The 24th Seminar on IAESTE Development

The 24th Seminar on IAESTE Development was held in Ghent, Belgium from 23-26 April 2009. 70 participants from 30 countries actively participated in this event which serves as a place to discuss, develop and share ideas as well as best practices from all our Members and Co-operating Institutions. This year three major Workgroups were offered: Administration, IPLUG and Strategic Marketing. Additionally and for the first time ever, a Mentoring group was established as a need for it was recognised at the Annual Conference. In only twelve hours many topics had been presented, discussed and worked on. A Welcome dinner was held in Groot Vleeshuis, a traditional warehouse in the middle of Ghent, with hams maturing at the ceiling and a very unique atmosphere. On Friday evening Mr Christophe Peeters, who is responsible for city development, hosted a reception in the Town Hall and emphasised the importance of Globalisation and the great role of our Association in that process. As a sign of appreciation all of us were invited to sign the Golden Book of the City before we moved to Het Pand, the Ghent University Congress Centre, which used to be a monastery in the Thirteenth Century. The Rector of the University of Ghent, Professor Paul van Cauwenberge welcomed the participants for the Gala Dinner and in his speech he stressed the importance of international relations, not only for Companies or Universities but also for students during their studies to create their own networks and to widen their personal horizons for a better global understanding. The second main sponsor, besides the University of Ghent was DEME, a Civil Engineering Company with a focus on dredging also gave a short presentation on their work throughout the world. Thanks to IAESTE Belgium for hosting an excellent Seminar.