This is my first message as president of EMWA. I'd like to update all members about the plans and activities of the new EMWA Executive Committee (EC).

The spring conference in Manchester was a great success and was the most attended ever. Answers to the post-conference survey confirmed that the conference had fulfilled attendees' objectives and that both registration and workshop fees were good value for money. The full-day symposium on Writing for Health Economics and Market Access included a plenary session led by international experts and brilliant interactive discussions. The symposium was highly appreciated and attracted about half of the conference attendees. Almost all of the attendees who answered the feedback questionnaire were willing to attend future symposia if the theme will be of interest.

The EMWA student scholarship dedicated to the memory of Geoff Hall, a former EMWA president and one of the founder members of the organization, was officially launched in Manchester. The details on how to apply for 2014 will be published on the website and are published on page 172 of this issue. Briefly, each year, two students will be awarded 2 years of free membership and free conference registration, along with one free foundation course at their first conference.

The freelance survey and the salary survey were also presented and inspired thoughtful feedback and interactive discussions. Also, member's feedback from the E-learning survey was the basis to begin developing online training. Although distance learning obviously cannot (and will not) replace the EMWA conferences, the EC is aware that many members are unable to regularly attend. Therefore, the possibility of online training could add to the repertoire of the organisation and enable more members to profit from their EMWA membership. The EC is also working on a major overhaul of the website to eliminate the double-login, simplify navigation, and improve its usefulness. Media, Twitter, and Facebook activities have been fuelled with new enthusiasm and content, including Twitterviews of EC representatives. Finally, some new exciting workshops will be included in the educational programme.

The programme of the future autumn conference in Barcelona has already been established. The format has been changed so that it will be possible to attend up to four workshops at these events, and a new schedule of events has been adopted, including two evening sessions where EMA and Spanish medical writing and translation associations will be able to participate.

I hope to see all of you in Barcelona very soon and look forward to a lively and well-attended conference.

Ciao

Andrea Rossi

EMWA President