Welcome talk to the European XFEL Users' Meeting 2021. Includes: status 2020; outlook for 2021; COVID-19 impact on the 2020 operation of European XFEL; accumulated RAW data volume during COVID-19; statistics on beamtime to users; 2021 operation schedule; “7-Eleven mode” of operation; COVID impact on user programme for 2021; Data Operations Centre; launch of European XFEL Guest House.