12:30 – 13:30*
Friday, October 24, 2025	12:30 – 13:30*
Saturday, October 25, 2025	12:30 – 13:30*

* Times are tentative and may be adjusted by 30 minutes either way. 

 

ACCREDITATION

Accreditation application forms will be submitted to the CCS by the contracted medical education firm for each AS (support is available from CCS staff for questions as appropriate). Review of accreditation application forms will be completed in 14 business days. Please refer to the accreditation page on ccs.ca for instructions and forms required for accreditation submission. 

During CCC 2025, audits of the AS will be conducted to ensure that the RCPSC Section 1 Group Learning Activities Standards and the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities are adhered to and that there is no perceived or actual commercial bias.   

PROMOTION

The CCS will promote all AS equitably through several channels. The CCS/CCC 2025 will promote all AS as follows:  

• the AS will be included in the CCC 2025 Full Program Agenda;  
• a dedicated CCC email on 2025 AS programs will be sent to registered delegates prior to CCC 2025;  
• a one-page program outline to be included as an insert in the CCC 2025 digital delegate bag;  
• day-of promotion for AS to CCC 2025 delegates via ebulletin and through push notifications in the CCC app; and 
• inclusion in promotion of all on Demand programs post CCC 2025. 

Marketing collateral for all AS is created by the medical education firm under contract with the CCSfor each AS using the standard AS invitation format. A one-page program outline (PDF file) will be created in conjunction with content development and will be complete by August 15, 2025. It will be placed in the CCC 2025 digital delegate bag and in the CCC 2025 online program and be publicly available on October 3, 2025. Sponsors will receive a soft copy of the one-page PDF program outline, in English and French, the week of September 8, 2025. Changes to AS promotional content will not be permitted following approval of Royal College Section 1 accreditation. 

N.B. Across marketing collateral sponsors will be recognized by name only and listed in alphabetical order (if more than one sponsor is supporting the AS). 

CCC 2025 REGISTRATION FOR SPEAKERS 

Each AS includes up to six (6) delegate registrations for speakers to attend CCC 2025 . Codes to access online registration will be provided by the CCS CPD staff to the speakers.  All other speakers, Sponsor(s), guests, and symposium staff must register and pay all applicable registration fees.  

Q&A, POLLING & EVALUATION  

To simplify and streamline the experience for delegates, all questions, polling, and evaluation at CCC 2025, including the AS, will take place through the CCC 2025 platform(s) and will be developed and managed by the CCS team in conjunction with the Medical Education firm.  

AS session reports will be provided 10 weeks post-event. Please refer to the CCS privacy policy for more information. 

For a delegate to receive credits for attending an AS, an evaluation form must be submitted as part of the accreditation application, as per RCPSC standards. The submitted evaluation form is used to demonstrate learning objectives for accreditation and will be used at the discretion of the CCS. 

CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE 

The credits attained by delegates for an AS are collated at the end of CCC 2025 and delivered to attendees at the completion of CCC 2025. CCS will include a template certificate as part of the accreditation application, as per RCPSC standards.  

CANCELLATION POLICY  

No cancellations or refunds once the AS SPC Chair has been invited. Cancellation fees may apply. 

TIMELINE  

Important Dates	Deliverables
March-May 2025	Reserve an AS through the CCC 2025 Investor Services Center.
April-May 2025	Submit the Proposed Educational Program Submission to the CCS, through the CCC 2025 Investor Services Center.
May – June 6, 2025	Review and approval of proposal submissions by the CCC SPC and the CCS CPD committee  CCS staff and the CCS CPD committee establishes the AS SPC Chair  CCS staff and the CCS CPD committee establishes AS SPC based on Chair’s direction   CCS staff sends invitations to AS SPC selections on behalf of the AS SPC Chair  CCS CPD team hosts AS information overview meeting with all partners participating in AS programming
June 6 – June 20, 2025	Bi-monthly Sponsor(s)/CCS staff meetings initiated by the CCS CPD team  The CCS CPD team informs Sponsor(s) in writing of selected SPC Chair and SPC  The CCS CPD team shares proposed budget with Sponsor(s) – once aligned, the CCS sends a Grant Request to Sponsor(s)  The CCS contracts a medical education firm  CCS communicates AS timeslot to Sponsors
June 20 – August 1, 2025	The CCS CPD team hosts a kick-off call with the AS SPC, CCS staff and medical education firm  AS content planning and development  CCC 2025 AS time slot confirmed and communicated in writing by the CCS CPD team to the Sponsor(s) and medical education firm
August 1 – August 15, 2025	AS Content in final Draft   CCS confirms all travel details for AS Faculty
August 15 – September 2, 2025	Accreditation application submitted by the Medical Education firm to the CCS at cpd@ccs.ca on or before August 15  One-page invitation (.pdf) submitted to the CCS from medical education firm for review and approval on or before August 15  AS Speaker CCC 2025 registration codes communicated to medical education firm via email from the CCS CCC team   Medical education firm to provide all AS presentation materials to the CCS for review and approval at cpd@ccs.ca
September 2 – September 30, 2025	Accreditation application approvals sent by the CCS to all stakeholders   Marketing collateral provided to Sponsors for dissemination (week of September 9, 2025)  CCS / CCC provides training and orientation for the CCC 2025 event and the audience response system for all stakeholders  CCS / CCC schedules rehearsals for presenters and the Medical Education firm
September 30 – October 25, 2025	CCS/CCC launches AS program marketing   AS delivered live on-site in Québec City at CCC 2025  Editing of recorded sessions begin development of the CCS Section 3 Learning on Demand programs (if applicable).
October 25, 2025 – January 16, 2026	Editing of recorded sessions for CCC On Demand, to launch in November 2025  Development of the CCS Section 3 Learning on Demand programs (if applicable).
January 16 – 30, 2026	CCS emails CCS Section 3 learning on Demand program invitations (.pdf) to Sponsor on or before January 17, 2026 (if applicable)  CCS promotion of CCS Section 3 learning on Demand program (if applicable)  CCS CPD Team launches CCS Section 3 learning on Demand program on or before January 31, 2026 (if applicable)  For further details and timelines, please see the Section 3 Learning on demand program process document.

GUIDELINES AND POLICIES

CCC’s long tradition of excellence hosting CPD programs includes AS. To enable this important programming, CCS develops and enforces policies to support and ensure quality, equity, and rigour for this program. As a reminder, the CCC 2025 organizers reserve the right to interpret and/or amend these guidelines and policies in the best interest of the CCS. The decisions made by the CCC organizers will be final in any dispute with the symposia developers or in any situation not covered by these guidelines or policies. Symposia developers also agree to abide by additional guidelines and policies contained in subsequent correspondence. 

NEED MORE INFORMATION?  

Visit the CCS webpage on co-developing symposia, or contact us at:  cpd@ccs.ca  

Vanessa Richardson, Director CPD richardson@ccs.ca 
Nikita Arora, Program Manager CPD arora@ccs.ca 
Tianna Sihota, Accreditation Specialist, CPD sihota@ccs.ca

 References and Documents 

1. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  How to co-develop a group learning activity. Accessed February 26, 2025. 
2. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. CPD Activity Accreditation Standards for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program: Group Learning Activities (Section 1).  Accessed February 26, 2025.