[BiO BB] DATE CHANGE - European Conf. on Computational Biology (ECCB)

Hershel Safer hershel.safer at weizmann.ac.il
Sun Jul 30 08:18:35 EDT 2006


We appreciate the concern that some people have expressed regarding the 
security situation in Israel and how it will affect the safety of 
participants in the 5th European Conference on Computational Biology 
(ECCB ‘06). In order to host a high-quality conference that people will 
feel comfortable attending, we are delaying the conference to January 
21-24, 2007.

The conference schedule will remain unchanged to the greatest extent 
possible. We are in the process of contacting all the speakers to verify 
that they will be able to participate on the new dates. The scientific 
program is available for viewing on the web at www.eccb06.org 
<http://www.eccb06.org/>, and any changes will be displayed there.

Many people will have achieved new results during the intervening 
months. We are planning an additional session for presenting 
late-breaking results; we will send an announcement once the details 
have been worked out.

We realize that some people have already made travel plans, and in 
particular may have to pay penalties to reschedule their airline 
tickets. Travel to Eilat should be somewhat less expensive in January 
than in September, which should help offset the change fee. In addition, 
hotel prices will be approximately 10% lower; detailed prices will be 
posted on the website when they are available. Overall, the change in 
dates should have at most a small effect on the cost of participation.

People who have already registered for the conference can simply 
maintain their reservations, and hotel reservations made via the 
conference website will be moved to the corresponding dates in January; 
confirmations will be sent shortly.

The early-registration deadline will be extended to Tuesday, November 
21, 2006. Anybody who has already registered at the regular registration 
rate will be charged only the early-registration fee.

The new dates will, unfortunately, be inconvenient for some people who 
planned to participate in September. Cancellations received by August 
31, 2006, will be processed without a cancellation fee. Thereafter, the 
standard policy will apply; cancellations until three weeks before the 
start of the conference will be charged a $30 processing fee.

The weather in Eilat is very pleasant in January, averaging 22C (72F). 
Always pleasant as a Red Sea resort, Eilat is especially attractive 
during the northern-hemisphere winter months.

Eilat itself is safe, both in terms of street crime and terrorist 
activity. Travel from Ben Gurion International Airport to Eilat is also 
safe and has been continuing without interruption. The post-conference 
tours go only to safe areas.

Details about matters related to the date change are being added to the 
FAQ page on the conference website. Please contact the Secretariat 
(eccb06 at diesenhaus.com) if you have questions that are not answered in 
the FAQ.

We apologize that events beyond our control have caused us to change the 
conference dates and for the inconvenience that this will cause you. We 
nevertheless look forward to seeing you in Eilat for an exciting 
conference in January 2007!

Best regards,
Hershel Safer and Haim Wolfson
ECCB Conference Chairs




More information about the BBB mailing list