ABSTRACT
The 2000 Berlin Conference continued the long tradition of having organized discussion groups as part of the programme, in fact for the 15th occasion. Typically each group had an organizer and rapporteur, while in some cases consultants served as catalysts for the discussion or made short formal presenta tions. Following the precedent set in Tokyo in 1991, mini-symposia also appeared. In that increasingly popular format, short papers are presented around which discussion can be structured. Symposia have become increasingly prominent in comparison with groups in recent conferences and were dominant in Berlin.
