Dear Bamboo-Rodmaker friend,

It is with great pleasure that we announce the First European Bamboo Rodmakers Gathering which will be held on the 23-24-25 May 2008.
The event is organized by the IBRA - Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association (www.rodmakers.it) together with our German and Swiss friends.

The intention is to have the gathering in a different European nation each year: this year it will be held in Italy and the next two editions in Switzerland and Germany and we hope that many other friends will join this adventure.

Many rodmakers will participate including some American guests.

The gathering will take place at the IBRA Clubhouse, at the Podere Il Violino Hotel (www.podereviolino.it) - with the following program:


Thursday 22 May: Arrival

19:30 Welcome Aperitif and dinner


Friday 23 May: Bamboo Only fishing day

Exhibition of the participants? rods in a reserved hall

08:30 Registration and issue of fishing permits: the whole Tevere Tailwater will be reserved for fishing exclusively with bamboo rods.

13:00 Riverside picnic lunch

20:00 Dinner


Saturday 24 May:

Exhibition of the participants? rods in a reserved hall

09:00-13:00 Speeches

13:15 -15:00 Lunch break

15:00- 18:00 Speeches

20:00 Dinner


Sunday 25 May:

Exhibition of the participants? rods in a reserved hall

09:00 Casting demonstrations by experts with bamboo rods

12:00 Drawing of the winning Lottery Tickets with a special commemorative rod made by Italian, German and Swiss Rodmakers.

13:00 Lunch and farewells.

The topic of the gathering will be ?Bamboo rodmaking in Europe: present and future? focusing on the European situation of the Bamboo rod, in terms of the technical constructive aspects as well as its diffusion and future prospect analysis.

If you wish to participate with a speech on this theme, please inform us about the title and a brief description by 31 March 2008.

Obviously we have to limit the number of speeches so we cannot guarantee that your contribution will be included in the final program. However we request you to bring your rods. This is undoubtedly the fundamental part of the gathering: to discover the work of others and to learn from it which is always a fountain of knowledge and growth.

The participation fee is ? 100.00 which includes three dinners, two lunches and a picnic lunch on the ?Bamboo Only? day; payable on arrival directly to IBRA.

The accommodation can be booked directly by 29 February 2008 at the Hotel Borgo Palace in Sansepolcro (www.borgopalace.it) at a cost of ? 45,00 B&B per person per night in a double room , ? 15,00 single room supplement per person per night. Indicate your participation to the First European Bamboo Rodmakers Gathering (1? Raduno europeo costruttori canne in bamboo).


Organisation

You will be able to follow the progress of the event on the IBRA website www.rodmakers.it

To book your participation or for further information please contact:

IBRA- Moreno Borriero info@damlin.com

Germany - Rolf Baginski rolf.baginski@t-online.de

Switzerland - Philipp Sicher phisi@bluewin.ch

We look forward to meeting you and wish you all the best for the New Year.

Moreno Borriero
PR and Press
ITALIAN BAMBOO RODMAKER'S ASSOCIATION - IBRA
www.rodmakers.it