On behalf of the IEEE Photonics Society and my fellow conference committee members Susamu Noda and David Plant, I wish you a very warm welcome to the IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC) 2013. IPC 2013, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, Washington, USA, from 8-12 September 2013, is the latest in the series of conferences which were formerly known as the LEOS Annual Meeting, and which provide a premier global forum for reporting the latest developments in photonics, from science through to technology. This year’s conference will feature plenary talks, invited talks, tutorials and special symposia covering the full diversity of photonics. We welcome your participation in this ‘must attend’ meeting and look forward to seeing you there!