Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
SRGC Shows and Events => Events => Topic started by: Maggi Young on January 16, 2018, 01:09:07 PM
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The International Rock Garden Conference 2021 is progressing through its planning stages.
Advance notice for your diaries: the International Rock Garden Conference 2021 - a gathering for lovers of plants, gardens and mountains - will be held 08-11 May 2021 at Perth Concert Hall, Perth, Scotland.
SRGC looks forward to welcoming you all to Scotland in 2021.
More information will follow in the coming months and years!
We are confident that this will be a superb event where plant lovers from across the world can convene to celebrate our common interests.
Edit- 5th April 2020 Alpines 2021- cancelled
From Matt Topsfield, registration secretary and Julia Corden SRGC President
ALPINES'21 & CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19)
Dear delegates, friends and colleagues,
Following careful consideration and discussions between the 2021 Conference Committee, the SRGC Council and the AGS, we have taken the unanimous decision to cancel the "Alpines 2021 conference, due to the ongoing coronavirus (SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19) pandemic. We do this with a heavy heart, and hope you understand this was not an easy decision, but it is our belief that the effects of this virus will be felt for a considerable time. International travel, which is an essential part of any international conference is also likely to be curtailed through next year at least. Therefore, cancellation at this time is in the best interests of everyone's health and wellbeing.
The Scottish Rhododendron Society, the Rhododendron Species Conservation Group and the Czech Rock Gardeners Society were pleased to be sponsorship partners to the Conference but understand the reasons to cancel.
REFUNDS
We are arranging for all booked delegates to receive a full refund of their registration fees. We have directly emailed all booked delegates with more information.
CONTACT US
The Alpines 2021 email address will remain active and regularly monitored for some time yet. If there are any problems or queries with your refund, please contact us at: alpines2021@gmail.com
We know that you will be as disappointed as we are, but we hope we can all meet again when circumstances permit.
Keep well all.
Best wishes,
Matthew Topsfield
Registration Secretary
International Rock Garden Conference 2021
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Cant wait , just wish it was sooner .
Angie :)
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We hope to be there.
Marianne
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Today it is .......
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Roll on :) :) :)
Angie :)
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Like the Scottish alpine meadow in the August posting. Wonder what currency fees will be in that far away?
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I don't think there was ever any intention to restrict the conference to Scottish mountains, Brian! ;D
The organisers are working to make sure there are many choices for those attending - which will help whatever the currency situation might be - they're a clever bunch!
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Hello,
sounds very interesting! I saved the date and I'm keen to the International Rock Garden Conferenz! :)
Ophrys
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My female friend is looking for someone who would like to share a twin room at Salutation hotel. No other hotel. She is the sweetest person ever, fanatic rocker and speaks very good English. She is staying from 9th to 12th May. If you are searching for someone , please send me a message. So looking forward to see you all!
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Shall we start making a list of forum participants planning to attend the conference?
I'll start.
I'm Jan Jeddeloh from Portland, Oregon USA and I'm signed up for the seven day pre-conference tour (at least I hope I am-emailed the form today) and the conference.
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International Rock Garden Conference 2021
ALPINES '21 INTRODUCES...PERTH, SCOTLAND
Booking now open at: http://tinyurl.com/t5238vx (http://tinyurl.com/t5238vx) where further details can be found too.
Booking is going well but remember- book before 31st May 2020 to get a 10% conference discount!!
Early bird discount until 31 May 2020
Our home for the International Rock Garden Conference 2021, Perth is an attractive and convenient city located in the centre of Scotland, well connected to many attractions near and further afield.
Our venue, the modern Perth Concert Hall is located on the northern edge of the city centre and provides all the facilities we need.
There are attractive gardens within the city, including Branklyn and the Bellwood Heather Garden. Further afield are delights including Scone Palace, Cluny House Gardens and Explorers at Pitlochry.
We hope delegates will enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Perth, Scotland
Speakers for the International Rock Garden Conference include Marcela Ferreyra, an expert in Patagonian flora, John Massey, a decorated plant breeder with specialist knowledge of hellebores and alpines, and Robert Rolfe, a celebrated author and alpine enthusiast. Join us in Perth, Scotland 7th-11th May 2021 for fun, games and PLANTS!
