On 20th January 2011 the Comité Directeur announced that AEGEE-Budapest has been chosen to host this year’s Fall Agora. This will be the third time for the antenna, after 1992 and 1995, to organise AEGEE’s biggest event. Preparations have already started, and we interviewed Márton Demeter, the main coordinator of Agora Budapest in order to find out what we should expect from the upcoming event.
When did you decide to apply for organising the Autumn Agora 2012?
We were thinking about this for a long time, but other projects always came up. Last summer we prepared a feasibility study, which helped us realise that it would be possible to organise an Agora in 2012 in Budapest, and so we started the big job.
Corvinus University of Budapest
What preparations have you made for the event so far?
Now that the official decision about the Agora has been made, things can speed up! We already have pre-contracts with our partners, and now we can start negotiating and finalising all of our agreements. We have pre-contracts, for example, with the sports club that will provide the gym as well as with the management of Corvinus University of Budapest, where the plenaries and the meals will take place. As for the parties, we will combine theme parties with some of the traditional parties organised by AEGEE-Budapest. We are considering concerts and live DJ-sets as well. There are already many people around me helping with the preparations and the organising team will be set up in the last days of February.
Will there be heating in the gym?
Can you keep a secret? (laughs)
How many participants do you expect?
We are calculating with 700 +/-10%, but we will have an exact number of places only later.
Márton Demeter, the main coordinator of Agora Budapest
What do you think is special about Budapest that you would like to show the participants?
Budapest is an amazing city with two million people in the middle of Central Europe. We would like to show participants the amazing student life of the city centre. The AEGEE members who have been to any of our events in the last couple of years can guess: we will do similar activities, but on a larger scale. During the Agora, participants will see the nightlife of Budapest and we are also considering sightseeing tours before and after the working days of the event.
What will make this Agora different from the others?
There are things which shouldn’t be told yet, but we have plans to raise the efficiency of the work of the Agora, and we also have cool ideas for the parties. I can tell you that for both issues we are considering new solutions which have never been on statutory meeting till so far.
Every Agora is remembered for something in particular. What would you like participants to remember about the Agora in Budapest?
I would like them to spread the word that Budapest is an amazing city with friendly people. I hope that they will remember everything during the Agora, although the European Night already seems that it will be pretty heavy.
Do you happen to know if any locals are planning to organise pre-events?
I guess it’s to early to talk about this, but for sure there will be! We have very good relations with the locals around us, and I personally expect some crazy buses to arrive in the parking lot of the gym.
Written by Zsófia Komáromi, AEGEE-Budapest
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