Christmas Message To Fellows

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Academy I wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

May I take the opportunity to remind you that the annual meeting of the Academy will be held in Vancouver, Canada from Wednesday 2 September to Sunday 6 September 2009.

The conference venue is The Sutton Place Hotel.  A hotel reservation form will be available shortly.  In the meantime, for those who want to plan early, direct online reservations may be made now by following the link to https://www.suttonplace.com/fg/default.asp  and quoting the group booking code VC090831INT.  Please note that although the conference rate may appear higher than the standard rate on the hotel website it includes breakfast and all taxes (which are not shown in the advertised rate) and is in fact a special IAML rate.

For those wishing to extend their stay, pre- and post-conference tours including Alaskan cruises, wilderness safaris, the  Rocky Mountaineer train, Vancouver Island and a range of other enticing options will be available.  Further details will be announced in January.

I hope to see as many as possible of you in Vancouver in September. 

For those who cannot make it, the other Academy meetings for the year are:

• The US Chapter meeting in San Antonio, Texas from 4 - 7 March 2009;
• The European Chapter meeting in Stockholm, Sweden from 6 - 10 May 2009.

Information about both meetings can be found on the IAML website www.iaml.org.

There is little doubt that the global situation will make 2009 an interesting and challenging year.  I hope, however, that whatever challenges it brings, it is also professionally and personally rewarding for all of us.

With warmest regards,

Ian Kennedy AM
President