Back to basics

With financial turmoil and escalating costs, why do people still attend meetings?

Story by Bryan Holliday
 

At a recent botany congress in Melbourne that attracted more than 2000 delegates from 73 countries, I asked a cross-section of the delegates why they had registered. Naturally, the answers varied according to age, country of origin and area of specialty, but the responses were reassuring to anyone who works in the global meetings industry.

Delegate Zuhuang from China is studying for a masters degree. She said: “Melbourne is very different to Shanghai; the flowers here are very special to me.” Tammy, a professor from Canada, collaborates with several Australian biologists on an important rice project. Sara originally from Iran is studying for a PhD in Switzerland. She gave her first presentation at an international conference. She was then planning to visit Cairns and Darwin to study the flora there. Amy from the USA is an editor of a scientific journal and was planning lots of meetings with authors and reviewers. Kirsten from La Trobe University invested in an exhibition stand and had already met prospective students and researchers from Russia to Mexico. Birgit from Germany was attending all the sessions on population genetics. Robert from Queensland had just completed his PhD and was making good contacts as he thinks about postdoctoral positions. Joshua from Israel was learning a lot about drought resistance and tolerance “an area in which Australia has some expertise”.

Aimee from NSW had recently embarked on a PhD program and before she developed her research topic in detail she wanted feedback “from the experts”.

This is what international conferences are all about: the pursuit of knowledge through collaboration for the benefit of the human race.