The International Vacuum Congress is IUVSTA’s (the International Union of Vacuum Science, Technique, and Application) main meeting that has been held every three years (more or less) since 1959! The meeting see’s around 1200-1500 participants and has a vibrant exhibition of around 80-120 vendors. It brings together the entire community of scientists, engineers, teachers, sales people, industrialists that work in areas that are connected directly with, or are heavily influenced by, the science and technology of vacuum. The meeting has become a hub and celebration of the enabling of modern technology, from medical and food technologies and science, through to quantum computing, and space flight (for example current plasma thrusters for deep space flight). The congress can be seen therefore as the thread that pulls together some of the most important scientific developments and many of the exciting technologies being worked on in Australia and abroad.