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BACKGROUND

EUROMONTANA, the European association for mountain areas, together with the Norwegian Mountain Regions Cooperation, is organising the biggest event for stakeholders from mountain areas in 2010. Euromontana is a multisectoral association with 66 members from Europe (EU and beyond): authorities, development agencies, agriculture and environmental organisations, research institutes and schools, etc. Its objective is to build on mountains’ potential to overcome their weaknesses and ensure a development of these areas where the three dimensions of sustainability (economy, social and environment) are taken into account.

Gathering high-level European, national, regional and local key stakeholders, scientists and entrepreneurs the European Mountain Convention is a biannual conference that is taking place for the seventh time since 1998. During 2,5 days, the participants discuss important issues related to sustainable development in mountain areas and communities and exchange their experiences.

This years’ conference theme will be “Innovation as a key driver for the development of mountain areas“. Innovation, in conjunction with research, is part of the ”EU 2020 strategy” the European Union and its Member States recently chose to respond to the economic crisis and to energize European businesses.

                         

Photos: Vagen Natur og Kulturpark  

                        

Download the Conference leaflet

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

•  Agenda of the conference  

•  Call for Good Practices (closed)

•  Registration - Extension until the 31st of August

•  Speakers

•  Venue

•  How to get there

•  Hotel

•  Information about Lillehammer

•  Contacts

AGENDA OF THE CONFERENCE

Developing and using the endogenous potential of innovation that can be found within mountain regions is vital to reveal divers solutions that are adapted to their specific needs. During the VIIth European Mountain Convention we aim at creating a common understanding of “innovation in mountain areas”. To approach this goal the conference will be focusing on two different aspects that will be dealt with in two workshop sessions.

The first session will explore “The Innovation Process” in four parallel workshops asking how innovation can be generated in mountain areas and which conditions need to be taken into consideration to foster innovation.

• Relations between businesses, research and universities in the development of new ideas

• Education and training possibilities to stimulate development in mountain areas

• Involving mountain actors in clusters: how to foster innovation in a bottom-up approach?

• Developing innovation through multi-national cooperation

In a second session, the focus will shift to concrete sectors in which mountain areas can use their specificities best in order to innovate. Within four parallel workshops best practices from mountain areas will be presented and the main focus will be put on the transferability of these examples. The workshops will be entitled as followed:

• Innovating the production of renewable energies to contribute to mitigation and adaptation to climate change

• Innovating the governance of rural protected areas and the relation with sustainable tourism

• Sustainable forestry management in mountain areas

• Public sector of mountain areas

The conference draft agenda can be downloaded here            DRAFT AGENDA         

CALL FOR GOOD PRACTICES (CLOSED) 

"Innovative approaches for fostering Sustainable Development in European Mountain Areas"

Do you support sustainable development in mountain areas?
Do you have experience with new and innovative actions fostering sustainability?
Do you want to learn from other European innovative approaches?
Do you want to exchange knowledge and expertise on innovation?

 Then...

 … Submit your Good Practice and win the opportunity to present your Good practise at the VIIth European Mountain Convention.
 

      Download the Call(EN)                           Download the Application Form(EN)        Download the Call (FR)                            Download the Application Form (FR)

The call for good practices is now closed.
Organisations who submitted a good practice will be contacted again by 15th June

REGISTRATION
 

Registration deadline is extended from 15th to 31st of August 2010.

We might have to close registration before that date if registration exceed the capacities.

Please be aware that Hotel Birkebeineren is full. You will not be able to book that hotel even if you click on it in the registration page.

Study visit n°1 ending at 4 pm is now only accessible to Euromontana members attending the General Assembly.

    Register
to the VIIth European Mountain Convention

SPEAKERS

Go to Agenda

VENUE

The conference will take place in the RadissonBlu Lillehammer Hotel. For more information on this venue, please follow this link: http://www.lillehammerhotel.no/content/view/14/35/lang,en/

Have a closer look on the conference rooms of the VIIth European Mountain Convention on the picture aside.

The Radisson SAS Lillehammer Hotel has a total of 30 different conference rooms, from small rooms for 6-8 people to large ballroms for 400-1.200 people.

The hotel has the most extensive banquet and conference facilities in the county and are among the most extensive even in the country.

Wireless Internet
The hotel offers free high-speed Internet access in the  conference and lobby areas. You will only have to bring your laptop.

