[Air-L] [AIR8] Last words...

[Richard Smith]

Dear AIRhearts,

I am sure these won't be my LAST last words, but I just wanted to say  
how honoured and proud I am to have been your host here in Vancouver.  
It is like having a party at your home and seeing the guests enjoying  
themselves and going away with the fun that they have created between  
themselves. The magic of co-presence, perhaps. I have a glow on.

LUNCH
The conference has gone very well - with the exception of the  
weather, I'm afraid - and in almost every case where something wasn't  
quite right it was a simple thing that I had forgotten or not thought  
about (e.g., titles for the keynote speakers!). Your staying power  
(almost all of the Saturday afternoon sessions are either full or  
half full) is a credit to your dedication to the field and each  
other, even if it is stressing my catering predictive powers (I am  
sorry if you didn't get a sandwich at lunch). While your kind words  
have been much appreciated, I am also quite happy to hear about  
things that HAVEN'T gone well and will try to fix anything I can.

RECYCLING
I hope you will all recycle your badge holders and bags. I don't  
imagine that everyone will do so, but everyone who does reduces our  
planetary impact a little bit. I have chosen "year neutral" text on  
the bags, so you can do even better than recycling by reusing it at  
next year's conference. We will be bundling the ones we collect up  
and sending them to Copenhagen, and I hope that a "last year's badge/ 
bag" becomes a badge of honour (ahem) in future conferences. Perhaps  
we can "create a tradition" in this way.

TRAVEL
Have a safe trip home. Let me know if there is anything I can do to  
help you in your departure/travel plans. I shall be here in the  
building until at least 6pm.

...r

--
Richard Smith, Professor, School of Communication
Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, CANADA  
V6B 5K3
New phone number: +1 778 782 5116 Web: http://www.sfu.ca/~smith/  
Skype - callto://richard_k_smith
New book: http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca/smith/mawc