BIG STUFF '07 - the conference

The international conference, "BigStuff 2007 - Beyond Conservation - Industrial Heritage Management" in the Ruhrgebiet, a continuation of the very successful "BigStuff 2004" in Australia, was particularly devoted to buildings and industrial heritage objects. For this reason difficult conservation conditions, especially on open-air sites like pithead towers and blast furnaces etc, were subject to comprehensive interdisciplinary discussions. Debates were not only (but also) about the "best recipes" for surface treatment, but also addressed a whole range of themes regarding the treatment of these difficult plants.
All in all, around 130 experts from about 20 countries used the talks and national reports for information, and discussed their own problems in workshops and in front of posters.

The international guests were introduced to the importance of this theme in the Ruhrgebiet on two excursions to active as well as to listed industrial plants.
Talks and workshops were tailored to mesh with each other, and thus lead to comprehensive and intense discussions. At the end of the conference, participants took their farewell with a statement on the concept of the Congress and corresponding thoughts about the network. The statement in short reads: "BigStuff is a trade mark, an idea and a common interest. It unites all actors concerned with conserving BigStuff, and is interested in pragmatic solutions.

BigStuff is an opportunity for people to exchange ideas and opinions about preserving large technical plants, and to learn from one another.
BigStuff makes practical contributions in a variety of very different areas: urban planning, recreation, tourism, business, leisure ..."
The participants agreed to meet again for the next conference in 2010. The proposed themes for BigStuff10 range from the question about guidelines for managing and monitoring BigStuff to the key words, "BigStuff – Climate change – Sustainability".