The 24th International Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists was held in Berlin, Germany between Sunday 13 August and Friday 18 August 2000 at the 'Haus Am Kollnischen Park'. The theme was 'Tomorrow's Agriculture: Incentives, Institutions, Infrastructure and Innovations'. The Conference format will have been familiar to anyone who attended the Sacramento meeting in 1997, though a number of evolutionary changes were made in response to member suggestions. Some affected the length of the Conference, others the programme organization. Before turning to those, however, it is worth noting that the meeting was described as being 'by common consent an outstanding event; academically stimulating, professionally rewarding, institutionally fascinating and socially enjoyable' .1 Further, 'it was truly the unique kind of international gathering that only the IAAE can offer, with 951 people attending from 83 different countries'. It will be understood that the programme is always shaped by the international community of agricultural economists, with the site organization being in the hands of a local committee.2 It is their symbiotic relationship which provides each successive triennial event with a distinctive flavour.