ADVISORY, April 28, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) --
WHAT: The 25th International Association of Ports and Harbors
(IAPH) World Ports Conference Welcoming Dinner and
Celebration
WHEN: Sunday, April 29, 2007, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel, 1600 Lamar Street
Houston, TX, US
WHO: An international contingent of port executives,
maritime industry leaders, and elected officials
will attend the conference hosted by the International
Association of Ports and Harbors and The Port of
Houston Authority (PHA), April 27-May 4.
WHY: The Port of Houston Authority officials and the
local planning delegation of the 25th IAPH World
Ports Conference will host port executives and
other maritime industry leaders, who have traveled
from nearly 50 countries that comprise the seven
continents of the world, at the Hilton Americas Hotel
in Houston, Texas, in the upcoming week.
The Welcoming Dinner and Celebration will serve as
the official start of the week-long conference. IAPH
conference attendees and invited guests will celebrate
Houston's international diversity through performing
arts presentations that highlight each of the world's
continents. Performers will include the Houston Ballet,
Kuumba House Dance Theatre, Dance of Asian America,
The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and Ambassadors
International Folkloric Ballet.
Houston's own Gina Gaston, co-anchor for KTRK-TV,
Channel 13's Eyewitness News, will serve as mistress
of ceremonies for the dinner. She will introduce
speakers, including Jim Edmonds, chairman of the PHA
Commission; IAPH President Thomas Kornegay, PHA
executive director; IAPH Conference Vice President
Argentina James, PHA director of public affairs;
John Hofmeister, chairman of the Greater Houston
Partnership and president of Shell Oil Company; and
Geert Visser, the honorable consul to The
Netherlands and executive secretary of the Houston
Consular Corps. The Reverend Bill Lawson, founder
and pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist
Church, will give the invocation.
The theme of the conference, "Anchored by Commitment
-- Buoyed by Unity," will honor the 30-year reunion
of the IAPH conference in Houston. Conference
planners are preparing for more than 1,000
conference participants who represent the maritime
industry and will promote Houston as "Simply the
Best" city to host such a diverse, renowned group.
CONTACT: Marc Campos, Press Liaison
Campos Communications
Phone: 281-793-4187
Email: marc@camposcommunications.com
The International Association of Ports and Harbors was founded in 1955. For more than 50 years, IAPH has steadily developed as the leading organization in the global maritime industry. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the IAPH comprises representatives from more than 400 ports and top executives from major industry corporations in nearly 90 countries around the world. The members' ports as a whole handle 85 percent of the world's container traffic and more than 60 percent of the global seaborne trade. More information about IAPH is available on www.IAPHworldports.org. For more information regarding conference registration, sponsorships, and exhibit opportunities, visit www.IAPH2007.com.
The International Association of Ports and Harbors logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3244
ALL JOURNALISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, TELEVISION, RADIO AND VIDEO CREWS WILL BE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A MEDIA CREDENTIAL FOR ACCESS TO EVENTS AT THE CONFERENCE HOTEL. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO REGISTER.