National Conference | 1
FINAL REPORT
2014 Australian Association for Environmental Education
National Conference
2 -5 November
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania
Submitted by:
Renee Brown, Conference Manager
Leishman Associates
113 Harrington St Hobart, TAS
T:03 6234 7844 E:
Contents
General Comment
Conference Organisation
Venue & Accommodation
Venue
Hotel Grand Chancellor
Accommodation
Abstract Submissions
Conference Program
Keynote Speakers
Invited Presentations9
Conference Entertainment
Conference MC
Speaker Gifts
Chairpersons
Poster Presentations
Research Symposium
Audio Visual
Social Functions
Welcome Reception
Government House Reception
Conference Dinner
Other Program Inclusions
Field Trips
Registration
Registration Process
Registration Entitlements
Registration Numbers
Marketing & Collateral
Conference Logo
Email Blasts
Website
Social Media
Satchel, Merchandise & Name Badges
Conference Handbook & Proceedings
Sponsorship
Sponsorship Management
Sponsor List & Total Sales
Financials
Financial Management
Final Comment
General Comment
The Australian Association for Environmental Education 2014 National Conference; Sustainability: Smart Strategies for the 21C was held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania between 2 - 5November 2014 with a Research Symposium held on the 1 November at the UTAS IMAS Building on Hobart’s Waterfront.
The Conference was attended by 317 delegates. The conference was held over 5 days which included a research symposium, 24 concurrent sessions, 6 plenary speakers, 111 concurrent speaker sessions, 1discussionpanel and 14 poster presenters.
Social functions consisted of:-
- Welcome Reception, held on Sunday 2 November, this was an inclusive function for all full registrants.
- Government House Reception, Monday 3 November, this was an inclusive function for full registrants.
- Conference Dinner on Tuesday4 November, included for all full registrants, and comprised a 3 course dinner, refreshments were at the cost of each guest.
- Field trips on Wednesday 5 November, with most field trips inclusive for all full registrants.
key information
dates2- 5 November 2014
location
Hobart, Tasmania
venue
Hotel Grand Chancellor
delegate numbers
317
ConferenceOrganisation
The AAEE Conference was hosted by the Tasmanian Chapter of the Australian Association for Environmental Education.
The Conference Convenor was Jenny Dudgeon.
The organising committee were:-
Jenny Dudgeon – Convenor
Shaun Cousins
Nel Smit
Allen Hill
Maree Bakker
Trish Knight
Herman Hamer
Tania Stadler
Visibility - The Conference Committee were easily identifiable by delegates as they wore flourescent vests and were rostered on at the registration desk.
Conference Management- The Conference was managed by Renee Brown, Conference Manager from Leishman Associates and support given by Jessica Peters (Conference Administrator) and the Leishman Associates team including finance,sponsorship and exhibition management.
Venue & Accommodation
Venue
Hotel Grand Chancellor
The main venue for the Conference was the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart, Tasmania. The venue capably housed the plenary sessions, breakout sessions, registration area and exhibition area which also hosted the daily lunch breaks, morning and afternoon refreshments.
The Hotel Grand Chancellor worked with the conference managers and the local organising committee to keep the conference sustainable. Initiatives undertaken included
- Unused food going to food rescue program SecondBite
- Clearly marked recycling bins throughout the conference floor
- Stronger emphasis on recycling back of house
- No individually condiments (i.e. individually wrapped items replaced with bulk items for catering)
- Suitable food “scraps” fed to local farms pigs
- Lighting and air conditioning turned off in rooms when not in use
- No bottled water, no disposable cups or lollies
- Only fresh fruit available for conference attendees
All day catering served by the Hotel Grand Chancellor was vegetarian due to the low carbon footprint. This was a decision made by the local organising committee.
Accommodation
Various accommodation venues were utilised for the conference. These included Hotel Grand Chancellor, The Old Woolstore, The Travel Lodge Hobart and Hotel Collins. A total of 229 room nights were booked for delegates attending the Conference.
