BOBCATSSS 2009

We are proud to announce the keynote speakers of BOBCATSSS 2009! The speakers will present their ideas and visions relating to the themes of the symposium:

• Prof. Tom Wilson, the current holder of the BOBCAT of the year award. “Thinking about the future.”

• Dr. Kimmo Tuominen. ”Cognitive authority and Web 2.0”

• Prof. Fernanda Ribeiro. ”Information Science: from disciplinary unity to the diversity of the profession.”

We have also now published the preliminary programme (PDF) of the symposium.

The programme is the very first published version, and changes will very probably be made. It should, however, give you a glimpse of the events which will take place.

As of this writing, three weeks after the registration system opened, BOBCATSSS 2009 has had over 160 registrations. This means that taken on face value, about 40 percent of the available tickets have been reserved. We have already received payments from half of those who are currently registered.

Please remember that as the places are secured only after we have received your payment, we cannot guarantee a place in a workshop or a guided tour if your payment is delayed.

If you or your organisation pays by bank transfer, it is very important that the details of payment are included, so that we can know who of the all registered persons has paid.

Update 2009-12-3: Over 56 percent of the tickets have been reserved.

Update 2009-12-11: We’re now at 66 percent.

As the zero hour for our symposium is closing day by day, the sponsorship and finance groups of both universities are constantly looking for more company partners. The work is done mainly by email, but phone calls or even traditional mail is not excluded. Sponsors are given three different levels to choose from, each including different amount of benefits. The model is copied and modified from earlier Bobcatsss organizers.

The programme is under construction, and we’re trying to get the company presentations to fit in. The highest level, platinum sponsor, offers an opportunity to have a short presentation, which the company can use as they like. Some of our partners have already decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Participants have thus a great chance to get to know the future of information specialists in the working life.

Besides the company presentation, we’re going to have an exhibition area on the conference site. As amount of participants is expected to rise above 300, companies will have good visibility among the students and professors from several universities. Bobcatsss 2009 is built to raise discussion about the occupational and scientific future of information science, and we believe that our partners have their own opinion to say on that matter. What that might be, you’ll find out it in January.

The search for Bobcatsss 2009 partners is still underway. Should your company be interested, you can contact our organizing team (bobcatsss2009@uta.fi).

Erkka Rautio
Sponsorship and finance group

Registration to BOBCATSSS 2009 has opened. All participants, including the presenters, are required to register. You can use PayPal (faster, the preferred method, major credit cards accepted) or bank transfer to pay for your ticket or tickets. Multiple tickets can be purchased at once.

Places for workshops (see the list of workshops) and city tours will be filled on first-come, first-served basis, and only a limited amount of tickets will be made available, so be quick.

The prices for students and professionals include the conference itself, a 3-day ticket for local transportation, social events in the evenings, lunches at the university, and guided visits.

Register now, we warmly welcome you to BOBCATSSS 2009!

Update: The full programme will be made available later. Tours will be held after the conference programme has ended for the day.

Programme: Some very preliminary information about the programme of the symposium can now be found at the new programme section of the website.