For Immediate Release

“Innovative” Breakout Sessions on Tap for
 ASQ World Conference

“An established company which, in an age demanding innovation is not able to innovate, is doomed to decline and extinction.” – Peter Drucker

Milwaukee, Wis., February 23, 2007 – For more than 60 years the American Society for Quality (ASQ) has been the primary driver behind the worldwide quality movement. And that is why the theme of ASQ’s 2007 World Conference on Quality and Improvement, April 30-May 2, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., will be “Fueling Innovation through People and Quality.”  The event will bring together some of the leading experts on organizational growth for three days of inspirational sessions.

Attendees will discover how they, today’s quality professionals, can fuel innovation in business, society and in communities. The conference will offer opportunities to explore innovation and how it relates to change management, virtual societies, social responsibility, systems thinking and customer value with experts from the U.S. and abroad from a variety of industries and backgrounds.

In-Depth Breakout Sessions
Attendees of the conference will have more than 100 sessions from which to choose. Featured sessions include:

• Standards, Limiting or Driving Innovation
  Monday, April 30, 1:45 – 2:30 p.m., and 4:15 – 5 p.m.
• Creating Team Synergy Through Innovation and Quality
  Tuesday, May 1, 9:15 – 10 a.m.
• Innovation in Services
  Tuesday, May 1, 4 – 4:45 p.m.

Exhibit Hall/Career Fair
The exhibit hall is among the most popular attractions at the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement. It provides attendees with the opportunity to experience the latest in innovative products and services from industry leaders and speak face-to-face with providers. In addition, the
Career Fair brings together leading manufacturing, service, and healthcare companies as they look to conference participants to fill positions within their organizations.

Building Relationships    
In addition to the success stories, best practices and business tips, attendees will have the opportunity to spend time with colleagues at a variety of social and networking activities, and to experience the fun and excitement of Orlando.

• 2007 Golf Outing
  Sunday, April 29, 8 a.m. shotgun start
  Shingle Creek Golf and Country Club 

• Kennedy Space Center
  Monday, April 30, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Tour Orlando
  Monday, April 30, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• Scenic Winter Park/Park Avenue Shopping Tour
  Tuesday, May 1, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

World Class Speakers
Keynote speakers at the conference include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, Adam Kahane, one of the world’s leading problem solvers who has worked in more than 50 countries, and noted futurist and innovation expert Jim Carroll.

Their presentations will lead into an array of dynamic, change-provoking sessions that will cover the use of quality tools for problem solving, customer service programs and product reliability.

Registration for the conference, tours and golf outing can be completed by visiting http://wcqi.asq.org. The early-bird registration deadline is March 16, 2007.

The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, is the world's leading authority on quality. With more than 90,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide.  As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great®.  ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991.  Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., the 60-year-old organization is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.