What If...? Pondering and Trepidation of an ACRS Organizer

Mr. Virgilio S. Santos, Philippines

It was all so sudden. At once, it became a fait accompli -- being "unanimously volunteered" by members of the Philippines' Science and Technology Coordinating Council -- Committee on Space Technology Applications to become the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the Nineteenth Asian Conference on Remote Sensing. I knew that it was no mean feat.

Oh, yes, I've organized regional seminars and conferences before and have coordinated both modest and complex regional and inter-agency projects on numerous occasions. But somehow, I got this undefined and mixed feelings of excitement, fear and braggadocio all at the same time. It was imponderable!

Definitely, I was deeply honoured. Yet the thought of having to meet a lot of expectations from my own agency, NAMRIA, as well as from other agencies and institutions that would be involved in the preparations and conduct of the Conference. And to add to the rush of adrenaline, I was only too aware of the great expectations from the "vanguards" of ACRS -- the officials and senior leaders of the Asian Association of Remote Sensing (AARS), the likes of Professor Shunji Murai, Khun Manu Omakupt, Professor van Genderen and other leading personalities. These stalwarts of the remote sensing and space technology community have guided and laid a strong foundation for AARS and ACRS. They would not expect anything less.

So, what if... I couldn't deliver? What if...the preparations went haywire? What if...we didn't get the local financial support? ...the appropriate venue? And how about the exhibitors, the participants, the presenters and chairpersons? What if...they didn't show up? ...And the La Nina, what if...it rained heavily and the streets got flooded? What if...the Conference flopped? WHAT IF...?

So many thoughts…..
such musing kept nagging at the early stages of preparations. I then realized that perhaps, it was because I kept on remembering the successful ACRS stagings that I was fortunate enough to have attended in the past.

Guangzhou, China 1990 -- It was an eye-opener for me and an exciting one. My participation in an ESCAP-organized workshop gave me the opportunity to attend ACRS as well. But, oh, I felt like a midget in a company of giants -- all respected in the regional and international remote sensing community!

Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 1995 -- You just couldn't beat Thailand when it comes to organizing big and important events such as ACRS. Thailand always had strong and powerful support and a royal patronage in the person of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who graced the opening ceremony. In addition, the site of the World Exposition was just a stone's throw away. By this time, the hosting of the ACRS by the Philippines was already being considered.

Colombo, Sri Lanka 1996 -- The exotic emerald island beckoned me to participate. Fortunately, I was again invited to another workshop that was held as a parallel activity to the ACRS. Had a good opportunity to renew friendships and enhance collaborative efforts between the Philippines and South Asian countries. This time, it was certain that the Philippines would have to push for approval to host the 1998 ACRS. I was given the authority to lobby for it.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1997 -- This time I had to be very observant and attentive to how the Malaysians were doing things as regards the Conference. It would be the turn of the Philippines to host the following year. The success of the Kuala Lumpur Conference gave me a firm resolve to surpass if not match the event. By the way, one of the Filipinos became one of the recipients of the Young Scientists Award given to outstanding paper presenters.

Manila 1998 -- What if...? Back to my pondering again. Then suddenly, some jolts of sensibilities brought me back to reality and my own optimistic, pragmatic self.

On hindsight, it now amuses me that there were indeed fits of uncertainties, and both hilarious and nerve-wracking situations. Almost everybody knew that hotels in Manila were expensive and more so during that period because it was a peak season in the Philippines being close to the Christmas holidays. Moreover, all hotels were being booked full because there was a world convention of Jaycees, International. In the process, some bookings were mixed up.

There were several intense discussions and negotiations with the Traders Hotel (Conference venue) management to ensure that they would accommodate our requirements. Mid-way through the preparations, we contemplated on changing hotels but was prevailed upon by the wisdom of Professor Murai to stay on with the original venue even as he gave added information that a Japanese participant was so excited to know that the Conference would be held at Traders where he had his wedding ceremonies years ago. Oh, but it did rain and the hotel staff had to make an improvised dining hall out of the hotel lobby!

Some of the exhibition materials arrived on time but our own customs broker wouldn't want to handle the same because the exhibitors, in shipping their exhibit materials, had used their own brokers. We managed to get all materials out of customs with plenty of time for the duration of the week, except for one which was really so much delayed that the exhibitor decided to have them re-shipped back -- our apologies. A lesson learned was: Always use well-known, dependable cargo handlers and brokers.

But there were plenty of light moments. Most participants surely enjoyed the welcome dinner hosted by the Department of Science and Technology. Everybody was treated to an evening of songs and cultural dances performed by local groups and by the participants themselves who might have consumed enough drinks to get the courage. And who could resist trying out the Philippine bamboo dance - the Tinikling? Such social and cultural events really add spice and enhance camaraderie among the participants.

So, in the end, I told myself that there was no use in pondering on what if... and what may. There was no point in comparing with previous Conferences and with other peoples' achieve-ments. I simply had to set my own goal and standard to make the conduct of the 19th ACRS a success in its own right...an achieve-ment attained through hard work, cooperation and collaborative effort from other members of the AARS and local organizing committees and the agencies that agreed to support the event, the wisdom and guidance of AARS officials and leaders, the advice of superiors and colleagues, the under-standing and cooperation of the regional and international remote sensing communities, the patience and diligence of my staff. They were all present ... the quintessential elements for ensuring a successful Conference. With this realization, I became more confident that any problem could be overcome and hitches ironed out.

I, with the able and unwavering support of everyone, decided to rise to the challenge -- and we did! As the old cliche goes, "the rest is history".

Don't ask me now whether the 19th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing was a great success, please. Let other people decide.

But, even if only for the experience gained and the lessons learned through a year of hard work in the preparation and organization of the Conference, I would say without any hesitation, that I and everyone who were involved in the event have all succeeded!

I could only wish the same and more for the next host.