3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
[MIS11-P08] Results of challenges undertaken at the Japanese Geoparks National Conference, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Conference
Keywords:Geopark, National Conference, Hakusan Tedorigawa, Survey, SDGs
From October 21 to 23, 2022, the 12th Japanese Geopark Conference, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Conference, was held in the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark. This national conference for the Japanese Geoparks Network, which began from 2010, has been conducted in various locations every year until 2020, when the conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this the conference was held online in 2021, where a lively in-person conference which had existed each year until 2019, could not be held. In 2022, due to the rate of infection having subsided somewhat, and with greater experience having been gained of holding events amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to host the conference in a hybrid-style, with infection-prevention measures in place. Furthermore, in addition to a hybrid-style not yet seen in these national conferences, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Conference sought to incorporate a number of initiatives related to the SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). In this presentation, we will analyze the results of a pre and post survey that was conducted among conference participants, and discuss the results of the challenges undertaken by the Hakusan Tedorigawa Conference, while offering suggestions to future national conferences.
At the Conference, participants were encouraged to bring their own reusable bag, chopsticks, and bottle to the event, and as a result over 80% of participants reported bringing at least one. Among them, those who brought their own reusable bag were the highest. The pre-event survey showed that over 90% of participants were intending to bring their own items, suggesting that participants of the national conference have a high environmental awareness. Furthermore, in regards to the conference memorabilia chopsticks, which were made to be purchased by participants as a way of supporting the host area, over 40% of participants answered that they bought one or more, however many participants answered that they did not purchase one as they had no need for them. It was unfortunate that the selling of the memorabilia was not a big success, however it can be considered meaningful that many participants did not receive something that they found unnecessary. Furthermore, although there were a number of chopsticks unsold due to the high number made, considering the fact that previous conferences saw a number of leftover goods despite being given away for free, and considering the quality of the items distributed, it seems necessary to explore different ways of distributing conference memorabilia in the future.
At the Conference, participants were encouraged to bring their own reusable bag, chopsticks, and bottle to the event, and as a result over 80% of participants reported bringing at least one. Among them, those who brought their own reusable bag were the highest. The pre-event survey showed that over 90% of participants were intending to bring their own items, suggesting that participants of the national conference have a high environmental awareness. Furthermore, in regards to the conference memorabilia chopsticks, which were made to be purchased by participants as a way of supporting the host area, over 40% of participants answered that they bought one or more, however many participants answered that they did not purchase one as they had no need for them. It was unfortunate that the selling of the memorabilia was not a big success, however it can be considered meaningful that many participants did not receive something that they found unnecessary. Furthermore, although there were a number of chopsticks unsold due to the high number made, considering the fact that previous conferences saw a number of leftover goods despite being given away for free, and considering the quality of the items distributed, it seems necessary to explore different ways of distributing conference memorabilia in the future.