It's time for the Call for Sessions and Papers for the 2009 APGA Conference that will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, where we will be celebrating "The Global Garden." Next year three continents will observe milestone anniversaries: The Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, outside London, Europe, 250 years; Singapore Botanic Gardens, Asia, 150 years; and, Missouri Botanical Garden, your host institution for the conference, also 150 years.

The Global Garden will be represented by presenters from gardens of all sizes and many places and should inspire each of us to consider how we operate in an ever-changing environment. Attached is the official Call for Sessions and Papers. Please read through the tracks and consider the examples of possible topics. We encourage everyone to contact the Program Selection Committee listed in each track to discuss your ideas for proposal. They will help you with topics, speakers, etc.

Here's a sampling of the planned tracks:

Consider yourself the captain who steers the ship when submitting a proposal for the Administration and Management track and share your knowledge about recruitment, diversity, compensation, and other human-resource issues, or collaborate with your crew to discuss how to work together with board members and consultants.

When in Missouri you cannot forget Conservation and Research so get growing, growing, growing on your submissions for this track to make sure your collections will not be gone. This track encourages presenters to model sustainability, to offer suggestions for sharing plant data, and to address the effects of global climate change.

It's all about the plants, in the track dedicated to Horticulture. Presenters should provide sessions that will be the passport to topics such as GIS technology, grounds management, taxonomy, nomenclature, labeling, and design for public gardens including conservatories, university gardens, and arboreta.

How your stay was and how we pay for it are two tracks that open the floodgates to exploring the Visitor Experience and the relationship between development and marketing in an increasingly competitive market and slowing economy.

You may prepare your submission in one of the following presentation formats: 15-minute Individual Presentation, 90-minute Panel Discussion, 90-minute Multi-speaker Presentation, Workshop (full or half day), or Poster.

APGA will offer on-line abstract submissions for the second year. This Web-based system will offer you the ability to compose abstracts securely and collaboratively with colleagues throughout the world. Visit the Web site at http://apga2009.abstractcentral.com. (Full step-by-step instructions will be available on-line.)

By sending this to you now, we hope you are still inspired and ready to discuss ideas with your colleagues to continue to build on the success of this year's Pasadena conference.

The deadline for submitting a proposal is 11:59 p.m., PST, October 6, 2008.

We would like to thank the 2009 Host Committee and the Program Selection Committee for their work on the 2009 Call for Sessions and Papers.

And, also to thank you for your creative contributions to the success of the St. Louis Conference in 2009!