2nd Circular Final announcement

NEOBIOTA 2016 Twitter → #neobiota2016 http://www.neobiota2016.org/agenda/ 9th International Conference on Biological Invasions Biological Invasions: Interactions with Environmental Change Conference: 14­16 September 2016 Field trip: 17 September 2016

Table of contents

TRANSPORTATION SHUTTLE SERVICES Shuttles from Airport to Vianden Morning shuttles from hotels outside Vianden to the venue Neobiota minibus shuttles Evening shuttles from the venue to hotels outside Vianden Neobiota minibus shuttles Regular public transport Bus 570 (from hotel to venue and back) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TAXIS PARKING MAP OF VIANDEN REGISTRATION DESK @ VENUE BADGE BOOK OF ABSTRACTS CONFERENCE PROGRAMME GUIDELINES FOR PRESENTERS WATER COFFEE BREAKS & LUNCHES CONFERENCE DINNER EVENING MEALS SOCIAL EVENINGS FREE WIFI INTERNET PRACTICAL LOCAL INFORMATION FIELD TRIP POSTER AWARD

TRANSPORTATION

We asked participants to provide us with their travel and accommodation details by end of July to enable us to plan shuttle services. We sent out two reminders in August. The ¾ of the participants who responded by the end of August will receive individual emails with precise information on shuttle or public transportation details, one for arrival and another for departure. The remaining ¼ of the participants who did not respond by end of August will have to arrange their own travel to Vianden by public transport or taxi at their own expense.

SHUTTLE SERVICES

Shuttles from to Vianden When exiting the luggage and customs control area situated on level ­1, take left and move up to the ground floor of the terminal.

If the weather is fine, exit the terminal and walk 100 m to your right side. Our minibuses wait on a special parking lot situated on the right side of the exit of the airport terminal (marked “1­8” below “G” on green parking sign; see on the left side of map below). The minibuses are marked with the Neobiota logo. Otherwise, if it rains, wait in the entrance/exit area of the terminal until the driver collects you.

Our minibus drivers wear a T­shirt with the Neobiota logo. Our minibus driver will check if you are on his list (people who are not on the lists cannot take our shuttles, they must join Vianden by public transport, see section “Public transport”).

For the main arrival day on Tuesday 13­09: Minibuses which arrive in Vianden during pre­registration times (09:00­18:30) will bring the participants directly to the venue where they should directly register. After registration they will be brought to their hotels by our local staff.

Luxembourg Airport Terminal, cf. www.luxairport.lu ​ Morning shuttles from hotels outside Vianden to the venue ​ ​ Neobiota minibus shuttles Shuttles are organized for participants staying at accommodations listed below from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 September.. Please wait outside the hotel 5 minutes before schedule. Shuttles won’t wait for missing participants.

Shuttle 1 08:00 : Hôtel Dimmer, Wallendorf­Pont (L, 13 km) ​ ​ 08:20 : Hotel Hubertushof, Koerperich (D, 6 km) ​ ​ 08:35 : Arrival at venue

Shuttle 2 08:00 : Hôtel des Ardennes, Hoscheid (L, 14 km) ​ ​ 08:30 : Arrival at venue

Evening shuttles from the venue to hotels outside Vianden ​ ​ Neobiota minibus shuttles Shuttles are organized for participants staying at accommodations listed below from Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 September (Saturday only if needed). Please wait outside the venue / Ancien Cinéma 5 minutes before schedule. Shuttles won’t wait for missing participants.

Shuttle 1a 19:00 : Departure from venue 19:15 : Hotel Hubertushof, Koerperich (D, 6 km) ​ ​ 19:35 : Hôtel Dimmer, Wallendorf­Pont (L, 13 km) ​ ​ Shuttle 1b 22:45 : Departure from Ancien Cinéma café­club 23:00 : Hotel Hubertushof, Koerperich (D, 6 km) ​ ​ 23:20 : Hôtel Dimmer, Wallendorf­Pont (L, 13 km) ​ ​ Shuttle 2 This shuttle to Hoscheid concerns only one participant, please coordinate ​ ​ yourself with your morning driver for your trip back to your hotel.

