It was at the time of our Fifth Anniversary Convention that we passed the cap of more than 100 countries who have attended our events.

When we launched World Free Zone Convention in 2001 we knew that there was a demand for a reliable platform for Zones and Development Areas to share knowledge with peers from around the world. However even we have been surprised at how quickly we have made contacts and friends from all the continents.

During 2006 we were with WAIPA and at MIPIM and organised our first meeting with the World Customs Organisation in Geneva. The close of the year saw a highly successful Sixth Convention in Paris held in two languages which examined the way that Foreign Direct Investment is financed. In June 2007 we visited the WCO Headquarters for our 2nd Joint Briefing & Forum and followed this with the Seventh Convention, hosted by the Port Klang Authority in Kuala Lumpur.

I should like to extend our thanks also to DHV Transportation Services in The Netherlands and their colleagues at ECORYS for the tremendous effort they put into the recent Training Course held there. 25 very senior personnel from organisations in 12 countries attended for the three days and I'm told that the documentation weighed several kilos in its printed form! We hope to arrange more courses along these lines in the near future.

Finally a decision has now been taken to hold our Eighth Convention on the East Coast of the United States in Charleston, South Carolina. We have been greatly encouraged by the support of our media partners based in Atlanta, Site Selection. The choice of Charleston will bring us to another port city with a long history. Charleston is a unique Southeast destination with charm and Southern grace. Beautifully appointed mansions, private gardens, historic landmarks, quaint shops and restaurants to suit every taste are scattered throughout the entire downtown area of Charleston where the event will be held later this year.

It will be our pleasure to welcome you again and we are now preparing a full, lively and informative programme. Due to the location we expect to see more participants from the Americas this time. However reading our new Monthly Zones Activity Report I see that there are so many new developments taking place around the world that we expect another truly global list of delegates.

Graham Mather, President, European Policy Forum.