On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for its 2008 National Conference to be held in Melbourne from 9 - 12 November 2008.

Key Dates

General Feedback to past conferences has demanded high quality verbal presentations and interactive workshops, particularly those that enable interaction with the audience.  We need a diverse program which will stimulate thinking, showcase best practice, provide ideas and suggest solutions to ensure parks and leisure continue to be responsive to the industry.

Conference Theme - Creating a Sense of PLAce

Parks and leisure amenities and services contribute in many ways to communities' sense of place – local and regional identities, social capital and quality of life – through, programs, events and associations, landscapes and landmarks and heritage and environmental conservation.

The following examples of topics should be considered when submitting a proposal:

1. Adapting our PLAces – responding to climate change
2. Celebrating PLAce – events and festivals, 10 th Anniversary
3. Leisure and the regeneration/re-creation of PLAce – conservation, design and renewal
4. Reflections of PLAce – looking back: successful projects and their legacies
5. PLAnning and Creating Special PLAces – advances in planning and strategy preparation
6. People and PLAces – programs and participation
7. PLAces for PLAy – innovative provision for children
8. Managing and Maintaining PLAces
9. Recreating PLAce (Health and Wellness- Obesity)
10. PLA and its place in the industry
11. Promoting $ value of PLAces

Proposals are invited which:

• demonstrate leadership, innovative research or practice relating to the conference themes
• discuss and seek answers to related problems and issues, or challenge convention
• provide lessons which conference delegates can put into practice
• illustrate current local issues.

A survey in February 2008asked PLA members what topics they would like to hear and learn, attracted over 120 responses.

In summary, members suggested a few common themes and areas that proposals could adopt. They include:

Overall people would like to see “PLAces, Programs, Facilities and Services that WORK”!!!

Members also supported the forums held last year (open space, government, consultants, climate change, etc) and were keen to see more. They would also like to take home positive outcomes that can be followed up or adapted in the workplace or community – “Where to from Here?”

Speed Presentations

A new form of presentation will be available at the 2008 Conference. It will be called Speed Presentations. This will involve the speaker giving a five minute talk on his/her topic followed by other speakers (approximately 4-6) doing the same. After these talks, all the speakers will be allocated a table each to discuss their topics for a further 15 minutes. Audience members can choose which table/speaker they wish to hear more information from. After the allocated 15 minutes, time will be called and people may change tables/speakers and listen to another speaker or ask questions at that table for another 15 minutes. This can develop further with more exchanges with speakers or table discussions. The speakers will need to be very precise in their five minute talk.

All proposals will be subject to careful review by the Program Committee. Submissions of 200-300 words should be submitted using the website online pro-forma and should indicate:

a.  how it relates to the conference theme or one or more of the sub-themes;
b.  what is particularly challenging, creative or innovative about the content;
c.   in what ways the proposal is relevant to members of the leisure industry; and
d.   the preferred format (see pro-forma list)

You will be notified of the success or otherwise of your presentation by 12 May 2008 . You will then have three months to submit your completed paper / workshop outline. Proposal / abstract will then be included in the Program for the Conference in late August.

Please note that all speakers are required to pay and register for the conference either as a full or day delegate. Also note that all correspondence will be sent to ‘Speaker 1' on the application form, hence it is his/her responsibility to ensure that all correspondence is passed onto co-speakers.

Additional Information

•  Applicants are permitted to submit no more than two proposals.
•  Late proposals will only be considered should there still be spaces available in the program. Late proposals that have been accepted by the Conference Program Committee as meeting all of the requirements may be added to a waiting list.
•  If the Program Committee receives an excess of proposals, as occurred last year, priority will be given to those who did not present last year and those who have given high quality presentations in the past.

For enquiries

Alan Bull
Conference Coordinator
Parks and Leisure Australia
PO Box 210
Bendigo Central   VIC   3552
Australia
Ph: +61-(0)3-9893 - 4095
Fax: +61-(0)3-5444-1783
Email: conference@parks-leisure.com.au
Website: www.placonference.com.au