The ICL Computer Users Association, an amalgam of seven ICL user groups, has announced a number of new initiatives to celebrate its 21st year in existence. Following last year’s senior management conference, the association has decided that the event will be repeated on an annual basis, with each conference focussing on a specific theme. The 1988 conference takes place at the Guildhall, London on June 27 and will concentrate on Quality in Information Technology, while it is planned that the 1989 conference will feature Lord Young’s Initiatives into Europe. This year’s conference is to be followed by a dinner where the association will announce the winners of its recently announced annual awards in recognition of achievement and innovation in support of the ICL user (CI No 899). The association’s annual Conference and Exhibition takes place in Birmingham, May 4 to 6 and is expected to attract over 500 delegates. The opening session will be introduced by chairman Ken Wingfield, and the guest speaker will be Dr Aodh O’ Dochartaigh, Director External Affairs ICL. The programme each day includes lectures, seminars and workshops for seven different user groups, including VME User Group, Local Government and Medium Systems User Group. The conference ends with an address to delegates by senior ICL management. ICL has raised an eyebrow or two with a Grand Old Duke of York move, disbanding the nine vertical market operations set up only at the beginning of the year, and replacing them with six new units.
