11th IAEG 2010 congress

The New Zealand Geotechnical Society (NZGS) and the Organising Committee of the 11th IAEG Congress invites you to become involved in one of the world's premiere geotechnical conferences. It will be the first time it has been hosted in Australia; and one of the largest geotechnical conferences ever held in New Zealand. IAEG 2010 follows on from Congresses hosted by Lisbon, Portugal in 1994, Vancouver, Canada in 1998, Durban, South Africa in 2002 and Nottingham, England in 2006.

The Congress will be held in Auckland, the City of Sails, at the SkyCity Convention Centre, from 5th - 10th September 2010.

New Zealand's unsurpassed geological and climatic environment, stunning landscape and the active geological processes that have shaped, and continue to shape, our country will be a sound formula for success. In keeping with New Zealand's unique geographical situation, the principal theme of IAEG2010 is Geologically Active.

About the Congress

The NZGS sees the Congress as a unique and outstanding opportunity for the range of practitioners in the engineering geology, geotechnical and risk management fields, but also ultimately for the people and communities we work for, through tangible gains in learning, approach and application and through integrating thinking from a range of disciplines to improve practice.

The NZGS aims to promote study and research within the fields of soil mechanics, rock mechanics and engineering geology; and to advance the practice and application of these disciplines in engineering.

A special effort is being made to attract young professionals to IAEG2010. Encouraging students and recent graduates into long term careers in engineering geology or geotechnical engineering and related fields is a key focus of the Congress.
Congress Themes

IAEG2010 will be a five day congress including a day of field excursions mid-week. While Geologically Active is the principal Congress theme, five sub-themes will recur throughout the week:
-geohazards on the leading edge, focussing on assessment and identification of natural hazards;
-managing geological risk, focussing on approaches to hazard mitigation around the world;
-engineering geology applied; application of engineering geological techniques to practise - tunnelling, mining, embankments, foundations, soil/water interaction;
-advances in geoengineering, updating practitioners on state of the practice, site investigation and geotechnical modelling techniques; and
-evolving engineering geology, bridging the gap between scientists, engineers and non-practitioners in a changing world environment.

We believe that the themes of IAEG2010 extend beyond engineering geology and our aim is, in part, to bridge the gap between science and practice. These themes will be promoted by inviting recognised experts in the various fields to present papers on their areas of interest, as well as specific keynote speakers who have been chosen for their special professional contribution and presentation forte and who will also take on the role of mentors to young professionals attending the Congress.

We have invited keynote speakers with diverse backgrounds, experience and specialisation from across the world. The key-note speakers will be:

-Professor Susumu Yasuda (Tokyo Denki University) - Professor Yasuda has particular expertise in seismic hazards, and adds a significant practical perspective and experience from previous earthquakes;
-Dr Sergio Mora-Castro (Consultant to the World Bank, predominantly in Latin America and the Caribbean) - Dr Mora is very much aware of the need to engage communities and apply pragmatic and multi-disciplinary teams to address DRM;
-Professor Simon Löw (Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich) - Professor Löw has significant expertise not only with underground structures (including the Alpine Base Tunnels) and the effects of construction, but also in the monitoring and failure mechanisms of rockslides; and
-Tim Sullivan (Pells, Sullivan and Meynink, Australia) - Tim is a leading mining industry practitioner with particular interest in mine slope design, slope stability more generally, and the geological and geotechnical model.

Sponsorship and exhibiting at the congress

A number of sponsorship packages have been compiled to allow full participation by the industry. These include the Congress Field Excursions, Informal and Council Dinners, in addition to other key social and industry events.

All packages are flexible and the 2010 Organising Committee will work with you to develop a package which best suits your needs, and provides the best exposure for you. A professional conference management team will be available to you to tailor an opportunity specifically designed to meet your individual requirements.

The exhibition is planned to showcase local and global suppliers and practitioners to actively integrate the delegate body into the exhibition area. This will be achieved by basing the refreshment sessions and poster submissions in the exhibition areas to maximise your exposure to delegates.

Your audience of approximately 600 - 700 delegates will come from every aspect of the geotechnical disciplines and regions of the world.

We invite you to support the NZGS in this endeavour and consider the Sponsorship and Exhibition opportunities available at IAEG2010.