General Information

Registration and Opening Hours

Opening Hours Registration

Opening Hours Speaker Service Centre (Room 0.31-0.32)

Opening Hours Exhibition

Opening Hours Exhibition Service Desk

Access to the conference venue and participant badges

Participants should print and collect their name badges from the self-printing registration desks. 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 conference venue. 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 EUR 50.- will be charged.

Cancellations and Refunds

Notice of cancellation (e.g. in case of sickness, lack of funding or any other personal reasons) must be made in writing by e-mail  to the ESHG Conference organisers: conference@eshg.org

Registration fees may be refunded if written cancellation if received as follows:

– until April 28, 2022                                      75% refund
– between April 29-June 2, 2022              25% refund
– as of June 3, 2022                                        no refund

The date of the email is the basis for considering refunds. Refunds will be made after the conference.

Certificate of Attendance / CME Certificates

Participants will be able to download their certificate of attendance (as of June 11, 2022 at 08:00 CEST) and CME certificate directly from the ESHG Portal. You can access the portal with the same email and password you used to register and access the virtual conference platform. More information on how to obtain CME credits visit this page.

Certificate of Presentation

All oral and poster presenters will receive their certificate of presentation via email by June 24, 2022.

Insurance

By registering to the ESHG 2022 participants agree that neither the organising committee nor the conference 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. Cancellations made after the deadline (June 2, 2022) cannot be refunded for any reasons.

Online participation

Access to the virtual conference platform

All participants (in-person and online only) will have access to the conference virtual platform. To access the platform attendees will need to use their email address and password used for their registration.

What will you find in the virtual conference platform?

In the virtual platform you will have access to:

• Real time live stream of sessions with the possibility of interaction through the session chat
• Access to all posters presented at the conference (hybrid posters and e-Posters)
• Presenter profiles
• Sponsor and Exhibitor information (if booked by sponsor)
• CME evaluations
• On-demand recording of presentations (24 hrs after presentation)

Access here the virtual conference platform

General Conference Information

Mobile App

The mobile app with full programme and other useful information will be available for download one week before the conference.

Information for presenters

Click here for more information about the presentation guidelines for presenters.

Live Streaming in the Exhibition Hall

The plenary lecture hall is equipped with a live transmission possibility to the live streaming area in the exhibition (Hall X4). The programme of the plenary hall (Hall A) will be transmitted to this area during exhibition opening hours.

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.

Lunch and Refreshments

Lunch tickets for lunch bags have to be pre-ordered – they cannot be purchased on site. Please note that lunch tickets are not refundable after May 22, 2022 at 23:59 CEST. Lunch bags can be picked up from 12.00 – 13.00 hrs CEST on Saturday to Monday and from 12:30-13:30 on Tuesday at the respective stations in the exhibition halls:

• Warm and Cold (Regular and vegetarian) lunches in Hall X5
• Special lunches in Hall X4
• On Tuesday June 14, when the exhibition is closed, participants can pick up their lunches in the following locations
  • Warm lunches (regular and vegetarian) in the entrance hall next to registration
  • Cold lunches (regular and vegetarian) in Foyer E
  • Special lunches in Foyer F

A cash bar is also available in the exhibition area.

Official Networking Events

The ESHG Conference offers multiple networking events such as the Networking Mixer (welcome reception) and the ESHG Networking Evening. For more information please click here.

Sustainability

The ESHG Conference is committed to host an event that bears in mind the responsible use of resources, our environment and the use of sustainable conference materials. Hence, we would like to encourage all of our participants to keep these aspect in mind when attending the in-person meeting.

Venue

The Austria Center Vienna was built in 1987. And thanks to extensive modernisation programmes, the venue is ideally placed to meet future environmental standards. The high-efficiency heat recovery technology in the ventilation system has cut energy use by 90%, while unused waste heat from the air conditioning units is injected into Vienna’s district heating network.

