Gauteng Guides Association

Tallinn Guide Association would like to remind everybody that the next WFTGA Convention in 2011 will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on the 29th -30th of January for the Delegates meeting and the 31st Jan.- 4th Feb. Main Convention. The theme for the Convention will be CULTURE - A UNIFYING GUIDE.
All our 165 members are already involved in the preparations.

We have formed an organising committee whose task is to collect all the proposals and suggestions the guides have for the workshops, speakers, performers and other ideas for the best possible organisation of the Convention. We have also decided to allocate a host or hostess from among our members to each member country of the WFTGA and these people will start communicating with their associations in good time before the Convention already. They can answer all the questions about the programme, booking, reaching us, accommodation, weather or what ever inquiries our guests might have.
We hope to see all of you in Tallinn!

Come and be ESTonished!

http://wftga2011.konverents.eu/
Proposed programme

We have compiled a comprehensive programme both for the participants in the Convention and for those accompanying them.

Our intention in drafting the programme has been to meet the expectations of members who want to learn and experience something new to enhance their professional skills, and also to provide a good experiential background to the training and discussions during the workshops organised together with the WFTGA.

In 2011 Tallinn will be the European Capital of Culture, and naturally this became the underlying idea for our whole programme.

The Theme for the Convention – Culture as a Unifying Guide – is that although people in the whole world have different backgrounds, history, traditions, values, religious beliefs etc., as long they love and cherish their own and want to share it with other people, they can understand and respect what is strange and different. In this way culture acts as a guide – helping people to find their way in understanding the world.

In our Programme different aspects of Culture appear in various formats such as lectures, tours, performances, film, work-shop discussions and evening events, and even during free time, throughout the whole convention. So that guests do not lose their bearings amongst everything that is going on, the organising team has given each day a keyword or theme.

Monday – Medieval Culture, (format: lecture, tour, medieval dinner)

Tuesday – National and Traditional Culture, (lecture, work-shops, bus-tour, museum visit, film)

Wednesday – Contemporary Culture, (lecture, work-shops, free time and free entrance to all Tallinn museums, evening entertainment in the Culture Cauldron)

Thursday – Alternative Culture, (lecture, work-shops, free time and free entrance to all Tallinn museums,)

Friday – The Role of the Culture Guide in Today’s Changing World (work-shop discussions, conclusion at plenary session).

Tallinn Guide Association is committed to providing the best possible presentation of the host country during the Convention and offering an even deeper insight with the pre and post tours. The added value for the participants coming from faraway countries is offered by the programme of the post tour where, in cooperation with the Latvian Guide Association, we have included a visit to Riga, the largest city in the Baltic States.

Please see here our proposal of the Convention week programme on a grid including delegates’ meetings.
Venue and Accommodation

We are pleased to offer Sokos Hotel Viru as a conference venue for the WFTGA Convention 2011.

The Viru hotel, which is one of the longest established hotels in Estonia, has a colourful history dating back to 1972. The building of Hotel Viru was the first tall tower block building in Estonia and has become one of the city’s symbols and an inseparable part of the silhouette of Tallinn. The hotel is located in the very heart of Tallinn, right at the gates of its medieval old town, and this central location gives easy access to public transport, the major sights, restaurants and shops, all of which are within walking distance.

Today, Sokos Hotel Viru is a renovated and modern conference hotel offering a wide range of services for business-travellers and holiday-makers alike. Besides comfortable hotel rooms and a contemporary conference centre, the hotel also boasts a big restaurant, a beauty centre, saunas and a night club. All of the hotel’s public areas and hotel rooms have wireless internet access. The hotel is under the same roof as the Viru Centre, Tallinn’s trendiest shopping and entertainment centre. There are several options for lunch/dinner available in the Viru Centre or in the old town nearby for days when participants will be having lunch/dinner on their own.

The hotel conference centre offers a wide range of multifunctional conference rooms suitable for the WFTGA Convention and delegates’ meeting. There are altogether seven conference rooms including a ballroom that can hold 500. Three of the rooms can be split into smaller sections so 11 rooms can be used simultaneously. Video-data projectors, computers, microphones and other necessary equipment are available in all the conference rooms and technical support will be provided by professional technicians. Lunch and coffee break facilities are nearby on the same floor and the large foyer area provides lots of space and a good location for the registration desk, cocktails and networking.

The Viru Conference Centre has hosted numerous high-level international meetings and conventions and has a lot of experience in catering for such events.
http://wftga2011.konverents.eu/