"Plan your work - Work your plan"

During my professional life I had the chance of working for some great companies.The very first one, and to this date probably the best one, was Gillette Canada. From day one I was told to always plan my work and work my plan. From that day on it just stuck with me and for the next 22 years I practiced what they told me and when I left the company I started teaching the same to the other sales forces I had the chance to lead.One very positive thing about this is that you can and should apply this to your professionnal life but also use the same principle in your private life.

What does this have to do with my exhibit?

Well, it's very simple. At this point in time I still don't know how to approach the subject. Philatically speaking I know which countries are participating in this issue, I know that by now most items have been issued, I know that the International Polar Year 2007-2009 has officially come to an end (March 2009), I know I want to transmit and make the public aware of all the efforts made by so many people and countries, but I still don't know what to do or how to present the material at hand.

Preliminary thoughts and ideas.

What could then make this exhibit stand out? Designing my pages, placing the different issues on them, giving some details about the issues, anybody can do that and I don't think it would stand out at an exhibition. Keep in mind that my objective is to create, through stamps, more awareness about the dangers we are all facing due to climate change.

So, I'm thinking about gathering some covers from the issuing countries, send them to the different governmental agencies that are involved with the IPY and have some official sign the cover and at the same time maybe have an official document summarizing what that country has done during the IPY programme. Am I dreaming or can this be accomplished?

Originally I was thinking of a one-frame exhibit. Now, the more I look at it, I begin to wonder if this can be accomplished in a one-frame exhibition?

Finally, I'm not sure if all issuing countries should be included or only the major participants. By doing so will the message have the same impact? Will the message conveyed say; "as usual always the same players" or do I want to say that even small countries like Estonia are concerned about the state of our planet. Time will tell....