Geneva Conference Deadlines: Time to Start Planning
The 12th World AIDS Conference will be held at the Palexpo Conference Centre in Geneva, June 28 - July 3, 1998. It is important to begin planning early because:(1) Conference deadlines start as early as February 2.
(2) Hotel rooms will be tight. Of the seven different zones where conference hotels will be located, only one is in Geneva; three are in France. Travel times to some of the hotels can be as much as 90 minutes each way, although average time is probably closer to 45 minutes. [However, our travel agent tells us that there are rooms in Geneva available at this time, without going through the conference, starting at $115 per night.]
(3) The best way to get low-cost air tickets is usually to buy them in sales which occur during the winter months.
When setting travel dates, note that community and other satellite meetings usually occur before the international AIDS conference, not after. The earliest meeting now in the official schedule is the Community Rendez-Vous, starting Friday June 26 at 5:30 p.m.; however, many events have not been set yet, and some may be earlier. Since air and hotel reservations may not be changeable, we like to arrive a couple days early, giving time to rest and prepare for the conference--or to be available for meetings that otherwise we could not attend.
Conference Deadlines
February 2 is the deadline for: Abstract submission (must be received at the conference organizer in Stockholm, Sweden, on the form provided, not by fax); Scholarship applications (also not accepted by fax); Early registration fee; NGO booth requests; and Satellite meeting requests.
April 1 is the deadline for accommodation requests (subject to hotel availability after this date).
May 1 is the deadline for the standard registration fee, and for child care requests.
June 1 is the deadline for late-breaker abstracts.
Early registration is advised. There might or might not be onsite registration, depending on space available.
Costs
As this issue went to press, the cheapest regular fare from the San Francisco area to Geneva was $1070 round trip; however, there are charter flights to Paris for $398 round trip, and the train from Paris to Geneva takes 6 hours and costs $98 each way. Travel in Europe is crowded during the summer, and expensive; if one is flying into another city and taking a train to Geneva, it can help to go a day early to rest, and leave time to assure connections. Another option is a group fare, which a travel agent may be able to arrange if you have enough people flying from the same city. [Thanks to Tim James of Uniglobe Majestic Travel in Lafayette, California for this information.]
Hotel prices for accommodations obtained through the conference organizer are in six categories, ranging (in Swiss francs) from CHF 80 to CHF 435 per day for a double room ($1.00 = CHF 1.35 in November 1997).
The regular conference registration fee is CHF 940 (CHF 590 student) before it goes up after February 2. For media registration, see the Second Announcement and Call for Abstracts (described below).
Miscellaneous
A valid passport is required for citizens of all countries to enter Switzerland; a visa is required from residents of about two dozen countries (not including the U.S. or Canada). No vaccinations are required, and there are no HIV-specific restrictions. Be sure to check travel requirements of other countries you are traveling through--and for France if you are assigned to a hotel there. (U.S. citizens can enter France as tourists for up to three months without a visa, but "the expiration date of your passport must exceed by six months the last day spent in France.") Documentation requirements may change, so check with a travel agent or other expert.
Geneva is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. English is widely understood.
The electricity is 220 volts, 50 cycles.
For More Information
For more information, see the Second Announcement and Call for Abstracts, which has been widely distributed to AIDS organizations and those who have attended previous conferences. There is also a Web site, below, but most of the information in the Second Announcement is not on the Web at this time. Also, the Second Announcement includes the abstract and other required forms.
The conference organizer (for participants, exhibitors, media, scholarship applications, abstracts, and satellite meetings) is:
Congrex Sweden AB
AIDS 98
P.O. Box 5619
Linnégatan 89A
SE-11486 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone: +46 8 459 6600
Fax: +46 8 661 8155
Email: aids98registration@congrex.se, or aids98@congrex.se
There are also separate addresses in different cities for program planning, accommodations and tours, and sponsorship and corporate relations; these are listed on the inside cover of the Second Announcement.
Media inquiries can be directed to Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart in New York, 212-880-5231, ask for AIDS98.
