[PCA] CALL: American Public Gardens Assoc. 2009 Conference Sessions & Papers (St. Louis, MO)

[Olivia Kwong]

It's time for the Call for Sessions and Papers for the 2009 APGA 
Conference that will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, where we will be 
celebrating "The Global Garden." Next year three continents will observe 
milestone anniversaries: The Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, outside London, 
Europe, 250 years; Singapore Botanic Gardens, Asia, 150 years; and, 
Missouri Botanical Garden, your host institution for the conference, also 
150 years.

For the Call for Sessions and Papers, go to 
http://www.publicgardens.org/Core/ContentManager/uploads/PDFs/Annual%20Conference/2009%20Conference/2009%20final%20call.pdf

The Global Garden will be represented by presenters from gardens of all 
sizes and many places and should inspire each of us to consider how we 
operate in an ever-changing environment. Please read through the tracks 
and consider the examples of possible topics. We encourag! e everyone to 
contact the Program Selection Committee listed in each track to discuss 
your ideas for proposal. They will help you with topics, speakers, etc.

Here's a sampling of the planned tracks:

Consider yourself the captain who steers the ship when submitting a 
proposal for the Administration and Management track and share your 
knowledge about recruitment, diversity, compensation, and other 
human-resource issues, or collaborate with your crew to discuss how to 
work together with board members and consultants.

When in Missouri you cannot forget Conservation and Research so get 
growing, growing, growing on your submissions for this track to make sure 
your collections will not be gone. This track encourages presenters to 
model sustainability, to offer suggestions for sharing plant data, and to 
address ! the effects of global climate change. It's all about the plants, 
in the track dedicated to Horticulture.

Education will be on the itinerary with sessions such as GIS technology, 
grounds management, taxonomy, nomenclature, labeling, and design for 
public gardens including conservatories, university gardens, and arboreta.

How your stay was and how we pay for it are two tracks that open the 
floodgates to exploring the Visitor Experience and the relationship 
between Development and Marketing in an increasingly competitive market 
and slowing economy.

You may prepare your submission in one of the following presentation 
formats: 15-minute Individual Presentation, 90-minute Panel Discussion, 
90-minute Multi-speaker Presentation, Workshop (full or half day), or 
Poster. APGA will offer on-line abstract submi! ssions for the second 
year. This Web-based system will offer you the ability to compose 
abstracts securely and collaboratively with colleagues throughout the 
world. Visit the Web Site at http://apga2009.abstractcentral.com. (Full 
step-by-step instructions are available on-line.)

By sending this to you now, we hope you are still inspired and ready to 
discuss ideas with your colleagues to continue to build on the success of 
this year's Pasadena conference. The deadline for submitting a proposal is 
11:59 p.m., PST, October 6, 2008.

We would like to thank the 2009 Host Committee and the Program Selection 
Committee for their work on the 2009 Call for Sessions and Papers. And, 
also to thank you for your creative contributions to the success of the 
St. Louis Conference in 2009!