We’ve been sending you, as a registered delegate, some quick notes each week until the conference - to highlight aspects you should be aware of, so you can enjoy your visit to Australia to the fullest.
This is the FIFTH and LAST such email bulletin – if you’ve missed any of the others, they’re available on the website at http://www.acl2006.org/notes.
QUICK NOTE 17: REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
After this time we can take no further registrations or changes until on site at the conference itself. An Administration Fee of A$77 will be charged for any CANCELLATIONS after 1 July (on top of the bank fees charged necessarily for any refunds paid).
Right now it is fine – about 10 degrees centigrade overnight and about 17 degrees centigrade during the day – but we can’t guarantee this holding for the 10 days of Coling-ACL…. See the current weather and forecasts for more up to date information. You should definitely bring some warm clothing for both the excursion day and any evenings out. Some showers are forecast for 14-15 July then cloudy….
QUICK NOTE 19: USEFUL HINTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN WAY OF LIFE:
- Tipping: this is NOT mandatory as it is in some countries; you might choose to round up a bill to a couple of dollars – but 10% or 15% would be the maximum top. For taxis you would probably round up the total by up to 10%. In restaurants, if the food or service is poor you should not feel obliged to tip!
- Taxis: they all take credit card payments, VISA, MasterCard and AMEX at least. A general number to call a taxi is (Taxis Combined Services) 133300.
- Money: There are LOTS of ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) through out the Darling Harbour precinct and the city of Sydney, which take cards from most of the major banks, when you need cash.
- Parking: if you are driving in Sydney, there is virtually no free parking, and it can be very expensive. The Convention Centre has an extensive car park, with a maximum daily charge of $26.00. There is also a car park directly opposite the UTS facility, in Quay Street Haymarket, with a similar daily maximum fee. Otherwise, there is metered street short term parking.
- Mobile phone rental: try to organise in advance, try http://www.vodafonerental.com.au/.
- Car hire: one of the cheaper options is http://www.bayswatercarrental.com.au/ - so there may be high demand – book early. But if you’re not traveling much beyond the city you should manage with a monorail ticket or on the main CityRail and Bus network. We will be able to sell a few monorail tickets at the registration desk at the still preferential price of $30.
The balloons above – are to show you that at various strategic points around the Conference Venues you will see our Student Volunteers (sponsored by Appen) – wearing the Appen / Conference T-shirts and in many cases they will be holding green and gold balloons with the conference logo. So watch for Coling-ACL Balloons when you’re trying to find your way around.
Don’t forget – when you’re in Sydney, we will have a representative of Gray Line Tours at our reception area, both on Sunday evening during the welcoming cocktails and each morning of the Conference between 0800am – 1200pm – to help you with any tours, trips, general advice about things to see and do. She’ll also book you on either of the organized Partner Tours – the Sydney Tour on Monday afternoon or the Blue Mountains Day Trip on Friday.
QUICK NOTE 22: CONFERENCE DINNER
Monday at 12:00 midday will be the absolutely last moment to book for the Conference Dinner – and not wanting to boast, but it is going to be a memorable evening – no long speeches, plenty of free drinks, a fabulous view / backdrop of city lights, and some pretty amazing entertainment – you can still email us to reserve a spot, or see us at registration.
QUICK and LAST NOTE 23: REGISTRATION
- We will firstly be registering people at the University of Technology (UTS) workshop and tutorials. Registration will be available there from 7:45am on Saturday 15th July. Enter on Quay Street, Building C of the Business School. On Saturday 15 and Sunday 17 July we will register and give conference bags to all people who are attending the pre-conference workshops and tutorials. But we will also have available all registration envelopes with in particular the monorail passes and any guest passes to the welcoming cocktails - so if you need either of these, come to UTS any time up to 3:00pm on Sunday 16th. You will be able to collect your conference bags later, at the Convention Centre.
- Next, we will register people at the Convention Centre from 7:00pm (not earlier, as we can't set up earlier) on Sunday 16th July (during and after the Welcoming Cocktail party). At this time we can also give bags to those who may have collected only their envelopes at UTS.
- Thirdly, many people will register as they arrive for the beginning of the main conference, on Monday 17 July morning. The first Opening Session starts at 9:00am sharp, so we will be urging you to be seated by 8:45am. Registration will be available from 7:30am in the Bayside Gallery Foyer - come to level 1 - best entrance is via the Harbourside main reception area, at the northern end of the convention centre. This is the main entrance if coming from the Novotel or via the monorail.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
Regards
Judy Potter
Coling-ACL Conference Secretariat
PO Box 5009
NOWRA DC NSW 2541
Australia
TEL: +61 2 4422 2213
FAX: +61 2 4422 3878
MOBILE: +61 412 219 895
EMAIL: acl@welldone.com.au