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<< back to the 2003 archive listing << Food Protection Trends COMMENTARY from the executive director “There is nowhere else that you can go to receive this much concise,
focused information on a broad range of subjects pertaining to food science!” New Orleans here wecome! As you know, IAFP 2003 is coming right up and begins on August 10 in New Orleans. This will be the first time in the Association’s history that we have met in New Orleans and we are looking forward to the new experiences that await us there. There is so much culture and history in the city of New Orleans. There are so many things to do and see to keep you busy in any spare time you can find or that will keep your traveling companions and family entertained during their stay in New Orleans. We hope that you are planning to be with us for IAFP 2003 – the Association’s 90th Annual Meeting. The program is fantastic and contains more than 500 presentations related to the science of food safety. There is nowhere else that you can go to receive this much concise, focused information on a broad range of subjects pertaining to food science! We are genuinely proud of this fact. In addition to the exciting program content, we have many opportunities for your socializing pleasure. We begin on Saturday afternoon with the New Member (and first time attendee) Reception. Everyone is welcome to attend. This is an informal time to get to know other active people in the Association and to learn about IAFP’s Committee and Professional Develop-ment Group (PDG) structure. Our Affiliate Educational Reception is also held on Saturday. It is designated for Affiliate Delegates and Officers and is designed to provide information that leads to improvement of our Affiliate organizations. The Committee meetings on Sunday offer an occasion for everyone interested in food science and safety to become engaged at the “grass-roots” level. Our PDGs meet to plan symposia for the next year’s Annual Meeting, so this is the place to begin your long-term involvement with IAFP. One specific PDG should be of interest to every Student Member of IAFP and that is, of course, the Student PDG. The student group organizes a luncheon on Sunday that is open to all Student attendees. It is an excellent way to meet fellow colleagues and establish life-long relationships! Sunday evening at 7 p.m., the Opening Session begins the 90th Annual Meeting. Our Cheese and Wine Reception sponsored by Kraft Foods follows from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The reception is held in the Exhibit Hall and is a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet friends, both old and new, and it offers the occasion to visit with our exhibitors in an informal, relaxed setting. Monday after the sessions, plan some time to stop in the Exhibit Hall for the Reception sponsored by DuPont Qualicon. We will have food and drink available to tide you over until the Monday Night Social. This reception allows for interaction between attendees and with our exhibitors. Monday Night’s Social at Mardi Gras World is one event that you absolutely cannot miss. This will be so much fun to visit the site where most Mardi Gras floats begin. Blain Kern’s Mardi Gras World is a work in progress, literally. You will see artists working on floats, stage props, movie set pieces and maybe even sculpted characters made for Walt Disney World attractions. Some of the floats are forty-feet long or longer! We want to extend our sincere thanks to IGEN International for their sponsorship of this event. Tuesday evening we have arranged for a dinner and jazz cruise on the Creole Queen Paddle-wheeler. Purchase of tickets for this event helps to support the IAFP Foundation whose monies directly sustain the many projects sponsored by the Foundation. This will be an opportunity to see New Orleans in a unique way and enjoy some good Dixieland Jazz. Our final social event is the Awards Banquet held on Wednesday evening. This is a time to gather to honor and recognize the 2003 Award recipients and their accomplishments. It is an excellent way to conclude the Annual Meeting and serves as encouragement to others to do their best and contribute to IAFP during their careers. One last item I want to mention is our daytime tours. On Sunday we have the New Orleans Super City Tour, Monday is a Swamp & Bayou Tour, Tuesday is our River Road Plantation Tour and on Wednesday, don’t miss the New Orleans School of Cooking Tour. Descriptions of these tours and our evening events are shown on page 612. There you have it — a short summary of IAFP 2003. If you can only attend one conference per year, make it IAFP 2003 to keep up-to-date on issues in food science and safety. We hope to see you in New Orleans next month! |