The clinical/translational science track has the posters embedded within it, themed to the linked plenary sessions. In this way we can have cutting edge research accompanying keynote speakers in the same subject area and allow more interaction between the poster presenters and leader in their field. Much of this has been made possible by support from the British Heart Foundation who also supported the linked meeting with the British Atherosclerosis Society and British Society for Cardiovascular Research, now a regular feature in the BCS programme.

This year Professor Ken Chien and Professor David Sahn will be giving the BCS named lectures, both iconic in their respective fields and promises to be a real treat for the delegates. Something not to be missed!

Talking of things not to be missed, the Annual Dinner this year will be in the Midland Hotel which will allow us to expand the number of tables available. The promise of good company, good food, good wine and the magicians to entertain you before the meal should prove very popular. Get your tickets early. As if that was not enough, the now legendary Will Orr and his Jazz band will return for after dinner entertainment, and we hope “Will Orr” memorabilia will not be available to members!!

So make sure you are there on 13-15th June in Manchester Central for the next edition of the BCS Annual Conference. Not available on DVD so your personal presence is a must! Check out the programme at bcs.com and follow us on Twitter (#bcs2011)

See you there.

Iain A Simpson
Chair, Programme Committee

The named lectures will be given by Prof Kenneth Chien from Boston, Mass and Prof David Sahn from Portland, Oregon. No doubt they will be a highlight of the conference.

As the Programme Committee develop the content for 2011 we would welcome your comments as to what you like and dislike about the BCS Annual Conference and changes you would like to see. They will all be considered in planning our major national conference.

As in 2010 you will be able to follow us on Twitter in 2011 with the hashtag #bcs2011

Look forward to seeing you all in Manchester, June 13-15th, 2011.

It was good to see so many of the trainees at the conference this year not only at the National Training Day but throughout the conference. Many (over 100) sat the Knowledge Based Assessment exam on the Sunday. It had a real “should have brought my pencil sharpener” exam feel to it with individual desks, laptops and appropriately stern invigilators. Very glad to be past that career stage!

Aware of the need to provide quality education for trained cardiologists as well as trainees, we piloted some educational spotlight sessions focussing on key clinical areas and providing a balanced and thoughtful insight into evidence based patient care. Some sessions had “revalidation” type questions associated with them which could be completed subsequently in the Cyber Cafe, with a certificate of completion available to members. This is a format which we hope will provide high quality education for our members whilst facilitating future revalidation needs.

The Annual Dinner and all that jazz, was a real highlight. Not only did the magicians dazzle us with displays of trickery which put even the most hardened interventional cardiologist into a spin, but our own Will Orr gave an amazing display of talent, singing with his jazz band after dinner to the delight of all. Peter Mills and Roger Boyle were awarded the Mackenzie medal for outstanding services to British cardiology and both thoroughly well deserved. Check out their stories with the insightful interviews conducted by Denise Braganza at www.bcs.com/pages/news_full.asp?NewsID=19791893

BCS is twinned with the Californian Chapter of the American College of Cardiology who, with the ACC itself were well represented at the conference and contributed to an excellent “Highlights of the ACC” session and to other parts of the programme. The conference also allowed the inaugural meeting of the GB & Ireland Chapter of the ACC to take place. Current FACC holders constitute the chapter members and if you need further details on this or how to apply for an FACC, contact Nilesh Samani as the Chapter secretary mailto:njs@leicester.ac.uk

Manchester is an excellent venue for the BCS Annual Conference and we will be there next year, 13-15th June 2011. Put the dates in your diary. Feedback this year was excellent and next year we are planning further changes to the programme with clearer themed tracks to educate and entertain you.

We packed a lot into three days and tried to tell the world through our Twitter stream & BCS Blog but few were listening! Maybe next year?

Iain Simpson & Sarah Clarke

Once again, the Programme Committee and the Affiliated Groups have created a superb education and scientific programme including some new additions to the meeting structure. There is a formal National Training Day on Monday which will provide Curriculum based education for trainees, a number of whom will be undertaking the Knowledge Based Assessment (KBA) exam on Sunday, hosted by the BCS. On Wednesday, we have a number of “Educational Spotlight” sessions which concentrate on education for trained cardiologist and I hope we can build on to provide a structured educational programme to facilitate future revalidation needs for our members. Some of the educational sessions will have a formative assessment available to members in the Cyber Cafe after each session and we will e-mail you a certificate of completion for these to add to your portfolio. Look out for these sessions in the Programme.

In addition, the combined expertise of the Imaging Council has produced an excellent programme on Wednesday demonstrating the relative value of cardiovascular imaging techniques, so I hope you enjoy these new educational initiatives. We have further developed the education focus in the Exhibition Hall itself, including the ever popular “How To”, “Meet the Experts” and simulator sessions.

The UK Chapter of the ACC will also be holding its inaugural meeting on Monday evening so if you are an FACC or other member of the ACC, you will be very welcome to attend. It is important that there is a good turnout to establish this Chapter.

Don’t miss the “Annual Dinner and all that Jazz” which this year will be hosted at the Town Hall, close to Manchester Central. Not only are the magicians back but, after dinner and presentation of the BCS awards, there will be more entertainment from a live Jazz band (the clue was in the title!).

For further information and a full programme of the BCS Annual Conference & Exhibition check out the Website www.bcs.com which will also be providing summaries and webcasts from the key sessions following the conference.

If you wish to “follow” an Executive on Twitter, here are the details

Steven Yeats, BCS Chief Executive, www.twitter.com/StevenYeats
Sarah Clarke, Vice President Elect, Education & Research, www.twitter.com/doctorsarah
Iain Simpson, Vice President, Education & Research www.twitter.com/IainASimpson

and don’t forget James Rudd, our BCS Blogger, www.twitter.com/jhfrudd