I'm glad you could join me and almost 7,000 of your colleagues at the first AABB Annual Meeting & TXPO held outside the United States. This city is a remarkable venue, and I hope you can take some of your free time to explore its richness and beauty. This year's meeting offers many other “firsts” that we hope will help make the experience an exciting and rewarding one for you.

• A “sizzling topic” networking luncheon and more than 20 educational sessions will be devoted to cellular therapy. One of these programs will use instant-response technology to allow participants to compare their practices with other facilities.
• In this truly bilingual city, seven of the sessions this year will be translated simultaneously into French.
• AABB is doing its part in the worldwide “green” initiative by making changes that will have a positive impact on the environment.
  • Attendees will be able to donate extra show giveaways and hotel amenities to Community Kindness a la Montréal.
  • Reusable water bottles have replaced the plastic bottles typically used and discarded at the meeting. The new bottles can be replenished with fresh water available throughout the convention center.
  • Badge holders and tote bags are made from 50-percent recycled material.
  • This first issue of the AABB Annual Meeting News has been slimmed down to a smaller format and the second and third issues are being offered exclusively online.

• The opening session speaker, Lyn Heward, kicks off the meeting by sharing her experiences managing, guiding and channeling the creative force at Cirque du Soleil. Her anecdotes and images will provide practical suggestions on how to find and develop the unique spark within each of us.
• The educational program will offer more than 150 sessions addressing topics as diverse as radio-frequency identification, biovigilance, regenerative medicine and donor incentives—to name just a few.
• On the TXPO exhibit floor, which opens ceremoniously on Saturday, more than 200 vendors will display the latest products and services that support our profession.

We hope this combination of both new and familiar offerings will contribute to a successful meeting for each of you.