[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
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