In Vancouver we have the honor of being the first to incorporate the new focus of the society – that of Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation. To that end, we aim to bring together the three traditional pillars of ICRS – clinicians, scientists and industry partners – to illustrate what we can do collectively, to address the growing need towards addressing joint dysfunction and disability. Musculoskeletal disease is a growing problem and represents a significant burden on society worldwide. The concept of joint preservation not only suggests joint tissue repair, but also improvements in patient function and wellbeing, a subject that we hope to showcase throughout the program. A consistent theme through the meeting will be that of the ‘Next Generation’. This will include the next generation of joint repair technologies, of investigative techniques, and importantly, of researchers. Our interest in the future of the ICRS has been highlighted by our previous development of the ICRS NextGen group – recognizing and promoting the next generation of cartilage physicians and scientists, who ultimately will lead the ICRS into the future. As such, you will see many mid-career researchers and surgeons share their experiences and latest work, guided by the sage wisdom of our mentors throughout the congress program. We are excited to be partnering with the Arthroscopy Association of Canada (AAC) to deliver the opening session on Stem Cell Tourism.