The International Conference on ISO 9000, slated for Feb. 28 through March 2, 2005, in Orlando, Florida, is seeking proposals for technical sessions and workshops.

The theme for next year’s conference is "Proven Strategies for Performance and Profit." The industries represented at the conference include a cross-section of aerospace, defense, government, automotive, service, public safety, chemicals, construction, electronics, telecommunications, energy, equipment, financial, food and beverages, health care, information technology, medical devices, metals, mining, agriculture, optical, pharmaceuticals, printing, public administration, recycling, rubber and plastic products, textiles and transportation organizations.

The technical committee in charge of developing the program is interested in proposals rich in practical information, proven strategies and lessons learned. Although technical presentations typically last 45 minutes, including question and answer sessions, the committee will consider presentations between 30 and 90 minutes in length. Workshops are typically four hours to three days. There is no limit to the type or number of proposals that parties may submit.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the technical committee for relevance, innovation, demonstrated application and technical content. Priority will be given to best practices and case studies that have resulted in measurable improvements to organizational processes and/or customer satisfaction.

Proposals should contain the following:

• Author’s name, title and organization. If there are multiple authors, list the principal author first.
• Full mailing address, telephone, fax and e-mail for each author listed
• Complete title of the presentation/workshop, limited to 60 characters
• An abstract not to exceed 500 words
• A biography of each author, not to exceed 500 words each
• Specification of audience target level: basic (beginner), intermediate (practitioner) or advanced (expert)
• Indication of the industry sector the presentation is best suited for, (i.e., general, manufacturing, service, government, automotive, aerospace, health care, finance, agriculture)
• For workshops, in addition to an abstract/workshop description and a biography, submit a one-page workshop outline with key learning objectives and indicate the optimum duration of the workshop (half, one, two or three days).

The submission deadline is Aug. 16. For a comprehensive description of the conference, click here. To submit your proposal electronically, send materials to John Gray by clicking here.