Representatives of the Australasian Sleep Association were in Salt Lake City, USA recently promoting the destination of Cairns, Australia to attract North American sleep scientists to attend ‘worldsleep07’ being held at the Cairns Convention Centre in September 2007.

The quadrennial Congress of the World Federation of Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine Societies (WFSRSMS) will be hosted by the Australasian Sleep Association (ASA).

Executive Organising Committee Co-chair Professors John Wheatley and Ron Grunstein said worldsleep07 is expected to attract up to 2,500 delegates from over 60 countries and six continents.

"The meeting will bring together the world's leading basic and clinical sleep researchers, clinicians, sleep technologists, students and industry in the WFSRSMS’s first quadrennial congress in the Asia-Pacific region. The Cairns Convention Centre is a world-class meetings venue located in a tropical paradise and we are looking forward to a very exciting meeting", Professor Wheatley said.

Stephanie Blower, ASA Executive Secretary travelled to Salt Lake City armed with hundreds of giveaway clip-on koalas to raise awareness of worldsleep07 at a recent North American convention for sleep specialists.

"Our activities certainly created strong interest from the US delegates with many already committed to attend, and many others being attracted by the Great Barrier Reef ", Stephanie said.

"One American company already has a competition running that their top representatives for the year would win the trip to man their trade exhibition in Cairns - a great idea", said Ms Blower.

The World Federation of Sleep Research & Sleep Medicine Societies aims to encourage international collaborations, facilitate the generation and dissemination of information, and increase public awareness of the importance of sleep research and the impact of sleep disorders.

The WFSRSMS is made up of 7 member societies, who represent more than 10,000 sleep scientists, physicians, and trainees, from over 60 nations and six continents.