Information Requested from the Candidate Cities for the Congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) 2013 Criteria for SOE 2013 1
Introduction SOE, European Society of Ophthalmology hold their congress every second year on odd years and preferably the first half of June. The SOE congress is organised by the Congress Committee of SOE. Based on the experience from previous SOE Congress we expect between 3.500 and 4.000 delegates to the SOE Congress year 2013. The Congress should be held during the first part of June. It is important to avoid a period when national and/or international bank holidays are taking place. The Congress takes place during four (4) days around a weekend, preferably Saturday - Tuesday. The national meeting of the host country are most welcome to take place in connection with the SOE congress but can not be held another time during 2013. The application can include a letter of support from the national society as well as from other national authorities that wish to support the SOE 2013 congress. The following requirements and questions are to be met and answered by the candidate city. Air transportation Specify the direct air connections and frequency of flights from your city to major European cities. Is there a national carrier that could provide free tickets for preparation of the SOE congress and for invited speakers attending the congress? Can the congress delegates obtain a discount on their tickets with the national carrier? Ground transportation infrastructure The SOE Congress will not arrange any shuttle buses; all delegates depend on public transport in order to get back and forth the Congress venue and the hotels. What kind of public transportation is available from the airport to the hotels? How is the transportation within the city organised and what kind of transportation are available? What kind of public transportation is available from the hotels to the venue? Specify the cost for a single trip with local transportation (bus or metro) from the centre hotels to the Congress venue. What is the distance from the hotels to the venue and how long does this journey take? Does the city provide a transportation card free of charge or is the transportation card available at a reduced cost? If yes, what is the price for year 2009? Criteria for SOE 2013 2
Congress venue Please make a preliminary reservation for June 2013, specifying the dates. Please specify the rental cost for the period and what this rental cost includes such as technical equipment, cleaning and electricity with the price level of year 2009. Two full days are required prior to the SOE Congress for set-up of the exhibition. One day after the congress is needed for dismantling of the exhibition. When stating the price for the venue it should be included that it is available between 07.00-20.00 hours for the actual SOE Congress. For the last day we need the venue available until 24.00 for dismantling. Kindly also include information on where in the city the venue is located, how old the venue is and when it was refurbished. We also need information if there are any special traffic restrictions for vehicle within the city. Remember to indicate the size of all session rooms. Requirements Congress rooms needed: 1 main hall of minimum 3 000 seats 2 scientific rooms with approx 750 seats each 5 scientific rooms with approx 250 seats each 5 scientific rooms with approx 100 seats each 4 rooms for committee, seats 15 persons each A network from Speakers Preparation room to the Session rooms is needed Registration and Exhibition space needed: Registration area of 100 sqm plus back office of 75 sqm. Commercial exhibition space of 1 700 sqm net (area of approx 4000 sqm gross to include exhibition/electronic posters/internet area/catering etc) At present there are approx 8 major sponsors. Approx 4 of these will take between 150 200 sqm each and the others slightly less and therefore a minimum of 800 sqm is needed for these companies and then a further 900 sqm for allocation to other companies. Security regulations have to be considered as regards aisles, coffee areas, emergency exits etc., where nothing can be built. Posters exhibitions will only take up a relatively small area due to the fact that posters will be presented as electronic posters. This will include approx 20 terminals and space should be allowed for this in the total exhibition area of 4000 sqm gross. Tea and coffee areas will be included within the exhibition area and therefore there should be enough space to serve approx 4000 attendees during official breaks. There should be sufficient space where lunch (boxes possibly) can be sold to attendees. There will also be an internet area in the exhibition area. The commercial exhibition, the space for electronic posters and the coffee area should be an integrated part of the session rooms. Please send a floor plan indicating where the exhibition area is located with relation to the rest of the venue. At present minimum six hospitality suites of approx. 50 sqm for major sponsors, equal in size and location if possible. If these are not available as rooms within the building then there should be sufficient space within the exhibition area to build these. Criteria for SOE 2013 3
Questions Where in the city is the venue located? How old is the venue and when was it refurbished? We also need information if there are any special traffic restrictions for vehicle within the city. Hotel accommodation We require the following accommodation to be available on the dates that you have made the preliminary booking for the venue: 40% 3 star Hotels 60% 4-5 stars Hotels Total number of rooms requested; 2 500 (centrally located) Please specify the total number of hotel rooms in the city and the surrounding area as well as the categories (number of stars) of each of the booked hotel. Prices for 2009 should be indicated in the list and include breakfast, VAT and city taxes. A map with all the booked hotels indicated should be forwarded together with your application. Social programme On Saturday evening a welcome reception should be held at the Congress venue, please indicate the suggested area on the floor plan for the venue. It is preferred if this can be located in the exhibition area utilising the existing catering points. The welcome reception could alternatively be held at a civic building which should be provided free of charge, please indicate which if this is the case. On Sunday evening the Presidents Dinner for 200 persons should be held at a centrally located venue. Please suggest a suitable venue for a three course dinner in classic surroundings. On Monday evening the SOE Congress Evening for approx 800 persons will take place. This dinner is paid by the delegates themselves. The venue should be large enough to seat everyone in one room and have a floor space for dancing to an orchestra. The venue should be reachable by local transportation from the central hotels. An optional social programme of four different half or full day tours should be suggested, usually for about 250 accompanying persons. Criteria for SOE 2013 4
Marketing and Support What kind of promotion support can your city give when SOE is promoting the SOE 2013 Congress around Europe? What kind of marketing support can the City give, (such as maps, photos etc.)? What kind of support will the City give during the annual SOE Congress (such as a civic reception and free transportation cards)? Preliminary Bookings Please note that SOE has its own contracted PCO for the SOE congresses. All preliminary reservations must be made in the way that the SOE official PCO can take over the bookings in its name, once the SOE council has accepted the bid. Draft Budget A draft budget should be submitted including all costs for the venue as well as all social events and catering costs. The prices should be given for the year 2009 and all prices given in EURO. History of SOE Congress The First SOE Congress was held in Athens in 1960 The 2nd Congress in Vienna in 1964 The 3rd Congress in Amsterdam in 1968 The 4th Congress in Budapest in 1972 The 5th Congress in Hamburg in 1976 The 6th Congress in Brighton in 1980 The 7th Congress in Helsinki in 1984 The 8th Congress in Lisbon in 1988 The 9th Congress in Brussels in 1992 The 10th Congress in Milan in 1995 The 11th Congress in Budapest in 1997 The 12th Congress in Stockholm in 1999 The 13th Congress in Istanbul in 2001 The 14th Congress in Madrid in June 2003 The 15th Congress in Berlin, September 2005 The 16th Congress in Vienna in June 2007 The 17th Congress will be held in Amsterdam in June 2009 Criteria for SOE 2013 5
References Please indicate three European medical congresses in the size of 4 000 delegates that are being held or have been held at the suggested venue. Summary Please give a short summary why your city will be the most attractive City to host the SOE 2013 congress. Important Dates January 15, 2009 Deadline for application, which should be sent to: SOE 2013 Congress c/o Congrex Sweden Attn: Ms Britta Sjöblom Box 5619 SE 114 86 Stockholm, Sweden Email: britta.sjoblom@congrex.com February, 2009 the SOE Congress Committee will receive the applications and select a maximum of three cities for site inspection. March, 2009 The candidate cities will be informed if they have been selected for site inspection or not. Spring, 2009 Site inspections will take place. June 2009 - The SOE Congress Committee will make their decision for the SOE 2013. Criteria for SOE 2013 6