In terms of facility management and utilities, the ACV has made use of untreated water for many years, as well as initiating a change over to LED technology for our lighting systems, installing e-vehicle charging stations and only procuring green IT equipment. In 2014 they became the first congress centre in Austria to be granted green conference centre status.

For more information visit https://www.acv.at/en/about/sustainability/

Catering

In accordance with the Austrian Eco-label UZ 62 Green Events and Green Meetings, the catering at the conference follows the following criteria:

• Food and catering waste will be disposed of properly and in an environmentally sound manner.
• We do not use “open front coolers“.
• We do not use electric or gas heaters for in outdoor areas.
• We mainly use beverages from glass bottles or reusable PET bottles.
• In guest areas we mainly use reusable tableware, if not otherwise possible we resort to bio-degradable disposable tableware.
• We offer vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
• Catering employees are informed about the criteria of catering and youth protection regulations before the event.
• We will pass on the special features of the catering (regional products, seasonal or organic products, etc.) to the participants through the wording in the offer and the menu cards.

Materials

Bags
Since 2014 the ESHG Conference has aimed to provide congress bags that are made from durable materials, such as cotton. This is aimed at increasing the re-usability of the bags and decreasing the amount of waste created, and in the best case, making it biodegradable.

Pens
Your pen is made from recycled PET-bottles! As previously mentioned, we are committed to using the recourses responsibly. For this reason, we have, for the last 7 years, opted for conference pens made from recycled PET bottles, which would otherwise have ended up as waste.

Printed Materials
In this area ESHG has been making hard efforts to reduce its printed materials over time, while ensuring to keep high standards for its conference participants. The ESHG stopped printing the abstract book 8 years ago. This 500+ pages publication totalised around 5 tons of ink and paper each year. Instead we implemented the online programme planner as well as the conference app, which we continue to improve over the years, and have been adopted by our participants. The convenience in using these tools as preparation ahead of the meeting is a quasi standard today, however the fringe benefits of reducing the number of produced items seems less obvious, but definitely contributes to the whole. Starting with ESHG 2019, we implemented an “self-printing” approach for registration materials. By using this procedure, we have been able to reduce the registration materials of each participant to a single sheet of paper. Moreover, all participants will receive their confirmation of attendance and CME certificate as pdf via the ESHG Portal. These initiatives will help us reduce more than 8000 printouts and other materials, having a significant impact in the amount of paper and ink used for the ESHG conference and in consequence largely reducing the CO2 footprint of the transport of all print work from Vienna to the conference location. Concerning printing of posters, the ESHG has been introducing e-Posters to its poster exhibition. Currently more than 700 posters are available only in an electronic version located in the exhibition hall next to the live stream and on the virtual conference platform. This has not only helped in reducing the amount of printed posters but provide a new experience in terms of interaction between the participants and abstracts being presented.

Hybrid Conference

For the first time the ESHG will be held as a hybrid conference. This means participants have the option to participate in-person or online via the ESHG virtual conference platform. By providing an online option, we aim at, not only connecting more geneticists worldwide, but at helping decrease the necessary travel carbon footprint participants create when assisting the in-person conference.

YOU!

Keep in mind that you as participant play an important role in the responsible use of the resources at the ESHG conferences. You can help us to do this by recycling your waste, using only the necessary amount of water and eating only those catering items that you know you will completely consume. Furthermore, you can contribute to reduce the amount of waste created by reusing your conference materials, such as conference bag and pen, as long as possible. Together with your efforts and ours we can continue to strive for a more environmentally friendly ESHG conference.

Venue

Austria Center Vienna (ACV)

Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1
1220 Vienna
Austria
https://www.acv.at/en/

For more information about the venue please visit our Venue & Location page

Cloakroom and Luggage

A cloakroom and luggage storage are available close to the registration area (Rooms 0.14, 0.15 & 0.16).

