In February 2022, right after the end of the virtual IADA Symposium, my fellow board members told me that we needed to start working on the Congress now. With over one and half years to go until the Congress was scheduled, that seemed like a long time to prepare. As this will be my first IADA Congress as a board member, I knew little about all the small and big decisions involved in organizing such an event: which venue? Short and/or long talks? Hardcopy or digital preprints? Reception or no reception? How many days of workshops? Conference bags? Staying with how things have been done before or trying something new? Of course, many of these questions remain to be decided, but some are already set in stone and can be shared.
First, we will meet in Germany, in the beautiful cities of Halle and Leipzig. The talks and the general assembly will take place in the Händelhalle, while the tours and workshops will take place in various institutions in and around Leipzig.
The talks will be of different lengths to accommodate different subjects and the presenter’s needs. These can be as short as 5 minutes, lightning talks, or 10 and 20 minutes for longer contributions. Moreover, we plan to offer simultaneous translation of all talks from English to German or German to English.
We would also like to include in our Congress the changes and the new and positive developments the pandemic has initiated regarding how we meet, learn and work together. One of the major benefits was the development of digital events, which allowed people from around the world to join virtual gatherings. We are aware that not everybody will be able to travel to Germany next year, so we are looking into ways of enabling people to attend the Congress in a virtual setting. We have also acknowledged that many of you (and us) are tired of sitting in front of screens for hours on end, and we are missing the experience and direct exchange that makes our profession so interesting and unique. This is why we decided to dedicate two days of the Congress to workshops and tours instead of only one day.
We are delighted to have teamed up with an enthusiastic local committee that will help us to bring the Congress to life. In the News section of his issue, you can find further information about the conservators involved in organizing the Congress. Most importantly, you will find the Call for Papers and all instructions for handing in your abstract– your contributions are essential for the Congress to be successful!
With one and a half years to go until we meet in Halle/Leipzig, I am curious about where we will end with all the decisions still to be made and how the Congress will take shape. Anyway, no matter the details, I know it will be a great place to learn about new developments, catch up with colleagues and make new connections, and after the past few years, that is something I very much look forward to.