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Dear WBF Members and Supporters,For the first time in many years, Interphex has moved from New York City to another location. As a result, for the first time ever, Interphex will be in the same city during the same week as our 15th annual conference near Philadelphia. The WBF conference will be held March 24-26, 2008 in the historic Valley Forge area of Philadelphia. Interphex will be March 26-28 in the Philadelphia Convention Center, allowing WBF conference attendees to attend the WBF technical conference and still have plenty of time to attend the Interphex show and conference. The theme of WBF 2008 is "Shaping the Future of Manufacturing," a reminder of the many manufacturing “firsts” that have resulted from past WBF conferences. ISA-95 and the Make2Pack working groups will give attendees a greater understanding of current and upcoming manufacturing management, integration, control methods and technologies. There will be optional tutorials on the afternoon of Monday, March 24, followed by an evening networking reception. For the first time in North America, the conference will run for two full days (Tuesday and Wednesday). This is the same format we have used for several years with our very successful European conferences. In another innovation, we will close this conference on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 26 with an outstanding speaker: Industry pioneer Pat Kennedy – the founder and owner of OSISoft – followed by a buffet reception. Many of our members are associated with pharmaceutical manufacturers or other companies linked with the pharmaceutical industry and will want to attend the Interphex Show as well as our conference. Because of the extent of that show and the handy access to the airport from center city, others may want to join them. Our staff is working with Interphex to see if there are topics and presentations that can be co-hosted by either organization and is planning to arrange transportation from the conference hotel to the Philadelphia Convention Center so members can attend both events without the hassle of parking or the need to find other transportation. We have already received some outstanding abstracts, but we can always use more, so please continue submitting them. Also, we need volunteers to review the abstracts and papers, so again, please let us know if you would be willing to help. Joining is quick and easy – so join today! If you’re already a member, think about participating in any of the technology or working committees. Watch this space for more information as we firm up our plans for 2008. For more information on the NA Conference, click here. Sincerely, |