2017 NAFEMS World Congress Edition

In this Issue..

NWC17 will be my ninth NAFEMS World Congress since joining the organisation back in 2002. Fifteen years, and a multitude of grey hairs later (yup, I’m talking to you), the Congress arrives in Sweden for the first time, in the beautiful city of Stockholm. Congress editions of Benchmark always sit in that awkward place of being produced before the event takes place. Being distributed both before, and during, the Congress, means you could be reading my witterings thinking about whether you should attend, or you could be mulling over my witty insights as you wait for the first keynote to take the stage.

We’ve taken a bit of a different approach to this Congress edition of the magazine. Instead of filling the pages with an agenda which will doubtless have changed slightly before the event takes place (you can always get the most up-to-date version from nafems.org/congress, or if you’re at the event, in your delegate bag!), we’ve discussed the key points and themes of the event with the keynote speakers, contributors, and other industry experts, to give an overview of what they see as the “big questions” for the community. There are articles in this issue which relate closely to the themes we’ll be covering in Stockholm, and we’ve also referenced which sessions will be of most interest to you if you want to learn more about these topics. So, even if you’re not attending, you can get a flavour of what the event is about.

NWC17 is, by far, the largest independent, international gathering of the simulation and analysis community put together by NAFEMS so far. It takes a lot of effort to keep this show on the road, and our thanks go to each presenter, sponsor, exhibitor and attendee who have decided to be part of it. Special thanks go to every member of the NAFEMS team – we’re a small group, spread over several offices internationally, and it takes a special effort from everyone to pull together an event like this.

So, take a look through this issue, and on the Congress website, and I’m sure you’ll agree this is an event you really should be part of. As tradition dictates, I’ll sign off with my usual “call for drinks” at the bar in Stockholm. Tastes have changed over the years, so if you see me loitering, mine’s a rum (straight-up, with ice and lime).