NEWS ALERT

Practical information

ABSTRACTS

All abstracts and presentations are in English.

The abstracts book is in your Congress bag and contains all the Free Communications (oral and posters) accepted by the Abstracts Selection Committee as well as some invited speakers abstracts.

Companies and participants may copy material for their personal use; copying for sale or for any other commercial purpose is prohibited.

CATERING FACILITIES

Lunches, morning and afternoon breaks are included in the registration fees according to the participation package you have selected. They will be served in the conference venue area and exhibition hall.

CELLULAR PHONES

Participants are kindly requested to turn off their mobile phones when entering the meeting rooms and in the posters area.

CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE

A certificate of attendance will be provided to all pre-registered and on-site registered attendees.

CLIMATE

The weather in Oxford in September is generally mild with occasional hot and sunny days; the daily temperatures range from 9°C to 18°C.

CLOAKROOM

A cloakroom will be at the attendees disposal free of charge in the conference centre lobby, near the exhibition area. Opening times will be the same as sessions / welcome desk hours.

CONGRESS BAG

Each participant is entitled to a Congress bag that has to be collected at the registration area.

CURRENCY

All fees and rates in this programme are in EUROS (€) and in POUND STERLING (£).
Approximate exchange rate at date of publishing (19th December 2008): 1€ = 0,94 £ / 1£ = 1,066 €

The Organisers reserve the right to change the fees and rates stated in this programme according to the exchange
rate fluctuation. Any fees/rate changes will be notified on the Congress web site.

DISABLED PERSONS ACCESS

All spaces occupied by the meeting at Barceló Hotel as well as at the social events venues are accessible for disabled persons. For any questions / assistance please contact the organisation team at the congress welcome desk.

DUPLICATION, RECORDING, PHOTOS

Photography, audio-taping, video-recording, digital taping or any other form of duplication is strictly prohibited in the session rooms and posters areas.

ELECTRICITY

Electricity used in England is 240 Volts; its frequency is 50 Hz. You need a transformer for your electrical or electronic equipment using different voltage (ie. USA, Canada, Europe)

EXHIBITION

The exhibition is open to all registered attendees (not to accompanying persons) and is held in the University Suite (ground floor). Official Exhibition Opening: Saturday 26th September 2009 from 19h00 to 20h30

Exhibition opening hours:

SATURDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER 2009: 19h00-21h00
SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2009: 08h00-18h00
MONDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2009: 08h00-18h00
TUESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2009: 08h00-18h00
WEDNESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2009: 08h00-12h30

Access to the exhibition is by badge only.

HOW TO GET TO BARCELÓ

Meeting transportation: The Organisers provide attendees staying at the official meeting hotels with a shuttle service during all meeting days to and from the Barceló, in the morning before the sessions start and in the evening after sessions are over. You can find the exact timetable and routing in your badge holder as well as in your hotel lobby. Transportation is provided also for the Social events to some of the official meeting hotels. For details please refer to your invitation card and timetable in your badge holder / hotel lobby.

Travel by car: If you wish to reach the Barceló by car, please check the meeting website for details (see PRACTICAL INFORMATION SECTION). It is recommended to use the “Park and Ride” system as parking in Oxford is difficult and expensive! Oxford’s Park and Ride service enables visitors to leave their cars at locations close to the ring-road and travel into the city centre on a frequent bus service.

Travel by train: If you are coming to Oxford by train, the train station is 3-4 miles away from the Barceló and taxis are available at station.

Travel by city bus: the following bus route has a stop located a 2 minute walk from the Barceló: The Bus stop is called Mere Road and the bus number is number 6.

INTERNET

Attendees (hotel guests as well as non Barceló guests) can purchase vouchers for internet connection from the hotel reception desk, on a daily basis. The cost would be from the following packages:

Business 24 Hours - £15.00
Duration: 24 consecutive hours
Data transfer: unlimited
Value added services;
- Free national/international calls to any landline
- Free Printing
- Online newspapers

Economy 24 Hours - £12.50

Duration: 24 consecutive hours
Data transfer: up to 500 Megabytes
Value added services: No extra services included

Please note that Internet connection is not be available in the plenary room. Attendees staying at the Barceló can benefit from a 30 minutes free connection per day. They need to claim this at the reception desk each day. The 30 minute free WIFI is for coverage only in the bar and lobby areas.

LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

ISCFS and MCI cannot be held liable for any hindrance or disruption of Congress proceedings arising from political, social, health or economic events or any other unforeseen incidents beyond their control. The Congress cancellation conditions shall apply in any case. Registration of a participant entails acceptance of the cancellation conditions.

It is recommended that participants obtain adequate cover for travel, health, accident and cancellation insurance before they depart from their countries. ISCFS and MCI as organizers will accept no liability for personal injuries sustained by or for loss or damage to property belonging to Congress participants and accompanying persons either during or as a result of the Congress or during all tours and events.

LOST AND FOUND

Lost items should be returned to the Congress Welcome Desk (Hotel lobby – On-site registrations).

Should you loose anything, please report to this desk for assistance.

POSTERS

Posters will be on display in the Oriel room, ground floor, located near the main meeting room. The Organisers will have thumb tacks at your disposal in the Scientific Secretariat, Radley room, 1st floor as well as in the Posters room.

The posters must be installed on:

SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2009 from 14h00 to 18h30 and SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2009 from 8h00 to 12h00 (or Monday morning for package B authors).

The posters must be removed on:

WEDNESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2009 from 10h00 to 13h30 (or Sunday evening for package A authors).

The Organisers are not responsible for loss or damage to those posters which are not removed by authors within the times of dismantling as indicated above. Posters not removed by their authors at the stated time, will be automatically destroyed.

PRE-VIEW ROOM - RADLEY ROOM

Located on the 1st floor

This room will be open at the following times:

FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2009 from 14h00 to 18h30
SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2009 from 7h00 to 18h30
SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2009 from 7h00 to 18h30
MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER from 2009 7h00 to 18h30
TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER from 2009 7h00 to 18h30
WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER from 2009 7h00 to 13h30

All presentations must be in English. Each speaker should also verify in the final programme that the time of his/her session(s) has not changed.

VISA

All participants and exhibitors are reminded that a visa may be required for foreign citizens entering England and that they should apply for a visa at their local English consulate or embassy.

Please contact the nearest English Embassy or Consulate to your home for further information.
Should you need an official invitation letter for visa application purposes, you may contact the Congress Office who will be able to assist you with it.
NO refunds of agreed registration fees and hotel pre-payment will be issued for cancellation or non-attendance due to failure to obtain a visa.