The 65th Annual Symposium of the International Association for Vegetation Science – IAVS 2023 – will be held from Sunday 3rd to Friday 8th September 2023 at Opal Cove, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The symposium theme is ‘The Future of Vegetation in the 22nd Century’. Given the stark manifestations of climate change in recent years, both globally and in Australia, IAVS 2023 presents an important opportunity for the world’s vegetation scientists to meet, take stock of recent events and recalibrate predictions about the prospects for the world’s vegetation by the 22nd century.