Trinity College, Dublin
August 20^th to 24^th 2007
Gerry Stanley (Chairman, Local Organising Committee)

“let me thank you for the greatest-ever SGA meeting I attended. The science was really good, the turnout great, and social events magnificent, with the opera in the Great Hall the top! Cheers and congratulations for a really well-done huge job” – one of the many quotes from a very satisfied delegate.

The 9^th Biennial SGA conference took place at Trinity College in Dublin this past August. By all accounts it was a very successful meeting and a very full programme.

Statistics
Twenty-two technical sessions involving over 400 oral and poster presentations; 7 Field Trips; 8 Short Courses; 2 volume Extended Abstract volumes with over 1600 pages and a CD with the proceedings; and with an attendance 605 delegates from 59 different countries, it was the largest ever SGA Biennial meeting. It was also the largest meeting of geoscientists ever to take place in Ireland. The following Table is a breakdown of the delegates by country:

It was suggested that Australia should have chartered their own plane.

Technical sessions
There were four parallel session throughout the conference with 23 different sessions. Sessions were based on deposit styles, regional studies as well as special themes in economic geology. All sessions were very well attended. There were also special sessions sponsored by the Society for Economic Geology (Compressional tectonics, expanding resources: Exploration advances in the Tethyan Belt); the Irish Association for Economic geology (Carbonate hosted zinc lead deposits) and the North Atlantic minerals Symposium (featuring mineral deposits in the North Atlantic region). The entire programme was handled by Colin Andrew. He was keen to mention that he handled some 10,000 e-mails on conference related matters over the course of organising the programme but that he has since changed his e-mail address. Much discussion was evident throughout the meeting and there were even some fireworks during the discussion following the “Dating Mineral Deposits” session.

The oral presentations were complemented by the poster presentations. Two poster sessions were organised to coincide with the major thematic sessions. Stephen Harney co-ordinated the poster displays.

Short courses
Eight Short courses were run prior to the meeting. They were a combination of both half day and full day courses. All were very well supported and the attendance for each was:

Each course featured formal presentations, a complete set of notes and some contained exercises, a CD with relevant reference material and examination of hand specimens. Each course generated some excellent discussion, and question and answer sessions. Kerr Anderson was the organiser of the short courses.

Field trips
Kerr Anderson also coordinated the field trips. In all seven trips were run with details below.

Social programme
The social programme comprised a Welcome Reception; A State Reception hosted by the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Mr. Tony Killeen in Dublin Castle; an Irish Night at the Old Jameson Distillery; and the Gala Dinner at the Dining Hall In Trinity College.

Minister of State Mr. Tony Killeen (centre) along with from left, Sandy Archibald (President, IAEG), Gerry Stanley (Chairman, Local Organising Committee), Hartwig Frimmel (President, SGA) and Peadar McArdle (Director, Geological Survey of Ireland) at the State Reception in Dublin Castle.


Pre-dinner drinks in the Atrium adjoining the Dining Hall.


Waving goodbye during the after dinner entertainment.

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