A small amount of homestays were also offered to delegates. We are unable to report on how many of these were taken up as these were managed outside of Leishman Associates.
Keynote and invited speakers stayed at either the Hotel Grand Chancellor or were hosted by the local organising committee in their homes.
Abstract Submissions
Leishman Associates set up an online Speaker Zone, for all abstracts to be uploaded electronically for the review process. The Committee were given access to all abstracts submitted and they were able to accept or reject the submissions.The deadline for submission was set for 7May 2014. Leishman Associates sent reminder emails about the closing date and facilitated these submissions. This deadline was extended until 12 May 2014.
Through the Call for Abstracts there were 194 abstracts submitted. Once the reviewers had made their decision on who was accepted and rejected, Leishman Associates sent an email to each author with their results. Once the program was complete each accepted presenter was sent a copy of the program and speaker information. This included all information on the time and date of the presentation, the length of the presentation, audio visual requirements, terms and conditions of presenting and registration requirements. Poster presenters were provided with the size requirements of the poster.
The local organising committee moved some submitted presentation types to other styles of presentations to balance out the program such as a moving a thematic presentation to a workshop. Feedback from the majority of the presenters was that they were unhappy with this change due to the work they were presenting and its unsuitability for presentation in the revised format. The committee were happy to change this back to the original submission preferences when asked.
A PechaKucha session was available as part of the abstract process, however due to little interest this did not go ahead.
Sustainability: Smart Strategies for the 21st Century - ConferenceProgram
The final program was set with aninnovation to the program with the inaugural day long, AAEE research symposium (an additional cost for delegates), 24 concurrent sessions, 6 plenary speakers, 111 concurrent speaker sessions, 1 discussion panel and 14 poster presenters.
The conference was officially opened by Lieutenant Governor, His Excellency, the Honourable Chief Justice Alan Blow OAM, followed by a welcome from the AAEE National President, Jennifer Pearson.
The committee agreed that a printed program would not be provided to delegates in order to be more sustainable. An electronic program was emailed to all delegates prior to the commencement of the conference and also available on the conference website for download. Unfortunately the electronic program was emailed later than anticipated and this caused problems particularly for those delegates already in transit with limited access to the internet and printers. Delegates wanted a printed program when onsite. Leishman’s made several copies at the last minute to cater for this.
Two large programs were also displayed near the registration desk at the venue.
The following results from the post conference reviewshowed the program structure and content to be good.
Structure Content
/V.poor
/POOR
/NEUTRAL
/GOOD
/EXCELLENT
Program Content in General / 0.78% / 2.34% / 6.25% / 59.38% / 31.25%Program Structure in General / 1.57% / 11.02% / 15.75% / 48.03% / 23.62%
Level of Diversity in Program / 0.0% / 4.72% / 14.17% / 52.76% / 28.35%
Overall Quality of Presentations / 0.0% / 1.59% / 15.08% / 57.94% / 25.40%
Keynote Speakers
Professor David Orr - Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, Oberlin College, Ohio, USA
Costa Georgiadias - ABC Greening Australia and AAEE NSW Patron
Paul Gilding – Writer, Strategy Advisor and advocate for a Sustainable Economy
Kirsty Albion – National Co-Director, Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Professor Tow Chong – Provost, Singapore University of Technology and Design
Bob Brown –Environmental Advocate and Bob Brown Foundation
Feedback from the post conference survey showed the majority of respondents found the keynote speakers to be inspiring and excellent.
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Invited Presentations
The conference also included a Welcome to Country from Theresa Sainty, Senior Project Officer Culture and Curriculum, Aboriginal Education Services, a presentation from Deborah Palmer, Manager Curriculum of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority;a presentation from Diane Boase from the Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance; and an address from The Honourable Matthew Groom MP, Minister for State Growth, Minister for Energy and Minister for the Environment, Parks and Heritage.
Conference Entertainment
During the conference there were two performances by standout local school groups.
