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Quite recently, the "world extended" after including some new countries, mainly those in Central and Eastern Europe, which were formerly isolated, particularly as regards the free flow of scientific information, contacts and even the scientists themselves. Who has already managed to visit these countries after their borders become green, he or she could recognize that the people and also the scientists there are quite similar to those everywhere and although they suffered hard from restrictions put on them in the past, they are intensively aiming at balancing any residual development delays and differences. And there is surely no reason for being affraid of a lack of success in organizing a big congress in these countries.
The former Czechoslovakia, particularly the city of Brno - in today's Czech Republic, was the main centre of electron microscopy of this part of the world. The Tesla concern was the greatest producer of electron microscopes within Central and Eastern Europe and the Tesla microscopes were most often met not only on the territory of the former Soviet Union but also in many places all over the world. As early as 1958, the table-top transmission microscope Tesla was awarded by the gold medal at EXPO in Bruxelles. The scientific support for this production was provided by the Institute of Scientific Instruments in Brno which now belongs to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. This invaluable tradition survived all the decisive changes in politics and economy during recent seven years and Brno is still a city of electron microscopy, among others also the seat of the Czechoslovak Society for Electron Microscopy. Several new firms were born which are active in the electron microscopy and allied production. The organization of the European Congress in 2000 would be an acknowledgement of this tradition and also a significant help to efforts to preserve and develop it in so much changed conditions of industry under reconstruction.
Brno is also famous for its forty year tradition of annual International Engineering Fairs. They take place on the Trade Fair Grounds founded as early as 1928 on the occasion of a National exhibition to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic. Since then, the exhibition grounds in Brno have continously been modernized up to their today's form with nearly half a million square meters of the exhibition area and more than forty exhibitions per year. The newly founded company Brno Trade Fairs and Exhibitions Co. Ltd. is capable of organizing even scientific-technical meetings at a very high level.
The university life in Brno forms a significant part of its atmosphere. Two big universities (Masaryk University and Technical University) together with a few other specialized universities (veterinary, agricultural, arts etc.) with more than 30.000 students are clearly visible in the city with 400.000 inhabitants. Although no compact university campuses have been built and both the faculties and colleges are spread over the city, there are already available some very modern and comfortable buildings, serving as colleges during the school year and as hotels during holidays, at quite moderate prices.
Brno also continously improves its transport facilities, particularly because of the necessity to service the exhibition grounds with some of its huge fairs. The former military airport in Brno was recently converted into the civil one. Presently, the airport is mainly used for charter flights organized by travel agencies but the technical parameters fit even the big airplanes' demands. One regular flight to Zürich and back is available on working days, in addition to the transport to the Prague airport. In the time of the congress, a dense charter transport from Brno to some large airport (like Frankfurt) is supposed. Furthermore, a very busy railway Berlin-Praha-Brno-Bratislava-Budapest passes through the city, and also direct trains to Vienna are available. Very dense and cheap is the bus transport to Praha; the journey takes two and a half hours.
The Czech Republic as a quickly developing country offers many possibilities of spending a pleasant holiday time in its recreation sites with nice surroundings and already well developed services for the recreation. The organization of the congress in the summertime brings a possibility to join the trip to the congress with at least few days of relaxation in one of the most booming touristic countries. A broad offer of trips and longer stays will be presented to the participants.
2. The proposal
The 12th European Congress on Microscopy is proposed to be held in Brno, Czech Republic, from July 9 to 14, 2000. This week does not clash with any other larger meeting announced so far.
The congress together with the exhibition is supposed to take place in the pavillions of the exhibition grounds with a virtually unlimited space available. The big pavillion halls are planned to be divided into smaller parts for the allied sections so that movements of the participants between the sections will highly be facilitated. Otherwise, well appointed lecture halls for 700, 450, 300, 200 and 150 participants are available within an area of 250 metres in diameter.
All necessary audiovisual support on a good level will be available and further technical support will be provided by the highly trained staff of the exhibition grounds.
The area available for both the posters and the instrument exhibition is not limited as no other exhibition will take place in the time of the congress. All posters will be exhibited during the whole congress duration. The meals and refreshments will be served by the adjacent hotels directly in the pavillions hosting the meeting.
More than 1200 beds in two big hotels, at a high quality but truly low prices, will be available in adjacent sites (up to 100 metres). A modern university college distant approximately eight hundred meters offers additional 1200 beds in well equipped double rooms. Further beds in university colleges and hotels throughout the city, easily accessible by the dense public city transport, will be booked according to the needs. A significantly reduced participation fee for the full time students is supposed to be set and some tens of bursaries including free congress fee and college accomodation are planned to be granted to students and scientists from the developing countries, selected on the basis of the abstract quality and the economic possibilities of the applicants.
The scientific program will be prepared together with the International Advisory Committee which is supposed to be formed by renowned microscopists selected in collaboration with the CESM Executive Committee and with the CESM Member Societies. The National Congress Committee will be established on the basis of decision of the Executive Board of the Czechoslovak Society for Electron Microscopy (CSEM). The position of the Congress President should be occupied by the president of CSEM, Dr. Ludek Frank, Institute of Scientific Instruments, Královopolská 147, 612 64 Brno, Czech Republic. The official contact address of the Congress will be determined later on.
3. The prices
The prices given below are valid for 1996 and some of them are foreseen for 1997.
The full participation fee calculated with tiny reserves only is estimated to amount to 280 USD. The student participation fee could be around 150 USD or even less. The price for the exhibition area equipped with modular partly furnished stands amounts now to something between 190 and 230 USD per m2 for the whole congress duration plus the assembly and disassembly time (9 days in total), including the basic services.
The capacities and prices of the accomodation facilities are presently as follows :
A) Hotel Holiday Inn **** (immediately adjacent to the main pavillion intended for the meeting), 366 beds in 205 rooms (10 suites), prices per person and night, bed and breakfest in a double room: single use 75 USD, with air-conditioning 100 USD; double use 54 USD, with air-conditioning 66 USD; suite for single use 135 USD, double use 85 USD per person.
B) Hotel Voronez **** (100 m distant), total 690 beds, prices per person and night, bed and breakfest; business class: single room 75 USD, double room 50 USD, double room single use 78 USD, suite 80 USD, suite single use 130 USD; economy class: single room 52 USD, double room 36 USD, double room single use 55 USD, suite 56 USD, suite single use 91 USD.
C) Hotel Voronez *** (70 m distant), total 200 beds, prices per person and night, bed and breakfest; double room 31 USD, double room single use 46 USD, suite 42 USD, suite single use 68 USD
D) Masaryk University dormitory "Vinarska" (800 m distant), 1200 beds in double rooms with a small kitchen, shower and lavatory, 22 USD per person and night.
Many other accomodation facilities (both hotels and student dormitories - see one example enclosed) are available at similar prices throughout the city, accessible by the public transport (up to forty minutes, presently 0,30 USD per journey).
4. Summary
The city of Brno can offer a very low cost congress in pleasant surroundings, combining non-traveling situation created by the adjacent accomodation complexes, and the background of a middle-size university city. It offers an extensive room enabling original "modular" solution of the multi-section schedule, excellent conditions for poster presentations and absolutely optimum environmnent for the exhibition prepared on the professional exhibition grounds with a long tradition.
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Updated by webmaster Petr Schauer on Jun 24, 2000 |
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