PROGRAM

Draft Program Update - February 2010
 Subject to Change

World Canal Conference 2010, Rochester, New York, USA

Abstracts and paper proposals are still coming in and the program committee is working to assemble a lively set of plenary and break-out sessions from Monday through Thursday.  A schedule of presentations will appear on this page in the coming weeks and months.   At this point, we have strong proposals in-hand from Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia), Canada, China, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States. Korea, Russia, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, and Denmark are potential new entries.

The conference has Four Sessions or Tracks - these along with their
target audiences are:

A. Economic Development and Community Revitalization -– for village and town citizen advocates, planners, developers, tourism professionals, investors, government agencies and elected officials- at all levels, communities, general public, land side business owners, boat builders and repair yards, economists, canal societies, bikers-hikers-canoeists-kayakers-trail users and all interested and engaged in outdoor activities on or near the water

B. Engineering, Management, and Transport: Challenges and Opportunities on Inland Waterways - for professional waterway engineers and managers including historic and abandoned or restored canals, advocates and canal societies, historians, history of technology scholars, educators, environmentalists, shippers, transport companies, trip boat and cruise line companies, economists

C. Marketing and Tourism - for tourism promotion agencies, developers, marketing and advertising specialists, government agencies and elected officials, communities, hire and trip boat companies, landside businesses and entrepreneurs, investors, marina owners, park managers, boaters, print media professionals, internet web design specialists, waterway managers and engineers, bikers-hikers-canoeists-kayakers-trail users and all interested in and engaging in outdoor activities on or near the water such as canal societies

D. History, Education, and Interpretation – for teachers and educators, history of technology scholars, researchers, historians, academicians, tourism promotion agencies, canal societies, waterway engineers and managers, advocates, government, everybody—it’s the foundation

Language:  Because of budget constraints and the conference venue’s complete lack of conventional audio facilities and capabilities for translation, - the official language of the conference is English; however the Planning Committee may provide translation for French speakers on a limited basis.   

addressing environmental, financial, and political challenges; canal and related social history and history of technology, education and interpretation for future generations and the role restored historic vessels play in this endeavor.    

Papers will be delivered in plenary sessions, where topics of general and global interest are presented to all conference delegates, and in break-out sessions, which allow specialists opportunities to discuss topics in greater detail.  This year’s conference will also include a training workshop for teachers who want to incorporate the natural and human history of inland waterways in school curricula and activities.  Continuing education certification may be available for some professions on a limited basis, including engineering, planning, and the law.

Sunday, 19 September, 2010
Events for delegates and the public including a flotilla of historic, commercial, and New York State Canal Corporation maintenance vessels, walking tours of downtown Rochester’s historic canal, aqueduct, and waterpower districts, entertainments, exhibits, concerts, and special delegates only inspection study tour of the route of the proposed restoration of the old Erie Canal through downtown  . . . .

Monday, 20 September, 2010
Big news in the world of canals and inland waterways
Presentations on exciting new canal developments in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Bringing canals back to the city.
Mayors and representatives from communities that have reanimated their downtown areas by uncovering and revitalizing urban waterways.
New Life for an old Aqueduct
            Rewatering Rochester’s Broad Street Corridor and the 1842 Genesee Aqueduct
Governor’s Lunch- Governor Patterson - invited
Dinner in the ditch
            The plan is to hold a cocktail party, dinner, and entertainment in the bed of the
             Genesee Aqueduct    

Tuesday, 21 September, 2010
Shuffle off to Buffalo
All-day trip to Buffalo, about 80 miles west of Rochester. Tour and presentations at Commercial Slip -- the historic western terminus of the Erie Canal, buried for almost 90 years, recently uncovered, restored, and in the midst of becoming a new civic and commercial hub.
Land and boat tours of Buffalo’s canal and grain elevator districts.
Evening: Return to Rochester for a night On the Town in the East Avenue and Park Avenue Neighborhoods

Wednesday, 22 September, 2010
Morning – Plenary and break-out sessions focusing on:
Economic development and community revitalization; engineering management, transport, and sustainability; marketing and tourism; and education and interpretation
Afternoon – Study Tour East and Study Tour  West of communities along the Erie Canal. 
A third Study Tour route includes a behind-the-scenes tour of operating early 20th century drydock and canal maintenance shops designed for engineers and anyone with an interest in canal technology and maintenance.
Evening – Boat rides for the three study tour groups converge for drinks and dinner at Richardson’s Canal House, a 19th century inn on the banks of the Erie Canal.

Thursday, 23 September, 2010
Morning & Afternoon – Plenary and break-out sessions with continued focus on:
Economic development and community revitalization; engineering management, transport, and sustainability; marketing and tourism; and education and interpretation, plus a workshop for educators who want to incorporate inland waterways into curricula.
             Evening Gala Banquet – Planning Committee hopes to secure a speaker of National
                        Significance

Friday, 24 September, 2010
Optional post conference tours: West to Lockport and Niagara Falls, East to the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Finger Lakes wine country, and a two day boat trip to Seneca Falls on the Erie and Cayuga-Seneca Canals.

Registration Fee: All lunches and evening meals except one on Tuesday evening 21 September are included in the registration fee which also includes all transportation, boat trips, and more.

 SPECIAL NOTE: Some program details as described above are still in the planning stage only and subject to change by the Planning and Executive Committees.