The WFNS London bid is supported by:
Why London
Message from the Mayor of London
Neurosurgery in United Kingdom and Ireland
A room for all budgets
A dazzling array of attractions
Unrivalled connections
Message from the Mayor of London
I am delighted that London is bidding to host the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Congress in 2017.
London has an international reputation for its research and teaching hospitals and I am immensely proud of its key role in the history of neurosurgery. It was here in 1884 that the first brain tumour was successfully removed whilst another milestone was reached in 1972 when the first CT scanner was used.
These are amongst the pioneering developments that have resulted in thousands of lives around the world being saved – and I want London to remain at the forefront of developments in research and clinical treatment.
It would be an honour for London to host this prestigious forum and I am pleased to add my support to the bid. We look forward to welcoming your delegates to our city.
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
Neurosurgery in United Kingdom and Ireland
The Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS) encompasses all the neurosurgical services across the United Kingdom and in Ireland. These services are provided by 38 NHS neurosurgical centres who are collectively bidding to host the World Congress of Neurosurgery.
Founded in 1926 at a meeting of surgeons at The Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London (click here for more details on the origins of SBNS 1926-1939), over an 80 year period the SBNS has organised more than 160 scientific meetings. International meetings were a founding element of the Society’s constitution and recent international meetings such as the joint meeting with the Dutch Societies in 2005 and the European Congress in Glasgow in 2007 were highly successful with 600 and 2000 delegates respectively. The sister society the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) held a highly successful World Congress of Neurology in London in 2001.
The SBNS was one of the 14 founding Societies of the WFNS in 1955 with Sir Geoffrey Jefferson from Manchester elected as the first WFNS President. Although the UK has a number of potential venues for a World Congress such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, London is proposed as our venue of choice.
Completed for the 2012 London Olympics the riverside locations to the immediate east of the City of London will have been reclaimed and regenerated. A wide range of hotels are co-located to the Excel Centre, our partners for the bid. Over 8000 hotel rooms within 20 minutes of the Congress Centre and the range of London visitor attractions are easily accessible on the Docklands Light Railway.
Neurosurgery and Neurosciences in the UK has a place in the heritage of our specialty. Sir Victor Horsley the first doctor to be appointed to the post of neurosurgeon to Queen Square, London. He is credited for removing the first spinal cord tumour through a laminectomy in 1887. Norman Dott from Edinburgh who pioneered surgical treatments for intracranial aneurysms. Bryan Jennett who with colleagues developed the Glasgow Coma Scale.
CT scanning revolutionalised surgery on the brain with Godfrey Hounsfield from Hayes Middlesex working with EMI pioneering the development in the UK sharing the Nobel Prize with Allan McLeod Cormack from Massachusetts in 1979. The first brain scanner was installed in Atkinson Morley Hospital West London with the first patient brain scan in 1972. From Nottingham the work of Peter Mansfield led to the 2003 Nobel Prize credited for the development of MRI scanning jointly with Paul Lauterbur from the University of Illinois.
Many young neurosurgeons across the World have gained training experiences in the neurosurgical units in the UK with established links and programmes to many corners of the Globe. As part of the plans for London 2017 a unique package of training options will be available to international trainees and young neurosurgeons across the UK.
The organising committee, if the SBNS is successful in it’s bid, will be drawn from all the UK neurosurgical centres. This will ensure a wealth of experience so that the attendees to a London WFNS world Congress in 2017 will be rewarded with excellent value for money, an experience of our vibrant capital city, and a meeting of exceptional educational content.
A room for all budgets
London benefits from over 100,000 bedrooms ranging in style and budget from world famous deluxe properties, to budget chains, townhouses, bed and breakfast accommodation, guesthouses, serviced apartments and university accommodation.
The ExCeL London campus offers 1,400 rooms within a 5-minute stroll, plus another 8,000 within 20 minutes travel.
A dazzling array of attractions
London’s unique qualities as a capital city provide endless opportunities for social activities during or after the congress. From the more sedate pleasures of our world-famous galleries, museums and theatres, to the hustle and bustle of the city’s commercial heart and busy shopping areas, when it comes to attractions, London simply excels.
• Over 200 free attractions
• 147 parks
• 40,000 shops
• 10,000 bars and clubs
• 6,000 restaurants
• 147 theatres
For more information on London attractions, please visit: www.visitlondon.com/attractions
Unrivalled connections
As a gateway to the UK, London benefits from a superb global airline network, with direct flights to over 160 international destinations, including European cities served by ‘no frills’ airlines offering good value fares. We’re served by 5 international airports, including London City Airport – just 5 minutes from the convention centre – with flights from 25 European cities.
And once you’re here, getting around couldn’t be easier. London enjoys an efficient and extensive public transport system linking every corner of the city.
• 570 local railway stations
• 275 tube stations
• 649 bus routes
• 21,000 licensed taxis
• An expanding riverboat network
• Just 30 minutes from ExCeL London to the West End
