Elevcon Visits the Americas for the First Time

Details about the Elevcon congress to be held in Miami Beach, Florida, in May 2012

The Elevcon congress will be held in Miami Beach, Florida, at the Deauville Beach Resort Congress Center on May 22-24, 2012. Since 1986, Elevcon has traditionally been held every two years in a different location in Europe. During these years, Elevcon took place in Europe’s most exciting cities. From time to time, the International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE) has organized Elevcon in the Far East but never in the Americas. The following cities have hosted the congress:

• 1986: Nice, France
• 1988: Karlsruhe, Germany
• 1990: Rome
• 1991: Amsterdam
• 1993: Vienna
• 1995: Hong Kong
• 1996: Barcelona
• 1997: Shanghai
• 1998: Zurich
• 2000: Berlin
• 2001: Singapore
• 2002: Milan
• 2003: Beijing and Barcelona
• 2004: Istanbul
• 2006: Helsinki
• 2008: Thessaloniki, Greece
• 2010: Lucerne, Switzerland

Elevcon Structure

The traditional structure of Elevcon is three days of intensive paper presentations from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with two coffee breaks and one lunch break. Two evenings share a social program, and one evening is free. One afternoon may be arranged for a professional tour in the area. There is one session at a time in a single hall so that no important presentation must be chosen over another. However, during daytime sessions, a small exhibition concurrently takes place in a hall next to the main congress room, while a poster session on additional papers is held. At some events, an IFEX satellite session has been added to encourage direct business contacts with the host country.

IFEX Seminars

The IFEX seminar is a networking/study event for managers, marketing and sales executives of the vertical-transportation industry. Its principal is in arranging meetings between visitors (international executives) and the local industry for creating business relations, and studying the local market.

The first IFEX seminar took place in Hong Kong (1995) as a parallel activity to Elevcon. The second was prepared by the Spanish group headed by J. Jimenez in Barcelona (1996). The third and the largest took place in Shanghai (1997) and included table displays, as well as a “business card exchange” session. Publications that included presented papers were prepared for all three events.

Elevcon Organization and Paper Selection

The foundation of the Elevcon content structure was laid by IAEE’s first chairman, Dr. Gina Barney, who held the position for many years. Since 1998, the title has been held by Eng. Ami Lustig of Israel. IAEE’s president is John Inglis of Australia. IAEE has always been involved in paper selection for the congress. Proposals of papers are sent to the chairman, then reviewed and graded by all committee members. Those whose papers earn the highest grades are accepted as speakers for sessions. Some of the other papers are selected for the poster session. All the accepted papers (oral presentations and poster sessions) are printed in the congress book. One each is distributed to all participants, with a small balance offered for sale at the end of the congress.

Elevcon USA

For many years, there have been constant requests to organize an Elevcon in the U.S. Colleague assistance and the endorsement of ELEVATOR WORLD have led to the decision to hold the 2012 event in Miami. This 19th IAEE world congress is managed by Lustig, Inglis, George Gibson (IAEE Executive Board), R. Howkins (Ove Arup & Partners, U.K.), A.T.P. So (City University, Hong Kong), Joseph Stier (IAEE Administrative Board), Sefa Targit (ASRAY, Turkey), John Antona (Building Department Miami Beach, U.S.) and Robert S. Caporale (EW, U.S.).

Registration

Elevcon registration is purchased in the form of a “participant package” that includes a bag, badge, book of proceedings, all coffee breaks, welcome reception, daily luncheons, dinner program, congress material, access to all sessions and a three-day pass to visit the exhibition. The “accompanying person package” omits the bag, badge, book, congress material and access to sessions.

Exhibition

The exhibition, designed for a limited number of stands, will be open during all congress sessions. The exhibition hall is next to the main congress hall and coffee-break area. The poster session will also be held in this area.

Accommodation

The Deauville Beach Resort is located between the South Beach/Art Deco District and Bal Harbour, 12 miles from Miami International Airport and 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The shops of Bal Harbour, Aventura Mall, Lincoln Road Mall and the Miami Beach Convention Center are just minutes away. Nearby country clubs include Normandy Shores Golf Club, Bayshore Golf Course and Doral Championship Courses. There is also a nearby parrot jungle, aquarium, zoo and gambling.

The resort features 484 newly renovated and refurbished guestrooms, including 10 spacious suites, with panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Over 75,000 sq. ft. of indoor function space, including three ballrooms and 20 breakout rooms, make the locale diversified enough to handle events with 2,000-plus participants.

Elevcon has reserved a block of rooms for the convenience of participants at the Deauville Hotel. Reservations are possible using the “Accommodation Form” at website: www.elevcon.com. For late registrants, there are several hotels within a reasonable distance from the congress venue; however, since it will be during the busy season and the block of rooms may be limited, early bookings are encouraged.

For more information, contact the exhibition secretariat at fax: (44) 870-1300790 or e-mail: iaee@elevcon.com, or visit website: www.elevcon.com.