3RD EUROPEAN FOREST WEEK - SILVA2015 JOINT SESSION OF THE UNECE COMMITTEE ON FORESTS AND THE FOREST INDUSTRY (COFFI) AND THE FAO EUROPEAN FORESTRY COMMISSION (EFC) “THE VALUE OF FORESTS” 2-6 November, 2015 Engelberg, Switzerland Information note for participants Silva2015, the Joint Session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry and the FAO European Forestry Commission, and the 3rd European Forest Week will be held on 2-6 November 2015 in Engelberg, in the Canton Obwalden in Switzerland. For more information please visit: http://www.unece.org/forests/silva2015-engelberg http://foris.fao.org/preview/89116/en/ www.bafu.admin.ch/silva2015 Meeting venue The meeting will take place in Engelberg at the historical Kursaal Congress house, built in 1902, restored in 2009/10 and equipped with modern infrastructure and technology. Side Events and Parallel Meetings will take place at the Kursaal Congress House and at the Ramada Hotel Regina Titlis. Venue locations Kursaal Engelberg (Plenary and Secretariat) Bahnhofstrasse 16, 6390 Engelberg, Switzerland Tel. +41 (0)41 637 04 70 http://www.engelbergcongress.ch Dorfstrasse 33, 6390 Engelberg, Switzerland Tel. +41 (0)41 63958-58 http://www.h-hotels.com/en/hotels/ramada-hotel-regina-titlis-engelberg/welcome.html 1 Getting to Engelberg Engelberg-Titlis is central Switzerland’s largest winter and summer holiday destination and municipality in the canton of Obwalden. It can be easily reached via excellent road and rail connections. The closest airport is Zurich Kloten International Airport (Flughafen Zurich-Kloten) – from there, it takes 2 hours by rail and 1 hour 20 minutes by road to get to Engelberg. Distance from Swiss airports to Engelberg Zürich Kloten International Airport - 100 km, Basel EuroAirport - 135 km Bern Airport - 137 km, Geneva Airport - 295 km Airport transfers to Engelberg Train Engelberg is reached easily by train via Lucerne directly from Zurich airport railway station (Zurich Flughafen). The total rail journey from Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Engelberg takes just over 2 hours with a 15 minute interval at Lucerne allowing enough time to change to the “Zentralbahn Lucerne – Engelberg Express line” that links Lucerne to Engelberg. There are direct hourly connections from Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Lucerne. The Zentralbahn Lucerne – Engelberg Express, a journey of 43 minutes, runs every hour. NOTE LATE HOURS: There are no direct trains from Lucerne to Engelberg after 20:10. You will need to get on an urban train to Dallenwill (25 minutes) and from there complete your travel by bus (23 minutes) to Engelberg terminus station or by taxi to your hotel. Returning from Engelberg, please note that the last direct train service from Engelberg to Lucerne leaves at 21:01. The last bus from Engelberg to Lucerne leaves at 23:30 and is a 14 minute journey to Wolfenschiessen (not Dallenwill), from where the rest of the journey to Lucerne can be completed on an urban train (31 minutes), reaching Lucerne at 00:32. The latest train connection from Engelberg to Zurich Flughafen (airport) is at 21:30 and brings you to the Flughafen at 00.17. This connection consists of a bus journey to Wolfenschiessen and two changes on the train at Lucerne and Zurich Main train Station (Zurich HB). Tickets and timetables Return ticket prices from Zurich Flughafen to Engelberg are: 2nd Class – CHF 84 and 1st Class – CHF 148. Please buy and/or validate your ticket at the Zurich Flughafen (airport) before getting on the train. Tickets can be purchased at the “SBB” ticket machines in the halls 1 and 2 close to the customs, in Arrival lobbies 1 and 2, at the railway “SBB“ ticket counters, at the Service Center and/or online at http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/e-tickets.html 2 Please consult the following website to search, re-confirm train timetables and/or to book rail transfers: http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en You can also download the timetable of trains from Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Engelberg and back in the Practical Information section at http://www.unece.org/forests/silva2015-engelberg Taxi numbers Titlis taxi: +41 (0) 79 903 9373, +41 (0) 79 726 44 14 Taxi Hess: +41 (0) 79 669 94 15 Charly Taxi: +41 (0) 78 815 07 70 Driving by car to Engelberg Twenty kilometers from the nearest motorway exit, Engelberg is reached easily by car. Follow the motorway to Lucerne, then follow the A2 South towards the Gotthard. Leave the A2 at the Stans-Süd exit (16 km after Lucerne) and follow signs for Engelberg (a further 20 km on good roads). General information on Engelberg Time zone Engelberg is in the Central European time zone UTC/GMT + 1. For exact information please consult the website: http://www.timezoneconverter.com/index.php Weather The temperature in November in Engelberg is between plus 3°C to plus 10°C degrees Centigrade (Celsius). There might even be snow in the village. We advise you to check the weather and the webcams before arrival at: http://www.engelberg.ch/en/webcams/?no_cache=1 http://www.srf.ch/meteo/lokalprognose?id=4180006390 NOTE: Be sure to bring sturdy walking boots, hats, gloves and clothing suitable for field trips and walking in the village! Currency and credit cards The official currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc, currently 1 Euro = CHF 1.04 (as of 5 May 2015 - please check current rates). Major credit cards are accepted in most hotels and restaurants in the village of Engelberg, but not in all shops. Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks or at automatic tellers. Restaurants Engelberg offers a great variety of restaurants ranging from typical Swiss Alpine, Italian and French to Chinese cuisines. We will provide you with more information on restaurants at the meeting. For more information about Engelberg, please visit: http://www.engelberg.ch/ Registration Registration is carried out exclusively online and must be done in separate steps: a) Registration for participants b) Registration for participation in field trips on 06.11.15 c) Registration for accommodation – hotel booking d) Registration/Application for Side Events and Parallel Meetings a) Registration for participants Registration for Silva2015 is carried out exclusively online and will be open until 2 October 2015. Please use the following link to register: http://www.unece.org/forests/silva2015-engelberg You will receive a confirmation by e-mail, which you have to print out and present at the Silva2015 Registration Desk in Engelberg. In case of any questions or any other issues regarding registration, please e-mail: [email protected] 3 b) Registration for participation in field trips on 06.11.15 The Canton Obwalden will offer 5 field trips – three short half days’ and two long full day trips. For more information and to register please visit: http://www.unece.org/forests/silva2015-engelberg In case of any questions or any other issues regarding registration, please e-mail: [email protected] c) Registration for accommodation – hotel booking Participants will be responsible for their own accommodation in Engelberg. Note that all hotels are within 10 minutes walking distance from the meeting venue. Please make your booking directly at: http://reservation.engelberg.ch/micetwo/en/accommodation/search Deadline for hotel bookings is 15 September 2015. After this deadline hotel rooms and special rates cannot be guaranteed. For any enquiries regarding accommodation please contact: Ms. Barbara Paro or Meeting & Incentive department Engelberg-Titlis Tourismus AG E-mail: [email protected] d) Registration/Application for Side Events and Parallel Meetings Subject to availability of rooms, participants are encouraged to organise Side Events and Parallel Meetings relating to the theme of the European Forest Week. Side Events and Parallel Meetings organised by participants are public meetings, unless otherwise indicated by the organisers; as such, they are subject to specific guidelines. Availability of rooms for Side Events and Parallel Meetings is limited. If you wish to download the guidelines and/or request a Side Event or a Parallel Meeting, please use the following link: http://www.unece.org/forests/silva2015-engelberg/ Deadline for Side Events and Parallel Meetings application is 30 JUNE 2015. In case of any questions or any other issues regarding applications, please e-mail: [email protected] All applicants will be notified by email whether their application has been accepted or declined by 31.7.15 by the Secretariat. Contact person – Ms. Anastasia DOGAEVA, tel.: +41 22 917 24 77, e-mail: [email protected] Silva2015 Official Identification Badges After the registration, the registered person will receive a confirmation by email from the Secretariat. Participants are required to present their ‘confirmation of registration e-mail‘ at the Silva2015 Registration Desk*, together with an official identity document bearing a photograph (e.g. passport, identification card or driving license) in order to obtain a conference badge. This badge must be worn at all times when entering or inside the conference premises. *Information on location and working hours of Silva2015 Registration Desk will be provided closer to the meeting’s dates. Visa arrangements Before you travel to Engelberg be sure your passport/identification card is valid for at least three months after the date on which you plan to leave Switzerland and must have been issued within the last 10 years. Please note that Switzerland is part of the Schengen zone and all participants are responsible for organising their visa arrangements. The Secretariat of Silva2015 remains at your disposal to provide administrative visa support if needed. Deadline for requesting visa supporting documents is 2 October, 2015. For all visa-related information please consult the following link: https://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home/themen/einreise/merkblatt_einreise.html 4 Electricity The standard electricity voltage in Switzerland is 220 volts and a 3 pin socket.