HOW TO GET THERE

GOING TO NORWAY (Oslo)

By plane:                                                                  By train:                                         By boat:
There are three airports relatively close to Lillehammer.                           Click here for more information: NSB                   Click here for more information: DFDS, Colorline
                                                                               
These are:                                                                                       

GOING FROM OSLO TO LILLEHAMMER 

By train (click here to see time tables and fares and book your ticket):

To buy the ticket:
The train stations have ticket automates where you buy your ticket. There is a € 2.4 fee if you buy the ticket on the train. You can use local currency, credit or debit card to pay your trip.

The NSB ticket machines accept: BankAxept, Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard, Diners, Amex
Note that the ticket machines do not accept Visa Elektron.

On the train: Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard, Diners, Amex

Online on nsb.no: Visa, Diners, Mastercard, Eurocard

By express bus:
Click here for Homepage and search page for both buses

Most buses accepts local currency, credit or debit card.
 

ONCE YOU ARRIVED IN LILLEHAMMER

Taxi:
Lillehammer Drosjesentral: +47 61 22 20 20

City bus:

Number of the bus is: 6 mot Nybu. Take the bus from Lillehammer Skysstasjon (where the train stops) to Maihaugvegen (Stop before the loop) or Martin Seipsveg (stop end of loop). From the bus stop, it is a five minutes walk to the Radisson Blu Lillehammer Hotel. Price: 29 NOK or € 3.4

HOTEL

http://www.lillehammerhotel.no/index.php?lang=en   

Location

• Situated in a tranquil private park (8 acres).
• 600 metres from the main street 450 m from Maihaugen Museum and the Olympic Park
• The largest meeting capacity of innland Norway.
• 900 m from the train station in Lillehammer

Facilities

• 303 rooms (31 Superior rooms and 5 suites)
• Fitness center, swimming pool, sauna and solarium.
• Outdoor swimmingpool, BBQ pavilion, minigolf, and park facilities.

Bars & restaurants

• 2 restaurants and 4 bars

Prices

FULL

 http://www.birkebeineren.no/

Location

• Birkebeineren Hotel & Apartments in Lillehammer is situated in beautiful and peaceful surroundings in the middle of the Olympic Park,

• 10-minute-walk from the city centre

Facilities

• Lounges with a fire-place and TV

• Large parking-facilities for cars and buses

• Roomy saunas in the main building

• 4 conference rooms

• Free access to WLAN in all hotel rooms, conference rooms and in the front desk area

• Beach volleyball court

• Playground in the garden

• Possibilities to barbecue in the garden

• Kiosk by the front desk

• Licensed for beer and wine

• Dining room - 170 seats

• Laundry room

• Outdoor public bath right by the hotel

• Store-house with ski-lockers and a waxing room

Prices

For your information, the conversion rate at the beginning of July 2010 was 1 EURO = 8,08 NOK

INFORMATION ABOUT NORWAY

Have a look here (link to Visit Norway)

INFORMATION ABOUT LILLEHAMMER

Lillehammer is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of 2009, the population of the town of Lillehammer was 20,097.^[2] The city centre is a late 19th century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location overlooking the northern part of lake Mjøsa and the river Lågen, surrounded by mountains.

Lillehammer is located to the south of the municipality of Øyer, to the southeast of Gausdal, northeast of Nordre Land, and to the north of Gjøvik, all in Oppland county. To the southeast, it is bordered by Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark county. Lillehammer has a relatively dry inland climate. To the northwest is the mountain Spåtind.

In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions:

• Maihaugen, centrally located in Lillehammer, is the largest open air museum in Norway, with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer town and the valley of Gudbrandsdalen.

•  Garmo stave church (built around 1150)

•  The art museum, "Flygelet".

• The PS Skibladner is the world's oldest paddle steamer in scheduled service, launched in 1856. Summer sailings around lake Mjøsa: Lillehammer, Moelv, Gjøvik, Hamar, and Eidsvoll.

• The ski jump at Lysgårdsbakkene.

• Sjusjøen is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only 20 km away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of Ringsaker.

• The Sambandets Utdanning og Kompetansesenter is an army unit located in the camp Jørstadmoen 3–4 km northwest of Lillehammer.

• The rock carvings at Drotten, Fåberg, west of Lågen about 1.5 km above Brunlaug bridge.

• Nansen Academy - the Norwegian Humanistic Academy - The Nansen Academy is an educational institution for adult students with different political, religious and cultural backgrounds. The Academy is founded on the inheritance of humanism and aims at strengthening the knowledge about this inheritance.

The map of Lillehammer is available as pdf document

CONTACT

conference@euromontana.org
www.euromontana.org

Euromontana secretariat
2, Place de Champs de Mars
1050 Brussels

Tel: 0032 (0) 2804283
Fax: 0032 (0) 2804285