Eight years in the making and postponed twice by the pandemic, the much-awaited 7th European Geosynthetics Conference in Warsaw is now just weeks away.
Here, IGS Poland’s Jakub Bryk, conference vice-chairman, shares the chapter’s journey and why it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
Themed ‘Geosynthetics for emerging Europe’, EuroGeo7 takes place at the historic Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw on September 4-7, this year. It’s been a long road for organizers at IGS Poland but the culmination of their hard work is finally coming to fruition.
“We are all relieved and excited – it feels good to know that our event is finally happening,” said Mr Bryk. “From the very beginning we wanted this to be an opportunity to meet and network and we can’t wait to showcase geosynthetics, not only from an international level, but also from a local perspective, in-person, face-to-face.
“This is the first IGS conference organized in the Central/Eastern European region. We wanted to bring the industry closer to local markets where geosynthetics are commonly used and widen understanding and education in areas like the optimization of geosynthetics’ performance and sustainability, in a way that is affordable to all.”
With the global pandemic disrupting conference plans, timelines and resources, as well as the added consideration of health and safety protocols, maintaining momentum was key.
Mr Bryk said: “The main challenge was to stay mobilized, especially with all the uncertainty over the last three years. The global situation was changing day to day; decisions made during one committee meeting had to be changed the following month. I can’t remember how many times we modified the Covid policy or delayed our deadlines. Then, once we were ready and excited to announce the conference was going ahead the war in Ukraine broke out.”
While Poland shares a border with Ukraine, the fighting is taking place a considerable distance away, in eastern Ukraine. No travel restrictions have been imposed by the Polish government.
“The war is happening in Ukraine, not in Poland. Warsaw is a perfectly safe, vibrant city hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors every month,” said Mr Bryk.
He added although there were currently no travel restrictions in relation to Covid, conference organizers were monitoring World Health Organization recommendations and would implement health and safety protocols as needed. For now, it is full steam ahead.
He said: “We are almost ready. The papers are reviewed and ready to be published, and the exhibition promises to be a great success. We thank the exhibitors and sponsors, who have shown unbelievable faith in our event and supported us through the whole Covid period.
“As the world and our industry emerge from the challenges of the pandemic, EuroGeo7 will offer a snapshot of the industry – what’s new, where is the industry headed after the period of uncertainty. There is much to discover – we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Warsaw.”
Find out more about the conference, program and speakers at the EuroGeo7 website here and read our round-up here.
*** Register by August 22 and enjoy reduced entry fees. Registration after this date will be on-site only.
