Remember the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the city’s convention centre acted as a kind of Noah’s Ark for homeless refugees who had been flooded out of their homes?
Then there was the Sands Conference Centre in Carlisle, designed and built to stand above the historic flooding high point and one of the few buildings in the city centre that escaped flood damage also in 2005.
Families took refuge at the Tacloban City Convention Center, when super typhoon Haiyan battered the central Philippines on 12 November, 2013.
While, more recently, Bangkok’s conferences went on behind thick walled convention centres while the Reds and the Yellows demonstrate all around.
Then, we have had an attempt by protesters against the government of Viktor Yanukovych to smash themselves into Kiev’s international convention centre where, it transpired, several dozen riot police were having an unsuccessful breakout session inside the building. Government and protesters were persuaded to vacate the sacred building to continue their stand off elsewhere in the capital.
Maybe we should consecrate our meetings temples and give them the official blessing of ’places of sanctuary’?
Any comments? Email pcolston@mashmedia.net
