The New Zealand Concrete Society is pleased to announce the 9th International Symposium on High Performance Concrete - Design, Verification & Utilization

Dear colleagues and friends

It is my pleasure to invite you all to participate in the symposium, which will take place in the beautiful city of Christchurch (www.christchurch.org.nz) from 9-11 August 2011.  Christchurch, also known as the Garden City, is located on the east coast of the South Island and is a gateway to the Central Otago region, renowned for its spectacular beauty and where much of the filming for the Lord of The Rings movies was undertaken (www.centralotago.net.nz).

The symposium will be a continuation of the successful previous symposia held every three years since 1987.  The symposium will bring together engineers, designers, researchers and scientists from around the world to promote better understanding on common interests ranging from the most recent researches to the latest applications of high-strength and high performance concrete for construction.  The symposium is an opportunity to share research results and experience related to high strength and high performance concrete.  The symposium is supported by the leading world organisations, such as fib, RILEM, JCI, ACI, JSCE and the Concrete Institute of Australia.

I also invite international guests to attend the New Zealand Concrete Industry conference, which will take place at the same venue on 8 August 2011, the day before the opening of the symposium.

We are very excited and enthusiastic about having an international event of such significance here in New Zealand.  For us this is a unique opportunity to meet with leading world experts in the field of high performance concrete and to learn first hand where concrete technology is heading.  For many international guests a long-lasting desire to visit New Zealand becomes a reality, and we hope that many of you will extend your stay in New Zealand to explore our beautiful country.  For rugby enthusiasts, New Zealand is hosting the 2011 World Cup, which commences on 9 September and concludes with the final on Sunday 23 October (see www.rugbyworldcup.com).