Update from IAAPA Europe

Earlier this year IAAPA hired Andreas Andersen to lead the association's European operations. In an effort to continually communicate with our European members, this is Andreas' first of what we here at "In the Queue" hope will be many updates from his office in Brussels:

What a week! Things are moving at high speed these days, and I have to run fast to keep up with everything happening.

First of all, EAS 2008-Munich is approaching, with less than a month to go. It is the first show I have had (a small) part in planning, and every day is a new learning experience. And while all the operational issues of EAS 2008 take up a good deal of my time, EAS Director of Operations Karen Staley and I are also working on the 2009 show. It is sometimes a little hectic, but altogether a lot of fun.

Munich will be great. The show is really coming together now. I am especially happy with the education program (even though it is really the EAS education committee and not me, who should be proud). The lineup of speakers is absolutely fantastic; the seminars have been planned within three distinctive tracks—safety, strategy, and profit—which should make it easy for all attendees to find the educational opportunities they want. Co-locating EAS with one of the biggest entertainment events in the world—the Munich Oktoberfest—will complement EAS perfectly. But it also means hotel rooms go fast. “Book, book, book!” is what we tell everybody.

And while EAS-Munich is approaching, I’ve also spent a lot of time working on the membership services for IAAPA Europe: improving the web site, addressing the right issues in Brussels, working on better European statistics, etc. Sometimes it is hard not being able to do everything at once, but every day we take a little step toward our goal of one strong voice in Europe. We’ll get there—no doubt about that!