The world“s leading conference on glass and solar technology, the Glass Performance Days, is now ready for launch in South America. The first GPD event on this continent will be staged in early May 2…
The world“s leading conference on glass and solar technology, the Glass Performance Days, is now ready for launch in South America. The first GPD event on this continent will be staged in early May 2010. The GPD organization is also gearing up for a continuation of its successful traditions in both China and Finland. GPD China is scheduled for June 2010 and the 12th GPD Finland Conference for June 2011. The Calls for Papers for Brazil and China are now open. The way to recovery from the economic downturn on world markets largely goes through new initiatives and ideas that improve efficiency, economy and environmental care, says Jorma Vitkala, Chairman of the Glass Performance Days Organizing Committee. The combined competencies of solar and glass technology are particularly promising in the support of sustainable development. We saw how this concept supported us at the 11th GPD in Tampere last summer and we believe firmly that the need for new innovative solutions has only grown since. We feel special excitement about our launch in Brazil, a huge and promising market. The international confidence in this leading South American country was recently displayed as Rio de Janeiro was chosen for the first Olympic Games ever to be held in South America. For the launch in Brazil GPD has teamed up with the organizers of the Glass South America trade fair, the Nrnberg Messe. GPD South America in Sao Paolo is set for 6-7 May 2010. We have very good experiences from teaming up with professional organizers of complimentary events, Jorma Vitkala says. The GPD on the other hand brings the special elements of professional sessions in the hottest application areas of glass. The technical and forward looking nature of the GPD is an excellent opportunity to monitor the development of markets and trends and also to meet with the specialists who shape them. Brazil as a country and South America as a continent have vast growth potential and the demand for intelligent glass solutions is on a strong growth path. The first GPD South America (GPD SAME) will focus on new glass technologies, solar and design. Special emphasis will be put on the issue of how to improve the profitability of a glass company supplying architectural, solar & automotive solutions. The Call for Papers brochure for GPD SAME can be downloaded from www.gpd.fi. Abstracts are requested by 15 January 2010. The GPD tradition in China continues in 2010. As before GPD China is organized in conjunction with the China Glass Exhibition 2-3 June 2010. GPD“s partner in the arrangements is The China Building Materials Academy. GPD China alternates between the cities of Beijing and Shanghai with Beijing the venue in 2010. The Conference theme of GPD China 2010 is Architectural Glass & Solar Applications. Proposals for practical workshops are also invited. These will be held one day after the Conference, 4 June 2010. China is a market growing very fast and there is a special interest for energy-efficiency in building solutions,Jorma Vitkala comments. GPD brings state-of-the-art expertise to China for presentation and dialogue with the decision-makers who are in charge of implementing China“s ambitious development goals. The previous GPD China conference was sold out and we expect a participation of some 400 professionals in June next year, Vitkala forecasts. The Call for Papers brochure for GPD China can be downloaded from www.gpd.fi. Abstracts are requested by 16 December 2009. GPD Tampere is scheduled for 17-20 June 2011. The every-second year conference returns to its hometown for the 12th Conference at Midsummer time. Cooperation with industries, universities, consultants and researchers continues in the traditional fashion. Last June we had a very strong attendance in recording 845 participants from 55 countries despite the uncertainty caused by the economic recession, Jorma Vitkala says. Some 70% of attendees represented architecture and construction. This fine turnout was mainly due to the hands-on effective nature of the conference and the choice of the lead theme solar energy. This quickly growing sector has a lot to offer and the glass industry is actively participating in utilizing its energy-generation potential. The special architects“ sessions also contributed to our success as industry and designers were able to look into their respective worlds in a very efficient exchange of information. Participation at Tampere has traditionally been in the order of 1,000 and we see no reason why that should not be the case in 2011 as well, Vitkala says.