As coronavirus restrictions in England continue to relax, the Society is planning for when we can welcome Fellows, members, staff and other visitors back into Lowther Lodge, our building in South Kensington.
From Tuesday 22 June, we are hoping to welcome researchers back to the Foyle Reading Room, which will be open by appointment. Once we have confirmation of what, if any, restrictions will be in place at that time, we will announce how you can book your appointment with the team.
From Monday 28 June, we are planning to welcome members of the public back to our Pavilion, where the shortlisted images in this year’s Earth Photo competition will be on display. The exhibition will be free and open to all on a pre-booked ticket basis for a series of curated introductory tours, with previews available for Society members and a special event in the Ondaatje Theatre planned for later in August.
Society staff are continuing to work remotely and will be doing so until Monday 2 August, when they will return to the office. We are planning on re-opening the Members’ Room at the same time, however there will be no catering facilities available. The Tea Room will, unfortunately, remain closed until later in the year.
Society-organised events will continue to be online-only until September, when our Annual International Conference will be running as a hybrid event with sessions online and in-person. We are planning for this autumn’s Monday night lectures to be in the Ondaatje Theatre in front of a live audience, but we will also continue to live stream them so they are available to Fellows and members wherever they live. Depending on what restrictions are in place at the time, we might need to introduce booking for Monday night lectures, however we will let you know as soon as we can what this will involve.
Externally-organised events will also be returning to the building as restrictions lift, taking advantage of our Venue Hire team’s skills in running hybrid in-person/online events and the technology we have in place to deliver them. If you have an event that needs a venue, please do contact the team.
All of our plans are dependent on government restrictions, advice and guidance, and as such we may have to alter them at short notice. However, we will keep you informed as and when things are confirmed or need to be changed.
Whenever it happens, we’re looking forward to seeing you all and welcoming you back to the home of geography.