The Beijing Congress

The 22nd IIR International Congress of Refrigeration will be held in Beijing, China, on August 21-26, 2007. IIR congresses are held every 4 years in various parts of the world, showing the global influence of the IIR. The previous event was held in August 2003 in Washington DC, USA, and the next congress will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2011. The aims are twofold: -important statutory meetings are held: election of the Presidents of the General Conference, Executive Committee, Management Committee and Science and Technology Council; election of the Heads of sections and Presidents of the IIR's 10 commissions; election of the members of the Management Committee; -IIR congresses are the biggest events in the fields of refrigeration and air-conditioning technology. Roughly 5 IIR conferences are held each year, and the IIR co-organizes or co-sponsors about 8 conferences per year; these events are dedicated to certain applications or technologies. However, the congress is the only event dealing with all technologies and applications. It is thus an extraordinary forum for scientists and engineers from all over the world and from the entire refrigeration sector. Technical sessions, commission business meetings and workshops will be held in a parallel manner. The plenary presentations, technical tours and lunches will be for all participants and will allow attendees to set up new contacts and take on new ideas. Moreover, the plenary presentations will give you a taste of the festivities in store: -Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency, by Mr Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme; -Providing the Technology for the Future, by Mr Robert Wilkins, Chairman of ARI and President of Danfoss USA; -Refrigeration and Food Safety, by Mr Robert Heap, President of Cambridge Refrigeration Technology, United Kingdom; -Air conditioning, Indoor Climate Control and Human Comfort, by Prof. Yu Bingfeng, University of Xi'an, China; -Medical and Health Applications, by Dr Pavel Mericka, Head of the Tissue Bank at the University Hospital in Hradec Kralové, Czech Republic. Consult the full programme on the Congress Web site: www.icr2007.org This exciting scientific programme is by no means all the Congress has to offer: attendees will be able to take in sightseeing (pre- and post-Congress tours and an attractive accompanying persons' programme), cultural activities, banquet, presentation of awards… China has already become one of the most important countries in the world in refrigeration and air-conditioning science and technology. It has one of the richest cultures in the world. Over 2000 attendees are expected to attend the Beijing congress. Make sure you're one of them! By registering early, you will benefit from reductions and you are strongly encouraged to register before June 1, 2007. You will find practical information on the Congress Web site (www.icr2007.org) that is also accessible via the IIR's Web site: www.iifiir.org See you soon in China!