Conference Venue
The Conference will be held at Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay (LATU). Address: Av. Italia 6201, Montevideo (Carrasco neighborhood).

LATU is a Technological Laboratory founded in 1965, currently employing more than 500 people, with the mission of fostering the sustainable development of Uruguay through innovation and technology transfer. It has many areas of activities including energy efficiency, agro-industry, atmospheric emissions and the environment. The board includes representatives of the private industry and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining. The combination of research and its application for the benefit of society that LATU develops fits very well with the objectives of the Meeting resulting in the perfect venue.www.latu.org.uy

Transportation from/to the airport
Montevideo's airport is approximately 15 minutes away from the hotels in Carrasco and 25 mins. from the hotels in Buceo neighborhood.
You can take a taxi from the airport to the hotel. The taxi shop is in the arrivals terminal, a few meters from the door where passengers exit after bagagge inspection. It costs approximatly $ 600 (US$ 30) to Carrasco and $800 (US$ 40) to Buceo neighbourhood.
Another choice is to take a bus from the airport. The stop of bus DM1 is just outside the arrivals terminal and connects the airport with Punta Carretas neighbourhood. One way costs $ 40 (US$ 2). and the bus stops and schedules can be checked at:
http://www.cutcsa.com.uy/informacion/facRecorridos.php?task=VIEW&oid=158

Notice: There will be bus transportation from the hotels to the site of the Conference (LATU) and back.
On Monday 17th, two busses will be at the Palladium hotel and will leave at 7:00 a.m.to arrive at LATU to allow time for registration.
The first full bus will go directly to LATU, meanwhile the other bus will collect people from the hotels Cottage, Regency Rambla and Club Naval.
The rest of the week the schedule is 8:00 am. In the afternoon, on Monday the buses will leave after the “Ice Breaker” at 19:30 pm. The rest of the week, the buses will depart from LATU at 18:15.

Credit Cards: Major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX) are accepted at most hotels, restaurants and shops.

Security: Uruguay is a safe country for visitors. Montevideo is rated as the second safest world capital city. However, we recommend following the usual precautions suggested worldwide to avoid incidents.

Travel and Health Insurance: The Organizing Committee is not responsible for health or travel insurance of its guests, or for theft or personal accidents. We recommend attendees to make their own arrangements. Most hotels have emergency medical cover.

Visas: According to the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently the countries that do not need visa are the following:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgarian Republic, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway , Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United States, Venezuela; European Commission, OAS Passports , UN Passports.
For further information please visit this link:  http://www.mrree.gub.uy/frontend/page?1,inicio,preguntas-frecuentes,O,es,0,#.
To contact the Uruguayan Embassy or Consulate nearest to your Country visit this link link:
http://www.mrree.gub.uy/frontend/page?1,inicio,misiones-en-el-exterior,O,es,0,

Weather: In March is autummtime in Uruguay. The temperature ranges between 18º and 24º C in the daytime and 12º-16ºC during evening and night. We advise taking warm clothes with you in the evening when the temperature can drop considerably. Sudden showers may be expected.

Official Time: GMT -3.

Currency: The local currency is the Uruguayan Peso.
Exchange rates (up to October) : 1USD = $ 22 ; 1 Euro= $ 30.
Exchange rates may change - please verify current rates before arriving to Montevideo. There are currency exchange shops at the airport in the arrivals terminal.

Language in Uruguay: The official language in Uruguay is Spanish, but English is widely spoken, being taught at schools as a second language.

Political System: Uruguay has a democratic political system with presidential and parliamentary elections every five years.

