Conference

The conference, social programmes and recommended hotels are all located in the centre of Helsinki. Or see this map.

Conference venue

The conference will be held in the main building of the University of Helsinki, Finland, Unioninkatu 34 (and Fabianinkatu 33).

The building spans the whole block between Aleksanterinkatu/ Yliopistonkatu and Fabianinkatu/ Unioninkatu. The empire part towards Unioninkatu was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and completed in 1832. In 1937, the university was expanded with a classicistic part designed by J. S. Sirén. There is a student restaurant and a separate cafeteria in the building.

Practical information

The registration desk is located on the 2nd floor of the main building (Unioninkatu side). It will open at 8:30 and close after the last technical session each day of the conference.

Lecture Halls and other functions are located as follows

• 1st (ground floor): student cafeteria, student refectory, Auditoriums XVII, XVIII
• 2nd floor: Registration desk, Festival Hall, Auditoriums I, II, III and IV: Coffee, Plaza, Rector's reception
• 3rd floor: Auditoriums VI, IX, X, XI, Rooms 4, 7, 8, 9, 11: workshops
• 4th floor: Auditoriums XV, Rooms 14, 16: workshops & doctoral colloquium

See the 2nd floor map and a floor map of the 1st, 3rd and 4th floors.

Lunches are included (also during the workshop day) and served outside the Festival Hall on the 2nd floor. Coffee is served during coffee breaks also on the 2nd floor.

WLAN is available in the main building. Please use the user id and the password included in your conference material. (Each participant is given his or her own id and password.) There are a few desktop computers available in the Fabianinkatu side of the building (1st floor, 3rd floor). You can use the same id and passowrd on these computers.

Change your password here. More information about your user account here.

Ready room: Auditorium II can be used for preparing your slides on your own laptop, or if you jsut want to sit down and read you email.

The Ambient Conference Assistant will guide you through the conference. Please see the instructions included in your conference bag.

Conference excursion

On Wednesday, before the banquet, we will take a short boat trip in the archipelago of Helsinki. The boat will leave from the Market Square and return to the same spot.

Conference banquet

The banquet is held in the premises of the Palace Gourmet restaurant at Eteläranta 10, the first restaurant to earn a Michelin star in Finland in 1987. Palace Gourmet is close to the Market Square, about three blocks away from the conference venue (see the approximate schedule).

Conference receptions

The Monday reception is held at the Stock Exchange, Fabianinkatu 14 together with UbiSummit 2010. The Stock Exchange is one block away from the main building.

The Tuesday reception is held in the main building of the University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 34

Transportation

Visas

Citizens of a few countries are required to have a visa for entry into Finland. Check the requirements here.

To and from the airport

Helsinki-Vantaa airport is located about 25 km north of the city centre.

Bus no. 615: Single fare from the airport is 4.00 EUR, and the journey time is about 35 minutes to the main railway station. From the railway station it is about about 0.5 km to the University or the hotels. The bus ticket is valid for transfers within 80 minutes, so you can continue by tram to the university/hotels if you prefer not to walk. See the Journey Planner for the exact route.

Finnair bus : Single fare is 5.90 EUR, journey time is 35 minutes and the bus goes to the main Railway station like bus no. 615. But note that the ticket is not valid on any other means (trams, other buses, etc.).

Airport taxi : The airport taxis (yellow minivans) have a flat rate of 22 EUR and leave when the minivan has enough passengers. (1-2 persons is 25 EUR, 3-4 persons 32 EUR).

A "normal" taxi (yellow taxi sign on the roof) to the centre of the city/university from the airport should be about 40-45 EUR. All taxis have a meter and charge the same rate, and they accept major credit cards.

Helsinki Region Transport

Helsinki Region Transport will take you around in Helsinki. (But note that the conference venue, excursion and banquet locations are within walking distance from most of the hotels.) A single fare ticket is 2.50 euros and valid for one hour. You buy the ticket from the bus or tram driver, or beforehand from a kiosk or a ticket machine (in which case it is cheaper).

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki was founded by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1640 in Turku. After the great fire of Turku in 1827, the University was moved to Helsinki in 1829. See also wikipedia.

The Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science is located at Kumpula campus, about 6 km north of the main building.

Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT is a joint research institute of Aalto University and the University of Helisnki. It is located in three different sites, at Spektri and at Otaniemi campus at Aalto University in Espoo, and at Kumpula campus at the University of Helsinki.

Helsinki

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is located on the south coast of Finland. It has a population of 561 000, but the cities in the metropolitan area - Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Grankulla - form an area with over one million inhabitants. Helsinki was founded in 1550 by the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. Read more about Helsinki at the Helsinki Tourism Website, the Helsinki Expert or Helsinki This Week. Or visit the Helsinki Expert Tour Shop at Pohjoisesplanadi 19.

Interesting places to visit near the conference venue

Senate Square, Cathedral, Market Square and Market Hall, Sederholm House, Sofiankatu Street Museum, Helsinki City Museum, Uspensky Cathedral, many restaurants and cafeterias, City Tourist Information, and Esplanade Park.

Finland

Finland (in Finnish Suomi) is a republic and a member of the European Union since 1995. Its population is 5.3 million and its surface area 338 145 sq. km. Finland has about 190 000 lakes and as many islands. Read more about Finland at the web sites of the Finnish Tourist Board, Virtual Finland, Finland.fi, Finland in Wikipedia, Wikitravel, the CIA World Fact Book and Statistics Finland