------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIGIR 2007 News letter for July 2007 Special issue for participants: print it out and take it with you The 30th Annual International ACM SIGIR Conference 23-27 July 2007, Amsterdam ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this edition: 1. Greetings from Amsterdam! 2. Airport transportation & Getting around 3. All conference locations in old center of Amsterdam 4. Registration & Assistance 5. SIGIR Welcoming reception takes place at Amsterdam City Hall 6. Newcomers breakfast 7. Posters and demonstrations 8. The SIGIR banquet is held in the famous "Beurs van Berlage" 9. Wireless Networking 10. Weather forecast for Amsterdam: showers... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Greetings from Amsterdam! Less than one week before we start the 30th Annual International ACM SIGIR Conference, and we expect a superb conference. We might reach a staggering number of 600 attendees, an all time record and much more than we expected from the previous European version of the main conference, which had 350 attendees. Unfortunately, registration will be closed at 600 registrations. Please register as soon as possible if you intend to attend, or check the website before planning a last minute trip. This letter attempts to supply all of the information you need to prepare for your trip and find your way to the conference site. You may find it helpful to print a copy of this letter and a copy of http://www.sigir2007.org/download/SIGIR07map.pdf, the Amsterdam city centre map, for reference when you arrive in Amsterdam. We look forward to seeing you next week. Please feel free to contact us at info@sigir2007.org if we have left any of your questions unanswered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Airport transportation & Getting around Schiphol International Airport is located about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the centre of Amsterdam. Train connections between Amsterdam Central Station and Schiphol Airport are frequent, approximately every 15 minutes throughout the day. The Central Railway Station is just a five minute walk from the conference venue. With the Schiphol Railway Station located in the Arrival/Departure building of the airport, we recommend the train to connect in approximately 20 minutes. Alternatively, a shuttle bus to and from Schiphol Airport (a transfer takes approximately 40 minutes) leaves from the Hotel Krasnapolsky entrance. The SIGIR organisers recommend public transport, or, better still, renting a bike to get around in Amsterdam. Taxicentrale Amsterdam (+31 20 6777777) is the largest taxi base in Amsterdam. They work with fixed rates and qualified chauffeurs. For more information on how to go where and why, use the SIGIR community website at: http://my.sigir2007.org If you plan to arrive by car, we advice you not to take it into the city centre. Instead, park your car at one of the cheap Park & Ride parking lots located at the A10 high way. You park your car for a low fee of Euro 5.50 per 24 hours, with unlimited 24 hours public transport ticket included in the price, and you continue your visit using metro, tram or bus connections to the centre of Amsterdam, see: http://www.amsterdam.info/parking/park-ride/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. All conference locations in old center of Amsterdam All conference locations are situated in the old centre of Amsterdam. Throughout this message we will refer to the map of Amsterdam's city centre to be found on: http://www.sigir2007.org/download/SIGIR07map.pdf The numbers below can be found on the map. (1) UvA Building A The tutorials on Monday 23 July, and workshops on Friday 27 July will be held at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Building A, Roetersstraat 15, Amsterdam (2) UvA Building E The Doctoral Consortium on Monday 23 July will be held at UvA Building E, Roetersstraat 11, Amsterdam (3) Agora, UvA Building H Lunch for Tutorial, Doctoral Consortium, and Workshop participants is served at the Agora, UvA Building H, Roetersstraat 11, Amsterdam (4) City Hall: The Stopera The Welcoming reception on Monday 23 July is held at the City Hall, Amstel 1, Amsterdam (5) Hotel Krasnapolsky The main conference from Tuesday 24 July to Thursday 26 July is held at Hotel Krasnapolsky, Dam 9, Amsterdam (phone: +31 20 5549111) (6) Binnengasthuis/Atrium Lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday is served at the Binnengasthuis / Atrium, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 237, Amsterdam (7) Het Paviljoen The Industry Event on Friday 27 July is held at Het Paviljoen, Sarphatistraat 410, Amsterdam (8) Beurs van Berlage The Banquet on Wednesday is held at the Beurs van Berlage Beursplein 1, Amsterdam See: http://www.sigir2007.org/download/SIGIR07map.