Eight years of the International Glass Symposium - IGS was organized by the Crystalex Co. Nový Bor. The first one was held in 1982 and kept regularly each three years. Just in 1994, the tradition was broken and a symposium called "Glass Ambitions 94" was organized by the Egermann Ltd. and Ajeto Czech Glass Craft Ltd. companies. Within its almost 30 years long existence the symposium literally became a world unique event. Nowhere else so many glass artists from all over the world came together in the same place and at the same moment to create directly in hotshops and refinery workshops in connection with craftsmen – glassmakers. Within the last nine years of the symposium Nový Bor welcomed hundreds of outstanding personalities, among them almost all world-famous glass authors. Numerous of them have taken part in this grandiose event repeatedly and the invitation to participation in IGS became a matter of prestige in the glass world. Pieces, originated during IGS, were gradually gathered into a collection, which has been interesting and outstanding in such a degree, that it would be suitable to keep it complete for the future generations to prove the development of contemporary creative glass art and to complement it by new works.
The dismal situation of Crystalexu, fulfilled by the declaration of bancruptcy and insolvency proceeding, didn´t allowed the company to organize the jubilee tenth year. In order to keep the tradition the Nový Bor municipality itself began negotiations with administrators of the Crystalex company aimed at their agreement with its organization and at the same time searching for partners for a possible implementation of the outstanding celebration of glass. All the negotiations were successful and in January 2009 the Nový Bor municipality has taken over the organization, with the Ajeto Czech Glass Graft Ltd., Egermann Ltd, SKLÁRNA SLAVIA Ltd. Nový Bor, TGK – technika, sklo a umění Ltd. Skalice u České Lípy companies as well as the Higher Professional and Secondary Glass School as the partners of the event, who would provide facilities for glassmakers and took part in the organization.

The event will be held from June 18 – 21, with confirmed participation of more than 35 artists. The auspices of the symposium have been taken over by the chairman of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miloslav Vlček and the Liberec regional commissioner Bc. Stanislav Eichler, accentuating in this way the importance and signification of this international meeting. The glass work itself would be accompanied by presentations of artists, lectures by art historians and gallery people, smaller exhibitions and naturally by the final Exhibition of Results of the 10th 10. IGS. In this way, IGS would become, together with the traditional Glass Festival, the fundamental event of the glass celebration in Nový Bor, a part of which would be also the declaration of results and the exhibition opening of the competition Craft and Art in Glass, organized by the Glass Museum Nový Bor.
The selection of artists was within the cognizance of an art commission headed by PhDr. Jaroslav Polanecký Ph.D. As this year the works won´t be implemented by the invited artists in Crystalex facilities, during the selection the capacity and technical possibilities of the companies, having offered their facilities, were taken into account. The art commission, including a representative of the partners, went in selection of artists just from proposals of those members. In this way, a list originated, including foreign participants together with glassmakers, linked with the Nový Bor environ. Despite of different conditions and the new IGS character, the art commission also agreed on maximum possible keeping of the concept and philosophy of previous years, thus a meeting of glassmakers, making new workds directly in the place of its keeping. Interested people would be able to see the working artists during the Open Door Day on June 20, 2009 from 8.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. directly in the facilities of the participated glass companies. As traditionally, the works, created during the symposium, will be displayed in the Exhibition of Results of the 10th IGS, officially opened on June 21, for public available in the Ajeto Gallery, Nový Bor from June 22 to August 31, 2009.