Spring in Sweden, and especially in Gothenburg, can bring rain, even snow, and very cold winds. It can also be wonderful with sun, flowers and cherry blossom in the Botanical Gardens. The meeting is growing and so is our terrific community. This year’s CEORL-HNS meeting 2026 was held in April in Gothenburg and brought not only sunshine but also 3777 participants from all over the world to the Gothia Towers. The meeting is growing and so is the community.

The program focused on diversity and covered everything from tonsillectomy to advanced robotic surgery, again proving that the basic things are sometimes those most eagerly debated. The scientific secretaries, Linda Marklund, Rusana Bark and Per Cayé-Thomasen, had done a fantastic job, with the help of the Core Scientific Committee together with the national societies, subspecialty societies and Young CEORL, to try to satisfy all interests. The only problem seemed to be that there were too many good things going on at the same time! And to make it even worse, there was a very interesting Society Village and exhibition to visit, not only during lunch and fika. Moreover, the pre-congress courses were highly appreciated, as were the mentor sessions. This year we had a lot of “first-timers” as well as experienced CEORL “fans & all-stars”, and we hope we will bring you all back together with next year's “rookies”.

An old shipyard, Eriksberg, was big enough to harbour everyone who wanted to join the party, and although the evening was a bit cold, a lot of people stayed out late in the magical spring evening enjoying food, drinks and music, and of course dancing! Dancing was not the only exercise provided. A fun run under expert guidance was attended by an impressive crowd despite the early morning. Next year we hope to see you all back for the “Göteborgsvarvet”, an iconic half-marathon held every year in Gothenburg. You will all do well!

The magic of the meeting was the feeling of belonging. Not only in the lecture halls, the lunch discussions, the exhibition hall, Society Village and on social media, but also in discussions and meetings with new and old friends. Fantastic “togetherness” was shown in completing the colour-by-numbers wall! Some of you did a tremendous job finishing it right on time, which few thought possible on the first day when looking at the empty wall.

So, a big thanks to all who made this not only possible but so much fun, so educational and so rewarding. We who have worked with this for years are so impressed by Gloria and Sebastian and their crew for always being there, bringing their ideas and helping us with ours. We are also impressed by all colleagues around the world for working on this project with us, bringing so much good spirit, knowledge and love into the meeting.

We look forward to the next meeting in Berlin with great expectations!

Ann Hermansson, Linda Marklund, Rusana Bark and Per Cayé-Thomasen