VPPPA's 2017 National Annual Meeting Drawing Near
Hundreds of occupational safety and health professionals will be traveling to New Orleans to attend Safety+ at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. It takes place Aug. 29 through Sept. 1.
Hundreds of occupational safety and health professionals will be traveling to New Orleans about a month from now to attend the 33rd Annual National VPPPA Safety & Health Conference, a conference renamed Safety+ by VPPPA in January 2017. Their goal: to learn from the best in safety and health in more than 100 educational sessions, network with thousands of OSH leaders and decision-makers, and share their successes and innovations to make workplaces safer across the globe.
The event will take place in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Tuesday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. VPPPA, the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association, has partnered with the Louisiana Governor's Safety & Health Conference to present a joint event this year, with Mike Guillory, chairman of VPPPA, saying in March that the association has been "looking for more opportunities to work with safety professionals on a state level and expose more people to safety excellence education and trade ideas. Safety+," he explained, "will continue to provide excellent resources and education for both VPP and non-VPP companies."
Keynote speakers will include Dan Clark, a primary contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and author of 31 of his own best-selling books, and also Jeff "Odie" Espenship, a former USAF fighter pilot and international airline pilot who has become a renowned speaker.
Exhibit hours are scheduled so as not to coincide with workshops and sessions. On Monday, Aug. 28, there are pre-symposium workshops from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Tuesday, the highlights include the Labor & Management Open Forum (7-8:30 a.m.), First Timer's Workshop (8-8:30 a.m.), the Annual Meeting of the Membership (9:15-10 a.m.), Opening General Session Part 1 (10:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), lunch (12:30-1:30 p.m.), and Opening General Session Part 2 (2-3:30 p.m.). A reception for the grand opening of the exhibit hall will be 5-7 p.m.
Workshops will take place at 8-9 a.m., 1-2 p.m., and 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, with the exhibit hall open 9-10 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. Lunch will be from 1-2 p.m.
Aug. 31 workshops are set for 8:30-9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon, 1:30-2:30 p.m., and 3-4 p.m. The exhibit hall will be open 9:30-11 a.m. and 12-1:30 p.m. Lunch will be from noon-1:30 p.m. The Casino Night Reception at the New Orleans Marriott will be from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 31.
There are no exhibit hours on Sept. 1. Workshops will be from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 9:45-10:45 a.m. that day, with the Closing General Session set for 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.