The European Pain Society celebrated its 30th anniversary with an international conference in Budapest

Hungexpo hosted the forum, which brought together experts in basic and translational research, and clinical practice.
The conference was entitled, "Personalised pain management: The Future Is Now" spoke for itself, and the programme, which of course included Hungarian pain researchers, tried to present the topic in the most versatile way possible, so that nurses, physiotherapists, clinicians and researchers alike could find what was new, important and forward-looking for them.
In addition to the plenary lectures, 4-5 sessions of presentations, workshops and discussions on different topics were held in parallel, and the opportunity for the youngest generation of clinicians and researchers to share their findings and experiences helped to ensure a continuous flow of new knowledge.
Although there were no participants from KOKI in this conference - our KOKI Days event during the conference may have played a role in this - several Hungarian researchers who are leading the way in pain research were involved in the organisation of the conference or were invited speakers.

The bigger group of Hungarian participants came from Pécs, and they also did a good job in organising the event.
Prof. Erika Pintér, Director of the Institute of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, organised the symposium titled Role of TRP ion channels in neuropathic and tumour pain, and several internationally renowned speakers accepted her invitation and contributed to the success of the programme.
The also well-attended Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) workshop was chaired by Prof. Zsuzsanna Helyes who also gave an invited lecture on basic research in CRPS and its translational relevance.
The University of Pécs was represented by a number of enthusiastic and dedicated medical doctors, PhD students and undergraduates of the Institute of Pharmacology - Istvan Horváth Ádám, Valéria Tékus, Barbara Fülöp, Dóra Biskup, Nikolett Nemes-Szentes, Balázs Nemes, Ágnes Király and Lilla Günkl-Tóth - who, in addition to presenting their results, also volunteered to help the organisers, thus significantly contributing to the smooth running of the conference.
László Vécsei, Professor of Neurology in Szeged, drew attention to the latest advances in migraine research at the symposium he chaired.
Researchers from Szeged, Debrecen and Budapest, including a surprisingly large number of young people, presented the latest results of Hungarian pain research on posters to numerous visitors. In addition to the Hungarian posters, the beautiful exhibition stand of the Hungarian Pain Society in a very good location was well worth a visit. (Besides the friendly welcome the delicious Hungarian chocolates may have played a part in this.)
The Hungarian and foreign visitors had the opportunity to have useful conversations about the work and science of the society with the current president of the society, Dr Erika Budai, and the next president Dr Robert Almási, associate professor of PTE.
There is no question that the Hungarian Pain Society had to be at this international conference, but how many people with chronic pain know that we have such a society, or what its purpose is? What did you plan to achieve by attending the conference?
Dr Erika Budai:
- The primary goal of our society is to promote the full care of patients with chronic pain through professional, scientific means, to bring together, to bring to the same table, the experts in basic research on pain and clinicians. Attending an international conference is an important opportunity for many reasons, which is why we are very much looking forward to the 13th EFIC Congress. We "showed" this by inviting applications for the registration of six young colleagues (István Horváth Ádám Horváth, Balázs Nemes, Nikolett Szentes in theoretical, Nicola Fenyvesi, Lilla Gunkl-Tóth, Pál Pottyondy in clinical) and by recruiting 20-25 volunteers to help university students and anesthesiologists. We also managed to attract corporate sponsors to support additional colleagues.
 Participants experienced the colourful hustle and bustle of an international congress. They had the opportunity to learn new methods, to approach a problem from different angles, and to assess and position themselves and their achievements in the international ranking of the present.
The Society's participation in the Congress gave the opportunity to meet and network with the President of the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) (Catherine Busknell PhD), the EFIC Board (Brona Fullen PhD, Luis Garcia-Larrea PhD), the Chair of the Congress Scientific Committee (Prof. Esther Pogatzki-Zahn), the Presidents and Councillors of the co-societies.
Meeting in person, talking to people who until then had only been known by sight, can facilitate future professional collaboration.
- Hungexpo was chosen as the venue for the conference, but how was the conference programme organised?
EFIC congresses are always organised by the international society's management - the conference is chaired by the EFIC President-in-Office - but the host country has ample opportunity to contribute to the professional success of the congress with invited national speakers, posters and presentations. This was the case again this year. From what we have seen on the ground and from the feedback we have received since we feel that those who have attended this conference have gained useful knowledge and had a good experience.