The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) has elected a new committee to steer the association through the next two years, anticipated to be a period of dynamic change and growth.

The new committee was ratified at the ABPCO Annual General Meeting, held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, on 7th July 2006.

The new committee members have been drawn from a variety of PCO companies and organisations across the UK, reflecting the wide membership of ABPCO.  Between them they have some 75 years' experience of conference and event management.

Headed by Jonathan Wilson, managing director of Healthcare Events, who has become ABPCO Chair, the other committee members comprise:

• Uta Boeger-Brown, proprietor of Biomedex Conference & Exhibition Management Services in Scotland
• Lesley Maltman, managing director of Ovation Group in Belfast
• Cecilia Slinn, managing director of Slinn McCarthy Strategic Business Events based in Shropshire
• Sharon Moncur, director of Professional Conference and Project Management in Surrey

ABPCO, as the only UK conference association with a membership drawn entirely from PCOs, and which has strict conditions for membership, is growing rapidly. It now has 58 Full and 22 Associate members.  Between them, ABPCO members organise some 2,000 conferences and events annually.

Commenting on the election of the new committee, Jonathan Wilson said: "We will be building on the work of our predecessors to develop ABPCO into an association focused on helping its members organise events even more successfully, and to assist them and their staff to enhance their personal skills and expertise."