Regular public transport Bus 570 (from hotel to venue and back) Schedules bus 570: http://www.mobiliteit.lu/sites/default/files/horaires/l570_0.pdf?v65 ​ Participants staying at accommodations in Ettelbrück, Diekirch, Roth­an­der­Our are kindly asked to take the public transportation bus 570, which will bring them to the northern edge of Vianden (bus stop named “Vianden Aale Moart” (meaning “Vianden Old Market”), at the bridge over the river Our in front of the dam wall), from where it is a 3 minutes walk to the venue. People staying at Hotel Nagel or the Vianden camp sites can also take the same bus.

Accommodations concerned: : Hôtel Lanners and Hotel Herckmanns (bus stop on left side of railway station, see map in ​ next section “Public transport”) Diekirch: Hôtel Beau séjour and Hôtel du Parc (bus stop named Diekirch­Altersheem) ​

Roth­an­der­Our: Hotel Ourtaler Hof (bus stop named “Bettel­Bei der Bréck” right accross ​ the bridge = state border between Luxembourg and )

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Tickets: 1 ticket one­way valid two hours on all public transport in the whole country = 2 € ​ presale, 3€ if sold in the bus / train. A ticket valid a whole day on all public transport in the whole country costs 4 €.

→ More information about public transport in Luxembourg, see also http://www.mobiliteit.lu ​ ​ ​

From Luxembourg airport to venue: Bus 16 or 29 right in front of the airport terminal (see ​ ​ ​ orange area close to the terminal building on picture in section “Shuttles from Luxembourg Airport to Vianden” above) to Gare centrale de Luxembourg (main railway station). See ↓ ​ ​ next paragraph to continue.

From Gare centrale de Luxembourg (main railway station) to venue: any train to ​ ​ ​ Ettelbruck (3 per hour), then Bus 570 to Vianden. A slower alternative is to take a train to Diekirch and ​ ​ ​ ​ move on from there with Bus 570 to Vianden.

Schedules in PDF format: Train line 10: http://www.mobiliteit.lu/sites/default/files/horaires/depliant_l10_2016.pdf?v37 ​ Bus 570: http://www.mobiliteit.lu/sites/default/files/horaires/l570_0.pdf?v65 ​

Departure of line 570 is at the bus stop named “Ettelbruck, Gare routière 2” on the right side when walking out of the station (see map below).

Important for participants arriving early or attending COST meetings: until Monday ​ 12­09 at 4:00 am no trains are available due to ongoing works. Special bus shuttles leaving Gare centrale de Luxembourg replace the trains at same schedules. ​ TAXIS

We don’t refund taxi fares. A taxi from the airport to the Venue costs from 150 to 190 €. If you need a taxi locally in the area of the Conference call “Taxi Lopes” based in Diekirch ​ ​ 24/24 and 7/7: (+352) 621 14 58 20.

PARKING

There are a lot of parking possibilities in Vianden, you will find a precise overview on OpenStreetMap (http://osm.org/go/0DUok6STF­). ​ ​ A large free parking space is available in front of the venue. There, some places will be reserved for our minibuses and staff cars. Please don’t use these reserved spaces as we need them for conference services. Free parkings can also be found across the river Our along the street named “Rue du Vieux Marché / Ale Moart” or near the barrage/cemetery at the end of that street.

MAP OF VIANDEN

Download the official map of the local tourist office @ http://www.neobiota2016.org/directions/#Map_of_Vianden. ​ A hardcopy of this map will be included in the Conference documents bag. REGISTRATION DESK @ VENUE

Registration takes place at the conference office in the entrance area of the venue. ​ ​ Address: Centre culturel et sportif Larei / Rue Charles­Mathias­André / L­9425 Vianden

Tuesday 13­09­2016: pre­registration from 9:00­18:30. Wednesday 14­09 to Friday 16­09: registration and late registration from 08:00 to 18:00

We kindly ask you to pre­register on Tuesday 13­09 to avoid long queues at the conference office before the conference opening in the morning of Wednesday 14­09. In case registration is not finished by 8:50, the conference will start and registration will be continued during the next coffee break.

