IFLA Annual Conference website |
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World Library and Information Congress: 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly"Libraries create futures: Building on cultural heritage"23-27 August 2009, Milan, Italy Travel, Accommodation, Local InformationTravelPreferred Airline NetworkSAVE UP TO 20% ON TRAVEL WITH THE STAR ALLIANCE NETWORK The Star Alliance™ Members Airlines are pleased to be appointed as the Official Airline Network for IFLA's World Library & Information Congress 2009 taking place in Milan, Italy. To obtain the Star Alliance™ Conventions Plus discounts, please call the reservation office of a participating Star Alliance Member Airline and quote the following Convention Code LH07S09. Registered participants plus one accompanying person travelling to the event are automatically granted a discount of up to 20%, depending on fare and class of travel booked. The participating airlines for this event are:
For booking office information please visit: Discounts are offered on published business and economy class fares, excluding website/internet fares, senior and youth fares, group fares and Round the World fares. Please note: For travel from Japan and New Zealand special fares or discounts are offered by the participating airlines on their own network. When making your travel plans please present confirmation of your registration or proof of attendance. Help us improve our service. Please take a moment to fill out the Conventions Plus Delegate Survey about your experience using the Star Alliance™ Members Airlines. AirportMilan has three domestic and international airports. Malpensa (MXP) airport is located towards Lake Maggiore, some 50 kms from downtown. The special shuttle-train Malpensa Express runs to and from the Ferrovie Nord Railway Station. Stazione Centrale, Milan’s railway station, is connected to Malpensa by a special bus. The journey takes 40 minutes. Linate (LIN) airport is located in the eastern outskirts, some 10 kms from downtown. A special shuttle-service runs to and from Stazione Centrale, Milan’s railway station, while to and from the city centre there is an urban bus, the 73. Both take about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Stazione Centrale and Ferrovia Nord Railway station are both located on the underground-lines. Orio al Serio (BGY), a smaller international airport near Bergamo, is being increasingly used as an airport for Milan. There is a bus service from Stazione Centrale, Milan’s railway station. The journey takes 50 minutes. Shuttle Bus ServiceCompany Fiera Milano Congressi will offer a free shuttle bus service to all Conference attendees: ATM Shuttle Bus Service (n° 2 bus) Departure: outside Amendola Fieramilanocity underground stop (red line) – Arrival: Main Entrance of MIC Centre, Via Gattamelata 5 (see bus route) This service (n° 2 buses) is available from 22nd to 27th of August Driving in MilanWhile driving on Italian roads, you must have with you proof of your car insurance, log-book and driving licence. InsuranceParticipants are advised to arrange adequate travel and medical insurance, as the Congress Secretariat cannot cover persons against cancellation of bookings, medical treatment or theft of belongings. VisaAll visitors must carry a valid passport. Visas are also required for visitors from certain countries. For more information, contact the Italian embassy or consulate in your country. See also: Letters of Invitation, Passports and Visas elsewhere on this Congress site. AccommodationGeneral Hotel InformationThe Congress Secretariat has reserved accommodation in various price categories at a wide range of hotels in Milan at preferential rates. On the hotel booking form you are requested to indicate the Price category you wish to book within. Congrex Travel will endeavour to meet all accommodation requests however this will be subject to availability. Hotel Overview and Prices
Individual BookingOnline Bookings or Hotel Reservation Form Participants can book their hotel accommodation on line. Alternatively participants can complete and return the Hotel reservation form to Congrex Travel either via fax, +44 (0) 207 117 4298 or via email, ifla2009accom@congrex.com. An initial deposit of € 200.00 is required to guarantee your room reservation, please either enter your credit card details or if paying by bank transfer please forward a copy of the payment receipt to the Congrex Travel. Hotel requests without payment can not be accepted. Each participant will receive a confirmation/invoice once their booking is completed. Full pre-payment for accommodation has to be made by 19 June 2009 to the Congrex Travel. Group ReservationIf you have a request for 5 rooms or more, this will be handled by separate contracts and separate regulations. Please contact us by email ifla2009accom@congrex.com or via fax, +44 (0) 207 117 4298 for further information. Kindly note that the contingents are being offered to various companies simultaneously and are sold on a first come first serve basis. Early reservation is therefore highly recommended. Having received your written confirmation of our offer, including your full postal address, we will establish a room allocation contact together with an invoice for the first deposit. Alternative AccomodationDelegates are welcome to book alternative accommodation other than the accommodation offered by the Conference Organisers. Some suggestions can be found at the following web-site: Booking PolicyAll requests will be handled on a “first come-first served basis”. Deadline for Hotel bookings is 15 May 2009. After this deadline, requests will be accepted however, hotel accommodation is subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed anymore. After this deadline, bookings are only possible against full payment by credit card and an extra late booking fee of EUR 30.00 will be charged. Any change of reservation will be subject to a handling fee of EUR 30.00. Changes or cancellations have to be made in writing to Congrex Travel. Please do not contact the hotel directly. Cancellation/Refund PolicyIf your reservation is cancelled on or before 19 July 2009 the deposit will be refunded, less EUR 60.00 handling fee. If your reservation is cancelled after 19 July 2009 no refunds can be made. Any change of reservation will be subject to a handling fee of EUR 30.00. Changes or cancellations have to be made in writing to Congrex Travel. If you arrive later or leave earlier than the originally booked dates, the hotel may charge a no-show fee. Accommodation Payment InformationAdvance payment can be made in Euros by any of the following ways:
