31st CUPGRA Annual Potato Conference 2020

After much discussion and planning by the CUPGRA Executive Committee, it has been decided, owing to COVID-19 restrictions, to go ahead with a hybrid real-virtual conference to continue the unbroken run of 30 successful CUPGRA Cambridge Potato Conferences.

The organizers say they have secured a great line-up of speakers and the event looks set to maintain the high standards of previous years, albeit without the networking and dining opportunities that the real conference offers.

Two-day virtual conference for the potato industry. Presentations of scientific and commercial information papers, plus workshops.

Within the theme of the overall title – Potato growing and supply: reset post-COVID and Brexit – speakers will discuss subjects including nutrition, climate science, future retailing, education, labor, soil and water resources, research strategy, breeding, and storage on Day 1.

On Day 2, there will be two workshops: one on zoning field operations and the second one on virus control. Delegates will be able to participate in both workshops.

Live and Online

The presentations on Day 1 will be filmed live and go out online. Delegates will be able to access the video feed via a password supplied after registration. All delegates need is the ability to view the video on a PC, laptop, or phone.

Each session will have all the speakers in the auditorium at the Sophi Taylor Building at NIAB Park Farm. These will be run by a Chair and a Facilitator, together with a small invited audience, allowing compliance with existing COVID restrictions on gatherings, but provide the feeling of a real event and promote discussion.

There will be a Q & A period at the end of each session where delegates will be able to submit written questions during the presentations which will be read out by the Chair. The speakers and associated staff will change with each session. The papers have been kept shorter than normal with one-hour breaks between sessions to allow delegates to break away for periods during the day to reduce screen fatigue.

Day 2 will be run as a Zoom Event, with speakers presenting remotely. With the use of facilitators for each workshop, the organizers hope to allow verbal questions as well as written. Similar to Day 1, remote login and password will be supplied to registered delegates.
 

To cover part of the high costs incurred in streaming high-quality live feed video, CUPGRA has enlisted the support of three previous sponsors, Frontier Agriculture, Grimme UK, and Syngenta to help.
 

In the event of further restrictions imposed by COVID regulations, we will run the same program, but with all the speakers and Chairs being in remote locations and no real audience. Following application and payment, you will be supplied with registration and passwords for each day of the Conference.

We trust that setting a low cost for attending the event will encourage honesty: please register and pay if you wish to participate in the event and do not re-circulate passwords. We will have the ability to exclude people who have not paid, but we would rather not have to apply this.

We hope many of you will join us in December and encourage non-members to apply to view the event to demonstrate what CUPGRA offers. We hope to return to a 'real-real' event in 2021.