Accommodation
- It is possible to stay at the conference venue itself since Monasterium Poortackere is also a hotel with a variety of accommodation and room rates (https://monasterium.be/en/p/hotel ). If you book there, mention ‘EISCAS conference 2021’.
- Other than this, Ghent has many hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and Airbnb’s. For a list, see here: https://www.bedandbreakfast-gent.be/en/ and https://visit.gent.be/en/accommodation or the usual platforms.
Visiting Ghent
For those who want to extend their stay and visit Ghent.
Please click on the links for a visitor’s guide to the city and for a city map with the essential sights.
These key materials are also available in the following languages:
For those with more time on their hands and who want to go beyond the city to have a look at the countryside and visit smaller towns in the regions south of Ghent, see this portal: https://www.toerismevlaamseardennen.be/en (also available in Dutch, French, and German).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will there be a hybrid or online format?
No. First, apart from the fact that we know and continue to hear that many people are tired and burnt-out with full-time online existence and are yearning for an analogue event, a key purpose of the event is to explicitly get back to the old, much more productive interaction and networking dynamic which was, actually, the general norm for conferences until two years ago. Also, many speakers, especially on more sensitive politicized issues, are considerably less at ease when filmed online.
Besides that, the number of staff who organise and who will run the whole event is very small, and no-one will look after an online version. Finally, previous experience with online events learned that, for the efforts an organiser invests in it, the drop-out and no-show rates are very high.
When and where can we submit our paper(s) and presentation(s)?
This can be done from now on. As previously said, to boost interactive-ness and involvement, the idea is that panel members contact one another and share their materials in advance in order to make the sessions informative and effective. This is why everyone’s e-mail address is included in the programme.
Having said that, we are still looking for people to chair some panels, marked in yellow with ‘N.N.’. This can be either the panel where you present, or another one. The panels do not necessarily have to be in line with your field of specialization . As said, the main tasks in this honourable function are coordinate the exchanges of the panel’s papers on beforehand and, of course, timekeeping and moderation.
Now what with COVID and its (possible) impact(s) on my travel and participation?
The possibility and modalities of your travel depend vary pretty much by person, citizenship, your actual travel trajectory, the sort of vaccine you got, and your personal health situation. Therefore, as we said in our correspondence dated 10 August 2021, first and foremost consult the following:
- those planning to travel to Belgium from inside the European Union (Schengen and non-Schengen): https://reopen.europa.eu (and then, under ‘Travel Plans’, chose ‘From [your respective country]’ and ‘To [Belgium]);
- those who plan to travel to Belgium from outside of the European Union: https://reopen.europa.eu/en/from-to/OTC/BEL (and the Belgian government websites referred to in this section) for.
In any case, the conference organisers do not know more about travel regulations than what the said official resources say. So we will not answer any e-mails anymore about this issue.
Many people and institutions do (did) this already, yet we recommend to take cancellation insurance for your flights or international train tickets in case a sudden turn-for-the-worse in the COVID situation affects both your travel and/or the event itself.
Also, it is everyone’s personal responsibility to abide by any COVID-related measures taken at the conference venue during the conference days.
In case you make it to Belgium and need a rapid COVID test for your return travel, this can since recently be done at pharmacies. Ghent has many, but two where we checked are:
Apotheek De Belie-Van Laere (close to the city centre)
Lammerstraat 37, 9000 Gent
Phone (09) 225.20.39
E-mail: apotheek.debelie@gmail.com
Apotheek Gent Sint-Pieters (close to the Gent Sint-Pieters railway station)
Kortrijksesteenweg 351, 9000 Gent
Phone (09) 220.14.21 or (0473) 18.06.11
E-mail: info@apotheekgentsintpieters.be
WhatsApp to (0473) 18.06.11
Testing is done by advance appointment. The cost for such a test is 30€. This will not be borne or be refunded by the conference organisers.
Will the conference organizers pay for the participant’s travel and accommodation?
No. As is the case with almost all similar academic conferences, this is paid by the participants and/or their institutions and scholarships.
Since there is no conference fee, we cannot provide full meals during the conference, but we plan to provide coffee, tea and some snacks. And we also have foreseen long lunch breaks so participants have enough time to find an eating place to their liking. In any case, the venue is in the city centre, so there are many options within walking distance.
The long (2-hour) lunch break is also necessary to ventilate the venue thoroughly as per COVID regulations.
Will there be a publication with conference proceedings or -minutes?
No. In any case, little pep for that is left after the Stakhanovite editorial effort by the EISCAS Core Team to finish the 1,064-page EISCAS Handbook that will be officially launched at the conference.
Are the panel and conference rooms equipped?
Sure. There will be Toshiba (PC) laptops, beamers and flipcharts in all of the 4 venue rooms we use.
If you have any questions about the conference or application process – contact admin@eiscas.eu If you experience technical difficulties, please contact: fgolab@eiscas.eu