Dear Mr Ionita 

Centenary Conference - "Turning Ideas into Reality"
24-26 January 2008, Hong Kong Conference Centre, Hong Kong

I am writing to you as President to encourage you to join me at one of the most important events of 2007/2008, the Centenary Conference "Turning Ideas into Reality" which is being held in Hong Kong.

As I have been travelling around the branches in the UK and Ireland I have been asked various questions about the venue, cost and advantages of attending the conference and I would like to answer those questions.

The event will be held at one of the most amazing conference venues in Asia, the Hong Kong Conference Centre. Located on the magnificent and world renowned Victoria Harbour, it is the perfect backdrop for structural engineering's Centenary Conference. The scale and variety of structures in Hong Kong is unparalleled anywhere in the world and nearly three thousand of our members are in Hong Kong. Besides the structural engineering there are excellent shops, restaurants, sightseeing and sports facilities. For more information visit http://www.discoverhongkong.com/

Getting to the Conference couldn't be easier with Hong Kong's fantastic air links. For instance from the UK you could take a late evening flight on the Tuesday and return on the Saturday or Sunday evening. The Conference also represents exceptional value for money. The delegate fee is HK$3,800 or approximately £250 (about £65 if you are a Young Member), which is comparable with the cost of a one day course in the UK.

Great Opportunity

It goes almost without saying that a Centenary Conference is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and therefore it should not be missed! It is my opinion that all the papers will be excellent, but some of them will provide you with unique information such as:

• An opportunity to learn about construction opportunities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China at large.
• The development of genuinely sustainable cities.
• Light glass roofs and walls.
• Seismic research into, and design of, tall buildings in China.
• Design of long-span bridges.
• Risk, reliability and robustness, all of which are vital to those involved in the design and build market.
• Foundation/structure interaction, again in relation to robustness.
• The real response of structures to wind action.

In addition, the Conference offers a unique opportunity for networking and is an ideal opportunity to accrue three days' worth of CPD.

This letter is, therefore, to encourage you personally to come to the Hong Kong. You might consider bringing your spouse or partner with you and combine the Conference with a holiday. Overall, the event will be a great celebration for the Institution and the profession, and I'm really looking forward to being there. Join me at the Centenary Conference in 2008 by registering your place now. For more information and how to book visit istructe.org/centenary/conference