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Frequently Asked Questions

Registration • Cancellation of Registration • Payments • Abstract Submissions • Oral and Poster Presentations • General

Registration

Cancellation of Registration

Payments

Abstract Submissions

Oral and Poster Presentations

General

Registration

  • How do I register to attend the conference?
    The registration period for the conference usually opens 3 - 6 months prior to the conference. The registration form is available in the conference registration brochure (available by mail), and the identical information will be available on the website. Please complete the registration form in full and send it back to the Conference Secretariat by fax or (air)mail and your registration will be processed and confirmation documents will be sent to you.
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  • What is included in the conference registration fee?
    For a full list of what is included in the registration fee please see the Registration Informationsection on the conference website. This will tell you whether any meals are provided as part of your fee and what materials and documentation you should expect to receive.
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  • When should I register?
    Please register as soon as you know that your attendance is definite. This will mean that the conference secretariat will be able to send all the relevant documentation to you in good time before the conference, and your name will be included in the published list of participants. It will also mean that you have a guaranteed place - on occasions conferences do become fully booked and regrettably we do have to turn people away. However, if your attendance is not definite - i.e. you do not yet have your funding or entry visa finalized, please do not register yet.
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  • When is the deadline for registration?
    If you are planning to attend the conference as a standard delegate (i.e. not a presenter), there is no deadline for registration. As long as space is available at the conference, you can register right up until the conference itself. Do check the homepage of the conference website for announcements about the conference being/becoming fully booked. However, if you know you are going to attend, we do recommend that you do it as early as possible. As well as ensuring your place, this will mean that the conference secretariat will be able to send all the relevant documentation to you in good time before the conference, and your name will be added to the published list of participants.

    If you are making a presentation at the conference, it is essential that you register according to the author registration deadline which is detailed in your acceptance correspondence. If you do not register by this date, your material will be automatically excluded from the final conference program.
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  • It is very near to the conference, can I still pre-register?
    If the conference is fully booked, this will be announced prominently on the homepage of the conference website. If there is no such announcement, we still have places available at the current time.

    If the conference begins in less than 2 days, please fill in the conference registration form, and bring this along with you to the conference in order to register on-site. If the conference is more than 2 days away, please pre-register in the normal way by faxing your completed form to the Secretariat.
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  • I am unable to pre-register - I can only register on the day. Is this possible?
    On occasions, conferences do become fully booked, and therefore in order to avoid a wasted journey to the conference, please check the homepage of the conference website for announcements. If places are still available complete a conference registration form and bring this along to the conference with you. Please note that we do require full payment for on-site registrations, and that we will be unable to invoice your organization at such a late stage.
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  • I have sent my registration form to the conference secretariat. When should I expect to receive confirmation?
    All registrations are acknowledged in writing, and you will receive a confirmation letter, an invoice/receipt for your registration fee and an information sheet giving details on how to travel to the conference and registration times etc. This is sent by airmail from the UK for early registrations, and by fax for registrations received just prior to the conference. Please allow approximately one week delivery time for airmail letters from the UK. We aim to process registrations as quickly as possible, and usually this is done within 7 days of receipt, but if you register over an author deadline or an early booking deadline, please be patient, as we experience high volumes of registration form submissions over these times, and delays can be experienced. If we anticipate a delay in processing your registration form, an email acknowledging receipt of your form will be sent to you.

    Remember that registering in good time before deadlines means that you are dealt with promptly!
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Cancellation of Registration

  • I am not yet sure if I can definitely attend the conference. Is it okay for me to register now and then cancel later, or just not turn up at the conference?
    No, if you are not sure that you can attend, do not register at this stage. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not attend the conference. This also applies if you have not yet pre-paid but you cancel or do not attend (you will still be asked to pay the applicable cancellation charge).
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  • No, if you are unable to attend, you must let the Conference Secretariat know in writing. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. This is regardless of whether you have received your confirmation documents and is regardless of whether you have paid or not. If you have not received your confirmation documents, please let us know. Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not show up at the conference. This also applies if you have not yet pre-paid but you cancel or do not attend (you will still be asked to pay the applicable cancellation charge).
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Payments

