Friday, 21 September 2007

AGI Conference 2007 - review



The conference is over. Two days of networking, of talks, of debates and of socialising has come to an end. After all the planning, the administration, the worry - it now seems strange to realise that it is over. And very gratifying to find that the planning work before the conference turned out to have contributed to such a successful conference.




And it was successful. The initial feedback from delegates was very positive. Generally the venue worked well. The talks were stimulating. The debates were energetic. And the party was enjoyable.




From a personal point of view, it was all a great experience. The fact that I had been asked to be a judge, meant that I attended far more sessions than I otherwise might have. I attended eleven sessions in total. That showed me the breadth of issues and the range of work which are covered by GIS.




I am hugely grateful to the AGI Team for all their hard work, especially Claire, Susan and Maureen without whom the event simply could not have taken place. Chris's work, especially on the printed matter, added to the quality of the experience for delegates. Steven was an excellent and enthusiastic Chair of the event. I am really pleased that his initial optimism about the event was fully justified.
I hope that issues were taken forward and that the event marked real progress in some of the issues that we face in the world of Geography. I hope the event was more than a talking shop. I think it was.

Right now I have just got home and I am exhausted. Others will no doubt reflect at length and more thoughtfully than I can. But I am happy and content that we delivered a great conference. And now we turn out attention to AGI2008. Watch this space.

Monday, 17 September 2007

AGI Conference 2007 - preview

'Building a Geo Community'

The AGI conference starts on Wednesday in Stratford-upon-Avon. Bookings have gone amazingly well and the conference was fully booked a couple of weeks ago.

The AGI team, especially Claire, Susan and Maureen, have been working exceptionally hard on the administration. Now we move to the conference itself. We all head up for Stratford tomorrow to finalise the last-minute details ahead to the opening session on Wednesday morning.

It is always a bit scary a couple of days before the conference, but I am sure it will be a great success.

I have, much to my surprise, been asked to be on the judging panel for the 'Best Paper' award. I am honoured by that and will do my best to be fair and impartial and to give each paper an equal opportunity.

So, here's to a wonderful conference.