On behalf of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN), I am very pleased to invite you and your colleagues to participate in the 11th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem this June in Nara, the 1,000-year old ancient capital of Japan.

For over 40 years ICBEN has provided the premier international forum for the exchange of scientific, technical, and practical knowledge on the effects of community and occupational exposures to noise and related noise policies. On 1-5 June 2014, hundreds of the world’s top noise experts, leaders and policy authorities will gather in Nara for ICBEN 2014 (http://www.icben2014.com/). This is an exclusive triennial gathering and an opportunity for your organization to interact with leaders in industry, research & development, top scientists and engineers. The Proceedings of the ICBEN Congresses provide groundbreaking information on the effects of noise and propose concepts that have provided the basis for governmental noise regulations in many countries and guide future research and legislation on various noise issues. The Congress venue in Nara is truly spectacular and also affords side trips to wonderful tourist places like Kyoto and Osaka, especially in June.

The Nara Congress is happening at a pivotal time: the World Health Organization’s two recent reports “Burden of Disease from Environmental Noise,” coupled with the 2012 implementation of key provisions in the European Noise Directive have stimulated global interest in large-scale noise measurement, mitigation and control policies.

In addition to the value that you will gain from participating, there are opportunities to provide official Sponsorship in support of the Congress. ICBEN is a non-profit international scientific organization with no permanent financial base and is wholly dependent upon the gracious support of external organizations to operate. Sponsorship would provide a unique opportunity for you to publicize your interest and involvement in environmental and occupational noise issues, especially for international markets in Asia, and to demonstrate your support for public health and welfare issues regarding noise exposure.

You can obtain additional information about ICBEN 2014 Congress and Sponsorship at http://www.icben2014.com/exhibition.html, or by contacting either my administrative assistant, Darlene Kilpatrick (Ez az e-mail-cím a szpemrobotok elleni védelem alatt áll. Megtekintéséhez engedélyeznie kell a JavaScript használatát.), or the Congress Sponsorship manager, Prof. Yasunao Matsumoto (Ez az e-mail-cím a szpemrobotok elleni védelem alatt áll. Megtekintéséhez engedélyeznie kell a JavaScript használatát.).

As trustee of the Michiko So Finegold Memorial Trust, I am proud to continue our 20 years of supporting ICBEN and I invite your organization to join me in this important work."

Please forward this information to colleagues you think might be interested. I sincerely hope that you can participate in this important international event. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Lawrence S. Finegold
Congress Co-Chair, ICBEN 2014 Congress and
Chair, ICBEN Team 9 - Noise Policy and Economics