Local InformationItaly and MilanSituated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, Milan is Italy’s richest and second largest city and is best known for being the fashion capital of Italy. Embracing tradition, sophistication and ambition in equal measure, the present and the future are invented daily in Milan, Europe’s creative capital. After being conquered three times in its history the city remained strong, regained itself and prospered. It’s a city as strong as any other which successfully reinvented itself under French, Spanish and then Austrian rulers from 1499 until the reunification in 1861. The city offers treasures of historical and intellectual heritage from the past two millennia at every corner: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is simply the best-known of the numerous masterpieces and has been named a Unesco World Heritage site. Milan is the unique artistic and cultural heart of Italy and has been the ideal setting for international events for decades, attracting professionals, artists and intellectuals from all over the world. Banks and Exchange OfficesBanks in Italy are open Monday to Friday from 08.30 to 13.30 hours and only some of them open in the afternoon from 15.00 to 16.30 hours. Banks are closed on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays and also on the towns patron Saint day. Travellers cheques are generally accepted in large hotels and major stores, otherwise, they must be cashed at the exchange office or bank. ClimateThe average minimum and maximum temperatures and rainfall figures for this area in August:
Credit CardsMajor credit cards are widely accepted in Italy, namely Visa, MasterCard and American Express. CurrencyThe legal tender is the Euro, which is divided into 100 cents. Bank notes are available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Euro, and coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 cents, and 1 and 2 Euro ElectricityThe electric current in Italy is 220V and the cycle is 50Hz. Though voltage may vary, in most cities and towns it is either 125 or 220. Check the voltage with the hotel before using electrical appliances. Plugs have prongs that are round, not flat, making an adapter plug necessary. International adaptors can be found in the major electrical shops as well as airports. InsuranceParticipants are advised to arrange adequate travel and medical insurance, as the Congress Secretariat cannot cover persons against cancellation of bookings, medical treatment or theft of belongings. FoodThe main characteristic of Italian cooking is its healthy balance, the excellent basic ingredients being simply cooked and retaining their original goodness and freshness. Every Italian region has there own individual variety of food. In Milan you can find a good representation from every region and there are plenty of excellent restaurants, offering a wide variety of typical Italian dishes washed down with a fantastic choice of excellent wines. HealthMost travel insurance includes medical cover. Check with your travel agency when booking the travel insurance for your trip. In Italy citizens of EU countries are covered for emergency medical treatment only on presentation of an E111 form. No vaccinations are required to enter Italy. Tap water is drinkable in Italy. Water from drinking fountains is safe unless there is a sign “Acqua non potabile”. You might see this sign inside trains, camping sites etc. LanguageAs in most regions in Italy, Milan has its own dialect, Milanese. Unfortunately, nowadays Milanese dialect is spoken by a minority of people: this is due to the immigration process from other Italian regions, that took place in the last decades. ShoppingStores, shopping centres and most businesses are generally open from 10.00 to 19.30 hours from Tuesday to Saturday. On Monday many shops are open only for a half day, many shops also close for lunch, usually between 12.30 and 15.30 hours. Customers when they purchase goods or pay for services are required by law to ask for a receipt (scontrino) or for an invoice (ricevuta fiscale) as proof of purchase. Taxes and TippingTaxes are included in the price of all goods in Italy. For items purchased over e155, tourists from outside of the EU can get the taxes reimbursed. This can be done byfilling in a form in the shop and then presenting it to the customs officials at major airports or border crossing. Usually the service is included in prices, so tipping is a practice appreciated but not so compulsory. Anyway, good advice would be, if the service was appreciated then tip a percentage of around 5%. In hotels a small tip could be paid to the porter. Telephone and Postal ServicesTelephone The most cost-effective way to call abroad from Italy is to use a pre-paid card. These can be purchased at any tobacconist, newsstand, post-office, or service station. Public phones can be found in commercial outlets (bar, restaurant, . . .) or in street telephone booths. Many tollfree numbers start with “800”. It is possible to call to and from Italy with mobile phones. For further information dial (from Italy only) the following numbers for some of the providers: 119 (Tim), 190 (Vodafone), 159 (Wind). Emergency phone numbers: Postal charges The Post Offices are open: Visitors who plan to spend several weeks in Milan but with no fixed address can take advantage of the General Delivery service for their mail. The French and international term for this service is “Poste restante”. To pick up your mail, you must go to the main post office of the city indicated in the mailing address. |
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