Denis Persley, a principal plant virologist and leader of HAL project VGO 7128 Integrated management of viral diseases in vegetable crops, attended the 11th International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium and 3rd Workshop of the plant virus ecology network at Cornell University, New York State from June 20 to 24, 2010. The Symposium provided new information on a range of endemic virus and potential threats to the Australian vegetable industry. The objectives of the travel were met by maintaining and establishing new contacts in the areas of plant virology and plant pathology. New information was obtained on predictive systems to allow more precise implementation of disease management. New information on the detection of virus in insect vectors will assist in developing these systems and in the evaluation of non-chemical methods for the management of non-persistent vector borne viruses. New information and relevant contacts will better equip Australian virologists to identify and manage disease threats presented by Pepino mosaic virus and whitefly transmitted criniviruses which continue to spread throughout most vegetable production areas worldwide. Attending this meeting of 150 scientists with similar interests allowed access to information and contacts which would take at least some years to obtain and develop through other methods. The information obtained is valuable in meeting current and future project objectives designed to provide practical management of viral diseases in the vegetable industry.