Convention Case Studies
The Green City of Nara Hosts an International Parasitic Plant Conference
The location was almost ideal for a gathering of international researchers on parasitic plants: the green, garden-like setting of the ancient city of Nara. The venue, the fully-equipped Nara Kasugano International Forum, is set in a forested section of beautiful Nara Park (famous for its free-wandering, sacred deer), right next to Todaiji, the temple housing the famous Great Buddha. Taking part in the World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP) were some 140 plant researchers from around the world.
One of Nara's famous (and sacred) deer in front of the WCPP venue
Conference Overview
| Event Name | The World Congress on Parasitic Plants (WCPP) |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 3-7, 2024 |
| Location | Nara Kasugano International Forum IRAKA, Nara |
| Attendance | 140 |
Many reasons for holding the event in Japan, and in Nara
Dr. Damaris Achieng Odeny, a plant geneticist from Kenya, renowned parasitic plant researcher and keynote speaker at the event, gives a good explanation of why this event was held in Japan. "There are many Japanese scientists who are doing great work on parasitic plants," she says. "So being here and being able to meet all of them is almost like having a field day on parasitic plants for me!" The previous WCPP was held in Nairobi, Kenya, so Dr. Odeny had the opportunity to actually host the conference.
"This is the 17th edition of the WCPP, bringing together scientists who are working on parasitic plants every two years at sites around the world," says Professor Harro Bouwmeester of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and president of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS), the organizer of the event. "IPPS is the organization behind this, and we are indeed the organizers of these world congresses on parasitic plants, but we look for a venue, a location, and for volunteers. In this case, Professor Satoko Yoshida of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) was the main organizer. She is one of the researchers excelling in the field of parasitic plants. We discussed with her about the dates, and the scientific content, but in principle she independently organized this meeting, along with the help of colleagues in Japan. The planning all started two years ago at the WCPP in Nairobi. During that meeting, we were preparing for the next venue. Considering the rotation of locations, we felt that it was time to go to Asia again. I talked with a couple of the Japanese participants in Nairobi, including Professor Yoshida. They liked the idea, and immediately started exchanging messages with Japanese who weren't present. At that meeting--and within a couple of days--they had decided that they were willing to do it."
"I guess they anticipated already we would ask!" he says "I know Japan and expected the venue would be nice but was still happily surprised arriving here in Nara. It's really a nice little town, easily accessible, and with lots of green. This was their suggestion, and I think that worked out fantastically."
Professor Yoshida emphasized the importance of cooperation within the IPPS community for the success of the conference. "Because we worked closely with and had good communications with the president and vice president of the IPPS, we were able to hold the event with a sense of unity," she said. "It was also a positive thing for me as a researcher to be able to take the lead in organizing the program, such as selecting topics and speakers, and connecting with various researchers who are doing cutting-edge science or field work on parasitic plants."
This community, and the building of connections, is an important part of WCPP. "The most important thing about these meetings is that we have all these scientists together," Professor Bouwmeester says. "There are many opportunities for interaction, for discussions and for making new alliances. It's not an exaggeration to believe that this will help solve agricultural problems in the future, and will also be good for Japanese science, as it will further boost international collaboration." Professor Bouwmeester actually created one of those collaborations during the event. "I'm good friends with a Japanese scientist, who has a post-grad student finishing this year. During this meeting we reached an agreement that, after his graduation, the student will do a postdoc in my lab. Both his boss and I see that this will stimulate interaction between our labs, and will have a positive effect on future scientific development."
The diverse nature of the participants was one of the challenges for Professor Yoshida and the Japanese planners. "In hosting the event, we considered the many different customs of the participants, so everyone could enjoy it," she says. "We worked together with catering companies and restaurants to provide halal, vegan, and allergy-friendly menus, and created methods for the serving of this variety of foods. We also prepared a prayer room."
Cultural explorations beyond the science
The participants also had the opportunity to learn about more than just parasitic plants, as Dr. Odeny discovered when she was to give the opening speech in the venue's Noh theater--a striking facility for the timeless Japanese music and dance performance. "I was quite intrigued to be told that I could not wear my shoes on the stage!" she says. "After my presentation, I was quite curious--okay, it's a Noh theater. What does that mean? I've been reading and reading about Noh performance and the bits of it, what it involves. I'm thinking I might come back with my family."
After an afternoon excursion to Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha, Professor Bouwmeester agreed. "I understood why we walked to the Great Buddha temple--it's really amazing, very impressive. To have this in one location--a good meeting place and some nice activities like the deer gathering and a place to go to for an excursion--it's of course ideal. And the feedback of the other participants is that everybody is impressed with the food and the location, and people have been tweeting about the Noh stage. We've never seen a stage like this before. So very positive feedback. I think what is important is that it's very easy to get around. The Japanese are very helpful. They will really do their best to help you get what you need or what you want."
