Conventions

Montreal: SIAL Canada

mrmaladapted — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:32:05 +0000

April 30 – May 2, 2013. SIAL Canada is North America’s Premier Agri-food Event, aka “The North American Food Marketplace”. Delegates were there to learn about local, regional and national products from Canada and 45 different countries, all under one roof. A keynote offered insights on consumer shopping, buying and media consumption behaviors and attitudes, to provide foodstuffs manufacturers and retailers with strategic visions to facilitate brand, category and retail sales growth. Another keynoter became inspired to help other people feel better after overcoming her own health challenges through the healing power of food. Delegates heard about a culinary tourism plan for Ontario that brings people and businesses together across agriculture, specialty food processors, wineries, tourism, chefs, foodservice and culinary schools. Also discussed were projects to improve childhood food practices in schools and hospital contexts. Who knew food could do you so much good…?

Atlanta: Coverings

mrmaladapted — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:29:48 +0000

April 29 – May 1, 2013. Coverings is billed as “the ultimate stone and tile experience”, and is known for connecting the people, products, innovations and education that go to make up the tile & stone industry. (The visual motif you saw everywhere was silhouette people made of tile and floor-covering patterns, all cheerfully chatting and shaking hands — or is that shaking tiles?) With more than 20,000 professionals attending Coverings 2013, there were plenty of new business leads and contacts to be made, for input into a variety of tile- or stone- related topics. Visitors could observe creative masterpieces being constructed onsite at Coverings, when NTCA Five Star contractors and Atlanta-area design firms were partnered to showcase the synergy between beautiful design and professional installation. You could watch a bar/lounge, hotel lobby, inpatient room in a women’s birthing center and a master bathroom being created from inception to completion right on the show floor. Whoops, don’t slip on those tiles…!

Chicago: Bio International

mrmaladapted — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:29:29 +0000

April 22-25, 2013. The annual BIO International Convention claims to be the largest global event for the biotechnology industry anywhere. The convention attracts the big names in biotech, offers partnering opportunities and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the biotechnology industry. Policymakers, legislators, regulators and public officials all seem to concur that BIO International is the important venue to meet and exchange high-level dialogue with industry leaders, U.S. public policy officials, and representatives from more than 60 other countries. The convention offers a string of events designed to explore technology and policy solutions to global challenges, applying approaches that encourage innovation, investment and growth. The range of healthcare topics treated includes Recombinant DNA, Immunogenicity, Enrichment Strategies, and the latest FDA Draft Guidance on Electronic Source Data in Clinical Investigations. All the above was plainly generating “healthy” interest…

Philadelphia: Light Fair International

mrmaladapted — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:53:26 +0000

April 23-25, 2013. LFI stands for LightFair International, and it brings you “the future, illuminated”. LFI purports to be the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference, attracting over 23,000 design, lighting, architectural, design, engineering, energy, facility and industry professionals from around the world. It is dedicated to bringing together top international and domestic professionals in Architecture, Design, Engineering, Energy and Lighting, pairing them off with lighting exhibitors fromthe global market. 500 of the world’s leading manufacturers showcased products in over 200,000 square feet of exhibits, including Specialty Luminaires, Daylighting products & services, Lampholders and Switches, Meters, Mounting Devices, Light Sources, Exterior Luminaires, Lighting Control components and Solar products & solutions. No-one was left in the dark…

Orlando: NAA

mrmaladapted — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:53:05 +0000

April 14-17, 2013. The NAA is the Newspaper Association of America, and their conference goes by the name of NAA MediaXchange. Some revolutionary ideas were tabled, such as “Newspapers should do away with the notion of circulation departments, and instead recast the divisions working to distribute and sell their products as audience development”. There was a Youth Engagement Symposium, addressing the industry’s concern that young people have very little appetite for newspapers, or indeed news itself in the conventional sense, (leaving aside hot stories like Justin Bieber fans assaulting their idol on-stage). “When it comes to engaging youth, being accessible and relevant are key”, we heard. “Most newspapers have already adapted to the new model of delivering news through digital and mobile platforms. Being in front of younger audiences is critical, but keeping them interested and providing them with pertinent information is not always easy”. Oh look, a skate-boarding chipmunk…!