The International Symposium of Staphylococci and Staphylococcal Infections is a biennial conference that brings together clinicians who treat staphylococcal infections in the community and in hospitals, veterinary microbiologists who study staphylococcal infections in animals, and basic scientists who study pathogenesis of infection and the biology of staphylococci. Over 430 delegates from 24 countries met in the historic Assembly Rooms in Bath, UK. Sessions comprised keynote lectures along with short talks by junior investigators chosen from submitted abstracts. This article reviews several important developments in the field that were discussed at the conference.