IBS 2015 Welcome Reception in Ecological-Botanical Gardens

A very green welcome was given to the arriving #IBS2015 attendees in Bayreuth Thursday evening: The Ecological-Botanical Gardens of the University of Bayreuth opened its gates to the newcomers. Among them were my fellow students from the Bayreuth-based master programme Global Change Ecology and me, Cathrin, who will provide you with blog entries about what is going on at the IBS 2015 from a student's perspective.
My group had travelled less far than most people as we only had to walk over from the GEO building, very convenient. Everyone cued for the welcome package and we watched as warm welcomes erupted around us as old friends and colleagues reunited. As we're all new to conferences picking up our nameplates made us feel really important and excited for the event to start on Friday. Luckily we were also equipped with IBS umbrellas as the Bayreuthean weather decided to be very nasty. This could not dampen the mood though: the greenhouses were lit mysteriously and groups of people chatted happily at the white bistro tables among the vegetation and enjoyed the local beer varieties and snacks. You wonder if we liked it? Very much so! I think it was the perfect start to collect some energy for IBS conference 2015.