It gives me great pleasure to invite you to ELSA 2022 to Dubai. After 2 years of restrictions related to COVID pandemic we are excited to start our annual meeting 2022 with a physical congress. Finally, the long-awaited opening gives us the opportunity to meet again in person and to go back to a new conference normal. All of us want to meet and to welcome old friends and colleagues in such social gatherings. With a successful EXPO 2020 which just closed the gates end of March 2022 Dubai has shown and proven that with correct precautions physical Mega-Events are safely possible without increasing the infection and transmission rate.

ELSA 2022 will take place end of October this year. The organizing committee has booked a premium location hosting a 2 day-congress with one day pre-congress workshops. There is no doubt that actual topics, newest developments and research results will be discussed in 3 parallel sessions. Innovations, AI, robotics and augmented reality are hot topics at the center of our thoughts and efforts to further improve laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. Experts from around the globe will give their opinions, share their experiences and advice on future developments. The congress also encourages clinicians to present their clinical research, free presentations and posters. Awards for best presentations and posters are an existing ELSA custom.

Although online webinars have been able to fill the congress gap over the last 2 years and have even shown higher numbers of participants, but they were unable to allow individual discussions, to meet old friends and to make new ones, to celebrate together, have gala dinner and fun in social activities after a long day of scientific lectures and discussions.

Many of you might have visited Dubai before either as a speaker or delegate in conferences, or simply for tourism purposes. However, Dubai is known to be a fast-growing metropolitan with permanent changes and fantastic new and visionary attractions. Even living in Dubai makes it a challenging task to see and visit all new add-ons to the incredible variety of high lights and must- see sites, not to forget the exorbitant shopping opportunities Dubai offers while shortage and lack of goods have reduced the available objects of desire in many countries around the globe. The museum of the future, the Dubai Eye, new art galleries and the incredible Al Wasl dome in the center of EXPO 2020 are only few of the new attractions in Dubai.

End of October the weather in UAE is expected to be just perfect. This will allow you to spend time outside, to try Safari, or to just enjoy dinner and drinks on the beautiful terrasses of the luxuriant hotels and resorts. Many of those have private beaches and temperature-controlled pools. So, your participation becomes a scientific experience with holiday feeling at the same time, definitely worth to stay for more than 3 days in Dubai.

Together with the local and international faculty I welcome you to Dubai. I hope that COVID will not restrict you to join our annual congress. As far as safety is a concern for you, I can assure you that Dubai is safe and well prepared for such events.

Hope to see you in Dubai in October

Rolf Hartung
Congress President
Vice-President of ELSA