Slovenia hosted the EWRS symposium for the first time and welcomed 263 participants from 40 countries. There were 240 scientific abstracts, of which 76 oral presentations were included in the symposium programme. The programme was divided into 13 sessions, 12 working group meetings, a poster section, and a pre-symposium workshop.
After the Symposium, a survey was carried out on participants about their satisfaction with the event and its organisation. In case of the overall satisfaction with the 18th EWRS Symposium, 99% of the participants answered they were satisfied with it (57% – excellent, 36,4% – very good, 5% – good).
The strongest impressions/memories that came to their mind with regard to the 18th EWRS Symposium being held in the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre as a venue stated: very suitable venue, excellent venue/location, perfect meeting rooms, great choice by the planning committee, venue with a very large screen, friendly environment, pleasant place (hall), good conference facility, very comfortable and excellent symposium facilities, great facilities for an exchange with participants.
In terms of numbers, 94% of the participants where either very satisfied (56%) or satisfied (38%) with the congress facilities, while 5% of the participants had neutral feelings about this question.
With the regards to the organisation, the attendees of the 18th EWRS held in GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre were pretty much equally amazed. There were diverse expressions of appreciation for the organisation: excellent organisation, very well organised, great organisation, kind behaviour of the people organising the Symposium, organisation that really took care of the participants, the organisation was just perfect, helfpful staff, very dedicated local organiser team, people were very welcoming, impressed with the organisers, communication and support of the local organizing team were excellent, etc.
The Symposium was held in GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre’s Marmorna Hall, while some of the workshops were held in Urška Hall. The Marmorna room can on its 1618 square meters host as many as 1400 visitors. Thus, it is internationally known and beloved room among congress organisers for its size, but also for its multipurpose character with excellent acoustic, recent renovation, and the most modern technical equipment. Urška Hall, on the other hand, is very popular among the workshops’ organisers for it provides for an acoustic and bright space that with its removable walls present the most flexible space inside the GR.
Thus, it is of no surprise that the GR’s characteristics, from its location in the city centre to its halls combined with a helpful staff, added so much value to the experience and left a lasting impression on the attendees of the 18th European Weed Research Society.
