With great pleasure I welcome you to the City of Groningen. In more than one way there is cause for celebration. Today marks the third lustrum of the annual international sympo sium on blood transfusion, organized by the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe. In my opinion it has been a remarkable initiative of the Bloedbank, to start organizing a scientific conference, as it did, in 1976. It meant, among others, that in case of success the initiative would grow to be an annual item on the international congress calen der. It also meant that a possible third lustrum would coincide with the celebration of the 950th anniversary of the City of Groningen. I am happy to note that the initiative has been successful: over the past fourteen years the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe has succeeded in organizing an annual symposium on blood transfusion, with a different theme each year, and with an average attendance of 250 participants from some 26 countries world-wide. The platform created with the special formula of the symposium, for science and industry, has been well balanced and beneficial to both. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I like to compliment the organizers with the success that they have attained. Allow me to men tion the name of just one person, in whom I like to thank everyone who has been involved in creating the annual Bloedbank-symposia: my warm congratulations to Dr. Smit Sibinga and his staff.
