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A suggestion. I am unsure about the computing facilities at Vancouver but would it be possible to allow participation over the Internet? I know a number of staff and postgraduates, not just from geography, who have made some effort to learn the programming and procedures that enable them to place their pages on-line. Perhaps a room/session could be set aside for access to on-line papers prepared by those unable to physically attend. Because it is getting easier and easier to include video, sound and animation in web-pages, true multi-media displays may be enabled. Debate could be encouraged using e-mail. Some form of fee should still be levvied for presentations like this. Of course, nothing could ever replace that sense of excitement one gets from attending such conferences - the people, the papers, the friends, the coffee, the meals, the bar etc. But opening up another space to allow wider participation could maybe contribute to the excitement in other ways. ________________________ Lee Collins Dept of Geography University of Portsmouth________________________ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%