As many of you know, the annual meeting for the Association of Law, Property, and Society is this week in Belfast at Queen’s University. In honor of the upcoming conference, I thought I would answer a few questions that you may have about the conference.
Question: What topics will be discussed at the conference?
Answer: There are twenty-nine different concurrent panels running throughout the two-day conference, one plenary panel, and one keynote address. In other words, it will be 48-hours of all property, all the time! To give you a sneak peek, here are some of the panel titles: Regulating Landlords and Tenants, Tools for Urban Development, Housing and Shared Property Rights, Social Justice in Housing, Developing and Managing Natural Resources, and Modern Contests to Indigenous Lands, just to name a few. The keynote address will be given by Professor David Cowan of the University of Bristol. Professor Cowan’s speech is titled “Shared Ownership: Crisis Moment.” There will also be a plenary panel in honor of the late Marc Poirier titled “Tribute to Marc Poirier: Property, Identity, and Inclusion.” All in all, it should be a great, informative conference.
Question: I don’t know anyone going to the conference. Will people talk to me?
Answer: Of course! In order to help junior and senior property scholars mingle, we have even planned a mentoring lunch one day so we can help scholars with similar interests but at different stages of their careers meet one another. And there are multiple receptions where you will have ample opportunities to make new friends in the property world.
Question: How formal is the conference? Do I need to pack a suit?
Answer: Leave your suit at home. The conference is informative, but not overly formal. Each presenter is given 15 minute to present his/her work and then there is Q&A. It’s a great opportunity to test out works-in-progress and get good feedback and suggestions from folks.
Question: What’s the weather going to be like in Belfast?
Answer: It’s going to be in the 50s in Belfast, so dress appropriately. There is also a prediction of rain throughout the rest of the week, so be prepared.
Question: Are there things to do in Belfast?
Answer: Absolutely! The Titanic Museum is where the opening reception is on Thursday at 6:00pm, and the museum is supposed to be lovely if you have the chance to go tour it. The Ulster Museum is also great with some terrific natural history exhibits. It’s also next to the Botanical Gardens which are lovely. If you are more in a party mood, the Crown Liquor Saloon is a famous Belfast bar, though it is a hike from Queen’s University. And there is always Old Bushmill’s Distillery if you want to see some whisky made.
Question: How many people will be at the conference?
Answer: By last count, there will be around 110 people presenting work at the conference. It will be, to quote the presumptive GOP nominee, huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!
Question: How is this super awesome conference being put on?
Answer: The conference is being put on thanks to the hard work of Robin Hickey and Jim Smith! Robin is a Senior Lecturer at Queen’s, a member of the ALPS Board, and an all around awesome guy. Three cheers for Robin for putting together a great conference! Jim is the John Byrd Martin Chair of Law at UGA and the current President of ALPS. Raise a glass to Jim for helping to make this annual meeting possible!
Question: I’m not going to the conference. Can I still find out about the papers that are presented?
Answer: Of course! Chris, Jerry, Steve, and I will all be there, and I’m pretty sure we will be blogging about different panels we attend, so we’ll certainly fill everyone in about the great scholarship going on.
I look forward to seeing those of you who are attending the annual ALPS meeting! It’s going to be a great time and a great conference.