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Program main congres – saturday April 17- wednesday April 21 (Ostend)

Saturday April 17

  • 13.00 hrs: Start of the Congress registration – Gallery – Congress desk
  • 14.00 hrs: IFAJ Executive meeting - Boudewijn
  • 15.00 hrs: Start beach animation
  • 19.00 hrs: Welcome reception & walking dinner - Astrid
    Introduction on Belgium and Belgian agriculture by Joris Relaes, chief of cabinet of the Minister of Agriculture of the Flemish region
    Music: Fidelio Quartet

Sunday April 18

  • 7.00 hrs: Breakfast – Breakfast Restaurant
  • 8.30 hrs: Departure by bus to Ostend - Gallery
  • 10.00 hrs: Symposium at ILVO, the Flemish Scientific Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries Research in Melle - www.ilvo.be
    Theme:  “Ghent, cradle of biotech”
    Keynote speaker: Prof. Dr. Marc Van Montagu
    Panel discussion moderated by Jacques Van Outryve
  • 12.15 hrs: Options:
    - Interview and photo opportunities
    - Visit to the ILVO laboratories
    - Visit to the ILVO azalea collection
  • 10.00 hrs: Partnerprogram: guided visit to the ancient city of Ghent
  • 13.30 hrs: Departure by bus to Ghent
  • 14.00 hrs: Lunch at “Groot Vleeshuis” in Ghent
  • 16.00 hrs: Departure by bus to the Floralies
  • 17.00 hrs: Exclusive visit to Ghent Floralies, the largest indoor garden in the world - www.floralien.be
  • 19.30 hr: Departure by bus to Oostakker
  • 20.00 hrs: Dinner at 't Boerenhof in Oostakker
    Speaker: Piet Vanthemsche, president of Belgian farmers union, Boerenbond
    Music: Tribute to the sax by the New Orleans Night Owls
  • 22.30 hrs: Departure by bus to Ostend

Monday April 19

Choose one of five different tours/excursions and check out the program:
Tour 1 West-Flanders
Tour 2 East-Flanders
Tour 3 Antwerp and Flemish Brabant
Tour 4 Antwerp
Tour 5 Wallonia

Tuesday April 20

  • 7.00 hrs: Breakfast (at the Breakfast Restaurant)
  • FREE TIME - Individual visit to Ostend
    OR
  • 8.00 hrs: Additional technical tours - Gallery
    On demand - Registration at the IFAJ desk during the congress
    Possible tours:
    - Visit to the New Holland Harvest Equipment plant in Zedelgem
    - Dairy farm
    - Catlle farm
    - Organic farm
    - Poultry farm
    - Sheep farm
    OR
  • 8.30 hrs: Visit to city of Bruges
  • 11.00 hrs – 14.30 hrs: Partner Fair – Gallery - Lunch
  • 11.00 – 17.00 hrs: Get your free Bekina Steplite X boots - Gallery
  • 14.00 hrs: Panel discussion – Leopold III
    Theme: ‘Agricultural journalism between passion and pressure’
    Simultaneous translation: EN, F, ES and PT
    Mederator: Jef Verhaeren
    Panel members:
    - Hans Siemes, president of the commission ‘Freedom of the press’ of IFAJ
    - Stefan Gyssels, vice president and communication manager of Janssen Pharmaceutica
    - Jonathan Ramsay, public affairs and Industry affairs lead for EMEA, Monsanto
    - Pieter Van Dooren, communicator, writer and former scientifical journalist
    - Karen Simon, President American Agricultural Editors' Association
  • 16.00 hrs: IFAJ General Assembly - Fabiola
  • 19.00 hrs: Canadian Whisky tasting offered by IFAJ 2011 – Reception room in front of Albert I
  • 19.30 hrs: Farewell dinner – Albert I
    IFAJ awards
    Music: IFAJ live band

Wednesday April 21

  • 7.00 hrs: Breakfast – Breakfast Restaurant
  • End of the Main congress
  • 12.00 hrs: check out time