Dear Friends,

Abe Gubegna, the famous Ethiopian novelist coined the acclaimed proverb “Every day in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running”. 

35 years have passed since this was penned yet one would be hard-pressed to find a more narrative portrayal of the unique time, from the world business point of view, in which we are living. No, we don’t refer to the current economic crisis. It came, likely we are yet to feel its full strength but it will eventually go. We are referring to the era we live in - the “Racing Era.”

The services Kenes renders its clients are famous for their high quality, be it on site or during long office hours; be it for a congress or the association executive boards. Kenes is known for its motto “we deliver – no matter what the challenge is” and rightfully so. This and other advantages have made us a market leader today. Tomorrow’s challenges, however, are greater and yet to be explored, understood and solved.

Today’s competitive advantages are the industry’s standards of tomorrow. As leaders and initiators, we relentlessly need to explore and create new competitive advantages. We ought to propose that clients take directions they may not know are vitally important for their future. Being the leader is not a simple challenge ─ the lion not only needs to run faster and faster, but also in the right direction!

Kenes has changed over the last five years. We are constantly evolving and will continue to do so. Together, we need to envisage the path of tomorrow and lead the way to it. We will have to rapidly follow directions others have found and offer even better services and qualities to continue flourishing.

Rest assured Kenes International has the very best mechanisms in place to ensure that our clients benefit from our investment in new services and technologies.
Whether it is answering today’s challenges or tomorrow’s we come fully equipped to ensure that both our clients and personnel are able to start each day running.

Best Wishes,

Dan Rivlin Managing Director Kenes International   E-mail: drivlin@kenes.com

Avi Rosner, CPA Co-Managing Director Kenes International   Email: arosner@kenes.com

Charlotte Boskila - Congress Destination Sourcing Manager

A native of Manchester, England, Charlotte joined our Business Development Dept in 2005. Increasingly apparent was the need to provide our long term clients with detailed site selection reports for future congress locations and venues. Our experience showed that the process of optimal venue sourcing was and continues to be a dominant factor in the success of the congress and the final surplus for the client. With this in mind, we formed in 2008 the Congress Destination Sourcing Department to which Charlotte was tasked with managing and developing into a high level added value resource.

We asked Charlotte a few questions about her department.

Kenes International is delighted to have Charlotte head up this unit and share with you a very brief outline into the workings and views of our Congress Destination Sourcing Department.

Kenes International Welcomes New Long-Term Client!

Kenes International is delighted to welcome the following association to our list of well respected clients.
Long Term Congress Services:

• The International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR), starting with the
  1st International Congress on Abdominal Obesity (Hong Kong, April 28-30, 2010).

Kenes International is committed to ensuring the continued success of this association and its respective congresses and we look forward to a beneficial and long term relationship.
If you would like further details on how Kenes International as your Core Professional Congress Organizer and Association Management Specialists can help develop and strengthen your congress and/or association please contact us below for further details:

Daphna Loebl
Director, Business Development
Email: dloebl@kenes.com

Green Update

In addition to our “In House” Green initiatives we are delighted to be a part of the Green Congress workgroup at IAPCO.

Indeed we feel very privileged to be a part of such a proactive IAPCO initiative with many of our friends and colleagues whom are as passionate about these issues and challenges as we are here at Kenes International. 

We look forward to contributing to forthcoming IAPCO green congress workshops with the common goal of creating “Green Congress” guidelines that will ensure that our core business activities truly address the needs of our clients in adherence to responsible and achievable goals in environmental sustainability. 

Congress in Focus: 2nd International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD)

Kenes again proved itself a leader and initiator with its new Self prepaid registration stands initiated at the ATTD Conference in Athens. The process enables individual participants who have already registered at the congress to scan the barcode appearing on their confirmation letter and automatically print their badges and tickets to the various congress functions.
Once the initial registration rush is over, some of the stands are converted and used to print certificates of attendance. In addition to these features, sophisticated reports can be produced at any point during the congress to view how many participants have arrived, how many are expected to attend each specific session, etc.

Self prepaid registration stands used at the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes February 25-28, 2009 in Athens, Greece.

This process not only saves a great deal of time in queues at the registration desk since printing is done within seconds, however in addition, paper is saved as only the people attending the congress receive their badges, thus contributing to the company’s efforts in leading green initiatives. A supplementary benefit in reduced production of plastics and airfreight cargo makes an additional contribution in reducing the overall carbon foot print of the congress.

Overall, the “experiment” passed with flying colors. Feedback from the congress noted that the participants were pleased to use the system, were very surprised with the speed of the material being printed automatically, and did not have to queue.

Spotlight on Hamburg

Surrounded by scenic lakes, canals and the graceful Elbe River, Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany with a population of 1.74 million inhabitants which spans over 755 square kilometers. This lively city boasts over 64 km of canals and 2302 bridges, more than Venice and Amsterdam combined, and is an undeniable beauty situated on the North Sea.
The city took its name from the first permanent building on the site, castle Hammaburg, which was ordered to be built by Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD.  Centuries later, since 1842 the Elbe River has been navigable by commercial vessels and has provided important trade links as far inland as Prague.  Its proximity to trade routes quickly made Hamburg a major port in northern Europe and Hamburg is now known to be the largest harbor city in Germany and the second largest in all of Europe. 
Hamburg’s mercantile background is reflected in the city's architecture with exclusive houses and villas surrounded by greenery, which were once home to merchants and captains.  The citizen's parliament and the senate are housed in the “Rathaus” (town hall), a neo-renaissance styled structure which showcases an eclectic mixture of various architectural styles and epochs in its interior. 
Known for giving the Beatles a start in their musical career in the early 1960s, Hamburg boasts 31 theatres, 6 music halls, 10 cabarets and 50 state and private museums, making it a cultural hub in Germany.  The City of Hamburg offers something for everyone, from shopping, fine dining, music and cultural events to the famed Fish Market (since 1703), lively bars and a vibrant nightlife.

Flying into Hamburg is fairly easy; its international airport has flights to and from 130 destinations, though most of these are within Germany or Europe, particularly Scandinavia. Hamburg Airport is served by commuter train lines, connecting it to the city center in about 30 minutes The city is well served by trains, with no less than four train stations and there are hourly trains to Lübeck, Kiel, Bremen, Frankfurt and Munich.

The Congress Center Hamburg located in the very heart of the city of Hamburg about 20 minutes drive from the airport and is surrounded by parks and green spaces. The congress center is also connected to the first class Radisson SAS hotel which has over 560 rooms and suites. Due to the Congress Center’s central location, it is served by the majority of public transportation options which include the S and U Bahn and the city, metro and express buses.

Hamburg is pleased to be hosting the 50th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Research in October 2009 as well as the 78th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress  in 2010!  

Auf ein Wiedersehen in Hamburg würden wir uns freuen!

Around 25,000 participants (*excluding Agritech) will attend our upcoming congresses (May– August 2009)

For further details on our future congresses, please visit our website:
http://www.kenes.com/congresses.asp