On Day 1 the conference was opened with a very comical performance of Spamalot by The Hutchins/Collegiate School Dance Troupe.
On Day 2 delegates heard the premier of the original student created musical soundscape reflecting the playground at Lansdowne Crescent Primary School.
As part of the conference close Hobart Playback Theatre performed a summary of people’s thoughts from the conference.
All conference entertainment was very well received by the audience.
Conference MC
Local Tasmanian theatre identity Daryl Pebbles was the MC for the conference and the conference dinner. Daryl entertained the audience while keeping the plenary sessions on time and orderly.
Daryl created the “AAEE” song for the conference, which was enjoyed by delegates.
Daryl was also on hand during the break times to assist in getting the delegates back into sessions with a different whistle, bell or horn each day.
Speaker Gifts
The committee agreed not to provide speakers’ gifts. Instead, unique hand-crafted thank you cards were given to each speaker.
Chairpersons
The following people filled the role as chairpersons for the duration of the Conference. Chairpersons were allocated to sessions and guidelines were distributed and times confirmed by the Leishman Associates team.
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Paul Dullard
Tricia Donnelly
Maree Bakker
Karen Paroissien
Allen Hill
Sue Elliott
Janet Dyment
Jess Fuller Smith
David Butler
Trish Knight
Herman Hamer
Jenny Dudgeon
Jenny Dibley
Greg Hunt
Sue Martin
Jasmine Paygent
Erika Van Shellebeck
Sally Birdsall
Nel Smit
Lara Lloyd
Tania Stadler
Mary Catus-Wood
Susan Germein
Sheridan Emmery
Mark Caddey
Cam Mackenzie
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Poster Presentations
Poster Presentations were displayed each day of the conference. A 35 minute Poster Session was held on Tuesday 4November. Poster presenters stood by their submissions for the duration of the poster session for question and answer time from delegates.
Research Symposium
“It’s about dialogue and it’s about time” was the theme for the inaugural Research Symposium of the Australian Association for Environmental Education which was held on Saturday 1 November.
The symposium was located at the University of Tasmania Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and was at a cost of $50 per person with student tickets being $30.
The key purpose of the research symposium was to develop a high quality, interactive event that contributes to the development and growth of the environmental and sustainability education (EE and SE) research communities in Australasia.
The symposium format provided the space and opportunity for robust dialogue, capacity building, and networking on research in environmental and sustainability education, and in related fields.
The Research Symposium will become a feature of future AAEE conferences.
Audio Visual
Audio visual for the conference was provided by Alive Technologies. The AV technicians supplied and operated computers, data projectors, screens and sound amplification for all sessions.
Leishman Associates staff were available to assist speakers at all times. Presentations for all sessions were uploaded by the AV technicians who were available in the speakers’ preparation room adjacent to the registration desk.
Speakers were requested to sign a release form to allow their PowerPoint presentations to be uploaded on to the conference website. The majority of speakers were happy to do this.
Social Functions
Welcome Reception
The Welcome Reception was held on Sunday 2 November, 5:30pm – 7:00pm at the Menzies Research Institute Tasmania.
Delegates enjoyed fine Tasmanian produce with the welcome reception theme being Bite of Tasmania. All food and beverages were sourced locally and served by the producers themselves. Guests were able to enjoy Bruny Island cheeses and freshly shucked oysters among many other delights. Beverages included local wines, beers and new unique Coal Valley Cider.
Conference delegates took the chance to catch up with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoyed being welcomed to the state by Tasmanian sustainability advocates RobPennicott and Senator Christine Milne.
Entry to the Welcome Reception wasinclusive in a full registration, an additional costof $60.00 per personwas charged for all other registration types and for guest tickets. Overall feedback on the Welcome Reception was excellent.