Shopping Centers:
• Portones Shopping – Located two blocks from the meeting venue (LATU). http://www.portones.com.uy
• Punta Carretas Shopping Mall – opens from 10 am to 22 pm. http://www.puntacarretasweb.com.uy/
• Montevideo Shopping Mall – opens from 10 am to 22 pm. http://www.montevideoshopping.com.uy/

Sea Lines to/from Buenos Aires:
• BUQUEBUS – http://www.buquebus.com/
• FERRYLINEAS – tel: 442820 - http://www.ferrylineas.com.ar/

Taxis:
• Airport Taxi, Tel: (+598) 2604-0323, www.taxisaeropuerto.com

Road Access:

From Paraguay
From Asunción or Ciudad del Este, travel south by Resistencia-Corrientes (123 route), or by Encarnación-Posadas (14 route) to arrive to Uruguayana-Bella Unión. Take route Nº3 which crosses Uruguay from North to South. Then route Nº11 to the East.

From Argentina
The Argentinian Routes Nº9, Nº12 and Nº14 meet at Puerto Unzué. Cross to Fray Bentos (Río Negro Department, Uruguay) by General San Martin International Bridge. From there, take route Nº2 to Soriano and Colonia where route Nº1 drives you directly to Montevideo.
The Argentinian Route Nº14 drives you to Colón joined to Paysandú (Uruguay) by General Artigas International Bridge.
Route Nº3 also links with route Nº1. It is the same to arrive to Uruguay by Concordia taking route Nº14, crossing Salto Grande Dam and arriving to Salto. Route Nº3 conneting South with route Nº11 to the East.

From Brazil
You can reach Uruguay from Rivera (in the North) or from El Chuy (in the East).
Route Nº158 ends in Rivera-Livramento, 512 km to the North of Montevideo and it’s linked to route Nº5.
Route Nº471 arrives in Chuy, where you can reach Montevideo by route Nº9.

Electricity: CA 220 v 50 Hertz.

Translations: There will be simultaneous translation Spanish<>English in every session. You must present your identity card or passport to pick your translation headphone.

A/V Testing Room: There will be an A/V testing room available for speakers in order to present and test their material at least half a day prior the time and date scheduled for his/her presentation. If possible, please send your presentation by e-mail to the Secretariat before the Course.

Mobile Phones: The use of cellular phones is not permitted inside the meeting rooms. We thank you for your cooperation.


Information about Montevideo.

The City of Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and is located in the South center of the country. It features the charms of modern times and progress, as well as the bohemian atmosphere and the history present in its streets.

With a moderately temperate climate, free of intense temperature extremes, it offers various alternatives for tours, entertainment and shows for all tastes and expectations.

Montevideo lies 170 kilometers away from Colonia del Sacramento and 130 kilometers from the City of Punta del Este. Only a 3-hour voyage separates it from neighboring Buenos Aires (Argentina capital city).

Just like in the entire big Metropolitan capital, transportation is quite varied and efficient. Buses, taxis and chauffer-driven cars enable visitors to move from one place to another in a few minutes.

The city's big love is its river, which gets dressed up as a lion, as a sea or an ocean depending on the direction of the wind. And it is the locals who always find some time to "matear" (drink some mate), with their flasks and all the necessary items, next to the particular beauty of this scenery, whether at the pier or the waterfront.

In the City of Montevideo, visitors may see the Parque Rodó neighborhood, which features twenty-five hectares of gardens that contribute color and oxygen to this great urban area. Not far away lies Batlle Park, where visitors may see the Centenario Football Stadium, where the first World Cup in history was played in 1930, and won by the local team: Uruguay.

One of the nicest tours -both during the day and at night- is an excursion to the Old City. This area still preserves the Citadel Gate, which up to 1829 used to protect the place from possible invasions. The historical shell lodges the most beautiful and picturesque colonial buildings: the Metropolitan cathedral, the Cabildo, the Solís theater and the Torres García Museum, to name a few attractive sights.

Carrasco and Pocitos, in the surroundings of the city, are worth a visit due to their beauty and eccentricity. The wealthiest families in Montevideo reside in these beautiful neighborhoods. Besides the glamour, Pocitos features a vast beach that reminds visitors of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), even if they are still in Uruguay. The shore displays numerous buildings raised during the construction zenith of the 1970s and 1980s, something that seems to be happening again.

For further information visit:
• http://www.welcomeuruguay.com/montevideo/index_i.html
• http://www.uruguaynatural.com/