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As countries of good will wage war on terrorism, IABC fights the good fight to win a righteous place for communicators at the executive table and to bring creativity, insight and truth to the words of businesses around the globe.

A rich professional education and inimitable sense of fraternity combined to keep the synapses firing at the annual IABC international conference in Chicago, June 9-12. Some 1,500 people from 35 countries descended on the Hyatt Regency, turning the hotel into a happy training camp for modern-day communication "soldiers." They emerged fortified and equipped for the challenges ahead.

In a greater effort to share the experience with those remaining at the home front, IABC introduced a new benefit this year. A squadron of volunteers blanketed the conference territory, shooting out rapid-fire notes and loading them onto the new and improved IABC web site. With precision and speed, a virtual library of highlights peppered the site daily. And there they still reside at http://store.yahoo.com/iabstore/conup.html.

Make no mistake, however. Staring at a light box, guiding a cursor and tapping on a keyboard are no substitute for human interaction, for the energy and camaraderie long embraced as hallmarks of this organization. Only by attending the conference do you experience hugs in the hallway, laughter in the lounges and whitecaps of smiles breaking across a great sea of faces at keynote sessions. Tiny enclaves of idea-sharing; problem-solvers at an exhibit booth; the hum of international good will; intimate dinner parties that make friends of strangers; a chance to put a face with a name or reconnect with an old colleague--these moments cannot be captured on the web. They have to be lived.

So what did you miss?

SUNDAY

At Sunday evening's opening session, sponsored by Deloitte & Touche, outgoing IABC Chairman John Clemons, ABC, APR, bounced onstage to the tune of "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." The troops thus revved, Clemons shared the news and spread the thank-you's around. The association welcomed 55 new accredited members since last June, he reported. On that list was IABC's own president, Julie Freeman, ABC, APR, who passed her accreditation exam a week before the conference. Kudos went to Wilma Mathews, ABC, and the program advisory committee for putting together an outstanding lineup of speakers; to the Chicago chapter hospitality task force chaired by Peg Wander; and to lead sponsor Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:25 AM