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The 11th ISDE World Congress was held in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2008. It was presided over by Professors Janos Kiss, Peter Horvath, and Zsolt Tulassay (Figure 1). The ISDE President was Prof. Peter Kahrilas (Figure 2), the first non-surgeon to be elected to the office. He established a new practice of leading the scientific program committee in designing the structure of the congress. This hands-on and collaborative approach to program development resulted in very high quality of the scientific content. Also at this time GEEMO (Groupement Européen d’Etude des Maladies de l’Oesophage) recommitted to regular scientific meetings and contributions, and Diseases of the Esophagus became its official journal. GEEMO was a close affiliate of ISDE in Europe, subsequently evolving to become the ESDE (European Society for Diseases of the Esophagus). Social highlights of the Budapest meeting included a musical performance at St. Stephen’s Basilica (Figure 3). Registrants were thrilled by being taken in a caravan of busses, with full police escort, to a beautiful rural outdoor venue, where they enjoyed a horse riding demonstration followed by dinner (Figure 4).

The 12th ISDE World Congress took place in Kagoshima, Japan, in September 2010 (Figure 5). The Congress was hosted by Professors Takashi Aikou (Figure 6), H. Tubouchi, and H. Fujita, and the ISDE President was Mark Ferguson (Figure 7). Despite the out-of-the-way location, attendance was enthusiastic and the Congress attracted a large number of well-known esophageal experts (Figure 8). The collaboration of the local organizers and the ISDE President in developing the scientific program resulted in a varied, high quality, and interesting Congress. This Congress marked the transition to ISDE management by a professional organization, International Conference Services (ICS). It also marked a shift from traditional journal publishing to electronic-only publishing for Diseases of the Esophagus. Many registrants toured a nearby island that had an active volcano and enjoyed the natural hot springs in Kagoshima. Evening entertainment was lively and audience participation was encouraged (Figure 9).

Legends for figures:

Figure 1.  11^th ISDE World Congress Presidents (Professors Kiss, Horvath, Tulassay).

Figure 2.  Professor Kahrilas, ISDE President during the 11th ISDE World Congress.

Figure 3.  Musical event at St. Stephen’s Basilica during the 11th ISDE World Congress in Budapest.

Figure 4.  Spectators at a horse riding demonstration during the 11th ISDE World Congress.

Figure 5.  Kagoshima, Japan, site of the 12th ISDE World Congress.

Figure 6.  Professor Takashi Aikou, primary organizer of the 11th ISDE World Congress.

Figure 7.  Professor Mark Ferguson, ISDE President for the 12th World Congress.

Figure 8.  Opening ceremonies of the 12th ISDE World Congress in Kagoshima, Japan.

Figure 9.  Evening entertainment during the 12th ISDE World Congress.