This is my fifth time at the annual ASAPS (American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) congress. I’ve been a member of ASAPS for more than two years now. In Russia, there are only four members of that prestigious association. ASAPS always holds its events in spring, every time in a different city. In 2016, the meeting took place in Las Vegas, and I headed to the world-famous entertainment centre for the third time.
The ASAPS congress is one of the best events dedicated to aesthetic plastic surgery in the world. Every year, it reaches new heights, and the participants are more numerous and high-profile. The programme, from 7 in the morning till 7 in the evening, is interesting and rich. The faculty is stellar (I personally know many of the experts), the discussions are well-organized and cover the most relevant matters, tailor-made master classes are on offer. All of that is worth an annual flight across the Atlantic. Of course, it is also a valuable opportunity to see some of the experts whom I invite every year to our October course in St.Petersburg.
This time, I also got a chance to explore the city a little bit, an opportunity I hadn’t had during my previous trips. I strolled through Las Vegas at night, admired a magnificent installation at the Bellagio (the theme changes every three months; this time it was a Japanese garden) and the singing fountains next to the hotel, rode the biggest Ferris wheel, sat down for a while under the Eiffel Tower. I watched a Cirque du Soleil show and visited the Red Rock Canyon. It was one of those rare lucky cases where my business trips include some leisure. Even the sole unpleasant moment was redeemed: after missing my plane back home, I stayed for the night in Santa Monica and enjoyed a wonderful stroll on the pier.