I strongly believe that when people who share a common interest gather together at conferences to share their knowledge, insights and ideas, this makes a direct contribution to the advancement of humanity and ultimately makes our world a better place. Conferences play an essential role in generating new ideas and discoveries that are important sources of progress in our world. For that reason, my mission is to improve our understanding of how conferences work best, for the people who attend them, the people who organise them, and the destinations and venues that host them. Education, training and research are the keys to adding to our knowledge of this most human of activities, and that i...