Venue(s)
Conference: Cairns Convention Centre, Corner Wharf and Sheridan
Streets
The 5th IWC will take place at the
Cairns Convention
Centre. Most primary conference events will take place here,
including the Innovation Marketplace and
conference registration
(starting 25 October).
Pre-Conference Workshops: Rydges Tradewinds Hotel, 137
Esplanade
The Pre-Conference Workshops (as well as the GEF STAP workshop) will
take place at the Rydges Tradewinds Hotel on 24 and 25 October.
Welcome Reception: Cairns Hilton Hotel, 34 Esplanade
The Welcome Reception will take place at the
Cairns Hilton on 25 October.
[
Click here for a
map of downtown Cairns highlighting the venues]
It is very likely the organizing committee will lay on a shuttle bus
service but please stay tuned for information on this.
Accommodation
Cairns Hilton Hotel, 34 Esplanade
The
Cairns Hilton Hotel will
serve as the anchor hotel for this Conference. The Welcome Reception
will be held here. We have secured a rate of
AUS$205 for basic
rooms (this includes breakfast which one must purchase separately from
the room booking). The hotel is roughly
750 meters from the
conference venue.
Participants wishing to book at the Hilton are requested to book via
this link:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/CRNHITW_GGEFA/index.jhtml
Contact Information: Rachel Boivin, Rachel.Boivin@hilton.com, Tel +61 7
4052 6752
Rydges Plaza, Corner of Spence and Grafton
We have secured rooms at the Rydges Plaza, which is located just
500
meters from the conference venue. We have secured a rate of
AUS$167 for standard rooms (including breakfast which one must
purchase separately). Better rooms are more expensive.
Participants wishing to book this hotel should make contact with:
Juliette Fuller, juliette_fuller@rydges.com, +61 (07) 4046
0300
Rydges Esplanade and Rydges Tradewinds
We have also secured rooms at two additional Rydges hotels (these
are intended as secondary to the Plaza) which offer basic rooms at
AUS$147 and AUS$157 respectively. Both of these hotels
offer complementary shuttles to the venue.
Participants wishing to book this hotel should make contact
with:
Janeine Romein, janeine_romein@rydges.com, +61 7 4050 5722
This file documents
all available information on the offers for all three Rydges
Hotels.
Others
There are other hotels of course in proximity to the Cairns
Convention Centre, which include the Sebel Hotel, Park Regis Quays and Pullman Reef Hotel Casino.
However, the event organizers will not support any local travel to
these locations.
There are also apartments to be rented if one Googles.
Visas
PLEASE DO NOT DELAY ACQUIRING A VISA!
Please note, under Australia's universal visa system,
ALL
visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter
Australia (other than NewZealand and Norfolk Island passport holders,
who will normally be issued a visa on arrival). In addition, visitors
from the
EU/EFTA countries may apply using the
eVisitor option, which is quick and easy. Of if you are from:
Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Korea, United States of America, you can similarly go for an
Electronic
Travel Authority.
No one can acquire a visa on arrival
except people from New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
The IWC5 organizers have registered the event with the Australia
International Event Coordinator Network, a special service of the
Australia
Department of Immigration
and Citizenship. If you send your passport country, passport
expiration, passport number, birthday and country of residence to
iwc5@iwlearn.org we will register
you with the IECN. This place your eventual visa request (which you
must do either online or at an embassy depending on your nationality
and location) on a priority list. (It is also possible to add this
information when you register online at this website). Note also that
it is possible to enter Australia on a UN Laissez Passer, however you
must still request a visa.
Your nearest Australian Embassy can be found here:
http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/
NOTE THAT AFTER 09 OCTOBER registering your biodata is unlike to help
in securing a visa.
Participants should apply for visas as soon as possible as the
processing time could extend into weeks. IWC5 participants should be
applying for "business visas" more information about which is available
here.
Participants should also be aware of Australia's
health and
character
requirements.
Finances
The organizers will provide funding for costs of meeting
facilities. Lunches and coffee-breaks will be provided each day of the
pre-conference workshops and conference itself.
Participants must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses for
the duration of the conference and pre-conference workshops.
Travel Information
Conference participants are requested to make their own travel
arrangements individually.
At the present time, we have secured discounts of 10 to 50% with Qantas
Airlines. However, these are only possible to book from cities that
Qantas serves. If you are traveling from a
Qantas
city, please make contact with the local booking agent (preferably
via email). The list of Qantas destinations and the appropriate contact
points are attached
here. You should
reference the IWC and the booking code PRGS0608 in your email or phone
call with them.
Airport Transfer
Everyone should book travel to the
Cairns Airport, IATA code CNS.
The airport is located approximately 6 kilometers north from Cairns
Central Shopping Centre and is situated on Airport Avenue off Sheridan
Street (Captain Cook Highway). Rental Cars are located at the domestic
terminal in the temporary arrivals lounge, while bus shuttles to Cairns
and Port Douglas depart hourly. Taxis are also available 24 hours a day
and cost around AUD$20 to the city centre.
