had not even been completed when it was agreed that they would host the confer- ence in 2011, so this involved a lot of trust and faith in their emerging institution. Ecsite’s Strategic Plan for the next fi ve
years involves an element of encouraging science centres and museums, both small and large, in Eastern Europe. Choosing Copernicus as our venue was a very posi- tive step in this direction.
What will next year’s theme be? The theme will be Space and Time, unlimited. Time and space – literally and symbolically – confront science centres and museums with fundamental chal- lenges, options and opportunities. We’ll be examining ways in which we can use these two concepts to communi- cate science in new and innovative ways that are relevant to our audiences. The conference will be held at Cite de l’espace, in Toulouse, France, from 31 May to 2 June, 2012. The call for proposals opened in July 2011.
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
ROBERT
FIRMHOFER DIRECTOR COPERNICUS SCIENCE CENTRE
As host, what was your experience? There were great participants, great topics and great sessions. We were very pleased and we enjoyed it – that was the key to suc- cess. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to present our science centre and our city. Being host was very rewarding.
What feedback have you had? Our hands-on exhibitions were praised for their high quality and innovation. Dr Mamoru Mohri, director of Tokyo’s Miraikan and a former astronaut, complemented our planetarium, particularly the star projec- tor, as offering one of the best views of the night sky on the earth. The building’s indus- trial design and clear structure has proved
(Top left) Copernicus Science Centre, the venue of the conference; (above) networking at the Business Bistro
to be a good venue to present exhibitions and host conferences. This feedback was very satisfactory for the whole team.
What were the main challenges? The main challenge was to organise two large events at the same time – the Ecsite conference and the Science Picnic, which took place on the last day of conference. The Science Picnic is an open-air com- munication event with more than 100,000 visitors in a single day. To cope with both, we created two independently operating task forces and it worked perfectly.
What advice can you give hosts? To organise such a big event – or in fact two events – we needed a dedicated team who perceived organising the conference as an adventure and the opportunity to net- work with colleagues from other countries.
Read Attractions Management online
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PHOTO © ECSITE
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