Please visit the International Critical Care Symposium website to read news and register for the first International Critical Care Symposium to be held in India in October 2010.

The Third Annual Critical Care Symposium sponsored by the Royal Oldham Hospital and organised and chaired by Dr. Chithambaram Veerappan and Dr Tracey Watt respectively was held on 27-28 April in Manchester, England. I have gone to countless conferences and meetings (as have most of you) and while most offer some reward, they are usually frustrating, and often intellectually lonely. Invariably you must choose between topics that interest you, and find yourself in a cavernous room with people you will not see again, and who have not shared your conference experience. The very best speakers are there just for a few minutes after their presentations (if you are lucky), and you must hurriedly think of, and ask, any questions you have.

This conference was a pleasure from start to end. The character and knowledge of the speakers was incredibly diverse and the topics covered could be explored in whatever tangent the attendees were interested in. The luncheon food was, without reservation, the best food I've ever had at any conference or meeting anywhere (and it was very good besides!). This food was great, the service superb, the coffee and tea hot and endless, and venue comfortable and welcoming. This was important because if you are annoyed with the venue or the food you may commiserate with other attendees, but you are less likely to be relaxed, comfortable, and ready for some serious and enjoyable conversation. This is the first conference I've attended where I was able to talk at whatever length I desired with all of the presenters and, not just about medicine, but also about everything. This was remarkable because the presenters were vastly experienced clinicians and researchers. All of the presenters were no-nonsense people with a profound respect for EMB.