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

[Hershel Safer]

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, 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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