At the registration you will receive your badge, your certificate of attendance and your ​ ​ ​ ​ conference documents bag. You will be kindly asked to sign an attendance list. ​ ​ ​ BADGE

The Conference Badges must be worn at all times during the Conference, to access the ​ sessions, the coffee breaks and lunch at the venue as well as the social evenings. ​ Badges will be checked at the entrance of the buildings and facilities like the conference venue, the castle for the conference dinner and the Ancien cinéma for social evenings. Badges are valid for registered participants only. Badges must not be given to third parties. Absence or improper use of the conference badge will result in the denial of access to all facilities. We will not replace lost or stolen badges.

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS

Available as PDF file online at http://www.neobiota2016.org/publications/ ​ A hard copy will be included in the Conference documents bag.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME http://www.neobiota2016.org/programme/ The Conference programme is also included in the book of abstracts. An interactive Conference agenda including abstracts is available, also suitable for small devices, online at http://www.neobiota2016.org/agenda/ ​

GUIDELINES FOR PRESENTERS

(ORAL AND POSTER) For detailed instructions for presenters, see online at http://www.neobiota2016.org/guidelines­for­presenters/

Update for posters: All posters must be handed over to staff during initial registration at the ​ registration desk. The staff will mark each poster with the number attributed to it in the abstract booklet and hang it up at its predefined spot.

WATER

Sparkling and still water in ½ liter PET bottles will be available all day during the conference in the conference entrance area. You may serve yourself at any time. Please bring the empty PET bottles with you when you leave the conference room and leave the empty PET bottles in the designated blue recycling bags in the entrance area.

COFFEE BREAKS & LUNCHES

Coffee breaks and lunches will take place at the sports hall next to the conference building. Due to the high proportion of vegetarians amongst the participants lunches will be exclusively vegetarian with a variety of dishes. Participants with allergy to gluten (logo on the badges) will receive special dishes.

CONFERENCE DINNER

The conference dinner will take place on Thursday 15­09 at 20:00 in the medieval castle of Vianden, which will only be accessible for participants who have booked the dinner, which will be visible on the badge. For participants who wish to get there together as a group we offer this nice combination without extra costs: we take the chairlift beside the venue at 18:45 to the top of the hill beside the castle with a beautiful view overlooking it. From there we hike 500 m down the hill to the castle. Participants can also get to the castle individually. There is a large parking above the castle. There will be a badge check at the entrance of the castle.

EVENING MEALS

Evening meals are at your own expenses. Vianden offers a wide variety of restaurants for all budgets. SOCIAL EVENINGS

Social evenings take place at Ancien Cinéma Café­Club in the centre of Vianden. Access ​ ​ only with your conference badge. Entrance is free. Drinks and food at your own expenses.

FREE WIFI INTERNET

A free Wi­Fi Internet connection named “Neobiota” will be available without password in the ​ ​ main meeting room and in the entrance area of the venue. No Internet will be available in the sports hall where coffee breaks and lunches are served. A free Wi­Fi Internet is available at Ancien Cinéma café­club (social evenings) and in most hotels in Vianden.

PRACTICAL LOCAL INFORMATION

Vianden city tourist office Syndicat d'initiative et de tourisme de Vianden 1A, rue du vieux marché L­9419 Vianden Phone: +352 83 42 57­1 Email: [email protected] ​ Internet: http://www.tourist­info­vianden.lu ​ ​ Open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 18:00. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays:10:00 ­ 15:00

Currency: The Luxembourg currency is the euro (EUR, €). ​

Electricity: 230 V ​

Climate: The monthly mean minimum and maximum daily temperature in September for ​ Vianden ranges between 10 and 20°C.