Speakers so far include:
Olga Bondareva Russian Alpines
Hamish Brown New Zealand Alpines
Ian Christie Scottish Alpines and Orchids
Paul Cumbleton South African Bulbs
Marcella Ferreya - Patagonia
Jim Jermyn European Alpines
John Massey Hellebores and Alpines
John Mitchell 25 years of China
Johan Nilson Himalaya
Jiři Papouek Tufa and Alpines
Robert Rolfe Alpines in Cultivation
Anne Spiegel Annes Rock Garden
Paul Spriggs Crevice Gardens
Ian Young Bulbs in Cultivation
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From Matt Topsfield, registration secretary and Julia Corden SRGC President
ALPINES'21 & CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19)
Dear delegates, friends and colleagues,
Following careful consideration and discussions between the 2021 Conference Committee, the SRGC Council and the AGS, we have taken the unanimous decision to cancel the "Alpines 2021 conference, due to the ongoing coronavirus (SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19) pandemic. We do this with a heavy heart, and hope you understand this was not an easy decision, but it is our belief that the effects of this virus will be felt for a considerable time. International travel, which is an essential part of any international conference is also likely to be curtailed through next year at least. Therefore, cancellation at this time is in the best interests of everyone's health and wellbeing.
The Scottish Rhododendron Society, the Rhododendron Species Conservation Group and the Czech Rock Gardeners Society were pleased to be sponsorship partners to the Conference but understand the reasons to cancel.
REFUNDS
We are arranging for all booked delegates to receive a full refund of their registration fees. We have directly emailed all booked delegates with more information.
CONTACT US
The Alpines 2021 email address will remain active and regularly monitored for some time yet. If there are any problems or queries with your refund, please contact us at: alpines2021@gmail.com
We know that you will be as disappointed as we are, but we hope we can all meet again when circumstances permit.
Keep well all.
Best wishes,
Matthew Topsfield
Registration Secretary
International Rock Garden Conference 2021
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I know how hard the SRGC committee has been working and how advanced most of the arrangements were - but this is a pandemic and we cannot expect things to return to "normal" at any speed, even if the crisis passes as quickly as the most optimistic models hope for - a difficult decision to cancel the event and a great disappointment to many, but the right one.
This is very sad and we can only hope to meet again.
Well done President Julia and your 2021 committee for taking the brave decision. Safety first.
MargaretYoung SRGC Hon. Vice President.
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Why not invite all the speakers to do their Conference talks on Zoom? That way a lot more members could be involved and the quality of the photographs would be even better than in a lecture theatre. Richard Green's excellent Zoom talk last night demonstrates how the Club can move forward safely even during the difficult times we are now experiencing.
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Time zone differences are the main problem for international involvement for these zoom talks - Arie and Lee Vanspronsen in Canada had to get up at 4.30am to join Cliff Booker's AGS talk the other day! Not sure how many would be game for such and early start- or the UK folks for a late night talk. A lot of speakers might mot be exactly sparkling at that time of day, either!!
I'll draw the attention of the 2021 committee to these posts.
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Why not invite all the speakers to do their Conference talks on Zoom? That way a lot more members could be involved and the quality of the photographs would be even better than in a lecture theatre. Richard Green's excellent Zoom talk last night demonstrates how the Club can move forward safely even during the difficult times we are now experiencing.
Margaret to hold the full International Conference by Zoom in theory is a nice idea and while it sounds easy there are many issues that would need to be resolved and I cannot see it happening.
As you state some groups are hosting meetings on zoom and I am sure we see more of that happening in the coming months.
I am sure if it remains that meetings are not possible then the SRGC will explore more options but all that requires willing volunteers with the necessary skills.
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I am pleased that our first online talk was a success, and that it is generating thoughts, comments and suggestions. This was the intention behind my suggestion of opening with a talk which would generate a wide interest. We had well over 50 people watching the talk, and more than half the viewers were not actually West of Scotland Group members!
There are many opportunities for various ways forward, and as Ian says, there would be much to think about before a conference could be a success, but other organisations are doing such things. Yes, the time difference is a problem, but a series of talks could be scheduled over several days to cover most time zones. It is also possible to record the live talks, and make them available to participants to view afterwards at a more convenient time.
Comments from others on possible opportunities will be welcome.
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I certainly wasn't suggesting running the whole conference by zoom, just trying to be a bit positive about a horrible situation
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I've tried to take part in a few of the all day events by zoom - totally exhausting, especially when not in UK time zone. Single talks are another matter- but I wonder what the feeling would be generally about paying for these if they were to be "cost effective" - a few internet happy folks saying, "not a problem" may not cover the whole story!