Each year the management committee studies the attendees' comments in detail to see how the Symposium can be improved to make it more valuable to the attendees. Over the years this has led to trying many innovations, some of which were successful and some which were not.

The least successful was the hiring of an interpreter in response to many complaints of difficulty in understanding many of the speakers for whom English is a second language. Unfortunately, the idea was not well received by the speakers, who declined the idea of presenting their paper in their native tongue with simultaneous translation. After two years this idea was dropped.

On the success side, the Symposium has been kept in the vanguard of audio visual technology and uses the largest screen the auditoriums will accommodate, often with rear projection.

In response to a specific question asked of attendees, an equipment exhibit was added in 1988, but done in such a way as to prevent even the hint of this becoming a "trade show." This is done by requiring that the exhibits be "hands on" demonstrations to small groups.

The attendees lounge with closed circuit TV from the main auditorium was started in 1984. It has proven to be a favorite with attendees, since it allows for conversation during the presentation.

Another innovation which has proven itself is the "author's corners" where the authors are stationed with story boards of their papers for one-on-one interaction with the attendees. This was started in 1982 and still continues. In 1984 two other innovations were made, with the addition of a pre-Symposium Tutorial and post-Symposium Workshop sessions. These were well accepted and continue.

To further encourage interaction among the attendees, topical lunches and a hosted cocktail party with appetizers was started in 1988, and continues, when finances allow. The year 1988 also saw the Symposium shift to having the "Proceedings" available for distribution at the meeting, rather than being mailed out a month or so after the close of the Symposium.

In 1990 the Symposium recognized the national move to pollution control and banned smoking from the technical session.

1997 was the year that the "slide problem" was finally beaten! This was done by changing to computer driven graphics and the latest high lumen projector on the market.

The IRPS is and has been run almost entirely by volunteer help, which accounts for the very modest registration fees. When compared to other major meetings and their fees, ours is trivial. This occurs, of course, because the Symposium is in reality being subsidized by personal time of the people on the Management Committee and Board of Directors, and the considerable support of their employers. In return, they receive lifelong friendships and professional contacts, the value of which is inestimable. Seems like a good way to operate from everybody's standpoint!