MEETING The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) hosted the 5th Interna- tional Fire Ecology and Management Congress at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland this past Dec. 3–7. Seven hundred scientists, resource professionals, federal employees, uni- versity staff, and students from all over the world addressed contemporary wildland-fire issues with 345 oral pre- sentations, 17 plenary talks, 12 technical workshops, 13 planning meetings, and a poster session with 121 posters.
CHALLENGES AFE’s biggest concern going into this year’s congress was significant travel-budget cuts facing federal employees. (Read our Pre Con profile at convn.org/precon-afe.) And while the meeting saw a strong over- all turnout, with 700 delegates, not everyone was so lucky. “Some people who had registered, and even some of our speakers,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, Ph.D., co-director of AFE, “had to cancel at the last minute, because they couldn’t get the funds they needed. … [T]hat was a little bit of a challenge, notifying regis- trants that certain individuals wouldn’t be able to give their talks.” Larger crowds also meant a new set
of problems for AFE. “For our events, this was a very complex one,” Ingalsbee said. “We had our guests split into three hotels. That involved coordinating mul- tiple contractors, vendors, suppliers, and equipment.”
INITIATIVES Increasing collaboration on a global level was the mission for this year’s congress — for which Ingals- bee thought Portland would be an ideal host, given the city’s focus on sustain- ability. “Our conference was a group of ecologists,” Ingalsbee said. “So [sus- tainability] was a major factor in our selection of Portland.” Going green was
22 PCMA CONVENE MARCH 2013
International Fire Ecology and Management Congress
2009 Savannah, Ga.
~400 ~15
Attendees Sparking Ideas AFE’s congress offers
‘collaborative experiences’ that webinars and Skype sessions can’t, said AFE’s co-director.
a message woven throughout the con- gress — including the locally sourced food provided by the convention cen- ter. “It was great. Everyone loved it,” Ingalsbee said. “It was nice to showcase the city, especially to our international guests, and the unique culture and cui- sines of the Pacific Northwest.” AFE included maps of Portland with
its conference programs, highlighting fun and interesting places to go that would take attendees off the beaten path. “We mainly featured the neigh- borhoods,” Ingalsbee said. “Downtown, Chinatown, areas like that, that have great restaurants, bookstores, bou- tiques. Less museums and zoos and things like that.” Travel Portland even granted AFE attendees free access to the city’s light-rail system. To foster collaboration and make
more educational opportunities avail- able to a wider array of delegates, for the first time AFE offered its hands-on workshops for free. “It enabled non- traditional folks to experience them
— people who might not have gone because the sessions are very techni- cal in nature,” Ingalsbee said. “A lot of workshops were filled to the brim.”
700 21
Attendees Exhibitors The event went so smoothly that
Ingalsbee himself had more time to network with his colleagues. “Some of these people I see only once a year at these events, and it’s just great to get reconnected,” he said. “That’s what makes these kinds of events so essential. You don’t get that from a webinar, or a Skype session. You get that informal meet-and-greet and collaborative expe- rience at these conferences.” Despite losing a few attendees and
speakers to budget cuts, Ingalsbee is hopeful for the congress’ future. “People network and hook up to collaborate, and that’s what’s needed these days,” he said.
“With shrinking funds and resources, they’re having to work together more, and that’s a good thing.”