GeoAfrica 2009 will mark the first African regional conference on geosynthetics. Held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and hosted by the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)–a chapter of IGS–it will continue what has been a very exciting trend in regional geosynthetic conference development, from the EuroGeo series (which held its fourth installment in September 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland) to GeoAmericas (which debuted in March 2008).
GeoAfrica will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from 2-5 September in Cape Town, South Africa.
The event has been received very well. The exhibit hall has sold out and the conference committees even had a bit of difficulty managing the volume of abstracts received, which created fierce competition for what would be included in the event’s sessions and official proceedings.
All in all, this bodes well for construction at a time when it is heavily needed for the global market, but particularly encouraging for regions, such as the African continent, that have largely been overlooked in major construction materials discussions and which do not get to benefit as much from top technologies. GeoAfrica’s arrival will introduce the most modern technologies to visitors from some of the world’s most in-need emerging markets.
TRAVEL TIP
For those attending GeoAfrica in September, you may be interested to know that two blank pages may be needed in your passport for you to gain entry. This has been reported to us by an engineer who traveled to South Africa in recent weeks for work. Please keep this in mind as you plan your trip.
RESOURCES
- Conference Second Announcement and Brochure
- Key Dates
- Technical Program
- Social Program
- GeoAfrica Website
- GIGSA Website
Chris Kelsey is the editorial director for geosynthetica.net. He can be reached at chris@geosynthetica.net.
