Conference Information
Travel
Accomodation

General information

Travel documents for entering the Slovak Republic

The Slovak Republic is a part of the European Union and the Schengen Treaty. If you are traveling from the EU country, you need an ID card or a passport for when you stay in a hotel or at the conference venue (Smolenice Castle). You may also be asked to present some form of ID on other occasions.
For citizens of countries outside Europe, you need a valid passport. A visa is required from some countries. Please check if there are any visa requirements before leaving your home country. If you need an invitation letter, please contact Milan Čertík, as the conference chair.

Language

The official language is Slovak, but a lot of people in Bratislava understand and speak English. The official language at the conference is English.

Insurance

The conference cannot be liable for any personal injuries, or damage/loss of property, that may occur during the conference. Please check in advance that all relevant insurances are valid before you attend the meeting.

Currency

The currency in the Slovak Republic is the Euro (€).
Payment by cash is common in shops, hotels, restaurants and taxis. You can also use credit cards, primarily VISA, VISA electron, MasterCard and Maestro. Money can be changed at the airports (Vienna and Bratislava) and in downtown Bratislava.
Apologies for the inconvenience but we only accept payment in cash for the accommodation at the conference venue (Smolenice Castle).

Electricity

Power plugs and sockets are type E. The standard voltage is 230 V.

Time and daylight

During the conference Central European Summer Time will be valid (GMT +1h).
At the time of the conference you can expect daylight from about 05:20 to 21:00 h.

Weather

At the beginning of May, the weather tends to changeable. Morning temperatures vary between 7 - 14 °C and day temperatures between 15 - 25 °C.

Dress

No formal dress is required at the conference. The conference room is air-conditioned. If the weather is fine, a welcome party will be held in the castle courtyard on the 1st evening, so please bring warmer cloths.

Safety

Generally, Bratislava is a safe city but be aware of pickpockets in crowded places in shops, bus and train stations and on public transport.
 

Conference information

Badges and identification

Upon registration, each participant will receive a name badge. Please wear it at all times.

Presentations

The official language at the conference is English.

Oral presentations

During the conference, MS Powerpoint running on Windows PC will be available.
Usually twenty-five minutes are allocated for the presentation of invited speakers plus five minutes for discussion. Fifteen minutes are designated for common session speakers. Five minutes are designated for young speakers in the session Poster Highlights.

Please organise your presentation in order to respect your time allocation.

Posters

The size of posters is 90 × 120 cm maximum (width × height; portrait orientation). The posters will be fixed to the boards with pins, which will be supplied at the conference. The authors should be present during the appointed time in the scientific programme for the posters exhibition.

 

Travel

Smolenice Castle is about 50 km from Bratislava. The organizers will provide transport for the conference participants by bus from Bratislava to Smolenice on the first day of the conference and from Smolenice to Bratislava on the last day of the conference.
The places where the bus to Smolenice will stop will be posted later.
Arriving by airplane

Bratislava (BTS)

Mainly low-cost airlines operate at Bratislava International Airport.

Vienna (VIE)

It operates flights to and from all major European and international destinations. Vienna International Airport is about 60 km from Bratislava.
Transfer from Vienna Airport to Bratislava
Take a bus to Bratislava, AS (Main bus station). About three buses per hour operate between Vienna Airport and Bratislava. They are run by bus companies, Slovak Lines and RegioJet.
Arriving by train
Bratislava is directly connected to Budapest - Keleti pályaudvar (160 km - approx. 2.25 h.), Prague - Praha hlavní nádraží (400 km - approx. 4 h.) and Wien Hauptbahnhof (70 km - approx. 1.20 h).
Arriving by car
Smolenice Castle (GPS N: 48.514056 E: 17.432757) is about 50 kilometers from Bratislava.
Regardless you will arrive from South (Bratislava), North (Žilina, Trenčín), or East (Nitra), you have to reach junction "Trnava" (Highway D1/E75 crosses here Speedway R1/E58).
You can find your itinerary from junction Trnava to Smolenice Castle on Google maps.
 

Accomodation

The conference fee does not include accommodation costs. The accommodation is arranged at the conference venue in the beautiful Smolenice Castle. Prices vary according to the type of room.
The accommodation will be arranged by the organizers. The capacity of the Smolenice Castle is 85 guests in: double rooms (99 EUR/night), triple rooms (123 EUR/night), rooms with four beds (132 EUR/night), two bed appartments (157 EUR/night), two bedrooms appartment - 4 beds (209 EUR/night). Breakfast is included in the room rate. Participants can stay in a double or in a triple room either alone or they can share the room. If someone prefers to share a room, please sign the name of the person(s) you would like to share a room with in the registration form.
Additional accommodation (depending on the capacity of the castle and your room preference) can be arranged in comfortable pensions in Smolenice village, which is in walking distance from the castle (approximately 1 km).
Payments for accommodation are to be made at the registration desk in Smolenice, in cash only.