Emergency telephone number: 112 (as in all countries of the European Union and most ​ other European countries).

Pharmacy: 27, rue de la Gare L­9420 Vianden ​

Opening hours of pharmacy: Monday 08:30 ­ 12:00 & 13:30 ­ 18:00 Tuesday 08:30 ­ 12:00 & 13:30 ­ 18:00 Wednesday 08:30 ­ 12:00 Thursday 08:30 ­ 12:00 & 13:30 ­ 18:00 Friday 08:30 ­ 12:00 & 13:30 ­ 18:00 Saturday 08:30 ­ 12:00 FIELD TRIP

Departure of the buses at 09:00 at the parking in front of the main entrance of the venue. People attending the field trip and not coming back to Vianden will bring their luggage with them and should be at the buses at 08:45 at the latest. Buses will leave on time.

During the morning we will visit large invasive plant populations along the river Sûre in the northern part of the country. After transfer to Luxembourg­city and a possibility to hop off at the airport or the railway station, there will be a picknick. Lunch packs are provided and contain ½ liter of still water, a small orange juice, a cheese sandwich, a granola bar, an apple and a banana.

For the afternoon we offer 4 different programmes with a mix of scientific / naturalistic contents and sightseeing with historical explanations.

Participants who have booked the field trip can make their choice during the conference until the morning coffee break on Friday 16­09 (11:15 at latest ). For each ​ programme there will be a limited amount of spaces.

Bus A will take people who chose programme 1 or 2. ​

1. The sandstone cliffs and rocks of Luxembourg (Grund, Petrusse) 14h00­17h00 Naturalist walk with geologist Alain Faber & botanist Yves Krippel. Tourist guide: the fortress of Luxembourg­city ­ history and anecdotes.

2. The National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg 14h00­15h30 Visit of the temporary exhibition on Luxembourg explorators in Latin America, guided by Patrick Michaely. 15h30­17h00 Tourist guide: The Grund district, history of a picturesque area.

Bus B will take people who chose programme 3 or 4. ​

3. The public parks in the centre of Luxembourg­city 14h00­15h30 Guided visit of the parks with historian and landscape specialist Marc Schoellen. 15h30­17h00 Tourist guide: Overview of the history of the ­centre

4. the European neighbourhood and it’s parks in Kirchberg (incl. Arboretum) 14h00­15h30 Botanical walk with botanist Thierry Helminger 15h30­17h00 Tourist guide: history and architecture of the European district, a neighborhood where several institutions of the EU are located (by bus)

Participants may leave the field trip anytime during the afternoon to join the railway station or the airport by public transport available across the whole city: ​ ​

● Participants of programmes 1 & 2 (Bus A) should remove their luggage upon arrival and leave it inside the National Museum of Natural History, point of departure of both tours. There they can withdraw it anytime during the afternoon. Bus 23 goes to the railway station and from there bus 16 and 29 join the airport. ● Participants of programmes 3 (Bus B) will have to take their luggage with them if they wish to leave during the field trip. Bus B will pick up this group at 17:30 in the city centre so that there will be an opportunity to get the luggage for people wishing to leave at that time. ● Participants of programme 4 (Bus B) will be able to get pick up their luggage after the visit of the parks at 15:30 or they can be dropped off at a bus stop from where they can join the airport or the train station (opposite directions via buses 16 and 29).

POSTER AWARD

A voting bulletin for the Poster Award was inserted in your conference bag. Please follow instructions on it and place your voting bulletin in the ballot box at the registration desk by ​ Friday 16 September 2016 10:00. ​ The winners of the Poster Awards will be announced during the conference closing on Friday 16 September 2016 18:30 and will receive a certificate and a small gift.

We wish all participants a nice and safe trip to Vianden an look forward to welcome you at Neobiota 2016,

The Organizing Committee

st Wednesday 31 August 2016​ ​