Attending the Conference

• Registration 
• Financial Support 
• Document and Visa 
• Travel 
• Accomodation 
• Tourism

Registration

• Deadlines: Early registrations were due by 5 November 2007; for authors the registration deadline was 2 November. Late registrations were also accepted during the conference.

• Fees: The fee was 250USD per person for early registration and 300USD for late registration.

• Coverage: The registration covered:

  1. Access to all conference events
  2. One copy of the conference proceedings book
  3. Registration pack - conference program, tourism information, notepad and pen
  4. One buffet lunch for every day of the conference (including vegetarian)
  5. Four coffee breaks including snacks every day
  6. Conference dinner sponsored by Macao SAR Government
  7. Refreshments provided throughout the conference

  Additional sets of proceedings could be purchased at 30USD each. Registration was generally not transferable between persons.

• Registration and Payment: Registration was done in five ways:
  1. Online using credit card (Master Card or Visa).
  2. Offline using credit card (Master Card or Visa). Please fill the Registration Form, including your credit card details, and send by email (icegov@iist.unu.edu) or fax (+853 28712940).
  3. Offline using cheque (for residents of Hong Kong or Macao only). Please issue the cheque in favor of "United Nations University - International Institute for Software Technology", fill the Registration Form and send it along with the cheque by mail to "ICEGOV2007, UNU-IIST, P.O. Box 3058, Macau SAR, China".
  4. Offline using bank draft. Please obtain the bank draft in favor of "United Nations University - International Institute for Software Technology", fill the Registration Form and send it along with the draft by mail to "ICEGOV2007, UNU-IIST, P.O. Box 3058, Macau SAR, China".
  5. Offline using bank transfer. Please make the transfer as follows: Account Holder - "United Nations University - International Institute for Software Technology", Bank Name - "Banco National Ultramarino", Account Number - "001-130718-131-4", Swift Code - "BNULMOMX", Bank Address - "22 e 38, Av. Almeida Ribeiro, Macao SAR, China". Subsequently, please fill the Registration Form and send along with the bank transfer slip by email (icegov@iist.unu.edu) or fax (+853 28712940).

• Cancellation: According to the conference cancellations policy, registration and hotel fees were reimbursed at:
  • 80% if a cancellation request was received before 6 November 2007,
  • 50% if a cancellation request was received between 6 and 26 November 2007
  • 0% if a cancellation request was received after 26 November 2007.

Financial Support

Authors of accepted papers were able to apply for financial support to partially cover the costs of attending the conference - registration, hotel or both - with preference given to citizens of developing countries. At most one author per paper could be supported. Applications for financial support were received from 18 to 25 October 2007. The applicants were notified about decisions by 01 November 2007.

Document and Visa

Please visit the Passports and Visas section of the Macao Government Tourist Office for information on passport and visa requirements to enter Macao.

Conference organizers sent a Visa Attestation Letter by e-mail to all participants who require a visa. Upon presentation of this letter, visa was provided free of charge when entering Macao. To this end, participants were advised to ensure that all personal information were entered correctly on theConference Registration Form.

Visa assistance could not be provided to those participants who wish to visit Hong Kong.

Travel

Macao can be entered through air, sea or land:

• By air - Macao has its own airport offering direct connections with: Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and with several cities in mainland China: Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen. After having passed immigration, it is advisable to first exchange some money into Macao Patacas (MOP) and to then take taxi to the booked accommodation.

• By sea from Hong Kong Airport - There is a direct ferry from the Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok airport to Macao. Tickets can be purchased at the Sky Pier ticket desk at 200HKD before passing passport control. The ferry from the airport takes 45 minutes to reach Macao and the sailing times - only seven daily - can be checked here. This route does not require entering Hong Kong, i.e. passing Hong Kong passport control, and therefore is a worthwhile option for the citizens of countries with visa requirement for Hong Kong. The flight must arrive at least two hours before the last ferry departs, and the passenger must be at the ticket desk at least an hour before the ferry leaves. The checked luggage is tranferred directly from the airport to the ferry.