Opening hours:

• Saturday, June 11:   07:30-22:30
• Sunday, June 12:    08:00-22:00
• Monday, June 13:   08:00-19:30
• Tuesday, June 14:   08:30-17:00

WIFI

WiFi is available throughout the conference venue. Network ID: eshg2022, password: eshg2022

Staff

If you should have any questions, the congress staff (recognizable by a pink badge and lanyard) at the registration area will be pleased to help you.

Conference Policy

Language

The official language of the congress is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided.

Pictures

Please note that taking pictures during the sessions is allowed, unless indicated otherwise by the presenter or the poster author. Persons who will not observe this rule will be excluded from the session by the chairpersons.

Smoking Policy

The ESHG 2022 is officially a “No-smoking-Conference”. Note that smoking is banned in public buildings and private businesses – including restaurants, pubs, shops, public transport, entertainment venues and workplaces.

Social Media Guidelines

Please see our full policy here.
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.
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.

Vienna– General Information

Location

Vienna is situated in Austria (Central Europe).

Official language

The official language is German.

Currency and exchange

EUROS – EUR, €
Foreign currency and travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks, bureau de change kiosks and some hotels throughout the city.
Credit cards are widely accepted in Vienna and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or cash machines can be found throughout the city.

Banks

Most banks in Vienna are open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm, and until 5.30 pm on Thursdays. In the city centre (1st district), almost all banks are open over lunchtime.

Climate

Vienna has a mild continental climate. Even if the occasional winter day is icy and some days in high summer can bring sweltering heat to the palaces of the old city, most days of the year the weather matches the residents of the city: friendly, mild and moderate in every respect.

Check the weather forecast before you travel.

Tipping

There are no hard and fast rules for tipping in Austria. If you are happy with the service, a 10-15% tip is customary, particularly in a restaurant or café with table service. Tipping in bars is not expected. For taxi fares, tipping is at your discretion.

Telephone codes

The telephone prefix for calling Vienna from other countries is: + 43 1

GSM Cell Phone Roaming

Roaming charges within the European Union have officially been abolished. For more information please contact your phone provider.

Shopping

Shops are usually open Monday-Friday from 9.00 am – 6.30 pm, Saturday until 5.00 pm or 6.00 pm; some shopping centers are open until 8.00 pm or 9.00 from Monday-Friday.

Shopping is available on Sundays and bank holidays at the large railway stations, at the airport and in the museum shops.

Safety

Vienna is like any other big city: it has safe areas and less safe areas, and the basic common sense rules apply.
The centre of Vienna is very safe and you should not encounter any problems. All of the city centre and tourist areas are well policed.
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.

Smoking

Smoking is banned in all public places including all enclosed or partly-enclosed public areas.

Electricity & conversions

The typical mains voltage for households (as well as hotels) in Vienna is 230 volts (alternating current).

Time zone

Vienna is in the Central European time zone (CET = GMT / UCT + 1). Daylight saving time applies from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October (CEST).

VAT

All purchases in Austria, are subject to VAT, which increases the cost of an item by up to 20%. This is already included in the price shown in shops. Visitors from non-EU countries can claim a refund of VAT from selected shops on goods to be taken out of the country.

Emergency services

In case of an emergency police, ambulance and fire service can be contacted by telephoning

Fire service: 122
Police: 133
Ambulance / rescue: 144
Emergency doctor: 141
European emergency: 112
ViennaMed doctor’s hotline for visitors (0-24): +43-1-513 95 95
Evening and weekend dental service (taped service): +43-1-512 20 78
Evening and Sunday drugstores (0-24): 1455

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 am – 6.00 pm, usually without a lunch break, and on Saturday from 8.00 am – 12.00 noon. Outside of these times, a 24-hour pharmacy standby service is available throughout the city. Visit the following page to find the open pharmacy in your district: https://www.nachtapotheke.wien/

Getting around Vienna

The Vienna public transportation operates nearly 20 hours per day.

For more useful general information about Vienna visit: https://www.vienna.convention.at/en/meeting-destination/nearby/useful-info

See you in Vienna!