Dear Liz (via private e-mail) - and everyone else anxious for the
next symposium,

We are looking to hold the next symposium in 2010, with perhaps a
local forum before then. A bit of history might be valuable to put
the schedule into perspective.

When the IFC was first formed, it was decided that a large event
(symposium) would be held about every 18 months. It quickly became
evident that people wanted more, so smaller regional events sprang
up. These events were known as forums, limited to a small number of
attendees and completed in one day. As local areas requested events,
or a special topic of interest arose, they grew in popularity.

So far the USA IFC has hosted the following events (most recent first):
Nov 2008 Pittsburgh, PA symposium
May 2008 Florida Forum (FL)
June 2007 Portland, OR symposium
April 2006 Derby City Forum (KY)
Oct 2005 Forum in the Fort (CO)
May 2005 St. Louis, MO symposium
Oct 2003 Atlanta, GA symposium
Sept 2002 Forum @ the Falls (NY)
Feb 2002 Las Vegas, NV symposium

As you can see, there are usually about 20 months between the symposia,
with the largest break being 2 years. The forums are smaller events
between symposiums. There has been some discussion regarding a forum
in several locations recently. We expect that you will hear about one
soon.

As you may have noticed, the IFC has just recently undergone some
changes in the makeup of the board. We are taking this opportunity to
institute changes that we hope will better address the needs of this
increasingly popular and growing educational group. We want to provide
for your growing knowledge base and give you the biggest bang for your
buck. This does take time, however, so please bear with us as we make
this transition. And, please know that at the same time we are working
to prepare a symposium.

Based on previous schedules, concern about the economy, and the
organizational changes within the IFC, it was not anticipated that a
symposium would be held in 2009. Instead, we are looking to an event
in late 2010  -  or even early 2011. We want to insure that you get
an event that is worth the money it costs you to attend. We expect
that the preliminary information will be available soon. We have been
considering sites and they have been narrowed. As soon as a location
is selected, it will be announced.

QUESTIONS for the ferret community:
1. Would a time frame in the summer or the school year better meet your
needs? We try to avoid heavy vacation times, but help us out as we want
to hear from you and do our best to accommodate your schedules, too.
2. Would you like a forum in your area? If so, please contact one of
us at an address on the website (http://www.ferretcongress.org).

Thanks for your interest. We plan more frequent updates, but please
never hesitate to ask.

The IFC

Julie Fossa, Bill Gruber & Ann Hehl (Board)
Marsha Crowell, Renee Downs & Helen McLean

[Posted in FML 6419]