Whether you are a privacy professional practicing in the EU or not, you’ve probably been watching the headlines this summer about the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ongoing trilogue process. After all, the GDPR is expected to have far-reaching implications for organizations—and anyone who works in privacy—well beyond the EU’s borders.

It’s probably not a surprise, then, that the IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress 2015, returning to the SQUARE Meeting Centre in Brussels late this fall, will feature keynotes and educational sessions to help you prepare for the changes the GDPR is sure to bring with it.

The full program, which was just announced this week, promises informative sessions on the finalization of the GDPR and putting new policy into practice, including:

• Demonstrating Compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation
• International Transfers between the Directive and the Regulation: How to Cope with Legal Uncertainty
• Cloud Privacy: How Do International Certification Standards Fit with the Proposed EU Regulation?
• The Effect of New Data Protection Rules on Innovative Business Models in the Digital Economy

 The GDPR, however, is just one piece of the Congress story for 2015.

“There are 40-plus educational sessions,” IAPP Events Content and Speaker Manager Rick Habib said, noting this is the most ever for the Congress.

The event, which includes training and workshops on November 30 and December 1, with the full conference running on December 2 and 3, includes sessions on emerging technologies, the cloud and the digital economy and international data flows, to name a few.

This year’s two half-day preconference workshops, scheduled for December 1, are "Drafting the Contract: Controller or Processor and Other Contractual Challenges" and "Privacy Impact Assessments: The Full Picture."

The Congress boasts a full slate of high-profile keynoters, as well. Those announced so far are The Pew Charitable Trusts’ David Becker, EDPS Giovanni Buttarelli, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin of the CNIL and Article 29 Working Party, IBM’s Jeff Jonas, the European Commission’s Paul Nemitz and Georgia Tech Prof. Peter Swire, CIPP/US.

The Congress will also have more networking opportunities than ever before, including a welcome reception, newcomers’ breakfast and five-minute mixer events.

Full registration is now open, with early bird registration discounts available until November 6, and more Congress-related events and speakers will be featured in the Advisor as the event gets closer. In the meantime, for all the details on the event, check the event page or subscribe to the IAPP’s events mailing, Buzz Weekly, for updates by clicking here.