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On behalf of my colleagues on the Brighton BGS Scientific Meeting organising committee, I invite you to visit Brighton in April next year.

Brighton is famous for and has long been a popular destination for the London cognoscenti. Since the 1700s when the then Prince Regent bought and updated a small farmhouse, to the opening of the Brighton to London railway line in the 1800s, Brighton's popularity grew and the local community watched their small seaside town grow into a busy city which is now enjoying a cultural and professional boom.

The City of Brighton and Hove has a population close to 400,000. The architecture is a draw for artists and tourists everywhere, with its beautiful Regency crescents and squares, two Piers, capped off by the very rococo Royal Pavilion. There are more restaurants and bars per capita than in any other city in England, including the UK's top vegetarian restaurant. There is a large artistic and media community with plenty of theatre and cinema, both mainstream and alternative, and a thriving club scene. The Lanes and town centre provide excellent retail therapy for those in need of a little credit card bending. The South Downs and surrounding countryside offer access to long walks and good country pubs. Access to Brighton is excellent, by train from Victoria, Gatwick Airport is 40 minutes drive away and there is good road access via the M23.

As well as attending the conference, I hope you will take the opportunity to discover just how much more Brighton has to offer. To fully enjoy our beautiful, diverse city, take a moment to stroll along the prom, walk out to sea along the Pier or stroll around The Lanes, famous for their jewellery shops and boutiques.

The conference will be based at The Brighton Centre which has played host to such diverse events as rock gigs and political party conferences. The BGS conference will start on Wednesday afternoon with an academic symposium on Movement Disorders focusing on the latest developments in Parkinson’s Disease.

The keynote speaker is Professor Jon Cohen, the Dean of the Brighton & Sussex Medical School. He is an internationally renowned researcher who has made groundbreaking discoveries which have enhanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of sepsis. Professor J Cohen will highlight the latest developments in this area which will be of great relevance to all acute geriatricians.

Professor Kevin Davies, Professor of Medicine at the Medical School, with great expertise in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, will discuss the many challenges of dealing with complex rheumatic disorders in the elderly.

Stroke management is a rapidly advancing field with new clinical trials being published regularly. There will be a guest lecture by Professor Hugh Markus who is a Foundation Professor of Neurology at St George's Hospital, London. He is the lead clinician for stroke services and has over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He will present the latest findings and implications for practicing geriatricians.

The Cardiovascular Section and the Diabetes and Nurse Consultant Special Interest Groups will hold parallel sessions on Thursday afternoon. As part of the rolling CPD programme, sessions will be devoted to Psychiatry, Cardiology, Rheumatology, Ophthalmology, Inflammatory Disease, Stroke Medicine, Vascular Surgery, Capacity and Consent and Rehabilitation.

The annual Conference Dinner should be highly entertaining. It will be held at The Corn Exchange, part of the famous Brighton Pavilion. The Corn Exchange's architecture is magnificent and will provide a wonderful ambience for the evening. In addition to the historic location, we have planned cultural entertainment to provide a Brighton flavour and are expecting some local celebrities to visit - details to be announced closer to the time.

We look forward to seeing you all in Brighton for what promises to be a highly stimulating meeting.

Professor C Rajkumar
Chairman - Local Organising Committee