Public events
Including talks, discussions, travel events and debates, our public events aim to enrich our knowledge of the world's peoples, places and environments.
Society members receive discounts on tickets, but events are open to all.
Coming up:
Discovering People: Paul Theroux
- Friday 31 May 2013 at 7.00pm
A conversation with one of the world’s greatest travel writers. Paul will discuss his influences and share his thoughts on the world and the remarkable places he has visited.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £7, non-members £10.
Booking: telephone, post and online bookings for this event will open from mid-April to allow a transition period following the installation of our new internal database. We appreciate your patience during this time; please accept our apologies for any inconvenience. Further information on benefits of the database upgrade.
Discovering Indonesia
- Tuesday 11 June 2013 7.00pm-9.00pm (Kensington Gore doors open at 6.30pm)
- Discovering Places travel evening
Celebrating naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, this event will focus on wildlife travel around the Wallace Line. Discover more at the exhibitor stands and ask questions of our expert panel.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £10, non-members £15, includes wine and an information pack.
Booking: telephone, post and online bookings for this event will open from mid-April 2013 to allow a transition period following the installation of our new internal database. We appreciate your patience during this time; please accept our apologies for any inconvenience. Further information on benefits of the database upgrade.
Discovering Malawi
- Wednesday 20 March 2013 7.00pm-9.00pm (Kensington Gore doors open at 6.30pm)
An opportunity to discover more about Malawi, the 'warm heart of Africa'.
To mark the bicentenary of legendary explorer David Livingstone’s birth, highlights will include Livingstone’s romantically nicknamed “Lake of Stars” and the national parks, rivers and falls that marked the course of his travels through this fascinating country.
This promises to be an informative evening for travellers wishing to experience Malawi for the first time. Discover more at the exhibitor stands, network with fellow travellers and ask questions of our expert panel.
About our expert panel:
Kelly White
Author of the Spectrum Guide to Malawi, Kelly is an expert in all things Malawi, from wildlife safaris by 4x4, boat or on foot to trekking and mountain biking in the highlands and forest regions and the endless activities on and around Malawi’s enormous freshwater lake. Kelly will share his hidden gems and cultural and culinary highlights.
Mary-Anne Bartlett
Mary-Anne first travelled to Malawi to walk the length of the River Shire in the footsteps of her great-great-great grandfather Sir John Kirk, the esteemed naturalist and explorer who travelled with Dr David Livingstone on the Zambezi Expedition. Mary-Anne is co-author of the Bradt Guide book to Malawi (2006) and has led regular tours to Malawi since 1999 when she founded Art Safari.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £10, non-members £15. Price includes wine and an information pack.
Due to our database upgrade we regret that online booking is no longer available for this event. Please telephone the events office to make a booking:
 +44 (0)20 7591 3100
 events@rgs.org
Geographical journeys: microlectures
An evening for members to present illustrated 10-minute talks with a geographical theme. Discussion in the bar afterwards. Enjoy the 2012 event online (RGS-IBG members only).
Please read our Speaker guidelines (PDF).
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £7, non-members £10.
Book online: Geographical journeys: microlectures until 1.00pm and then tickets are available on the door.
+44 (0)20 7591 3100
events@rgs.org
Programme
Doors and bar open 6.30pm, talks start 7.00pm (order of speakers to be confirmed)
A home away from home: A volunteer’s journey in Sierra Leone by Emma Baker
Travelling to any developing country will leave lifelong memories, but spending three months volunteering in Sierra Leone has left me with lifelong friends and family too. Experiencing first-hand the hardships and triumphs of life on the poverty line, it became a personal journey, full of challenges, questioning, learning and, ultimately, meaning.
The Ghost of Arabia by James Borrell
Conservation biologist James Borrell shares his experiences of fieldwork in the remote and beautiful Dhofar Mountains. Here the team collected valuable data on the surprisingly diverse wildlife and set off in search of the elusive and enigmatic Arabian leopard, a subspecies thought to number less than 250 individuals scattered across Arabia.
Cloudburst in Ladakh - a journey through a recovery by Keith MacIntosh
Impressions and involvement in the early stages of physical, economic and spiritual recovery, after a magical land was hit by devastating rains in August 2010.
Land of jungle beauty: Rural northern Laos by Faraz Shibli
Last year, Faraz and Bryony planned to spend a month bicycling through the remote mountain villages of Laos, a communist country closed to tourists until the early 1990s. As plans changed and the journey assumed an altogether different shape, they discovered the bombs, boats and bicycling of rural northern Laos.
My Unconventional Playground: Mountaineering in Afghanistan by Malgosia Skowronska
Young mountaineer from ‘Afghanistan’s Secret Peaks’ project takes us on a journey through mountain regions of Afghanistan and cultures of Wakhi and Kirgiz people. The talk will include reflections on fragility of the mountain ecosystem and the vulnerability of local communities who are living in this harsh and unpredictable environment.
The first ever foot crossing of Madagascar by Helen Spencer
In May 2012 I was part of the first team to walk right across Madagascar. We also climbed its highest mountain (and its 2nd highest due to a slight misjudgement in calculations.) Following maps made in 1962, we navigated through unexplored jungle, contended with rotting kit, a scarcity of lemurs, trench foot, and leeches but…we made it!
Perch Fishing in South Sudan by Levison Wood
In February 2012 Lev was asked by Channel 4 to lead an expedition into the heart of Africa in search of the mysterious Nile Perch. What he discovered was the world's newest country; a place emerging out of the ruins of over 50 years of civil war, desperately hoping for peace but still struggling to shake off centuries old tribal violence and poverty.
10.00pm close. Bar open all evening.
Synonymous with 500 years of travel and exploration, there is simply no better place to discover more about the world in which we live than the 'home of geography'; and the same platform where iconic figures have first reported their heroic endeavours and scientific discoveries.
About the Younger Members’ events
A lively programme of social events is organised by the Younger Members’ Committee throughout the year and forms one of the ways in which the Society engages with its younger members. Events are for like-minded members and Fellows to meet each other; most attendees fall into the 20-40 age group, but anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to attend. Regular events include drinks in the bar following Monday night lectures, wine tasting, quizzes, and an annual evening of microlectures. |