23RD AEHT ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN LISBON
EDITORIAL
‘LISBON, AN EXCELLENT CHOICE… ‘
And there we are. Another year has passed with this 23rd Annual Conference in Lisbon, which comes after the Dubrovnik Conference and before the Conference in The Hague. And what a superb Conference it was, in the magnificent setting that is Lisbon.
From October 5th to 10th this warm and welcoming city, a city with an amazing history from which many voyages of discovery such as that of Vasco da Gama set sail – this city was the venue for the AEHT’s 23rd Annual Conference. Superbly well organised by the team led by Paulo Revés, the mastermind behind the event, this annual rendezvous in 2010 brought together 652 participants from 152 schools in 31 countries. Year after year these official figures spell out the enthusiasm of directors, teachers and students.
Choosing the Marriott hotel which provided almost a single location for all the competitions except the pastry and culinary arts contests, and choosing this same hotel to house all the participants – this was something that greatly contributed to the success of this Annual Conference.
Of course we should add the choice of the University for the Opening Ceremony as well as the magnificent Convento do Beato monastery for the gala evening and closing ceremony. And obviously not forgetting the excursions during which lovers of culture and new places had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with just a minute portion of the treasures of Portugal.
How can we forget the comfort, the high quality of the food and wines and of the general atmosphere of this Conference? It is true that from time to time the rain fell on us, from clouds which had arrived direct from the Azores – another Portuguese territory which, incidentally, will be hosting Christmas in Europe between December 2nd and 8th.
In fact just as AEHT President Klaus Enengl reminded us in each of his speeches, the choice of Lisbon was an excellent choice from every point of view; and Ana Paula Pais, an AEHT Vice-President on her home turf here in Portugal, would not have said it differently.
Next year the Conference at The Hague in The Netherlands is already in our diaries, let’s make it a date!
Jo Laengy
