Earlier this year, EAS President Justin Pennington announced our move to the Crowne Plaza Princeton-Conference Center and Hotel in the Princeton area. The move from Somerset, after more than 25 years, may have been a surprise to regular attendees but it had been planned for some time. While we valued the relationships we had built with the staff at the hotels and exhibit center, we thought that the GSEC was no longer an adequate space for our exposition.   Large exhibits at scientific conferences like EAS, where instrument vendors would demo their newest equipment, seem to be a thing of the past.  Vendors now view scientific conferences as venues to reconnect with customers and meet potential new clients.  They no longer need a traditional booth.  Well into our planning, and only weeks after the public announcement from EAS, we learned that the GSEC was closing in the summer of 2017! There was a collective sigh of relief within the organizing committee that we already had a new home!

The Crowne Plaza is a modern facility with large meeting space that will allow EAS to host all activities under one roof. We expect that this will facilitate the flow between program rooms, and the exposition, giving all attendees a more pleasant experience.  An added advantage is the proximity of Princeton, with its great attractions and restaurants, for accompanying family members.

All the committees are working together to make sure everything is ready for November. We all look forward to welcoming the EAS community to Princeton.

Anne-Françoise Aubry