TheFormula_Volume_17_Iissue_1_web

REPORT FROM AOAC INTERNATIONAL MEETING
Attending the Annual Meeting and exposition of AOAC-International
is an excellent opportunity for anyone involved with field and lab work,
to meet with peers, speak with a huge number of poster-session
authors, and take time with vendors.
The most important event is the meeting with other local Section reps
from around the world. Before the big event, a questionnaire is sent
out. Asking MidCanada peers for input is good, if the designated
attendee is new to how we run our spring AOAC Day. While attending this meeting, you will have
an opportunity to listen to dozens of other reps, and ask questions for an hour or two. By sharing
business cards with the folks you meet here, you can keep on sharing long into the future.
You should consider bringing a poster of your own. If your work is presented, you will find other
folks with questions or information to offer you. I did this on my first visit to AOAC-I.
There are many concurrent technical sessions. Before you go, peruse all the titles, and plan each
day. Like most folks, you can walk from one tech session to another down the hall. The vendor hall
lasts 2 full days of the 4 day event. The morning and afternoon breaks are often held in the vendor
hall, so you can enjoy a snack or coffee. while chatting with the vendor of your choice. You may
find a morning or lunchtime vendor talk on a topic in a field which interests you. These often
include food and the opportunity for lots of questions. They are definitely worth getting up early
for. Unlike my last visit to PittCon, the vendors are mostly relevant to what you do, and you can
walk past every display and talk to most in less than a day.
If you have an interest in the finer points of lab management, there are evening sessions you won't
want to miss. Meet lots of other folks with similar interests, and the AOAC volunteers who put
together the glossy magazines on the topic.
Bring lots of business cards, and work questions. Do your homework and plan for the best
conference you will find next year. For the first time, the 2018 meeting will be in Toronto, so you
need not cross into the USA to attend. AOAC-I offers discounted rooms in the host hotel, or you
can ride the subway from any where in the big city, if you want to save money.
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