About
Information note for participants

Travel

In order to take full advantage of the conference programme it is recommended you arrive in Helsinki at the latest by the evening of Wednesday 16 September, and plan to depart on Sunday 20 September. Participants authorized to receive UNU-WIDER travel funding, will be provided with a roundtrip air ticket to Helsinki in accordance with United Nations University travel guidelines. No air tickets should be purchased by the travellers themselves unless prior authorization has been received from UNU-WIDER.

Visas

Please remember to send us any visa-related receipts in advance (by email to your Conference Team Assistant) and kindly bring the original receipts along with you to Helsinki for reimbursement.

Insurance

Disclaimer: The United Nations University disclaims all responsibility for medical, accident and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of, or damage to, personal property and for any other loss that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation. In this context, it is strongly recommended to secure, prior to departure, international medical insurance for the period of participation in the meeting.

Transportation from the airport to the hotel

The Helsinki Airport, located in Vantaa, is approximately 20 km from the conference venue and the centre of Helsinki. Transportation alternatives:

• Taxi to the hotel (approx. price: €45)
• Finnair City Bus to the main railway station (fee: €6.30) and then a taxi from there to the hotel (approx. price €15)
• Ring Rail Line train to the main railway station (ticket price €5) and then a taxi from there to the hotel (approx. price €15)
• Shared airport taxi to the hotel (approx. price €29/person)
• Bus number 615 (ticket price €5), then tram number 4 (using the bus ticket if used within 60 minutes from initial purchase) to the hotel.

Hotel accommodation

Participants are required to book their own hotel rooms. Please make sure that your hotel accommodation includes breakfast as it is not served at the conference.

Venue and registration

The conference takes place at the Marina Congress Center, located at Katajanokanlaituri 6, Helsinki.

There is a possibility for pre-registration, which takes place on Wednesday 16 September between 16:00-20:00 hrs at the Scandic Hotel Grand Marina, ground floor COMPASS room (address: Katajanokanlaituri 7, Helsinki).

Preregistration is highly recommended due to the large amount of participants.

During conference days, registration takes place at the registration desk on the ground floor of the Marina Congress Center from 07:30 hrs onwards. The conference will start at 08:30 hrs in meeting room Europaea.

Upon registration participants will be given a name badge, which must be worn for security reasons throughout the conference during the sessions and lunches. UNU-WIDER premises are on the 3rd floor of the Marina Congress Center building.

Lump sum settlement for expenses

Participants authorized to receive UNU-WIDER travel funding, will be offered a lump sum settlement to cover hotel accommodation and out-of-pocket travelling expenses, including transportation to and from airports. Proof of identity and used boarding passes are required.

Meals

All conference participants will be provided with lunches on the days of the conference and dinners in the evening of the first conference day (Thursday 17 September) and the last conference day (Saturday 19 September).

Participants not planning to attend any of these meals are requested to inform the Conference Team Assistants in advance.

Conference presentations

PowerPoint presentations can be sent by email to presentation@wider.unu.edu by 16 September. You can also deliver your presentation to your session room monitor during the conference.

Please name your presentation in the following form: Lastname_firstname.ppt or Lastname_firstname.pdf. 

All conference PowerPoint presentations, made available by presenters, will also be posted on the website.

Poster session

There will be a special poster session on Thursday 17 September from 18.00‐19.00 hrs. A total of 20 posters will be presented in a suitable venue close to the conference deliberations and they will be displayed throughout the conference in the Network Café.

Conference programme

The conference programme will be posted on the conference website in due course.

Exchange rate

The current (September 2015) UN rate of exchange is USD1 = €0.889.

Weather

September is early autumn in Finland and the weather in Helsinki around the time of the conference can be changeable, with cool temperatures around 10-15 ºC with a possibility of rain.

Dress Code

Smart casual. National costume highly encouraged.

UNU-WIDER’s Conference Team Assistants

For any further questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of our Conference Team Assistants as follows:

Janis Vehmaan-Kreula
e-mail: janis@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 9217 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Emma Raivio
e-mail: raivio@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 9214 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Minna Tokkari
e-mail: minna@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 9201 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)

Matthew Roblin
e-mail: matthew@wider.unu.edu
Tel. +358 9 6159 9214 (direct)
Tel. +358 9 6159 911 (switchboard)