WELCOME RECEPTION
/V.poor
/POOR
/NEUTRAL
/GOOD
/excellent
/NA
Venue / 0.00% / 1.72% / 10.34% / 23.28% / 43.97% / 20.69%Food and Beverage / 0.00% / 0.00% / 1.74% / 12.17% / 66.96% / 19.13%
SPEAKERS / 0.00% / 0.00% / 2.25% / 22.47% / 55.06% / 20.22%
Staff Service / 0.00% / 0.00% / 2.63% / 19.30% / 59.65% / 18.42%
Government House Reception
The Government House Reception was held on Monday 3 November 6:00pm – 7:00pm at Government House.
Many delegates chose the walking bus option and walked to Government House led by an AAEE Tasmania committee member. Over half the group took up this option and enjoyed the 20 minute walk to and from Government House.
2 coaches were organized to transport delegates who did not wish to walk to and from the reception.
Conference Dinner
The Conference dinner was held on Tuesday 4 September 7:00pm – 11:00pm at the Hotel Grand Chancellor.
Entry to the Conference Dinner was included in a full registration. An additional cost of $100 was charged for all other registration types and guest tickets. Tickets included a welcome drink, canapés, shared plate mains, dessert and 2 bottles of Tasmanian wine per table, one red and one white.
The dinner was prepared by locavore chef Asher Gilding in conjunction with the Hotel Grand Chancellor chefs and featured wonderful Tasmanian produce. An initial bottle of red and white wine and a glass of sparkling on arrival was provided by Stefano Lubiana wines.
The centrepieces for the tables were made by local schools around the theme of,Everything Old is New Again.
A silent auction was held at the Dinner raising money for the Brian Foreman scholarship to enable an AAEE member to attend the next conference. The auction was run by the AAEE National office with Paul Dullard as auctioneer. Auction items included, accommodation at two locations in Tasmania, a Pennicott Wilderness Boat Tour, a Maria Island walk experience, various books, and wine. Thank you to all those who donated prizes.
Guests were entertained later in the evening by local band Sugar Train.
Conference dinner
/v.poor
/poor
/neutral
/good
/excellent
/NA
Venue / 0.00% / 1.82% / 6.36% / 28.18% / 50.00% / 13.64%Food and Beverage / 1.82% / 9.09% / 4.55% / 26.36% / 44.55% / 13.64%
Staff Service / 0.00% / 0.92% / 8.26% / 22.02% / 54.13% / 14.68%
entertainment / 0.93% / 4.67% / 9.35% / 25.23% / 41.12% / 18.69%
Other Program Inclusions
The local organising committee added several other elements to the conference program to make it a unique experience for delegates, including:
Sixteen Legs Exhibition
The BookendTrust’s Sixteen Legs exhibition was held throughout the conference. Delegates could enter the Cave Exhibition, investigating the world of antipodean caves and the secrets that they hide.
Bookend is a Tasmanian education initiative seeking to engage with teachers, schools and students across Australia. Bookend’s award-winning projects include Primary and High School components, with both online and on-ground activities, and curriculum and teacher support.
Makers’ Market
A Makers’ Market was held on the Monday of the conference within the trade exhibition. The market featured local craft and handmade goods. This was a great opportunity for delegates to purchase something for loved ones or a memento of their time in Tasmania
Authors’ Corner
An Authors’ corner was held during each lunchtime within the trade exhibition area featuring a different local author each day. This concept was well received with many delegates engaging with the authors.
Heidi Auman - Sunday 2 November
Anne Morgan - Monday 3 November
Sarah Lloyd - Tuesday 4 November
Big Swap Meet
The Big Swap Meet was held on the Tuesday of the conference during the lunch time break. Delegates were encouraged to bring along items to swap. Delegates were give a bottle cap for each item provided and this was then used to “purchase” items during the swap.
Field Trips
The ConferenceField Trips were held on Wednesday 5 November 2015.
The majority of field trips were included in a full registration. An additional cost of $30 was charged for full registrations for the Mona Field trip and D’Entrecasteaux.
All other registrations could purchase tickets to a field trip for an additional cost. Guest tickets were also available for purchase.