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Registration & Assistance We recommend that you check in at your hotel before registering for the conference. If you have a written confirmation for your lodging, take it with you to facilitate check-in. Once you have settled into your hotel, please step by be the conference registration desk to pick up your name badge and conference materials. A printed receipt of your registration details and fees paid will be included in the packet you will receive when you arrive at the conference. Registration desk location and hours are: Sunday, July 22, Hotel Krasnapolsky, 13:00-17:00 Monday, July 23, University of Amsterdam, Building A, 8:00-17:30 Tuesday, July 24, Hotel Krasnapolsky, 8:00-17.30 Wednesday, July 25, Hotel Krasnapolsky, 8:00-19.00 Thursday, July 26, Hotel Krasnapolsky, 8:00-17.30 Friday, July 27, University of Amsterdam, Building A, 8:00-17:00 Please also step by the registration desk whenever you are in need of assistance. We will be happy to help you. Our student volunteers can be easily identified by their cool SIGIR 2007 T-shirts. In case of urgent need for assistance, we can be reached by telephone at number +31 6 515 74891 (registration desk hours only). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. SIGIR Welcoming reception takes place at Amsterdam City Hall The SIGIR 2007 welcoming reception takes place at The Foyer of Amsterdam's City Hall the "Stopera" on Monday 23 July at 18:00 h. The Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Amsterdam request the pleasure of your company at a reception on the occasion of the 30th Annual International ACM SIGIR Conference. The Stopera houses both the city hall ("Stadhuis" in Dutch) of Amsterdam and the Opera, hence its name "Stopera". The Stopera is located between Waterlooplein square, the Amstel river and the Zwanenburgwal canal. The building is located on a bend of the river Amstel. The opera house building is shaped like a huge, massive block, with a curved front facing the city. Its glass facade provides panoramic views of the river from the curved interior foyers. People in Amsterdam either love the building or hate it... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Newcomers breakfast The ACM SIGIR conferences have the tradition of inviting first-time SIGIR participants for a free breakfast: the Newcomers Breakfast. Here you can meet your fellow newcomers and some veteran attendees as well. Join us in Hotel Krasnapolsky's St. John's Rooms on Tuesday at 7:30 - 8:45. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Posters and demonstrations The Posters and Demonstrations Reception takes place in the beautiful Wintertuin of Hotel Krasnapolsky on Tuesday, at 17:45 - 21:00. The Wintertuin (English: "winter garden") is a glass and iron monument dating from 1879. If you are presenting a poster or giving a demonstration at SIGIR 2007, please read the following information. Posters will be allocated a poster board to display your poster. The poster boards we will use are rather big, 1.45m height x 1.18m width. We recommend A0 posters. Push pins will be provided. There is no need to bring a hard-back poster; an ordinary roll-up one will be easier to hang. Demos will each have one table, two chairs, an Ethernet line with DHCP, two power outlets for Type C plugs (Europlug, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug) or Type F plugs (Schuko, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko). Bring a converter if needed. Wireless networking is also available; instructions for using the wireless network will be provided to all conference attendees (see below). We recommend to provide a backup strategy in case the wireless network is down, though, for instance a video showing your demo at work. Demo presenters are provided with a poster board behind their demo table. More info on: http://www.sigir2007.org/posterguidelines.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. The SIGIR banquet is held in the famous "Beurs van Berlage" The SIGIR banquet is held in the big hall of the Beurs van Berlage on Wednesday at 19:00 - 23:00. The Beurs van Berlage was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in particular functionalists and the Amsterdam School. In more recent years, the location where we will enjoy the ACM SIGIR banquet has been used for the civil wedding of the marriage between the Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his Argentine bride Maxima. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Wireless Networking For those who bring a laptop, each of the conference locations provides wireless access. You can use wireless internet throughout the Hotel Krasnapolsky (guestrooms, conference area and lobby) from 24 to 26, July and in Buildings A and E of the University of Amsterdam on July 23 and 27. SIGIR 2007 will arrange for a user name and password which will be disclosed at registration to all attendees in the packet you receive when you arrive at the conference. In case of problems, please contact the registration desk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10. Weather forecast for Amsterdam: showers... Last weekend in Amsterdam was sunny with maximum temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. However, one should always be prepared for rain in Amsterdam. Weather forecasts (unreliable as they might be) predict showers and maximum temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius (65 degrees Fahrenheit) during the conference week, rather cold for the time of the year. More info on: http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/Netherlands/Amsterdam.htm