IMPORTANT NOTICE :
Please note that taking pictures or filming during the sessions is forbidden (no matter if done with a camera or a mobile phone). Persons who will not observe this rule will be excluded from the session by the chairpersons.

Conference Venue
CCIB - Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona
Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
www.ccib.es

Badges
Participants should collect name badges from the conference registration desk. As only registered participants will be permitted to attend the scientific sessions, the exhibition and poster areas, you are required to wear your badge when entering and while remaining in the congress venue.
Accompanying persons and exhibitors will also receive badges to allow access to the appropriate areas.
Lost badges can be replaced at the registration desk. However, a handling fee of EURO 25.- will be charged.

Bank services - Money matters
Banks are generally open weekdays from 9:0 - 14:00 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 Spain is the Euro (EUR). Major credit cards are widely accepted, but please always check beforehand. When paying by credit card for your shopping, you will 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.

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 April 1, 2016: 75% refund
- between April 1 and May 1, 2016: 25% refund
- after May 1, 2016: no refund
The date of the email/fax ID is the basis for considering refunds. Refunds will be made after the congress.

Car Parking
There are a number of Parkings located close to the CCIB (Pl. Forum, Garcia Faria, C.C.Diagonal Mar).

Certificate of Attendance
Certificates of attendance will be issued at the registration desk.

Climate
The average temperatures end of May in Barcelona are 22-26°C (high) and 14-16°C (low). The average number of rainy days is 5 with an average rainfall of 54 mm in May (only 11 in June).

Cloakroom and Luggage
A cloakroom and luggage storage are available close to the registration area.

Coffee Breaks
During the session breaks, refreshments (coffee, tea and water) will be served free of charge to participants wearing name badges. Coffee and lunch bags will be served in the exhibition area.

Currency
The official currency in Spain is the Euro (EUR).
1 EUR = 0,79 GBP = 1,13 USD = 1,44 CAD = 123 JPY = 1,08 CHF = 1,47 AUD as per April 13, 2016.

Drinking water
The tap water in Barcelona can be used without concern.

Eating Out in Barcelona
One of the main characteristics of Barcelona is its night life. The good weather contributes to sitting at the terraces of coffee-shops, bars and restaurants opened until very late. Downtown restaurants are usually open for lunch from 11:00 to 15:00 and for dinner from 19:30 to 23:00. Cafes and breakfast bars may open already at 08:00 or some even earlier.
There is a great number of “Tapas-bars” where you can enjoy a drink and small “tapa” or “pincho” to eat any time of the day.
Fast food, kebab and take-away-pizza stalls usually serve food all day long, and some of them stay open till midnight. Bars, night clubs and discotheques are usually open from 22:00 – 04:00 (some even longer).

Electricity Supply
The power supply in Spain is 220/240 V. Most electric outlets adhere to the continental standard (Schuko). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor for the two-pin sockets in use in Spain.

Emergency Services
European Emergency Number: 112, Medical emergencies: 061, Fire service: 080.

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 Spain offers the cheapest tariffs.

Insurance
By registering to the ESHG 2016 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.

Internet and Printing Facilities
WiFi access and terminals with printing facilities are available at the venue. Network ID: eshg2016, password: eshg2016

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

Lunch and Refreshments
Lunch tickets for lunch boxes had to be pre-ordered - they cannot be purchased on site. Please note that lunch tickets are not refundable.
Lunch boxes can be picked up from 11.30 - 13.30 at the coffee points in the exhibition. A cash bar is also available in the exhibition area.

Message Board
Message boards are available in the registration area.

Mobile App
The mobile app with full programme and other useful information can be found here.

Opening Hours Exhibition 
Saturday, May 21 09.30 - 18.30 hrs
Sunday, May 22 09.00 - 17.45 hrs
Monday, May 23 09.00 - 17.45 hrs
Tuesday, May 24 Closed!

Opening Hours Registration and Preview Centre
Friday, May 20: 15:00 - 19:30 hrs
Saturday, May 21: 08.00 - 20.15 hrs
Sunday, May 22: 08.00 - 19.30 hrs
Monday, May 23: 08.00 - 19.30 hrs
Tuesday, May 24: 08.30 - 14.30 hrs

Pharmacies - Medical Emergencies
Regular pharmacy opening hours are weekdays from 9.00-13:30 hrs & 16:30-20:00 hrs. Obviously a number of pharmacies is open 24/7. A list of 24-hour pharmacies and Emergency Hospitals can be found here.

Poster Removal
The organisers cannot assume any liability for loss or damage of posters displayed in the poster area. Removal times for the different groups:
Groups A-C: Monday, May 23, 2016 from 16:45 hrs
Group D: Monday, May 23, 2016: 17:45 - 18:00 hrs
Posters that will not be removed by Monday, May 23, 2016, 18.00 hrs, will be removed by the staff, will not be kept or mailed to the author after the meeting, but will be discarded.

