Jouvenaar, General Manager of De Ruwenberg assumes the position of President of the association's sixth chapter and the responsibility of promoting IACC and the conference centre concept throughout The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and other areas of continental Europe.    
 
An enthusiastic crowd of 150 clients, media, and local dignitaries enjoyed speeches, performances and a spectacular cocktail reception at Duin & Kruidberg Country Estate, a five-star castle hotel, restaurant and conference centre situated in the Zuid Kennemerland National Park, just outside Amsterdam. The reception was hosted by the members of the newly formed chapter. The chapter is made up of seven properties in The Netherlands and one in Belgium. 

Welcoming the guests in Dutch, IACC-Global President Stewart of Australia congratulated the charter members of the new chapter. "Our success has been built upon the quality standards that our members meet before becoming members" said Stewart referring the association's Universal Criteria. He continued, "these standards guarantee our customers a venue which is designed and operated for meetings with the latest technology and the best staff committed to making the meeting a success. Meeting planners around the world can be certain that an IACC property, regardless of the country, will provide them with a meeting environment, support and services that ensure the meeting's success".
 
Last year, The Global Board of Directors added conference center representatives in France and Japan to its ranks as part of its objective to strengthen and expand the association's presence around the world.  The Board elected Philippe Attia, Vice President of Operations Europe for Dolce International as a director to further expand IACC's presence in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands.The Board elected  Kozue Honda, General Manager at Benchmark Japan's Tokyo Conference Center Shinagawa, as a director to further expand the boundaries of IACC's global organization in the Pacific Rim and other parts of Asia.
 
New Executive Committee
 
At the Board meeting of IACC-Global, new officers were elected for the upcoming term which begins on January 1, 2007 and ends December 31, 2008. The new Executive Committee consists of Peter Stewart of the MGSM Executive Hotel & Conference Centre in New South Wales, Australia as President; Steen Broby-Rahr of Nordea Conference Centre Klarskovgaard in Denmark as Vice President and Tom Cappucci of University Place at IUPUI in the United States as Secretary-Treasurer.

Celebrating its Silver Anniversary, the International Association of Conference Centers, founded in 1981, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry. Active members meet a set of stringent  Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.

James M. Mahon
Global Director of Marketing & Public Relations
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION 
OF CONFERENCE CENTERS
914 548 5835 jmahon@iacconline.org
www.iacconline.org