ifa confrence

[Drunky]

I was there in 2007 and it was an interesting weekend, but it was sad to see not many people there i felt quite angry about and stopped posting anything for while.

[monty]

Well ....did any one go ??? seems to be an annual meeting for those who really don't give a XXXX for those out there diggin' in the dirt ..................

[Weegie]

Well as no-one else is going to fess up, and I know that there were a least a couple of other regular BAJR contributors there, I thought I should admit that I was at IfA Conference. There, I've said it.

The best session, from my experience and the comments I heard, was on heritage crime. That broadened out the discussion from nighthawking to architectural and art theft, and there was a very good paper from the policeman who has been working with local nature and metal-detector groups in Kent to increase awareness and reporting of nighthawking and other illicit excavation, with some success. Most people who attended this thought that the session was thought-provoking, helpful and encouraging.

I also attended a session on PPS 5 which was OK, although it did largely comprise a series of prepared position statements by the usual groups, and a session on commercial archaeology which I thought was both disappointing and depressing. That was definitely a case of deja entendu, with a collection of whinges and POSTBLOBs (POrtentous STatements of the BLeedin' OBvious, a word I'm proud to have coined at a previous IFA Conference) that would not have been out of place 20 years ago. I could say more, but would risk breaching the AUP. I suspect that most BAJR-ites would have been reduced to red-eyed frothing wrecks if they had heard this session.

There was other good stuff that I didn't attend; many enjoyed the new technology session, for example. The point was made to me by a friend who couldn't be there that it should be possible, in this day and age, to make some sessions available as webcasts, and I'm sure that the heritage crime session in particular deserved a wider audience.

Apart from that, I met quite a few old chums, drank a bit too much and enjoyed myself. I even quite liked Southport.

[Dinosaur]

Apart from that, I met quite a few old chums, drank a bit too much and enjoyed myself. I even quite liked Southport.

Used to be good (as in deeply nasty) rock dos in the Floral Hall on the promenade back in the '80s, so the place has always had something going for it

[YellowMike]

I went

I personally felt like there should have been more field staff there as members of the industries future.

the future of the industry was very much a marginal seat, beyond local gov and paid attendees.


well represented is the present and the mindful dodgers


as opposed to that:

ths sessions were good, abit evasive in places (prob for good reason)

but ultimately, a good step forward if anyone was paying attention

now they just need to walk the walk..............................................................................................................?

i can tell you now that it aint guna be plain sailin

[kevin wooldridge]

The only occassions I have ever been able to afford to attend the IfA conference were those when my employer subsidised the cost and/or gave me paid time off. This is a real problem. I guess if I find it difficult to attend, IfA members who are in a worst financial position than me must find it nigh on impossible. As the IFA confernce has now been running for 20 years it is about time that this issue was addressed.

The IfA does have a hardship fund to help with conference expenses but doesn't seem to advertise it too extensively (...actually I am being a little disingenuous here. I know all about the hardship fund as a council member explained it to me once. The problem is that if it were advertised too extensively the vast majority of attendees of the conference would realise that their wages were so low they actually qualified for the fund rather than having to pay!!).

I wonder if the problem couldn't be addressed in similar terms to some political party and union conferences. Rather than 3 days in one venue why not 3 one day conferences in geographically dispersed centres. London, Glasgow and Cardiff would seem to be a reasonable spread and perhaps using locations where we could get at reasonable rates ....and on Saturdays making it easier/cheaper to travel and attend without time off work and with the unemployed and very low paid receiving travel expenses to attend.

I think that some of POSTBLOBS to which Weegie refered could easily be accommodated in a new IfA journal which would be cylindrical and fit neatly onto a holder that many of us already possess in the privacy of our own personal bathroom....

[YellowMike]

fair enough

we should really start arranging for the commisar bored, as this may get abit akin to it.



why should we bother then?

i'm not talking about cynicism, or disillusionment, rather the momentum which is apparent in this thread

[RedEarth]

The only occassions I have ever been able to afford to attend the IfA conference were those when my employer subsidised the cost and/or gave me paid time off. This is a real problem. I guess if I find it difficult to attend, IfA members who are in a worst financial position than me must find it nigh on impossible. As the IFA confernce has now been running for 20 years it is about time that this issue was addressed.

The IfA does have a hardship fund to help with conference expenses but doesn't seem to advertise it too extensively (...actually I am being a little disingenuous here. I know all about the hardship fund as a council member explained it to me once. The problem is that if it were advertised too extensively the vast majority of attendees of the conference would realise that their wages were so low they actually qualified for the fund rather than having to pay!!).

I wonder if the problem couldn't be addressed in similar terms to some political party and union conferences. Rather than 3 days in one venue why not 3 one day conferences in geographically dispersed centres. London, Glasgow and Cardiff would seem to be a reasonable spread and perhaps using locations where we could get at reasonable rates ....and on Saturdays making it easier/cheaper to travel and attend without time off work and with the unemployed and very low paid receiving travel expenses to attend.

I think that some of POSTBLOBS to which Weegie refered could easily be accommodated in a new IfA journal which would be cylindrical and fit neatly onto a holder that many of us already possess in the privacy of our own personal bathroom....

I was wondering about the notion of having regional IfA groups with yearly (or more frequent) meetings simply for the reason of enabling more people to attend, particularly in terms of seeing whatelse is going on in their area.

I have never been able to attend the conference, not particularly because the fee is too expensive but because of the travel and accommodation costs, plus it being during the week makes it a bit problematic. An easier to get to day conference over a weekend would be much more appealing. Perhaps I should suggest this to the IFA rather than on here...

[BAJR]

WEbcasting is more that possible... and even the BAJR conference back a couple of years was filmed and broadcast... at teh portable antiquites conference I was able to make my session available by simply recording myself and putting it up with the images from the screen.. so it ain't hard or costly...

see: for BAJR Conference ie this session : http://www.pasthorizons.tv/tv/view/139/b...lly-bajr-/
and for Portable Antiquities Conference http://www.slideshare.net/BAJR/whats-missing

[destroyingangel]

The IfA conference...

I went,
I saw,
I listened,
I bought an ice-cream,
I went home.

Nope, the IfA conference didn't really have anything for the digger (pay, conditions... yadda, yadda). Yer actual field archaeology... that's so yesterday. It was, as per usual... a mixture of the great, the good (and maybe not so good) and the wannabe (look at me... I'm doing a PhD, don't yer know) meeting to discuss general archaeological matters - some theory, some practice, some methodology. But on the whole, it was about management of the historic resource. Basically, it did exactly what it said on the tin (i.e. http://www.archaeologists.net/modules/ic...hp?page=18).

Perhaps if the digger really wants to voice off and be heard... then he/she should (as mentioned elsewhere) start the process of collaborating to change the situation (ie a positive thing) rather than just bemoaning or whinging about it. The very thought of an alternative conference sounds great... one that actually tries to sort out the plight of every archaeologist who is feeling the strain (I'm not a digger by the way, but I'm feeling the sh**e just as smuch as anyone else). I'm saddened that only a few actually turned up to the last alternative (BAJR) one. Perhaps another one could be organised... I dunno.