Speakers’ Preview
Equipment for a final check of the sequence of your presentation is available in the Speakers’ preview in room 133+134 (on level P1). All presenters should bring their electronic presentation to the Speakers’ preview not later than 2 hours before the start of the session (30 minutes for the first morning sessions).

Safety - Crime

Use of common sense is (always) required, as in any large city. The central part of Barcelona, especially La Rambla, is renowned for petty crime, (pickpocketing, scams or bag snatching) so be careful when sightseeing, taking pictures or watching street artists. Avoid the lower half of La Rambla, below the Liceu Opera House at night.
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 attemps 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.
A list of current scam schemes and further advice can be found https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187497-s206/Barcelona:Spain:Health.And.Safety.html.

Shops
Shops in Barcelona city centre are normally open from 9:00 to 20:30 hrs (Monday to Saturday), some malls are open until 21.30 hrs, some malls are also open on Sundays. All major credit cards are generally accepted, but it is not possible to pay with foreign banknotes. Note that you are usually required to show an ID when using your credit card.

Smoking Policy
The ESHG 2016 is officially a “No-smoking-Conference”. Note that smoking is banned in all public places, including public transport, restaurants and bars. Smoking is permitted on terraces of restaurants and bars if not prohibited by the owner.

Social Media Guidelines
The ESHG supports the use of social media around the European Human Genetics Conference to network with your colleagues and friends attending the meeting. Please do however respect the ESHG social media guidelines, including the following:
Dos: 

• Follow ESHG on Twitter (@eshgsociety) and use the #ESHG2016 meeting hashtag to follow the latest updates and join in the conversation about the ESHG 2016.
• Follow ESHG on Facebook at facebook.com/eshg.org.
• 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 postings or tweets are not necessarily genetic 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 ESHG 2016 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 ESHG 2016 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.

 
The views and opinions posted on ESHG’s social media do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the ESHG, its Board or membership. The ESHG reserves the right to remove comments it deems to be inappropriate.

Staff
If you should have any questions, the congress staff (recognizable by a pink badge/lanyard and a black polo shirt) will be pleased to help you.

Taxis
There is only one kind of licenced taxis in Barcelona, all painted black and yellow. All are mereted but there is a number of possible supplements. More details are available here.
A price calculator proivded by the AMB (Area Metropolitana de Barcelona) is available http://taxi.amb.cat/s/usuari/calcula-la-teva-ruta/eng/web-version.html.

Telephone calls
The country code of Spain is 34 and the area code for Barcelona is 9, followed by a 8 digit number. To call abroad, dial 00 before the country code.

Time Zone
Barcelona’s time zone is Central European Time (CET), one hour ahead of GMT.

Tipping
You may choose to tip or not at your discretion, from a few EUR in restaurants to 10-20 cents in cafés.  In taxis, if you believe that the driver was friendly and efficient, it is ok to leave 1-2 EUR. Bear in mind that salaries are rather low for people in the hospitality business so tips are always welcome.

Tourist Information Centres (BarcelonaTurisme)
BarcelonaTurisme is situated at Plaça de Catalunya 1, 08002 Barcelona. For more info visit their http://taxi.amb.cat/s/usuari/calcula-la-teva-ruta/eng/web-version.html.

Travelling - Accessibility - Public Transportation
From the Airport
The airport Barcelona El Prat is located 13 km southwest of Barcelona and 20 km from the CCIB. There are two terminals. T1 is the main terminal and T2 mainly serves low-cost carriers.
• By Taxi: You can find taxi points in front of both terminals. The trip by taxi from El Prat to the CCIB takes approximately 20 minutes depending on traffic. It costs between € 35 and € 40 depending on the time of day: There is no extra charge for luggage.
• By train: The Renfe R2 (Rodalies de Catalunya rail network) connects terminal 2 with the city centre. It operates every 30 minutes. The travel time is 32 minutes to Passeig de Gràcia. From there you can directly get to the CCIB with the underground L4. A single ticket can be used for the entire trip and a one-way ticket costs € 4.10. For more information, please check the R2 timetable: www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/rodalies
• By bus: The “Aerobus” express bus service leaves from T1 (Aerobus A1) and T2 (Aerobus A2) and arrives at “Plaza Catalunya” in approximately 35 minutes. The A1 operates every 5 or 10 minutes and the A2 every 10 or 20 minutes. You can find the schedule on the following website: www.aerobusbcn.com/index.php/en/timetables.html

The CCIB
See the CCIB website (http://www.ccib.es/getting-to-the-ccib/visitor-access) for more details.
Tram Stations: T4 stops ‘El Maresme’ or 'Forum'
Metro Station: L4 stop 'El Maresme-Forum'
Bus: H16 or N7 stop 'Diagnoal Mar'

V.A.T.
The VAT rate in Spain is 21%.

WIFI
Wifi is available throughout the conference venue. Network ID: eshg2016, password: eshg2016