What to put on your business agenda in July

The Agenda

 ENJOY 

ENOLOGY & VITICULTURE CONFERENCE

At the BC Wine Grape Council’s 18th annual conference, winemakers and grape growers will find research and technology on topics that include sustainability and economics in wine production; water stress monitoring and detection using infrared sensors, remote imaging and drones; and the elusive nature of minerality in white wine. There’s also a special session on sustainability, climate change and wine production; workshops; an all-speakers panel; a trade show of new products and equipment; and a sensory workshop featuring alternative varieties. 
Penticton Trade & Convention Centre; July 17 and 18, 2017 Single day: $158 (members), $149 (4+ members), $203 (non-members), $193 (4+ non-members), $95 (student), $30 (trade show only); both days: $281 (members), $258 (4+ members), $357 (non-members), $346 (4+ non-members); after July 10, $210/day for all categories

 INTERACT 

2017 HCI INTERNATIONAL
How do people and computers communicate with each other? This conference provides current scientific information on just that for some 2,000 researchers, academics, professionals and users in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Ben Shneiderman, founding director of the University of Maryland’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab, one of the world’s first such laboratories, gives the keynote speech on “The New ABCs of Research: Grand Challenges for HCI.”
Vancouver Convention Centre, July 9 to 14 US$895 + US$395 for each half-day tutorial; $2,225 (registration + four tutorials), US$2,375 (registration + six tutorials); 2017.

 BUILD 

PAQS 2017
Quantity surveyors measure the value of a construction investment from concept to completion. Since 1995, the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) has held an annual congress in cities around the world where representatives from the 13 member nations discuss best and future practices. The last three days of this year’s gathering, Green Developments: The New Era, showcases the best green technology for the construction industry. Attractions include a Bear Cave competition where innovators present their products to industry executives, plus breakout sessions, social outings, motivational speakers and stand-up comedians.
Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver; July 21 to 26 $1,050, $1,200 on-site; student $450, $500 on-site

 LEARN 

ICOI WORLD CONGRESS XXXV
With a global membership of more than 13,000 worldwide, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI) is the largest dental implant organization and provider of continuing dental implant education for dental practitioners, researchers and industry members as well as the general public. ICOI expects this 45th-anni­versary congress to attract well over 1,000 people, including 650 doctors plus 200 auxiliaries, laboratory technicians, students and industry personnel. To give exhibitors and delegates opportunities to interact, the welcome reception and all coffee breaks will take place in the exhibit hall. On August 18, a gala dinner follows the advanced credentials awards ceremony.
Vancouver Convention Centre; August 17 to 19 Registration from US$275-US$850 (ICOI members) to US$375-US$1,000 (non-members); gala dinner US$150

 DIAGNOSE 

22nd WORLD CONGRESS ON HEART DISEASE
Billed as a major scientific event, the International Academy of Cardiology’s 2017 scientific sessions provide an overview of the latest research developments in cardiovascular medicine, mostly in the areas of molecular biology, coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac surgery. Look for discussions of new and innovative diagnostic methods, prevention and treatment of heart disease, and prognostic algorithms, plus an update on the latest major clinical trials.
Hyatt Regency Vancouver; July 14 to 16 US$780, nurse/technician/trainee/student US$680, dinner US$120

 READ 

Adaptive Markets
Are markets rational and efficient, as modern financial theory assumes, or irrational and inefficient, as behavioural economists believe? According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology finance professor Andrew Lo in his new book, Adaptive Markets: Financial Evolution at the Speed of Thought, crises like the 2008 meltdown are the product of human behaviour coupled with free enterprise. “If you can eliminate one or both of these two components, you can eliminate financial crises,” contends Lo, who is also a fund manager. “Otherwise, crises are an unavoidable fact of modern life.”
Princeton University Press US$37.50 (hardcover)