Arc-US 2006, the second annual America's Leading Architects Forum, was held at the Newport Beach, CA, Marriott resort on November 9th, 10th, and 11th. Produced by BOND Events, the 3-day affair was attended by 100 principals, specification heads and senior design architects from the most influential firms in North America. The essence of the event was the opportunity for senior executives from 65 manufacturing and service provider companies to meet in one-on-one private meetings with the architect delegates. A total of 1433 meetings were conducted. ³The high level of discourse was remarkable,² said Bob Caldwell, Senior Associate and Technical Director at Gensler. ³The format provided privacy and the ability to focus on mutual issues of concern with the manufacturers.² Other networking opportunities included working lunches, cocktail hours and two dinners attended by all. ³We returned to Arc-US 2006 because of the success we enjoyed at the 2005 event and the residual benefits we experienced throughout the year,² said Ken Segel, VP Marketing, Schindler Elevator Corporation. AIA president-elect RK Stewart delivered the welcoming speech on opening night and set the tone for the seminar portion of the weekend, introducing the ³2030 Challenge². The challenge was given further illumination in a stirring keynote seminar delivered by Ed Mazria, author of The Passive Solar Energy Book. Pointing to global warming as the ³most significant crisis of modern times², Mazria explored the science behind the phenomenon. He emphatically positioned the audience of architects at a crossroads where their designs can reduce the necessity to burn fossil fuels to the extent that ³the people in this room can actually save the planet! It's up to you what kind of a world we leave to our grandchildren, ³ he challenged. Other cutting edge seminars focused on Nanotechnology applications in construction; HyperTrack, a process that involves the owner, architect, consultant and construction manager acting in true partnership from the very inception of design; and discussions of the impact of electronic communication on architects. ³The seminars were amazing,² said Caldwell. ³I expected them to be enlightening but some of them were actually life-changing experiences.² ______________________________________________________ Contact information: Rick Andrews, BOND Events Corporation 9827 Four Mile Creek Road, Charlotte NC-28277, USA 1 (704) 905 9221 email: rickandrews@bondevents.com or oliverneeds@bondevents.com