Proposal for hosting the 2013 IAGA Assembly in Mérida, Mexico

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1 Proposal for hosting the 2013 IAGA Assembly in Mérida, Mexico Invitation by the Mexican IUGG Committee hosted at the Instituto de Geofísica Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México President: Francisco Valdés IAGA delegate: Harald Böhnel and the Mexican Geophysical Union (UGM) President: José Romo

2 Previous successful meetings Mexico has hosted several larger geoscience meetings during the last few years: GSA Cordilleran Section 2003, Puerto Vallarta (~500 participants) 30 th International Cosmic Rays Conference 2007, Mérida (756 participants) (see AGU Spring Meeting 2008, Acapulco (~2700 participants) Geographical balance Only one IAGA meeting has been held before in Latin America, 1993 in Argentina.

3 IAGA Community in Mexico National University (UNAM): Geophysics Institute (Mexico-City, with section in Morelia) Athmospheric Sciences, (Mexico-City); Geoscience Center (Querétaro) CICESE (Ensenada, Baja California): Geophysics Department Mexican Geological Survey (aeromagnetism group) Smaller groups/individuals in several other cities, universities and institutions There are affiliates from all five IAGA devisions and interdivisional commissions, with larger groups in Div. 1, 2, 4 and 5. It is a mixture of well established and young scientists that has expanded rapidly during the last 20 years.

4 Local Organizing Committee Shall include members of several IAGA divisions and commissions, and representatives of all Mexican institutes and research centers related to IAGA or IUGG. Membership (provisional): - J. Arzate, H. Böhnel, A. Kotsarenko, R. Molina, R. Pérez (UNAM, Querétaro) this will be the permanent executive committee within the LOC. L. Alva, G. Cifuentes, (UNAM, Mexico-City) A. Gogichaishvili, J. Morales (UNAM, Morelia) M. Rebolledo (CICY, Mérida) E. Cañon, J.M. Romo (CICESE, Ensenada) V. Yutsis (UANL, Linares/Monterrey) H. López (IPICYT, San Luis Potosí) We are very happy to count on recent experiences gathered by our colleagues during the 30 th International Cosmic Rays Conference 2007

5 Scientific Support Committee A scientific support committee will be formed in case of selection, to facilitate support by Mexican institutions and sponsors. It may include the President of the Mexican Academy of Science, the director of the Mexican Science Foundation CONACYT, the Provost of the National University (UNAM), the President of the Mexican Geophysical Union.

6 Venue: Mérida, the white city

7 Location

8 Easy access: - Own intl. airport - by bus from Cancun airport, 3-4 hour trip (by highway, 320 km) - more than 15 daily flights from Mexico City Visas: visitors from most countries don t need a VISA, but in the rare case that this is needed, the organizing committee will extend letters of recommendation for participants and negotiate special treatment at Mexican embassies.

9 Climate June - August: - Warm-humid. - Rainy season starts end of May, with rains in the late afternoon (intensive but of short duration); precipitation 43 to 163 mm per month. - Temperatures (2009, min/max): June (16/28 C), July and Aug. (16/31 C). - Most hotels, businesses and public buildings have air conditioning systems. - Elevation: close to sea level.

10 Affordability Travel costs to Mérida: from Europe 800, USA-Canada $600, Central America $500, South America $800, Asia $1200. Accommodation: Many 2-5 star hotels are available, with prices between 30 and 120 US$/room (sgl/dbl, all with bathroom, mostly with air conditioning). Food cost: ca. 50% lower than Europe/USA. Tourism: all levels from cheap to exclusive; archaeology, eco tourism, beach resorts. The registration fee is expected to be around $400. Transport (by Bus and Taxi) is economic in Mexico; e.g., from Cancun to Merida (about 320 km) ~$20/$60 (Bus/Taxi).

11 Regional impact: the Assembly will strengthen the geomagnetism and aeronomy community in Latin America, facilitate collaboration between these member countries and open new contacts with the rest of the world. Security and health care: Mérida is a state capital in the southeast of Mexico without notable security issues. Health care is provided by the national health service, and by private doctors and private hospitals of international standards. Currency: Mexican Pesos, US dollars, Euros (in banks); ATM machines are available everywhere.

12 Hotel Capacity in Mérida Category Hotels Rooms US$ Special ~20 > >50 > examples:

13 Meeting facilities in Mérida Several downtown hotels that are within <5 minute walking distance offer excellent meeting facilities (and of course excellent lodging): Hyatt Regency, Presidente Intercontinental, Fiesta Americana, Holiday Inn (map see annexes). This offers flexibility in the rental of facilities according for up to ~1800 participants and would allow inviting another IUUG society, like IASPEI or IAVCEI, which both have very strong Mexican communities. Additionally, Mérida has a commercial Convention Center for an even larger event. For details of lecture halls, see annexes.

14 Tentative Budget The 30 th International Cosmic Rays Conference 2007 was held in Mérida, with a similar number of participants of 729 as expected for IAGA Detailed records of all spendings that ocurred define a cost of $510 per participant. This included everything from equipment rental, hotel meeting rooms and services, accompanying persons program, social events, online registration system, support of participants, proceedings, etc (for details see annex). Based on this experience we suggest a registration fee of $400, which will be complemented by institutional and commercial sponsors (for potential sponsors, see annex). This budget already considers full registration reduction for ~50 participants, which could be extended if more sponsorships are obtained.