• By sea from Hong Kong - This option means passing through Hong Kong immigration and customs at the airport. We advice to exchange money next - at least 400HKD per person (1 USD ~= 7.7 HKD), including 40HKD exact change for the bus. HKD is freely used in Macao and is worth about 1.03 Macao Patacas (MOP), but it cannot be used in Hong Kong. MOP can be also obtained after arriving in Macao. Subsequently, there are three options to reach Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island:

  1. bus - Follow signs to Taxi/Bus in the "Ground Transportation Centre", across from the Arrival Hall. The bus A11 runs from the airport to Macao Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs 40HKD, no change given. The bus has automatic announcements about stops in English as well as Chinese, and runs every 12-20 minutes.
  2. train - The Airport Express train runs from Hong Kong Airport to Hong Kong Station (25 minutes, about 100HKD). A taxi from Hong Kong Station to the Macao Ferry Terminal will cost about 20HKD.
  3. taxi - A taxi from the airport to Macao Ferry Terminal usually costs 350-400HKD. The destination for the driver is Macao Ferry or Shun Tak.

  Upon reaching the Macao Ferry Terminal, departures are on the 3rd floor. Ferries operate 24 hours per day, every 15-30 minutes, and less frequently at night. Price varies according to the time of the day from 130 to 170HKD. We recommend economy class. An overweight charge of 20-30HKD per piece for large luggage may be charged by the ferry operator after check-in. This charge includes porter service of the luggage in Hong Kong and in Macao. At certain times, the next ferry or ferries may be booked out, usually on Friday evenings and during the week-end when many people visit Macao. Having to wait for a longer time, it is possible to store luggage in the lockers on the 2nd floor, with prices ranging from 30 to 40HKD per item.Upon arriving at immigration in Macao, the "Visa" window should be used when holding a visa attestation letter, otherwise any "Visitors" booth. Checked-in luggage is collected just after Immigration Control, from a counter on the right near the "Visa" window. If any help is needed to carry the luggage in Macao, ferry and/or pier attendants will call a porter who will charge 25 MOP. The porter service is included for the luggate checked in Hong Kong.

• By land - Macao can be also entered by land from mainland China, through the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone.

Accommodation

All registered participants could book a discounted accommodation through the conference at the Hotel Golden Dragon. The hotel is located about 5 minutes from the conference venue by foot and conveniently located to get just about anywhere in Macao (except Taipa and Coloane islands) by foot.

The hotel offered rooms in two categories: Superior and Harbor View Deluxe. Apart from the view, the rooms are more or less identical. The rooms have either one Queen-size bed or two Twin-size beds, subject to availability. All rooms have free Internet access, and the price is identical for one or two persons occupancy. The prices per night are:

1. 8-9 December (Saturday to Sunday): Superior Room is 850MOP (~105USD) and Harbor View Deluxe is 1050MOP (~130USD)
2. 9-14 December (Sunday to Friday): Superior Room is 500MOP (~63USD) and Harbor View Deluxe is 700MOP (~88USD)
3. 14-15 December (Friday to Saturday): Superior Room is 700MOP (~88USD) and Harbor View Deluxe is 900MOP (~113USD)
4. 15-16 December (Saturday to Sunday): Superior Room is 1000MOP (~125USD) and Harbor View Deluxe is 1200MOP (~150USD)

Breakfast was not included. It cost MOP 25/person (~ 3USD), buffet.

Hotel booking could be done as part of conference registration, using the Conference Registration Form. Payments could be made online via credit card (MC or Visa) or through bank transfer, bank draft or cheque (only for the residents of Hong Kong and Macao).

In order to book independently, here is the list of: hotels, guest houses and travel agents. ICEGOV2007 could not be held responsible for any information obtained or arrangement made by conference participants with any third-party.

Tourism

Comprehensive information for Macao visitors is provided by the Macao Government Tourist Office.