The 2009 meeting of the Applied Geography Commission, International Geography Union

The Applied Geography Commission will meet during the International Festival of Geography (FIG) which is being held in 2009 in St Die, France, Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 October. The FIG is an annual event held in St Die and attracts a huge attendance by members of the general public. It is a wonderful event and one that is ideal for the IGU Applied geography Commission to raise public awareness of the contribution our discipline can make to society.

All formal members of the Applied Geography Commission are requested to attend this meeting and to formally participate in the activities of the FIG.

Antoine Bailly has successfully negotiated with the organizers of the FIG for the formal participation of the Applied Geography Commission in the 2009 FIG. The FIG will host the Commission and pay for accommodation for one night and for meals for the three days during the 2009 FIG. The Commission will subsidize the cost of accommodation for an additional night. Members of the Commission attending the St Die meeting are requested to arrive in St Die during Friday 1 October and to stay in St Die for the Friday night through into Sunday 3 October and to depart during the Sunday.

Those members of the Commission attending the 2009 FIG will be expected to commit to being involved in the following activities:

1. A meeting of the IGU Applied Geography Commission to be held on the morning of Saturday 2 October. This meeting will be scheduled for approximately one hour.
2. The Commission will organize a Round Table on ‘Applied Geography and Coastal Development, Tourism and Resource Management’. Brief perspectives will be put by the participating members of the Commission. (Note that this Round Table relates to the theme of the 2009 FIG.)
3. Each member of the Commission participating in the 2009 FIG will be asked to prepare a presentation to be made at one of the schools in St Die. The presentation is to highlight aspects of the geography of the country from which the member of the Commission comes. (The presentation may be made in either French or English and should be based on a power-point presentation of about 20 minutes maximum. The audience will be members of the general public and should emphasize the role of geographers in addressing key issues facing your country.)

The organizers of the participation of the Applied Geography Commission in th3 2009 FIG are Antoine Bailly (the immediate Past Chair of the Commission) and Bob Stimson (the Current Chair of the Commission).

As a formal member of the IGU Applied Geography Commission you are urged to commit to attending the 2009 Fig in St Die and to agree to participation in the above activities.

Please communicate by email by 31 March 2009 to confirm your agreement to attend St Die, France. Send your email to Kingsley Haynes, the Commission Secretary, email khaynes@gmu.edu

Once we have received your reply and we know who will be coming to St Die to participate in the Applied Geography Commission meeting and the activities it will be organizing at the 2009 FIG, Antoine Bailly and Bob Stimson will communicate with you regarding the details of your participation.

Your accommodation in St Die for the nights of Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October will be booked by the organizers of the FIG. You will be responsible for making your own travel arrangements.