One of the issues about using colleges for conferences is the distance involved in getting from point A to point B, especially for people who have mobility issues. And Georgian is no different. Residence is, in my humble opinion, fantastic. Like a hotel room but with a kitchen. The walk to the administrative building is a good 7-10 minutes depending on energy levels and mobility. And the Marketplace is in a building in between. The walk back and forth is neither uphill nor down, so that is certainly a bonus. The Marketplace is situated next to the campus pub, an even bigger bonus, and truly a great little place for the genies to get together and renew friendships built both online and from a distance. And the residence is situated next to the hospital, which might be incidental to most, but to a Canadian, a hospital generally means a Tims. Aahh... bliss
The conference had pre-conference workshops yesterday with some very high calibre presenters. The Keynote Speaker was Kirsty Gray, and following the keynote the was a reception and social time. In the pub.
Today was a fairly early start with breakfast on offer at 7. By 7:10 the coffee had run out and only about 2% of the attendees had made it down to breakfast - oh yes, the hospital! Off to Tims it was.
Coffee over and energy levels starting to rise, it was time to toddle off to the Admin building for the Panel discussions. The panel consisted of Dick Doherty, Kirsty Gray, Dave Obee and Maurice Gleeson. The moderator was Thomas McEntee who did a fantastic job. The questions were thought-provoking and the answers brilliant. It really was a great, great start to the day.
Next up was the OGS annual general meeting followed by lunch, which allowed for loads of time in the marketplace. I was assisting Kirsty who was selling FTDNA kits and must say we were HOPPING. Although two hours had passed, I felt like I had just sat down. Next it was time to attend workshops where I was introducing and thanking speakers.
This is always a humbling experience because we get to hear from some of the best of the best and it is always amazing by how much knowledge that they have and are willing to share.
Back to Marketplace, over to residence to blog and change and now it is time for the banquet, and more time to connect and re-connect.
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