WELCOME MESSAGES

MESSAGE FROM IPPA'S PRESIDENT
PROF. DR. MEIKE BARTELS

On behalf of the IPPA Board and the Planning Committee, I am delighted to welcome you to IPPA’s 8th World Congress on Positive Psychology hosted in beautiful Vancouver. Being able to be back at a face-to-face congress is an amazing experience by itself, but be aware that IPPA is known for the most exceptional congress experience. With my background in genetics, I am in the position to compare two completely different fields of research and IPPA easily beats genetics in conference organization and experience.

At the end of the amazing 6th World Congress in Melbourne organized by Lea Waters and her team, we all were eagerly waiting and looking forward to the next conference in Vancouver. But instead of seeing and meeting each other in Vancouver we all ended up behind our screens. IPPA, though, took it to the extremes and instead of ‘just’ organizing an online World Congress in July of 2021, we also filled our lock-down days and pandemic life with a very successful Evidence in Action conference in March and a wonderful Idea Starter symposium in October. With these events in mind, and also all other things related to IPPA, I want to use this opportunity to thank our Executive Director, Scott Pearl, who serves IPPA 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

After a very successful and inspiring online World Congress in 2021 the bar was set high for this year, especially with respect to content and inspiration. However, the fact that we are meeting and reconnecting in person means it is all about coming together. And this coming together is essential for IPPA’s mission to foster collaboration between researchers, teachers, students, and practitioners and to share the findings of our field with the broadest possible audience, with an overall mission to advance the science and research-based applications of positive psychology.

The best reflection of IPPA being a wonderful association for coming together and connecting is that we are welcoming delegates from more than 60 countries. Together we will enjoy an interdisciplinary program of over 100 sessions. I would like to thank our sponsors and especially the Alliance of Well-Being Education and Science Center as this year’s top sponsor and The Flourishing Center for being a long-time partner of IPPA.

Michael Steger had a dream to hold an IPPA Congress in Vancouver. He did a tremendous job of planning and thinking creatively toward the fulfillment of that dream. Although the pandemic delayed its realization, his dream was picked up and extended to the max by this year’s Congress co-chairs Andrew Soren, Tayyab Rashid, and Roy Baumeister. With the help of a long list of volunteers, the endless voluntary help of James Pawelski, the support of ASN, and last but not least, the selfless dedication of Scott Pearl,  a unique IPPA experience has been created for you. 

Enjoy!
Prof. dr. Meike Bartels
President of IPPA

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OUR CONGRESS OBJECTIVES
ANDREW SOREN, ROY BAUMEISTER, TAYYAB RASHID

As co-chairs, we are thrilled to welcome you to IPPA’s 8th World Congress on Positive Psychology in Vancouver, Canada!

It has been four long years since we have had the opportunity to come together in person as an IPPA community. So our objectives for this congress are pure and simple: to celebrate connection as we:

• advance the science and research-based applications of positive psychology; 
• foster collaboration among researchers, teachers, students and practitioners; and 
• share the findings of our field with the broadest audience. 

While we do so, we hope you take full advantage of this awe-inspiring city. Vancouver rises out of the ocean and is seemingly built from and into the forests and mountains that surround it. Its unparalleled beauty enriches life just by being there. It is the perfect venue to welcome a thousand optimistic, generous, highly skilled, rigorously trained students of human flourishing.

In addition to bringing you the latest innovations from leading experts in the science, practice, and education of positive psychology and the broader field of wellbeing, it is our goal that the very experience of this World Congress be designed from the principles we study. Take our congress theme of connection to heart. Strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know, share what you are learning about our field, find creative collisions that might enhance your work or studies.  

After all, if there’s one thing we can say with confidence after years of research and practice in this field: we are better together. 

Speaking of which, this congress simply would not be possible without an extraordinary community of partners and volunteers. First and foremost, we thank our tireless Executive Director, Scott Pearl, for his passion, prudence and perspective. His stewardship is what makes this association possible. 

Next - to ASN Events and the extraordinary leadership of Hannah Pickford. ASN has been the driving force behind IPPA’s in-person and virtual events since we were together in Melbourne in 2019 and we would not be understating the matter when we say that this congress is a reality because of their daily partnership.     

We take our hats off to Mike Steger, Congress Chair of the 7th IPPA World Congress, which was supposed to have been in Vancouver in 2021 before we pivoted virtually due to the pandemic. So much of what you experience here today is the result of Mike’s hard work and the choices he and that Congress team spearheaded four years ago. 

IPPA and this World Congress would simply not exist without the generosity of our volunteers including the IPPA Board, Division Leadership, Council of Advisors and our special advisors, including our founding Executive Director James Pawelski and the father of this field, Martin Seligman. Adding to them are the 100+ team of volunteers who devoted countless hours to reviewing abstracts, evaluating award nominations, creating positive interventions throughout our congress and supporting our attendees as Congress Connectors. We are moved by the dedication and passion of our volunteers. When you see them throughout the Congress, we hope you share your gratitude for all they have done to create this experience.

Finally - we thank you. This Congress is ultimately nothing more or less than all of the individuals who have chosen to be here to present, learn and connect together. Whether you have traveled across town or from the other side of the world, we are grateful for the effort you have made to be here, to share your gifts, and to learn from this community. 

With tremendous gratitude, we hope you enjoy the Congress! 

Andrew Soren, Roy Baumeister and Tayyab Rashid
Co-Chairs, 8th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology

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MESSAGE OF FROM IPPA'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SCOTT PEARL

To our positive psychology friends and enthusiasts around the world,

We are back and coming together. It is exciting to welcome the IPPA community as we gather in-person again to meet with our friends, old and new; to laugh and to learn, and grow together, and to hear from so many leaders in the field (plus up-and-comers, too).

And of course, by coming together, we flourish...together. 

You'll be in great company and have an opportunity to mingle with and learn from peers and colleagues plus so many top professors and researchers, clinicians, practitioners, business and HR leaders, and other professionals, plus wellbeing and executive coaches, teachers, students, and so many more.

We've got so many people to thank for helping us to prepare for our 8th IPPA World Congress in Vancouver. Thank you to Michael Steger for sharing a vision that is second-to-none for our event. Thank you to our committee leaders: Andrew Soren, Meike Bartels, Roy Baumeister, Tayyab Rashid, and James Pawelski. Thank you to IPPA Board of Director members, our Council of Advisor members, our review committees, and the volunteers that make this program so inviting... to help us all come together.

Our aim has been to deliver a program with simultaneous sessions from more than 400 leading presenters, futurists, thought leaders and people making great impact. We trust you will find purpose in your attendance, and craft a Congress experience that is memorable for all the right reasons. 

And while you're in Vancouver, make sure to plan a trip out of it. Discover why Vancouver is considered, "Where Extraordinary is Everywhere." While you're here with us, you will see why Vancouver is considered a modern, glittering city that seems built into and built up from, some of the most awe-inspiring natural landscapes on the planet. It is a gathering place for people of many backgrounds where the ocean, forest and mountains converge.

Scott Pearl
Executive Director, International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA)