High interest forces delay in food safety symposium

High interest forces delay in food safety symposium

A surge in interest in a conference on protecting the U.S. food supply from terrorism and natural disasters has led its organizers to postpone the event until spring from its original November dates.
The Great Lakes Agro-Security Symposium was originally slated for Nov. 1-3 in downtown Milwaukee, with as many as 1,000 people expected from the Great Lakes region, including Canada, according to David Duecker, who, with the Wisconsin Procurement Institute, is helping to plan the event.
But Duecker said Monday that a strong response to initial publicity for the symposium, including publicity from an article on the Wisconsin Technology Network, was one factor that prompted the decision to delay the gathering.
Organizers became concerned that the original venue, the Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee, might not be able to handle the anticipated crowds. Other organizational issues arose, also, said Duecker, a State of Wisconsin employee who also is director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Homeland Security Partnership.
Deucker and the Procurement Institute are now considering dates in March for the symposium, which may be held at the Midwest Airlines Center, just across the street from the Hyatt. The Midwest Airlines Center is the main convention center in Milwaukee.
Read the original story on the symposium here: Milwaukee to host inaugural Great Lakes Agro-Security Symposium.