History

The willingness to cooperate has always been typical of the glass industry. Early on, however, there was no established and dedicated forum for practical, hands-on and business-like exchange of visions and experiences. The first GPD in 1992 gave birth to such a forum.

Experts of the industry have attended this function in increasing numbers. Busy people have liked the idea of a condensed meeting where formal as well as informal contacts can be formed and fostered with efficient time-use during a couple of days.

The 12th GPD on June 17 - 20, 2011 strengthened its position as the leading conference for the world's glass industry.

Distinct success factors

The success factors of the Glass Performance Days are obvious. When experts get together to talk business in a condensed event at the same location every second year, ideas are born, shared and debated. They are also discussed among very knowledgeable people with practical experience and advanced visions. Thus they become real applications of the industry much quicker than would otherwise happen. With today's clock-speed of change this has created distinct competitive advantages for those attending.

Electronic and physical documentation

The advance of modern information technology has taken the GPD beyond the status of a mere physical meeting place. Since the change of the millennium an Internet forum serves the world's glass community to ensure constant exchange of information between conferences. 

GPD's virtual meeting place, glassfiles.com, contains more than 5,000 pages of information on the industry and its outlook. All the GPD conference proceedings, including the proceedings of the conferences in China and India, have also  been available there since GPD '97.

All in all the GPD conference proceedings are documented in a printed conference book and on the web.  

The informal dimension

The Glass Performance Days conference has a tightly controlled schedule over the conference days to ensure that time is well spent. But the program also leaves room for informal contact activity, workshop offerings and exhibition activity. These functions are very important in promoting the small talk that so often leads to both continued contacts and creative innovations.

GPD is not only about exchanging information on what is known today. It is also about sowing the seeds for tomorrow. With the time span of a decade the conference series can make claims for having laid parts of the foundation on which we stand in the industry today.