  • When do I need to pay my registration fee?
    Your registration fee must be paid in full by the date of the conference in order to ensure that you are allowed entry to conference sessions. In order to make the registration process as quick and efficient as possible for you, we recommend that you complete the registration form with your credit card details.
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  • How do I pay my registration fee?
    In order to expedite the registration process, please complete the registration form with your credit card details. Confirmation of your credit card payment along with registration confirmation documents will be sent to you by (air)mail. Please see the Registration Information section of the conference website for alternative payment methods.
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  • Have you received my payment?
    Please refer to the invoice/receipt which was sent to you as part of your registration confirmation pack. This document will contain any payment details which we received at time of registration, and will be marked "fully paid" if payment has already been processed. Your invoice may be marked "To be paid by credit card" which means that we have received your credit card details and at the time of mailing the invoice to you your credit card is in the process of being charged, and there is no further action required on your part. If you paid subsequently, and need to confirm receipt of your payment, please contact our accounts department in the Netherlands, quoting your invoice number and full payment details in order that they can trace the payment for you.
    (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)
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  • We are sorry that this has happened. Occasionally we do have problems with direct wire/bank transfers when they are sent to our account with very little accompanying details about what or whom the payment is for. On these occasions, the payment is in our bank account, but we are unable to settle the relevant customer's account. Similarly, this can happen with cheques and bank drafts which are sent to us from without related invoice numbers or delegate names. If you have received a letter from our accounts department in Amsterdam saying that your account is outstanding, please send full details of your payment - i.e. date made, payment method, organisation name, invoice number, plus any bank reference number for wire transfers, or cheque number to our accounts department, in order that your payment can be located and your account settled.
    (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)
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  • Will I automatically get a receipt for my registration fee?
    In your registration confirmation pack, you will receive a confirmation invoice. This includes the full amount to be paid for your registration fee along with any relevant payment details received on your registration form. It may also be marked "Fully Paid" if your payment has already been processed, and this can be used as an official receipt for most purposes. If you require any other type of receipt document, please contact our accounts department.
    (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)
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  • Will I get a receipt when I arrive at the conference?
    No, not automatically. Your confirmation invoice/receipt is sent to you with your registration confirmation pack by (air)mail. We may be able to provide a copy of this at the registration desk, but we would prefer that you ask for the document by email before the conference if you can, rather than on-site at the conference. If you require any further receipt documents, please contact our accounts department before or after the conference.
    (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)
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Abstract Submissions

  • Can I submit an abstract now?
    Information will be available on the call for papers section of the conference website. This will provide you with the relevant abstract submission deadline and submission guidelines, and it will also inform you if the submission period is not yet open, or if the deadline has passed and submissions are no longer being considered.
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  • How do I submit an abstract?
    Abstract submissions must be done online using the abstract submissions system. Please see the call for papers section of the conference website for full guidelines. The system involves you filling in a simple web form with your contact and abstract details, attaching your prepared abstract and pressing submit. The whole submission process is very quick, and means that your abstract is automatically acknowledged and is added to the review system. You must format your abstract exactly according to the template and guidelines provided on the website. Please do ensure that you submit carefully and accurately, in order to avoid later revisions. In order that you receive your automatic receipt, it is particularly important that you input your email address accurately.
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  • I have submitted my abstract but have not received confirmation of receipt, what should I do?
    Most importantly, do not resubmit your abstract at this stage! There may be a number of reasons why you have not received your receipt. There may be an email delay, there may have been an error in your email address field on the form, or your organisation may have blocked the message assuming that it is spam. You should generally receive your receipt quoting your reference number within two hours of submission, but please wait one day before contacting the Secretariat. If you still do not have your receipt, please do contact the Conference Secretariat in order to check the status of your submission.

    Important: Your submission is not valid until you receive the electronic receipt quoting your reference number! Please don't presume that we have received your abstract successfully until you have received acknowledgement of its safe receipt. If you contact us nearer to the conference enquiring about the status of your submission, and we have not received it, it may be too late at that stage for it to be considered for presentation.
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  • I have submitted my abstract for review and have received an electronic receipt. What happens now?
    Your abstract will be sent for review by the Conference Scientific Review committee, in order to determine whether it is acceptable for presentation at the conference. This can take some time, and the date when we expect to be able to inform you of the outcome of review will be included in your electronic abstract receipt. Correspondence informing you of the outcome of review will normally be sent to you by email and hard copy mail. This correspondence will inform you of the details of your presentation format, registration information as well as instructions for the submission of your full paper.
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Oral and Poster Presentations

