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International Amateur Radio Union Region 1
2008 Regional Conference - Cavtat, Croatia
16^th to 21^st  November 2008

FORMAL NOTICE AND CALL FOR PAPERS 
(original material in *.pdf)

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to take part in the next IARU Region 1 Conference, to be held in Cavtat, Croatia, on the above dates. The opening Plenary will take place on Sunday 16^th November 2008, and the closing Plenary on Thursday November 20th 2008.

You can participate by sending a delegation to the Conference and/or by submitting papers for the Conference to consider.

If your society is unable to send a delegate, you may like to consider giving your proxy to another Member Society of Region 1, to represent your views at the Conference. See below for details of how to do this.

What to do if you plan to attend

Member Societies planning to attend the Conference must notify the organising society (HRS) of this. HRS must receive this information by 1^st February 2008 as we need to confirm numbers to the hotel.

Please complete and return the attached pro-forma (Notice of Intention to Send a Delegation). Send it by e-mail to hrs-hq_Xhamradio.hr  or fax to +385 1 48 48 763

Cavtat is located on the Adriatic Coast of Croatia, about 15 Km South of Dubrovnik, and very close to Dubrovnik airport. Coaches will be organised to transport delegates from the airport to the Conference Hotel.

The Conference will take place in a high quality hotel with a purpose-built Conference Centre. Details of how to obtain the special IARU Conference rate will be sent to participating societies. 

What to do if you do not plan to attend

Please complete and return the attached pro-forma (Notice of Intention to Send a Delegation), even if you do not plan to attend the conference. Send it by e-mail to hrs-hq_Xhamradio.hr or fax to +385 1 48 48 763

Also, please consider whether you wish to appoint a proxy to represent you at the conference. For details on this, see later in this note. 

Conference Format

The 2008 Conference will follow the format of the successful Davos Conference of 2005, to allow for a shorter Conference and reduced costs for delegates. As usual, there will be an opening ceremony followed by working group meetings on Sunday 16^th November. Delegates should therefore plan to arrive on Saturday 15^th November. Conference sessions will take place Monday – Thursday. The closing Gala Dinner (for which an extra charge is made) will be on the Thursday evening (20^th November). There will be an optional day tour on Friday 21^st November, again at extra cost. 

Visas

Attached is a note concerning visas. Please read it carefully if you intend to attend the Conference. If there is no Croatian Embassy or Consulate in your country, you MUST provide the visa information to HRS by the date specified, for you to be able to obtain a visa on entry to Croatia. If there is a Croation Embassy or Consulate in your country, you will need to apply there for a visa (if you need one).

Conference Papers

You are invited to submit papers for consideration by the Conference. Papers must be submitted by e-mail to the Conference Secretary at iaru_region1_Xbtinternet.com  by 1^st April 2008. Papers may be submitted by Member Societies, the Executive Committee, the IARU Region 1 Specialised Bodies, the Administrative Council, the International Secretariat and other IARU Regions. Please ensure that papers reach the Secretary by this date. Late papers may not be accepted.

A guide note is attached on preparation of papers. Please make sure that all papers are prepared in this format. Papers will be available for download from the IARU Region 1 Web from 1^st May 2008. Member Societies are responsible for distributing papers to their delegates.

The business of the Conference will be conducted in English.

Support for Attendance

A Member Society, which for financial reasons is unable to send a delegate to the General Conference, may apply for financial assistance from IARU Region 1 funds. The application for such assistance must reach the Executive Committee at least seven months before the scheduled date of the General Conference, i.e. no later than 15^th April 2008, and must provide a detailed explanation of why such assistance is being requested.

Applications for assistance received after this date shall only be considered in a case of emergency and at the discretion of the Executive Committee. The financial assistance (if any) given from IARU Region 1 funds shall be limited in each case to one single delegate from a Member Society. The amount shall depend on available financial resources and the total number of applications received and shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. In general it will not be possible to cover the full costs of attendance for one delegate, and normally assistance may be given with hotel and living costs in Cavtat only. 

Attendees

Delegates, observers and proxies are accredited provisionally until their credentials have been examined by the Credentials and Finance Committee and approved by the Plenary Meeting at the Conference. All requirements for accreditation as well as other requirements for the IARU Region 1 General Conference may be found in the IARU Region 1 Constitution and Bye-laws as can be found on the Region 1 web (www.iaru-r1.org/Constitution.htm).

Partners and observers will be welcome. Member societies may wish to consider whether to extend an invitation to their national administrations to send an observer.

Applications from those wishing to be given observer status must be received by the Conference Secretary at least six weeks before the Conference start date.

Proxies

Member Societies may allocate their Proxy to another Member Society of IARU Region 1 together, if they wish, with instructions on how to vote on each paper. A form will be included in your Conference papers to enable you to do this. That form must be completed, and sent to the Head of Delegation of the society to which you are allocating your proxy. That Head of Delegation must bring the original of the form to the Conference. Note that each member society may hold one proxy only.

Regional Conferences are a great way to meet and discuss the important issues facing amateur radio today. I hope you will decide to send a delegation. Remember, a “delegation” can be just one person !

Sincerely,

Ole Garpestad
President IARU Region 1

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