IPS 2006, the 18th International
Planetarium Society Conference will be held in
Melbourne,
Australia
, from 23-27 July
2006.
The International Planetarium Society
(IPS) is the largest organisation of planetarium professionals in the world with
a network of over 700 individuals and institutions involved in astronomy
education and public outreach. Members come from 35 countries around the world
and more than 20 regional and national planetarium associations are affiliated
with IPS.
Established in 1970, IPS encourages the sharing of ideas
so that its members can serve their communities better. Its membership is
diverse covering the whole range of planetariums: from schools, colleges and
universities to national museums; small or large; fixed or portable;
presenter-driven or fully automated. Under the banner of IPS, these members are
brought together to share their passion for astronomy and their views of
communicating the wonders of the night sky to others.
As an international association, IPS
holds its Conference and Vendor Exhibition every two years. Recent conference
host cities include
Valencia,
Spain;
Wichita,
USA;
Montreal,
Canada;
London,
UK and
Osaka,
Japan
. IPS 2006 will bring together
around 300 delegates, including planetarium directors, producers and
administrators, technical personnel, professional and amateur astronomers,
educators, artists, equipment suppliers and other interested parties. The
Conference and Vendor Exhibition will provide a stimulating environment in which
to showcase new technologies, discuss the latest trends in planetarium show
production and programming, and facilitate the exchange of ideas and views
across all aspects of astronomy education and public
outreach.