By Leena Soltan, BDSA Conference Organiser

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Not long now until the biggest weekend of the year, also known as the BDSA Annual Conference!

Taking place from 23 to 25 February, this year's event will be hosted by King's College London at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms.

We're very proud to announce that this year, students from every dental school in the UK will be in attendance. In addition to the conference and trade fayre, this year features not one, not two, but three nights of social events, which will cater to all. Ensure you get enough rest beforehand, as it will most definitely be an action-packed weekend!

To kick off the weekend, and to help students get acquainted with one another before the conference, we're hosting a T-Shirt party on Friday night at the infamous central London venue, Sway Bar - right next to the conference venue. If you managed to find your way there on Friday night, you have no excuse not to be on time for Saturday morning to start the conference weekend!

To celebrate the first day of the conference, for the first time ever in BDSA history, we will be throwing a Boat Party on the River Thames! Even though the conference isn't taking place on King's campus, we want to give you all a little taste into what it's like to be a King's dental student

To welcome you all on Saturday, every delegate will receive a BDSA Kings Conference 2024 tote bag filled with goodies, and a brochure to guide you through the weekend. The speaker line up will cover a wide range of topics, so there will be something for everyone. We have an incredible line up of speakers from around the globe, who will be talking about endodontics, whole composites, posterior restorations, implants, marketing, teeth whitening, orthodontics, maxillofacial surgery, and more in just the two days!

To celebrate the first day of the conference, for the first time ever in BDSA history, we will be throwing a Boat Party on the River Thames! Even though the conference isn't taking place on King's campus, we want to give you all a little taste into what it's like to be a King's dental student, as we have a boat party every year, but as you're all our special guests, we upgraded you to the biggest boat on the Thames, complete with food. Check our website and Instagram to see which tube station your university will be dressing to represent and get ready to set sail with us for an incredible evening, featuring a DJ we all know you will love.

On Sunday morning, a large trade fayre with lots of free goodies awaits. Not only that, but all attendees who fill out the stamp card at the fayre will be entered into a raffle with a chance to win a student hamper. This will be taking place on the King's Strand Campus, a short 5-minute walk away from the conference venue. We recommend arriving at 8:30am to ensure you don't miss out on the goodies, have time to explore the beautiful campus and enjoy breakfast in the heart of the city on the way back, just in time for first Sunday lecture.

To conclude the weekend, we're bringing ‘The Greatest Showman' to life in a spectacular ball. From the drinks and canapés reception through to the DJ and dance at the end of the evening, you won't be disappointed by the surprises we have in store. And, if you haven't got enough goodies to your heart's content yet, then don't worry as there will still a chance to win amazing prizes in our grand charity raffle, where all proceeds will be going to Dentaid - a wonderful charity whose mission is to provide dental care and oral health advice to under-served communities in the UK and overseas. We hope the atmosphere we'll create will allow you to network with the speakers and sponsors and foster lasting memories and friendships with students across various universities!

On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you all soon.