Where is the next Symposium?

Congratulations Bendigo committee!

Hi Jennifer, Just catching up after our amazing weekend. I have been checking out the Bendigo gastronomy site. Very well done, congratulations. I am excited SAG 24 will be held in Bendigo. In the meantime, I am keeping my fingers crossed that our borders maybe open by the end of October when I shall be in Victoria and I will get in touch. I have some culinary history ideas you might like to include.

https://bendigogastronomy.com.au

I thought I would put a few ideas here in case some are not attending tomorrow morning's discussion of the 2022 Symposium. As mentioned in my paper the UNESCO Creative City designation in the category of Gastronomy is the only one of the seven that covers a region. While Bendigo is the main city we include eight others Councils in the region that roughly aligns with the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung traditional owners in Central Victoria. Since the November 2019 success we have formed a Gastronomy Advisory Committee, a formal committee of the City of Greater Bendigo, chaired by the mayor, with myself and the dedicated staff member and several other staff, including Bendigo Tourism, plus a broad representation of community members. There is formal approval from the Committee for me to put foward Bendigo as the host of SAG in 2022. In addition that year the (highly popular) annual Bendigo Writers Festival (in May) will be devoting its 2022 theme to Gastronomy and I have spoken with the Festival Director about SAG potentially occurring at the same time as, and potentially in collaboration with, the Writers Festival (which already has Gastronomy themed events) and that has also been supported (enthusiastically). There will also be two Cities of Literature involved, Melbourne and Dunedin, plus 4 or 5 international Cities of Gastronomy. Bendigo has submitted a four year plan to UNESCO with a plan now developed for priority actions. Participation in the Writers Festival is part of that plan and SAG can be included. There are a range of venues in the Capital theatre used for the Festival precinct that are all managed by Council. The Council run art gallery is adjacent. The Gastronomy work sits across the City's Arts and Creative Industries and Food Systems Strategies, with strong Council run Bendigo Tourism involvement. This may be to the advantage of an organising committee. There should be no problem attracting committee members or volunteers. Am looking forward to discussing.

Bendigo would fabulous. I'm in Ballarat, but happy to help out if Bendigo is the destination.

Or the other alternative is run a decentralised event where have a conference that run in mixed face to face and virtual mode where have two or three locations working together to generate content/activities around a common theme. Say activities located in the Adelaide Hills, Bendigo and the south coast of new South Wales which can be presented as both face to face and virtual events.

Or maybe use that decentralised model to explore the suburb in culinary culture across three or four local centres - western Sydney, the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, the north-westerns suburbs of Adelaide and the equivalent in Brisbane or Perth. In a sense COVID has provided proof of concept for ways of integrating the virtual into events and it might be worth exploring for how that opportunity can be utilised.

It would be nice to have the next SAG in a regional centre.

To be selfish(?) about it, for me Bendigo would be good. The only City of Gastronomy in Australia and many Bendigonians would willingly put their hands up as they have done on so many occasions.

I'm sure we'd be very happy to have it in Adelaide - it's been too long!

@bodartwork @Jennifer Alden & you seemed keen at one stage @Amanda McInerney ??