ASCE Conference 2023: Live streaming and simultaneous translation

This year, a free live stream of the conference is available as well as the possibility of simultaneous translation of the conference into 5 different languages.

Great news for those who cannot attend the ASCE conference 2023 in person or who will be present at the conference in Mantua but are not the most sovereign in following foreign language presentations. 

This year, a free live stream of the conference is available as well as the possibility of simultaneous translation of the conference into 5 different languages (English, French, Greek, Italian and Spanish).

Below are the instructions for accessing the live stream and setting your preferred translation language.

Instructions for those present at the conference

1. To listen or read the translation of the presentations in the desired language from your PC, smartphone or tablet click HERE.
2. Choose one of the 5 languages available for translation to listen to or display on the device, as seen in the picture.
3. After choosing your desired language click on Join.
4. In the following, the translation will appear on the screen of your device. You can read it or listen to it with headphones connected to your device.
5. To activate the audio, click on the speaker icon, available next to the flag representing the chosen language.

It is possible to listen to the translation even with the device locked. With the screen turned off the battery consumption is reduced. If necessary, it will be possible to recharge PCs, smartphones and tablets via the charging station available at the conference. For information, contact the staff present in the room.

Instructions for those who will follow the live stream remotely

1. To follow the live stream of the conference on the YouTube channel from your PC, tablet or smartphone click HERE.
2. To access the translation program:

• Open another tab or window in your browser.
• Connect HERE.
• Choose one of the 5 languages available for the translation.
• Attention: keep the screens of both platforms open to be able to watch the live streaming and listen to the translation at the same time.

In case of problems or questions, please contact us at admin@significantcemeteries.org. 
The above instructions in Italian language are available HERE.

AGM 2023: Sign up

It's time to sign up for the Annual General Meeting and Conference 2023, taking place in Mantua, Italy, from 21 to 23 September.

About the AGM and Conference 2023

This year's AGM will take place on Thursday, 21 September 2023, in the TEA headquarters (Via Giuseppe Taliercio 3, 46100 Mantua, Italy) and it is intended for ASCE members only.

The Conference will take place on Friday, 22 September 2023, in the MaMu Mantova Multicentre (Largo di Porta Pradella 1b, 46100 Mantua, Italy) on the theme "Cemeteries of the future".

You can find the draft event program HERE.

The selection and booking of accommodation is in one's own domain. Some hotel suggestions can be found HERE.

Sign up

Applications for the AGM and Conference 2023 were possible until 1 August 2023. The sign up form is now closed.

Elections call 2023

Call for candidates for Steering Committee and president of ASCE.

4 years have passed since the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ghent in 2019 when the current president and steering committee members were elected to manage our association.

At this year's AGM in Mantua new elections will take place and all members have the right to candidate for steering committee or presidency.

Note: candidacy is possible for ASCE members only!

In order to apply you should follow the next procedure:

Applying for Steering Committee

To apply for the steering committee of ASCE you should fill out the form at this link. Please note that you must keep the format and design. Do not use your own designs or change the font sizes. The form will be presented to all members with voting rights in the same format as it is prepared.

Keep in mind that members of the Steering Committee are expected to fulfill certain obligations that require commitment, self-initiative, and time. Therefore, before applying, please read what your assignments as a Steering Committee member will be:

• regional covering for the SC
• hours and other resources requirements
• reporting about your region
• manage and encourage members of the region to participate
• gather new members / exclude the nonactive ones

Steering Committee limits

According to the ASCE charter, steering committee is limited to 1 representative from each country. In case of more than 1 candidate, delegates of the Assembly can vote only for 1 member.

Applying for president

To apply for president of ASCE you should fill out the form at this link. Please note that there are 3 slides and you may use any format and design. You will have 5 minutes time for presentation to members at the AGM.

Sending your form

You should send your filled out form to secretariat@significantcemeteries.org by June 30, 2023.

AGM 2023: Accommodation in Mantua

Accommodation options for the Annual General Meeting and Conference 2023, taking place in Mantua, Italy, from 21 to 23 September.

Make your reservation

AGM participants will have discounted prices in two hotels in Mantua - the Hotel dei Gonzaga and Ca' Uberti Palace.

Those interested can book their room via email by indicating in the request:

• "Convegno AGM - ASCE" (AGM - ASCE Conference),
• the type of room,
• the number of occupants,
• the dates.

Room types and prices for each hotel can be found HERE.

IMPORTANT: The discounted prices are valid only for reservations made from Monday 20 March to Sunday 30 April 2023!

Hotel dei gonzaga

Piazza Sordello 52, 46100 Mantua
Tel: (+39) 0376 321533
Email: reception3@mantegnahotels.com

Ca' Uberti Palace

Piazza Sordello 13, 46100 Mantua
Tel: (+39) 0376 1410778
Email: reception2@mantegnahotels.com

It is not necessary to book a room in one of the two listed hotels. You can also use booking apps to find some other accommodation options that suit you better.

ASCE Conference 2023: Cemeteries of the Future

This year's Conference will take place on Friday, 22 September, focusing on the theme "Cemeteries of the Future".

Challenges of cemetery management

Even within the more general framework of ongoing climate change, the highly topical issues of environmental sustainability, decreased land consumption, and energy conservation are already having an ongoing impact on the current state of cemeteries throughout Europe that will affect their near future.

Consequently, there are many challenges awaiting cemetery managers. Indeed, companies and public or private entities are being called upon not only to manage in new ways but also to offer their essential services by making choices that increasingly protect the environment, limit land consumption, and work toward generally reducing energy consumption (e.g., using alternative materials for coffins).

Added to this are those recent social changes brought about by various factors—not the least of which is the global economic crisis—that have affected changes in burial practices as well, with the well-recognized increase in cremations, in addition to the emergence of alternative “burial” methods (e.g., scattering ashes, memorial woods).

Cemeteries of the future

How can the cemeteries of today and tomorrow be transformed to meet the challenges mentioned above? How might these challenges affect not just aspects of funeral management but also our ways of developing, promoting, and reporting on cemeteries?

A cemetery is a location dedicated to the memory of the deceased. It may also include solutions made possible by computerized systems and technology (recounting people’s lives, implementing a network for those who do not want to or cannot go physically to the cemetery).

Can cemeteries become new spaces for sharing or support in dealing with bereavement, or as places where people can also just be, looking after themselves by tending spaces, including green spaces, that perhaps result from repurposing unused areas?

Answering these questions and addressing these challenges will require involving diverse professionals, from managers to architects, from anthropologists to landscapers, and from cultural enhancement and communication specialists to engineers.

Call for papers

Details about the proposal requirements and submission deadlines are available HERE.

AGM 2023: Save the date

This year's AGM and Conference will take place from 21 to 23 September 2023 in Mantua, Italy.

Each year, the Annual General Meeting attracts over 100 cemetery academics, artists, and professionals from all over Europe. We generate a lot of public attention and through the conference help expose important topics from modern cemetery's management. With this being said, we are glad to announce that the Steering Committee of ASCE decided on the date and location of the Annual General Meeting and Conference 2023.

This year's AGM and Conference will take place from 21 to 23 September 2023 in Mantua, Italy.

A call for papers, as well as all the details about the event program, accommodation, and other logistics, will be released in the following weeks.

We look forward to seeing you in September at the AGM 2023.

ASCE presidency

Photo source: Pixabay