The cheerful buzzing of Nordic voices

Abstract

Icelanders and 51 participants from other countries, altogether 1033 persons, were awaited. As Troms ø has no big venue, the congress had to be shared between two neighbouring hotels, quayside in the city centre. In the sunny spring weather, this location felt perfect. The summing and humming of many tongues, mingling and networking out in the open, accompanied by seagulls, was for us the signature tune of the congress.This engaged participation started many months earlier with early registrations and a large number of submitted abstracts. To our knowledge, the whole scientifi c programme took place as planned. Choosing between the many interesting parallel sessions was not easy. In many of the contributions we could recognize a reference to our vision for the congress: ' Caring for people where they are ' . We also had an idea of a relation between the scientifi c and the cultural programme, which materialized beyond our expectations. The opening with songs of Mari Boine and the premiere of a fi lm about professor Anders Forsdahl connected the audience to the people living in the High North, but also had a universal appeal.Which were the highlights of the congress? More than half of the participants responded to our QuestBack evaluation. The highest scores were given to the congress surroundings, the opening ceremony, and the overall opinion of the congress. The plenary speakers were also highly ranked. Our interpretation is that the blending of it all was successful: The place, the people, the programme and what happened in-between. We hope that the congress in this meaning was an inspiration for our daily work as doctors, researchers and leaders. The high attendance from young participants at this congress felt