Royal Australasian College of Surgeons - annual scientific congress: Skycity/Crowne Plaza Convention Centre, Auckland, New Zealand 6-10 May 2013

This year the annual RACS ASC was held in New Zealand. This is the third time I have had the opportunity to attend this event, and once again the conference proved an excellent educational and social forum. The theme for this year's ASC was Sustainable Surgery and encompassed the four facets of education and training, surgical research and innovation, the role of the college, as well as quality and health services delivery. Perioperative colleagues who have attended this meeting in the past would acknowledge the difficulty in choosing between the many concurrent sessions and workshops of interest. Substantial pre-planning is essential.