IAEM Board Meetings Canceled Following New York, Washington Terror Attacks; Will Be Rescheduled

(DALLAS, TX USA) The meetings of the Boards of IAEM, the IAEM Foundation, and IAEM Services, scheduled to be held this week beginning on Thursday, 13 September in Rancho Mirage, CA, were canceled following the attacks on Lower Manhattan and Washington, DC. The decision to cancel the meetings was taken immediately after word of the attacks reached IAEM on 11 September, and was made out of respect for the loss of life in the attacks, says IAEM President Steven Hacker, CAE. "As a practical matter, we also canceled because air travel wouldn'™t be back to normal for 72 hours after the attack, which would have prevented Board members from reaching the meetings." Board members were contacted immediately by IAEM staff to inform them that the meetings had been canceled. They will be rescheduled at a yet-to-be-determined date.

"Our expectation is that the exhibition industry, as well as all other American business, will resume normal operations, but with extremely heightened security," says IAEM Chair Bob Dallmeyer. "On that note, a new task force will be formed to update IAEM'™s ten-year-old publication, '˜Guidelines to Life/Safety in the Exposition Industry.'™ At least one, and perhaps several, security professionals will be involved in the work of the task force. More details will be forthcoming.

"Finally, I also want to extend my thanks and those of all of IAEM to those from other nations who have contacted us with their condolences and expressions of concern. We'™re extremely grateful for the support of all during this time," Dallmeyer says.

IAEM is the professional association for more than 3,600 individuals located in 45 nations involved in the management and support of the global exhibition industry. The Mission of IAEM is to promote the expansion of the exhibition industry by providing its members with education, and unique and essential services and resources through an international networking community. For more information, visit our web site at http://www.iaem.org.

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Gary Tufel
+1(972) 687-9226
gtufel@iaem.org