This weekend I have had the pleasure of visiting and operating in Belfast with Shaun McGowan and his team prior to our ASM in May. This will be the first time that the BSGE has been to Northern Ireland.
We will have two live operating sessions in the program broadcast from Belfast City Hospital with endometriosis surgery on the Wednesday afternoon and another session on the Thursday morning, both courtesy of Storz and Ethicon Endo Surgery our Rhodium sponsors. There should be something for everyone.
The scientific and social programs are almost finalised and everything is set for what promises to be a very enjoyable meeting set in the International Conference Centre, next to the River Lagan.
On Wednesday after the pre-congress courses we offer a welcome reception and drinks at the ICC which are kindly supported this year by Hologic. In the evening we have a further two functions; the RIGS dinner, supported by Storz and the BBQ night. Both will then meet in the historic Orpheus bar for drinks. Places for these functions are limited so book early.
This year the gala dinner on the Thursday evening will be held in the Titanic Building overlooking the slipways, where RMS Titanic was built, alongside her sister ship RMS Olympic. The theme is ‘ Dining in First Class, Dancing in Steerage!’ There will also be an opportunity to visit the Titanic Galleries Exhibition prior to the dinner so the academic program will not be finishing late. Guests are more than welcome so please look at the options when booking your tickets.
Abstract submission has picked up pace with the extended closing date just around the corner on Monday 4th March. There are generous prizes for each abstract category. So thank you to those of you who have submitted your work and good luck.
If you haven’t registered yet do have a look at the ASM website and get in before the early bird deadline expires on 12th April. Flights are still very reasonable and there is plenty of choice, so do not miss out on what I am sure will be one of the conferences that will be talked about for years to come.
We do hope that you will be able to join us in Belfast.
Andrew Kent
BSGE President
