Welcome   Welcome to the 20th Nordic Congress in Gerontology You are cordially invited to attend the 20th Nordic Conference in Gerontology to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland on 30 May – 2 June 2010. The overall theme of the Congress is “Healthy Aging in the 21st Century” and this theme will be covered by the plenary lectures as well as by many prominent scientists in state of the art lectures, symposia and other forms of presentations. To much emphasis has been on sickness and unhealth in the aging population and it is our intention to divert to some extent the focus on those aspects that create social, cognitive and physical health and well being in old age. The Nordic Conferences in Gerontology bring together the most prominent researchers in this field in the Nordic countries as well as young and promising researchers, not to forget those that attend the congress in order to learn and expand their own knowledge. Furthermore, teachers in gerontology and in geriatrics use the opportunity not only to learn of the latest research results but also to meet and to exchange views. Originally, the plan for the venue was the new music and congress centre in the harbour of Reykjavik but due to the economic downturn, this venue will not be ready until 2011. We have now managed to shift to the Hilton Hotel which has very good facilities and experience to host a congress of this size. The economic downturn has had many effects in the country and you would suspect that all of them are negative. That is however not the case. The domestic currency, the Icelandic Krona was highly overrated which made Iceland one of the most expensive countries to visit but now this has been corrected to such an extent that recently the international travel company Lonely Planet put Iceland on the top of the list of countries to visit in 2010. This change is also exemplified by the fact that this is most likely the first time a participation fee decreases from one Nordic conference to the next! On behalf of the organizing committee we warmly welcome you to Iceland and to its capital, Reykjavik which is known for its vibrant social and cultural live. You may also like to take tours into the countryside as the nature is very different from other Nordic countries, sometimes breathtaking and astonishing.   Jon Snaedal President for the 20 NKG