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BANK SERVICES – MONEY MATTERS
Banks are generally open weekdays from 9 am until 6 pm and closed during weekends. There are multiple bank machines (ATMs) open 24 hours a day throughout the city which accept all major international bankcards.
The official currency of Austria is the Euro (EUR). Major credit cards are widely accepted, but please always check beforehand. When paying by credit card for your shopping, you might be asked to show identification. Please have an ID with you all the time, otherwise they may refuse to accept your credit card as payment. Travel checks can be cashed in most of the banks and exchange offices.

• Coins: EUR 0,01 — 0,02 — 0,05 — 0,1 — 0,20 — 0,50 – 1 — 2

• Banknotes: EUR 5 – 10 – 20 – 50 – 100 – 200 — 500

 

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
Notice of cancellation had to be made in writing by email or fax to the Congress Office.
The policy for refunding registration fees is as follows:

 

Written cancellation received:

• before July 31, 2019

• after July 31, 2019

The date of the email/fax ID is the basis for considering refunds. Refunds will be made after the congress.

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CAR PARKING
A car park is available – more than 700 car park spaces are available.

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CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE
Certificates of attendance will be issued and handed out on site at the registration desk.

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CLIMATE
During the month of September you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures.

Temperatures continue to get colder though in September, when summer is merging into autumn. At this time of year, the average temperature for Innsbruck starts off at 9°C, created by highs of 18°C during the daytime and lows of 0°C after dark.

Please follow the link to view the current weather https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/AUXX0025:1:AU

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CLOAKROOM AND LUGGAGE
A cloakroom and luggage storage will be available close to the registration area.

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COFFEE BREAKS AND LUNCH
Coffee breaks are included in the registration fee

Lunch tickets can be purchased during online registration. Note that lunch tickets can NOT be purchased on site.

Exact times are listed in the programme overview. Coffee and lunch will be served in the exhibition area.

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CONFERENCE VENUE
Congress Innsbruck

Rennweg 3, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Website

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CURRENCY
The official currency in Austria is the Euro (EUR).
1 EUR = 0,88 GBP = 1,17 USD = 1,53 CAD = 131,48 JPY = 1,16 CHF = 1,57 AUD as per October, 2018.
Use the currency converter on the right side to view the current exchange rates.

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DRINKING WATER
The tap water in Austria is of excellent quality and can generally be used without concern.

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ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Electrical sockets (outlets) in Austria are one of the two European standard electrical socket types: The “Type F”, also known as “Schuko”. This socket also works with plug C and plug E. If your appliance’s plug doesn’t match the shape of these sockets, you will need a travel plug adapter in order to plug in. Travel plug adapters simply change the shape of your appliance’s plug to match whatever type of socket you need to plug into. If it’s crucial to be able to plug in no matter what, bring an adapter for all three types.
See: https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/austria/

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EMERGENCY SERVICES

• Ambulance Tel: 122

• Police Tel: 133

• Fire Brigade Tel: 122

• European emergency number Tel: 112

Further emergency numbers can be found here: https://www.wien.gv.at/english/contact/emergency.html

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EXHIBITION
Entrance to the exhibition is free for registered delegates but limited to healthcare professionals, press and exhibitors.

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GSM CELL PHONE ROAMING
GSM cell/mobile phone roaming is available without any problems for all major international providers. It is advisable to inquire beforehand or online at your provider which roaming company in Austria offers the cheapest tariffs.

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INSURANCE
By registering to the EHMSG 2019 participants agree that neither the organising committee nor the congress office assume any liability whatsoever. Participants are requested to make their own arrangements for health and travel insurance. The conference fee does not include insurance.

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LANGUAGE
The official language of the congress will be English (no simultaneous translation).

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LETTER OF INVITATION
On request, the EHMSG 2019 organizing office will be pleased to send letters of invitation to individual scientists. Invitations of this kind are intended to assist potential delegates to raise their travel funds or obtain visas. They do not imply any commitment or responsibility on behalf of the Congress to provide financial support. Please note that letters of invitation can only be sent after receipt of registration and payment of full registration fee. During the online registration process you will have the possibility to request a visa invitation letter. Please have your passport at hand to fill in all required details needed for the visa invitation letter. These include, but are not limited to, your passport number, date of issue, and the issuing authority.

The letter of invitation does not financially obligate the congress organizers in any way. All expenses incurred in relation to the congress, the registration and the attendance are the sole responsibility of the delegate.

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MESSAGE BOARD
A Message board will be available in the registration area.

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PASSPORT AND VISA
Please check passport and visa requirements in due time before your departure. Visas can take a while to be processed, so leave enough time before departure to apply.

It is the sole responsibility of the delegate to take care of his/her visa requirements. Delegates who require an entry visa must allow sufficient time for the application procedure. Delegates should contact the nearest Austrian embassy or consulate to determine the appropriate timing of their visa applications.
Note: Austrian embassies and consulates-general are independent decision-making agencies for visas, sometimes after specific checks have been made with other Schengen countries. You cannot appeal against the rejection of a visa application; neither can the EHMSG 2019 organizing office intervene on your behalf in case of a rejection or to speed up the procedure.
Delegate registration details will be shared with the Austrian immigration authorities on request to assist in the immigration process. However, the congress organizers and/or the EHMSG 2019 registration department will not directly contact embassies and consulates on behalf of visa applicants.
The registration fee minus a handling fee of EUR 25.- will be refunded after the congress if the visa was applied for in time and proof is shown that a visa could not be granted even though all requested documents were submitted. Refund requests must be made in writing and sent to the EHMSG 2019 registration department, by email, no later than August 25, 2019, after which requests for such refunds cannot be taken into consideration.

