This ambitious undertaking boldly incorporated several new-technology elements making it vastly different from previous resources symposia, conventions, etc.

First and foremost, far more emphasis was placed on the use of E-Mail and Web-Page technology than ever before, to enable this gathering of global specialists to occur. Without the immediacy of the internet, it would, quite simply, have been impossible to communicate as thoroughly, as rapidly and as cost-effectively was done. In particular, web-based technologies enabled several participants to solve visa problems in time for their attendance. Unforeseen difficulties, in particular with lost messages and inability to transmit long files, also occurred. Just how many messages were lost is not known, but it is thought that non-receipt of messages resulted in difficulties for would-be attendees and lost time through repeated attempts to communicate, etc.

Proceedings, advertising, etc., were provided on CD-ROM: this provided substantial cost & time savings, quality improvements and greatly enhanced convenience (no heavy literature to sort and carry, as well as ease of reproduction). From the advertisers' viewpoint, costs were far lower and the materials provided on computer media with the proceedings could not have been discarded. Advertisers were unnecessarily wary of this means of presentation, even with all its advantages.

Perhaps the greatest reform was in our handling of sponsorships: we strove to use this web-site to directly introduce those needing financial sponsorship to those who could provide it. This unconventional means of acquiring sponsorships enjoyed only limited success, even though it was widely praised.

Following the same philosophy, hot-links were provided throughout to enable those with special interest in a presentation to directly contact the speaker before the symposium was held. Photographs (of senior authors) to enable ready recognition were appended to the abstracts for the same reason. These new features were extremely popular and universally used.

Another unique feature of the CEAR 2,000 Symposium that intentionally differed from traditional conventions, etc., was the bringing together of all the elements necessary for success in an international resources venture: the geologists and other technical people; the financial experts; and the governmental authorities –– all in one place at the same time, in an environment conducive to productive business negotiations. This bringing together of the different elements necessary for success in resources ventures was also highly–praised, in particular by governmental and financial participants.

Other divergences from prior technical symposia included continuing to make available both abstracts and presentations after the completion of the event (with corrections for the information provided on this web-site) and other products (e.g., CEAR 2,000 Symposium tote bags), as to be listed via a separate hot-link, in a following section.

As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, the CEAR 2,000 Symposium boldly incorporated new technology. As in applying any new technical development, problems occurred that were not adequately anticipated. Foremost among these was the loss of numerous E-Mails, as previously mentioned. In many cases, the sender realized that something was wrong and communicated with us, asking if we had received the E-Mail. In others, non-receipt was discovered quite by chance (e.g., through discussions with others or by an inquiry from us). Several registrations, for example, were sent via E-Mail that were not received until after additional attempts were made, sometimes from different accounts or through different ISPs. We suspect that numerous E-Mails were sent that were not received. If any reader sent an E-Mail message to anyone involved with the CEAR 2,000 Symposium and did not receive a reply or an acknowledgment, please accept our sincerest apologies and send it again with copies to: lvmaness@china-resources.net and to lcramer@compuserve.com. This problem appears to have been of an essentially technical nature and some interim solutions were implemented just prior to, and during, the meeting. Research is currently being conducted on more effective measures to ensure and verify delivery of E-Mail messages, both domestic and international.

Several business ventures have apparently been a direct result of the CEAR 2,000 Symposium. We, therefore, successfully accomplished our primary goal. To enable further deals to be made, this web-site will remain active, with corrections, updates, news, etc., for a reasonable additional time.

Our fervent hope is that with prosperity for all will come peace for all.

CEAR 2,000 Symposium Products: hot-link to information about CEAR 2,000 Symposium Products.

Click here for more information including registration, lodging, schedule, etc. about the China and East Asia Resources 2,000 Symposium.