On behalf of the Executive Board of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, it is my pleasure to invite you to attend our 42nd Annual Meeting.  The Annual Meeting has a long tradition of providing a forum for global experts to present and discuss the latest developments in the application of electrical technology to industry.  The breadth of topics at the Annual Meeting provides many opportunities for attendees to improve their knowledge and technical skills.  Attendees always have many things to see and learn.   

The New Orleans Local Committee has hosted many IEEE conferences and has extensive experience in organizing successful meetings.  The 2007 IEEE IAS Annual Meeting will be one of the best ever.

Conference Welcome from the May/June 2007 Issue of
IEEE Industry Applications Magazine:

On behalf of the IEEE Industry Applications Society and the 2007 Conference Local Committee, I would like to extend to each of you an invitation to attend the 2007 IAS Conference which will be held from September 23 to 27, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The Local Committee is looking forward to working with the IAS to host an outstanding event, one that you will certainly want to take part in.  New Orleans has a long history of hosting outstanding conferences (some of you may have attended the last IAS Conference here in 1997, and know what I mean).  We are determined that this Conference will be memorable for its excellence and the enjoyment had by those who attend.

Of course, as all of you know New Orleans and its surroundings were hard hit by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005.  And you may have seen news stories that the recovery was slow getting started.  However, the recovery has now hit its stride and the pace is accelerating.  Moreover, the areas of New Orleans that are of most interest to visitors were among the least damaged parts of the city.  The French Quarter, the Aquarium, the Garden District, and the Central Business District are all on high ground along the Mississippi River and therefore were spared most or all of the flooding that so devastated much of the rest of the city.  These areas were opened soon after the storm and are now nearly or completely restored to their pre-Katrina operations.  Unfortunately, the Hyatt Hotel, originally scheduled as the Conference venue, is undergoing a complete and lengthy renovation and will likely not be available in time.  Therefore, the Conference has been moved to the Sheraton Hotel in the middle of downtown New Orleans.  The Sheraton is located on the high ground which was not flooded by Katrina and the hotel has been restored to full operation for some time.  It is conveniently located to the French Quarter, Aquarium, and other major areas of interest to visitors and is an excellent conference venue. Most or all of the other hotels in the area are also restored to full operation.  Moreover, many new and exciting projects are beginning which should make New Orleans even more attractive to visitors than it has been in the past.  Most importantly, New Orleans is emerging from this travail with its charm and sense of joie de vivre undiminished.

The Local Committee is working with the IAS to make sure that all of our visitors have a most memorable and enjoyable visit to our city.  Of course, the Technical Program will provide the high-quality sessions IAS attendees are used to, as well as a great selection of tutorials.  And the traditional IAS social program will provide the opportunity for people to meet old friends and new colleagues.  The Local Committee is committed to providing an outstanding array of spouse activities.  New Orleans is historically a favorite location for spouses to visit, and we want to make sure that the companions of attendees enjoy their visit as much as the conferees.  We are also working to develop a series of tutorials and workshops that will be targeted toward engineers working in local industry, but may also be of interest to Conference attendees in the field.  Working with the IAS Conference Committee and others involved in organizing this event, we are confident that the 2007 Conference will meet or exceed all of your expectations.

Therefore, please begin planning now to visit us in the new New Orleans.  We will do our best to make it a great event for each and every one of you.  And, as we say here in the Crescent City, “Laissez les bon temps roulez!”  (Let the good times roll!)

                            Francis Grosz
                            Local Committee Chair