Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On behalf of the programme organising committee, the local organising committee and Turkish paediatric endocrinologists, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to Istanbul and the 47th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE).

The theme of the meeting will be ’Paediatric Endocrinology and Public Health’ and the programme organising committee is preparing an exciting programme highlighting various relations of paediatric endocrinology and diabetology topics with emphasis on public health issues. Whether you are a basic science or clinical researcher or clinician, you will find the scientific programme interesting with plenary lectures, symposia, meet the expert sessions, free communications and posters.

The Istanbul Lütfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) and its Rumeli fair and exhibition hall, are the centrepiece of a complete conference valley. The venue is located in the heart of the city within easy walking distance to all official ESPE meeting hotels. The main ICEC building features a 2 000 seat auditorium and a number of meeting rooms. The Rumeli fair and exhibition hall offers enough space to accommodate poster and other exhibitions during the meeting.

Istanbul, the former capital of the three successive empires Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman; is a fascinating mixture of the past and present, old and new, modern and traditional. The museums, churches, palaces, mosques and bazaars, and the sights of natural beauty seem inexhaustible. Istanbul is fast becoming a popular international congress and exhibition destination giving visitors an exciting mixture of a unique city, the bridge between Europe and Asia, and a thriving metropolis of millions of people – exotic yet distinctively western.

Thus, once again, welcome to the
47th Annual ESPE meeting in Istanbul!

Sincerely yours

Atilla Büyükgebiz
President ESPE 2008