Conference Secretariat: Conferences & Events Ltd.  Email NZGFW@confer.co.nz  With Thanks to our Sponsors Dinner and Award sponsors WELCOME TO OUR 2011 CONFERENCE AND AWARDS On behalf of the NZGFW Executive Committee I am delighted to invite all members to join us in sunny Nelson in November for a couple of days of networking, exploration, education and fun. Traditionally the Guild holds a major conference every two years in conjunction with the bi-annual Culinary Quills Awards and this one promises to be fabulous.   Nelson is perfect for our conference, as even though we have no members in the city, the surrounding region is well recognised for fine wines, delicious fresh food, and superb scenery. We have engaged a professional conference planner to assist us to put together a great programme that will inform, entertain and excite all members as we come together to celebrate everything that’s wonderful about local food, wine and art. Look carefully at the programme and you will see we are following the format introduced in 2009 at our last conference in Hawke’s Bay. We kick off with the Regal King Salmon cocktail party on Thursday 3 November and the following two days are packed with opportunities for everybody. Both Friday and Saturday morning have plenary sessions you will not want to miss, held in the Rutherford Hotel, including our keynote speaker, the amazing Lyndey Milan from Sydney, ‘Tales from Canterbury’ where we share the experiences of our Christchurch food friends and an in-depth session on our seafood and aquaculture industry. These are followed by forums-on-wheels, tours which will include lunches in local restaurants and visits to the food producers, the winegrowers, boutique brewers and local artists (art fits so naturally into the local landscape.) On Friday night we will hold our NZGFW Culinary Quills Awards in the stunning WOW Museum, and on Saturday all tours end with a wine-down party at the beautiful Neudorf winery in the late afternoon. There’s lots of opportunity for networking, education and simply relaxing together.   For those who want to extend their stay at the Top of the South, we will put together a trip from Sunday morning through to early afternoon Monday to Blenheim, with the help of Regal King Salmon and local members Jan Bilton and Robyn Martin. This will be available to 10 persons so register your interest in this immediately to grab a spot. We must thank out conference sponsors, Regal King Salmon Co, Beef + Lamb NZ, vegetables.co.nz and Ocean Spray. Their contribution has ensured your conference registration price is terrific value, and for that we are all very grateful. Please join us in Nelson for an exciting and interesting few days you will not want to miss.   Lauraine Jacobs, President NZGFW