The Importance of Water Sector Data in the Digital Age

Guidelines on Logistics and Relevant Information

Date The 2020 Danube Water Forum will be opened on 27 April 2020 at 7pm and close at noon on the 29 April 2020. On Monday, 27 April additional internal business meetings will be hosted during the day, for which separate invitations will be supplied. Back to back with the 2020 Danube Water Forum, the 3rd Danube Hub Utility Benchmarking Workshop will take place on 29 April 2020 in the afternoon. Please consult the draft agenda attached for details.

Venue The conference’s venue is the Banski Dvor (Trg srpskih vladara 2, 78000 ) and the Government Building of the Republic of Srpska (1 Trg Republike Srpske; 78000 Banja Luka) in Banja Luka, the capital of the entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Banja Luka can be reached via plane from (Air Serbia) as well as Brussels and Berlin (Ryan Air). Please consult the website of Banja Luka airport for further details https://www.bnx.aero/prevoznici-i-destinacije_en.php. Other airports such as , Belgrade and can be reached within a two to three hours’ drive.

Registration process and fee The registration fee is waived for all speakers and one participant per invited institution (IAWD/Danube Hub members are eligible for one free registration in addition). For additional participants, the fee to attend the 1st Danube Water Forum is € 50 (or 100 BAM). This fee includes participation in all events related to the 1st Danube Water Forum and meals during the conference. The participation in the 3rd Danube Hub Utility Benchmarking Workshop is free of charge, but only open for members of the Danube Hub Utility Benchmarking Program. Please note that the registration to the conference does not include travel or accommodation. To confirm your participation, please register by March 31, 2020 using the following online form. Those participants, who will need to pay a registration fee, will receive an invoice with payment information from the organizers upon registering. Confirmation of participation will be sent, as soon as the payment has been received. The conference badge and other materials for the conference will be made available at the registration desk.

Hotel booking Please note that the Danube Water Forum organizers have not pre-booked hotel rooms on your behalf. We request you to please do your own booking at the hotel of your preference. The official conference hotel is Hotel Bosna, which is conveniently close to the venues. A list of hotels nearby the venue is provided below:

Name of Hotel Distance to Banski website Dvor/Government Building (on foot) Hotel Bosna 65m/850m http://hotelbosna.com/site/ Courtyard by 700m/400m https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel- Marriott Banja Luka rooms/bnxcy-courtyard-banja-luka/ Hotel Talija 260m/1100m http://www.hoteltalija.com/english/index.php Hotel Vidović 350m/1100m http://hotelvidovic.com/en/ Hotel Palas 450m/1300m hotelpalasbl.com/en/ Hotel Jelena 1000m/1300m https://hotel-jelenabl.com/en/ Hotel Slavija Banja 550m/1300m https://slavijabl.com/ Luka

Meals Lunch on 28 and 29 April will be provided at the event’s venue. The Welcome Reception on 27 April will take place at Banski Dvor, the joint Dinner on 28 April will be held at Hotel Bosna. Breakfasts and additional meals before and after the conference are not provided.

Visa requirement Please indicate in your registration form, if you require a visa to travel to Banja Luka, and we will gladly provide an invitation letter. It will be your responsibility to obtain a visa, at your own cost.

Pre-Conference Meetings and Events A variety of business meeting will be held on 27 April, for which separate invitations will be provided by the organizers of these specific events. For your reference in the interim, please see attached agenda to help you plan for your travel in the event that you are expected to attend one of these meetings.

Cancellation policy Please inform the organizers as soon as possible, in case you need to cancel your participation. The organizers will not refund the registration fee to registered participants, who do not attend the conference.

Conference Website Further information on the 2020 Danube Water Forum can be found on the conference website within the next weeks.