See https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/austria/ or https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/travel-stay/entry-and-residence-in-austria/entry-and-visa/schengen-visa/ for further details.

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PHARMACIES
Monday to Friday from around 9 am until 6 pm. Saturday from 9 am until 12 pm.

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POSTER REMOVAL
The organisers cannot assume any liability for loss or damage of posters displayed in the poster area. Posters that will not be removed after the dismantling times indicated to poster authors, will be removed by the staff, will not be kept or mailed to the author after the meeting, but will be discarded.

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SAFETY – CRIME
Use of common sense is (always) required, as in any large city. The central part of Innsbruck (tourist areas), is renowned for petty crime, (pickpocketing, scams or bag snatching) so be careful when sightseeing, taking pictures or watching street artists.

Experience has shown that some basic precautionary measures should always be kept in mind in any city:

• Do not carry important items like flight tickets, passports etc. with you when visiting the conference or strolling through the city, leave them in the hotel safe during your stay. Rather carry a Xerox copy of your passport or an identity card with you.

• Try not to carry all documents, money, credit cards and other essential items and valuables in one bag or purse. If it is lost or stolen, everything will be gone and might be difficult to replace on short notice, especially passports and visa to return to your country of residence.

• Take off your name badge when leaving the conference centre.

• In heavily frequented tourist zones and the metro at rush hour, be aware of attempts of scam and pickpocketing.

• Do not respond to anybody unknown to you who comes up to you on the street engaging you in a conversation, no matter how safe they appear to be

• Please also see  https://safearound.com/europe/austria/
   

SHOPS
Shops are usually open Mon – Fri from 9.00 am – 6.30 pm, Sat until 5.00 pm or 6.00 pm; some shopping centers are open until 8.00 or 9.00 pm from Mon-Fri. Shopping is available on Sundays and holidays at the large railway stations, at the airport and in the museum shops.

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SMOKING POLICY
The EHMSG 2019 is officially a “No-smoking-Conference”.
The ban on smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants, is nationwide in Austria.

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SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
EHMSG supports the use of social media around the EHMSG 2019 conference to network with your colleagues and friends attending the meeting. Please do however respect the EHMSG 2019 social media guidelines, including the following:

Dos:

• You may blog or tweet about content of the talks, unless the speaker explicitly asks you not to share either the entire talk or specific details or slides.

• Communicate in a respectful and considerate way, and show your criticism in a fair, constructive and professional manner.

• Do remember that people who will read your tweets are not necessarily professionals, but also patients, policymakers, members of the media, and the general public.

Don’ts:

• The use of photography, video, or other type of recording devices in oral sessions (plenary, educational, concurrent sessions and symposia) and poster sessions at the EHMSG 2019 is strictly prohibited. Hence posting pictures or videos of these sessions on any social media platform, blogs, or websites, etc., is also strictly prohibited.

• Do not capture or re-distribute data presented at the EHMSG 2019 as this may jeopardize the subsequent publication of the data in a scientific journal. Powerpoint presentations must not be photographed under any circumstances. Do respect journal embargo policies and the work of your colleagues!

• Refrain from engaging in personal attacks or showing rude behaviour.

• Offensive and disrespectful behaviour, sales-oriented, self-promoting, or otherwise inappropriate comments will not be tolerated.

• Participants should not post copyrighted or trademarked material or material protected by other intellectual property rights.

 

STAFF
If you should have any questions, the congress staff will be pleased to help you.

 

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TAXIS

Innsbrucker Funk-Taxi Zentrale:

Tel: +43 512 5311

http://www.taxi-innsbruck.com

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TELEPHONE CALLS
The country code of Austria is 43. To call abroad, dial 00 before the country code.

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TIME ZONE
Innsbruck’s time zone is Central European Time (CET), one hour ahead of GMT.

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TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES (Austria Tourism Office)
Innsbruck Tourism Office
Phone: +43 512 / 59 850 (local rate)

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TRAVEL-HEALTH INSURANCE
As part of a Schengen visa application, individuals must have travel-health insurance for the duration of their stay in the Schengen zone. This insurance can be obtained from any approved insurer. Individuals need to check with the responsible Schengen embassy/consulate for a list of approved insurers available in their country.

Individuals must have insurance for their entire stay in the Schengen zone and therefore are encouraged to ensure and pay for the correct number of days. The Schengen visa will only be given for the dates that are covered by the insurance policy, which need to relate to the travel dates.

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V.A.T.
The VAT rate in Austria is 20%.

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VISA REQUIREMENTS
It is the sole responsibility of the delegate to take care of his/her visa requirements. Delegates who require an entry visa must allow sufficient time for the application procedure. Delegates should contact the nearest Austrian embassy or consulate to determine the appropriate timing of their visa applications.

Note: Austrian embassies and consulates-general are independent decision-making agencies for visas, sometimes after specific checks have been made with other Schengen countries. You cannot appeal against the rejection of a visa application; neither can the EHMSG 2019 organizing office intervene on your behalf in case of a rejection or to speed up the procedure.

Delegate registration details will be shared with the Austrian immigration authorities on request to assist in the immigration process. However, the congress organizers and/or the EHMSG 2019 registration department will not directly contact embassies and consulates on behalf of visa applicants.

Further information on Visa application can be found here: https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/travel-stay/entry-and-residence-in-austria/entry-and-visa/schengen-visa/

The registration fee minus a handling fee of EUR 25.- will be refunded after the congress if the visa was applied for in time and proof is shown that a visa could not be granted even though all requested documents were submitted. Refund requests must be made in writing and sent to the EHMSG 2019 registration department, by email, no later than August 25, 2019, after which requests for such refunds cannot be taken into consideration.

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WIFI
Wifi is available throughout the conference venue.