  • My abstract has been accepted for presentation. Do I have to register by a particular deadline?
    Yes, if you are presenting an oral or poster presentation, it is absolutely essential that you register by the author registration deadline which will be detailed in your acceptance correspondence. The acceptance of your abstract is conditional on you registering to attend the conference. Your registration confirms to the conference organisers that you will be presenting your material at the conference, and without your registration we will presume that you are no longer able to present. If you do not register by the author deadline, your presentation will be automatically removed from the program. If the deadline is problematic for you for whatever reason, then please contact the Conference Secretariat in order to explain your situation, and in order that we can retain your material in the program.
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  • I realise that I need to register by the author registration deadline, but I am still waiting to hear whether I have funding to attend. What should I do?
    Do not register for the conference, until you are sure that your funding to attend the conference is approved. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Rather than registering, and potentially cancelling at a later stage, please let the conference secretariat know your position, and let us know the date when you expect to receive confirmation of the funding application. This will mean that we may be able to provisionally keep your material in the conference program, pending the outcome of your funding application.Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not show up at the conference. This also applies if you have not yet pre-paid but you cancel or do not attend (you will still be asked to pay the applicable cancellation charge).

    Make sure that you keep in contact with us about the status of your attendance, as if we do not hear from you at all by the author registration deadline, we will presume that you are unable to attend, and we will remove your material from the conference program.
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  • I realise that I need to register by the author registration deadline, but I am still waiting to hear whether I have been successful with my entry visa application. What should I do?
    Do not register for the conference, until you are sure that your entry visa has been approved. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition, if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Rather than registering, and potentially cancelling at a later stage, please let the conference secretariat know your position, and let us know the date when you expect to receive notification regarding your visa application from the relevant authorities. This will mean that we may be able to provisionally keep your material in the conference program, pending the outcome of your visa application.Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not show up at the conference. This also applies if you have not yet pre-paid but you cancel or do not show up (you will still be asked to pay the applicable cancellation charge).

    Make sure that you keep in contact with us about the status of your attendance, as if we do not hear from you at all by the author registration deadline, we will presume that you are unable to attend, and we will remove your material from the conference program.
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  • What size should I make my poster?
    Full guidelines for the production of your poster are included with your acceptance correspondence. These details are not available on the conference website. Please contact the Conference Secretariat should you need a further copy of the guidelines.
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General

  • Why am I having problems faxing my registration form?
    The fax number for the Conference Secretariat is in the UK. If you are dialling from the U.S.A., you will need to dial 011-44 to dial the UK followed by the fax number for the secretariat, making sure you omit the initial 0 of the area code. From Europe the code is 00 44 followed by the fax number, omitting the initial 0 from the area code. If you are dialling correctly, but are still not successful, please contact the secretariat by email or telephone in order to ascertain the problem.
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  • Are there any group travel arrangements for the conference, official air carriers or official travel agents?
    No, we have found from experience that delegates prefer to make their own independent travel arrangements. In the age of internet bookings, it is easier and more cost-efficient for you to shop around and find the most convenient travel option for yourself. The conference organisers do not provide shuttles from the airport to the conference venue, but transfers by public transport are normally available and information on these can be found on the information sheet sent with your registration confirmation pack.
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  • What materials will I get when I arrive at the conference?
    As a minimum, you will receive the final printed program and conference abstracts plus a list of participants. You will also receive a name badge at the registration desk which we ask you to wear throughout conference hours for security purposes. Please see the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for a list of exactly what is included in your registration fee.
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  • Is there a dress code if I am doing an oral presentation?
    Not a dress "code" as such, but we would just recommend that for your presentation you wear something with either a lapel or a buttoned front in order that the wireless lapel microphone can be clipped on properly. Also, it is important that oral presenters do not wear a neck-scarf or anything which may interfere with the lapel microphone.
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  • How do I book accommodation for the conference.
    An official accommodation option is always included on the conference website once the registration period is open.Please see the Location section of the conference website for details of how to make a booking. Please note that you should book early to guarantee availability and any special conference rate.
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  • Do I need a visa to attend the conference, and if so, can the Conference Secretariat help me with my entry visa application?
    If you are unsure whether you need a visa to attend the conference, please check with your local embassy or travel agent. If you do, it is essential that you begin the process as soon as possible, in order that you obtain your visa in time for the conference or registration deadline. Visa application procedures for entering many countries, and in particular the USA, have become stricter and more complex following recent terrorist activities, and therefore it can take much longer to process your application than anticipated.

    Subject to certain conditions, we can provide a standard invitation letter to assist you with your visa application, and this should be requested from the Conference Secretariat. We do ask though that you submit your own application to the relevant authority and follow up accordingly. Unfortunately the Secretariat is unable to follow up your application on your behalf or enter into correspondence directly with consulates. The invitation letter simply invites you to register for the conference, and does not imply any undertaking to provide funding or act as financial guarantee for your stay in the hosting country.
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