What you think about meetup of zoochatters in some zoo in near future. Ok albeit most zoochatters would love to meer someone more experienced with zoos and not meet, for example me, but it would be a nice opportunity to get along better and together visit a zoo. What about meetup in Prague zoo in March 2017? Or in Frankfurten zoo? Or in Bioparc Valencia? Or in Antwerpen zoo? There are cheap flights with several airplane companies, beside traveling with train, etc. Can we agree on certain date? At last this would be meetup of European zoochatters because of proximity. Ok actually maybe nobody would love to meet with me, but I would love to meet those with whom I communicate on Zoochat.
I guess it would be better to give us your plan of on which dates you visit whci zoo and local ZooChatters can contact you if they have on that date time to meet you. ( for Antwerp it would normaly be no problem to meet me, just give me a date when you will be there ).
The British members seem to be the best at having meetups (in British zoos). I have tried a couple times to put together a USA meetup and no one seemed to be interested. Occasionally we will meet one person here and there - I have met perhaps a dozen forum members this way (most recently Pleistohorse at Alaska Zoo). You can read about those types of meetings on this thread: http://www.zoochat.com/2/who-how-many-zoochatters-have-you-277339/ Anyway, best of luck on your European get together.
I've tried to have a meetup at San Diego this last July, but failed completely. Only AD was interested at the begin, but after he can't join. I hope to be able to visit Duisburg + Köln next year, if finally I do, would be nice to do in company of other zoo enthusiast (tough I only speak bad English).
It's worth pointing out that there is already an annual European event at which zoo enthusiasts can meet & mingle - it's called 'Zoohistorica' and is usually held in early September. The 2016 event was held in Switzerland (see thread 'Zoohistorica 2016, Zurich') and the 2017 one will be in Wroclaw, Poland. Groups of UK zoo enthusiasts seem to meet up quite often: either informally or under the aegis of meetings of the Bartlett Society or the Independent Zoo Enthusiasts Society (IZES). It has long surprised me that there seem to be no such equivalent societies in the USA. I know it's a big country, but don't you guys feel like meeting fellow zoo-nerds every now & then?
Thank you vogelcommando. I liked, we to organise some meetup and to agree on certain date (acceptable for more zoochatters), on wich we would attend visit of some zoo to meet up. I will see the interest, and maybe the thread title should specify particular date (I think it would be most acceptable to be on sunday).
As you say it is a BIG country, taking up the width of an entire continent. Plus we do not have the infrastructure for fast and inexpensive train travel like they do in Europe (much to my dismay). At a national level it is not practical. At a local level, usually these kind of things would be for members of a specific zoo, where they will go to member only events (or informally chat with other regulars they run into at the zoo). Some who are really into zoos will choose to volunteer and there is an annual meeting for them (Association of Zoo and Aquarium Docents). I used to be a docent myself (as my user name implies) and went to the 2005 convention in Washington DC, which was enjoyable. But to form an American branch of IZES would take someone with a huge amount of time, resources and dedication and apparently that person has not yet appeared.
Nikola, you might be interested is another meeting Zoofanatica, mostly of Czech and Central European collectors of zoo memorabilia. General zoo enthusiasts are also welcome. One advantage is that budget is much lower.
That seems very interesting Jurek, where and when is the next meeting? Prague maybe? (Because I have already plans for visiting central Europe - like Czech R. (Prague, Plzen, Dvur Kralove) and/or Austria (Vienna, Nockalm - in house reptillienzoo with one of the biggest diversity of venomous snakes in Europe) in the following 6 to 10 months, after trip in Spain (Barcelona - Valencia) from 27th March - 1st April this year, that I have already booked tickets with airplane ).
I guess we might meet up here. I would assume Jurek will do so as well. It is always a really nice event with lots of interesting presentations (in Czech language mostly) and a one day excursion to another location outside the organising facility (in this case an otter conservation center nearby).
Unfortunately I won't be able to attend this meeting (7th-9th April 2017 in Jihlava), but I will plan for the next meeting. Because I will return from Spain on 1st of April - too close dates I won't have enough money .