15 Academic and touristic visits Visits to local research institutes (CICY, CINVESTAV, UADY), maybe combined with outreach programmes??? Chixchulub impact structure??? Mérida historic center and museums Several other colonial style cities Cichen Itza, Uxmal, Kabah and many other archeological sites (half/one-day excursions) Eco-tourism and Caribbean beach resorts Many possible pre- and postmeeting geological excursions and academic visits in southern-central Mexico

16 Social Programme Opening Ceremony with pre-columbian music presentation or similar Mexican Dinner Party with concert (folk-dance and -music) Lectures about Mexican history (Aztecs, Mayas, Conquest, Independency, Revolution)

17 Resumé Mexico is easily accessible from any part of the world. Mexico offers good communications and traffic systems, and excellent hotel infrastructure. Mexico has a small but well developped IAGA community, covering all divisions; it will promote IAGA in Latin America. Facilities and tentative budget are feasible for organization of the 2013 IAGA meeting in Mérida. Mexico is a highly attractive holiday destination with spectactular archaeological sites, as well as attractive beach resorts for all tastes. Mexico enjoys an excellent climate and the venue is clean and safe.

18 Annexes - Map of Mérida center and hotels - Hotel meeting facilities - Expenses during 30 th International Cosmic Rays Conference Potential sponsors - List (partial selection) of places of interest

19 Left: sites of interest, Mérida-center Below: location of meeting hotels Presidente Hyatt Holiday Inn Fiesta Americana

Facilities at Hyatt Hotel Regency Grand Ballroom can hold up to 500 persons for banquets and 650 theatre style, and can be divided into four sections Ten comfortable meeting rooms

Creating spectacular extravaganzas, the professional banqueting staff will ensure your event, whether in the hotel or on location, is a complete success Our team also specializes in

20 Facilities at Hyatt Hotel Regency Grand Ballroom can hold up to 500 persons for banquets and 650 theatre style, and can be divided into four sections Ten comfortable meeting rooms include two executive boardrooms with a capacity of 8 to 40 persons Unique to Hyatt Regency Mérida are its theme parties. Creating spectacular extravaganzas, the professional banqueting staff will ensure your event, whether in the hotel or on location, is a complete success Our team also specializes in outside catering events for 30 to 1000 persons A comprehensive range of audio-visual equipment is available for hire Business Center: A full range of services include secretarial and translation services, personal computers, fax, Internet stations and boardroom

21 Room name Regency Regency 1 Size (length/width/height) 40.6 x 14.7 x x 14.7 x 3.6 Area (m 2 ) capacity Hyatt Hotel: room description Regency 2 Regency 3 Regency 4 Regency 3-4 Regency 2-4 Chichen Itza Chichen Itza x 14.7 x x 14.7 x x 14.7 x x 14.7 x x 14.7 x x 5.8 x x 5.8 x Note: Regency, Chichen Itza and Uxmal halls may be subdivided as indicated, according to the requirements Chichen Itza x 5.8 x Uxmal 16.2 x 5.8 x Uxmal x 5.8 x Uxmal x 5.8 x other rooms

22 Facilities at Presidente Intercontinental Hotel: Meeting Room Capacity Dimensions area Level Coloniales X ST Constitucion X MEZZ El Patio X MEZZ Grand Salon X MEZZ Imperio X ST Independencia 38 4 X MEZZ Revolucion 38 4 X MEZZ Facilities at Fiesta Americana Hotel: ROOM HEIGHT LENGHT WIDTH AREA CAPACITY Sala de Consejo del Club de Industriales 13 ft. 21 ft. 12 ft. 260 sq.ft. 70 Mérida 16 ft. 49 ft. 24 ft sq.ft. 100 Valladolid 16 ft. 21 ft. 24 ft. 484 sq.ft. 50 Celestun 16 ft. 30 ft. 24 ft. 710 sq.ft. 60 Santa Lucía 16 ft. 16 ft. 24 ft. 710 sq.ft. 40 Centro Eje ft. 20 ft. 24 ft. 990 sq.ft. 25 Grand Room Yuc 16 ft. 127 ft. 77 ft sq.ft. 1000

23 30th INTERNATIONAL COSMIC RAY CONFERENCE Mérida, Yucatán, México 3 to 11 July 2007 Final Financial Report: 27/6/2009 EXPENSES LOCAL CURRENCY ( Pesos) USD AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT RENTAL PROMOTIONALS TRANSPORT MAIL SERVICE PRINTING EXPENSES ACCOMPANING PERSONS PROGRAMME SECRETARIAL SERVICES SOCIAL EVENTS HOTELS ON LINE REGISTRATION GENERAL SERVICES COMISSION PARTICIPANTS SUPPORT PROCEEDINGS TOTAL EXPENSES 449, , , , , , , , ,303, , , , , , ,967, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,299.03

24 Potential SPONSORS that have supported the previous 30 th International Cosmic Rays Conference 2007; these may change, in particular the commercial sponsors. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Ministry of Education (SEP) Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) Mexican Academy of Ciencias State Government of Yucatán City of Mérida, Yucatán Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) GRUPO COMEX TELMEX Additional income is expected from publishing companies and from commercial exhibitors.

25 Places of interest (distance to Mérida): Anthropology Museum (in Mérida) Uxmal / Archaeological Zone (80 km) Chichen Itza / Archaeological Zone (120 km) Dzibichaltun / Archaeological Zone (18 km) Kabah / Archaeological Zone (103 km) Labna / Archaeological Zone (120 km) Sayil / Archaeological Zone (113 km) Izamal / Colonial City (72 km ) Valladolid / Colonial City (160 km) Ticul / Colonial City (84 km) Loltun / Caverns (113 km) Balankanche / Caverns (160 km) Celestun / Natural Park - Flamingos (86 km) Progreso / Beach and Port (30 km) Cancun and Mexican Riviera Beach Resorts (>300 km)

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