September/October 1991
Members of the Bureau International de la Recuperation will waltz into Austria’s capital city in October for an update on world scrap markets and events affecting the scrap processing and recycling industry.
Historic, sophisticated Vienna, Austria, will host the annual fall convention of the Bureau International de la Recuperation (BIR) (Brussels, Belgium), Oct. 21-23. Hundreds of scrap processors and recyclers from around the world will gather to do business and examine major forces directing the recycling industry as well as national and international scrap market scenarios. Another major emphasis will be the status of international and national regulations affecting scrap trading, including the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous and Other Wastes and its implementing legislation under development in the agreement's signatory countries.
Combining Business With Vienna’s Pleasures
The convention's meetings, luncheons, and trading sessions will be held at the Hotel Inter-Continental Wien. According to a preliminary schedule, drafted early this summer, the plenary sessions--those open to all registrants--begin on Monday, Oct. 21, with nonmetallic meetings, roundtables, and a luncheon for paper, textiles, plastics, and glass division delegates.
Tuesday, Oct. 22, will feature the ferrous division luncheon, preceded by a trading session, and topped off by an evening welcome cocktail party. This reception will be held at the stately Palais Auersperg, built in 1721 and once considered "a byword for aristocratic social life," according to a Vienna visitors' guide. The Auersperg, with its gardens and fine art collection, is now a popular setting for social and cultural events.
Wednesday will see the conclusion of the scheduled meetings, including the nonferrous division luncheon and trading session.
As is customary, the BIR fall convention does not include a general assembly or exhibition.
The 500-room Hotel Inter-Continental, the site of the convention, is located near the center of Vienna, next to the famous boulevard Ringstrasse and in front of a large city park. Within a 10-minute walk of the hotel are the city's pedestrian zone and shopping district and a variety of cultural attractions, including St. Stephan's Cathedral and the State Opera House. Major banks and embassies are also located in the neighborhood of the Inter-Continental.
Vienna, one of the three centers of the United Nations, is a cosmopolitan city with a population of just more than 1.5 million. Among its attractions are many historic buildings as well as modem architecture, coffee houses, gourmet restaurants, and art museums with collections ranging from Old Masters and the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire to contemporary works Vienna's autumn climate is similar to New England's during the same time of the year--pleasant days, usually in the 60s or 70s F, with cool nights. •
For further information on the BIR or its fall convention, contact BIR, Rue du Lombard, 24 Boite 14, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. Telephone: 2/514-21-80. Fax: 2/514-12-26. Telex: 61965 bir b.
--Jeff Borsecnik
Members of the Bureau International de la Recuperation will waltz into Austria’s capital city in October for an update on world scrap markets and events affecting the scrap processing and recycling industry.