European Teratology Society 
Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th September 2019 in Cologne, Germany
Download the ETS 2nd Announcement
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure that I invite you all to attend the 47th annual meeting of the European Teratology Society in Cologne, Germany from Tuesday 17th until Friday 20th September 2019. This is a joint conference with the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology and will take place in the conveniently located Hotel Maternushaus, in the centre of Cologne, within easy reach of the many cultural locations within this city.
The key sessions for ETS 2019 will include:
Educational course:
Fetal Pathology
Symposia:
- Digitalisation meets Pathology and Developmental Toxicology: a joint ETS-ESTP symposium
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies and pregnancy outcome
- Updated Regulatory Guidance on Developmental and Reproductive Testing of Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals
The programme will also include:
- The ETS/TS debate on “The New3Rs: Reproducibility and Rigor in Reproduction Studies”
- The ETS President’s award lecture on “How hazardous is risk ? Challenges for European Teratology Society”
- The ETS/Elsevier best manuscript presentation
- Free communication and poster presentations will provide opportunity for all participants to present and discuss their activities.
In addition to the scientific programme, which will provide a stimulating atmosphere for scientific exchanges as well as opportunity to make new acquaintances, there is Cologne: The conference hotel is located in the Altstadt-North district of Cologne and is very close to galleries, a basilica and the famous gothic Cologne Cathedral. The Old Town with Alter Markt and Heumarkt is the centre of Cologne’s old neighbourhood of handicrafts and trade, and these are major attractions for Cologne residents and visitors. Surrounded by many small restaurants and cafés and located at the borders of the river Rhine, this area is an inviting place to relax and enjoy life, especially in the month of September.
Finally, with resources in mind: in addition to the blocks of rooms reserved in the Hotel Maternushaus at preferential rates for the conference delegates, cheaper accommodation options are available in Cologne to meet all budgets.
I look forward to welcoming you and your colleagues to the ETS conference in 2019. Welcome to Cologne!
Steven Van Cruchten
On behalf of the entire ETS Council
ETS Officers
| President: | Shay Giles |
| Vice-President: | Nicola Powles-Glover |
| Vice-President elect. | Steven van Cruchten |
| Treasurer: | Steffen Schneider |
| Secretary: | Stephanie Clubb |
ETS Council
| Deidre Brennan | |
| Alan Hoberman | |
| Jason Manton | |
| Dirk Marien | |
| Elena Menegola | |
| Arantza Muriana | |
| Derek Newall | |
| Birgit Peter |
Meeting Organisation
Solution office e.K.
Julia Robker
Bergstr. 2
29646 Bispingen
Germany
Tel.: +49 5194 97449-0
Fax: +49 5194 97449-4
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Programme Overview
| Tuesday 17th September 2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETS Council Meeting 1 | 09.00-13.00 | ||
| ETS Education Course: Fetal Pathology Chairs: Graham Bailey (Belgium), Julian French (UK) |
14.00-14.10 | Introduction | Graham Bailey, Janssen R&D, Belgium |
| 14.10-14.50 | External and Visceral examination | Julian French, Syngenty Ltd, UK | |
| 14.50-15.30 | Skeletal examination | Ruth Clark, UK | |
| 15.30-15.40 | First seesion - Discussion and questions | ||
| 15.40-16.10 | Coffee | ||
| 16.10-16.40 | Application of micro-CT to fetal examination | Arun Tatiparthi, Covance, USA | |
| 16.40-17.20 | Interpretation of fetal pathology results and other techniques used | Graham Bailey, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Belgium | |
| 17.20-17.30 | Second session - Discussion and questions | ||
| Young Scientists' Happy Hour | 17.30-18.30 | Maternushaus | |
| Welcome Reception togehter with ESTP |
18.30 | Maternushaus | |
| Wednesday 18th September 2019 | |||
| Welcome address | 09.00-09.10 | ETS President - ESTP President | |
|
Symposium 1 |
09.10-09.50 | S1-1 Towards a mechanistic approach in toxicology – using AOP´s in developmental toxicity assessment | Aldert Piersma, RIVM, The Netherlands |
| 09.50-10.30 | S1-2 Status and prospect of the virtual embryo program | Tom Knudsen, US EPA, USA | |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee | ||
| 11.00-11.45 | S1-3 The use of micro-CT imaging to examine and illustrate fetal skeletal abnormalities in rabbits and to prove concordance with Alizarin Red stained skeletal examination. | Howard M. Solomon, GSK, UK | |
| 11.45-12.30 | S1-4 Detection of ovarian follicles by deep learning | Heike Marxfeld, BASF SE, Germany | |
| 12:45-13.45 | Lunch | ||
| 13.30-14.10 | S1-5 Optical coherence tomography to image cells and tissues 3D | Jürgen Schnekenburger, University of Münster, Germany | |
| Free communications Chairs: Elena Menegola (Italy), Arantza Muriana (Spain) |
14.15-14.30 | F1 Do allogeneic murine pregnancy models predict the developmental liabilities of immune-stimulating antibodies? | Kary Thompson, BMS, USA |
| 14.30-14.45 | F2 Assessing the placental transfer and exposure of TNF inhibitors in women with autoimmune diseases in vivo and via an ex vivo placenta perfusion approach | Gaby Eliesen, Radboud UMC, The Netherlands | |
| 14.45-15.00 | F3 Added value of plasma metabolite profiling in prenatal rat routine studies | Jana Keller, BASF SE, Germany | |
| 15.00-.15.15 | F4 The ontogeny of hepatic CYP450 protein abundance in the developing Göttingen Minipig: a new step towards a juvenile PBPK model | Laura Buyssens, UAntwerp, Belgium | |
| 15.15-15.45 | Coffee | ||
| 15.45-16.00 | F5 Concordance between in vitro developmental toxicity assays and in vivo embryo-fetal development findings: the IQ DruSafe Assessment | Mary Ellen McNerney, BMS, USA | |
| 16.00-16.15 | F6 Validation of a novel human stem cell-based gene Expression assay for in vitro DART assessment | Peter Racz, Toxys BV, The Netherlands | |
| 16.15-16.30 | F7 Development of a database and in silico models for the early prediction of reproductive toxicity liabilities | Paul Desert, Sanofi Pasteur, France | |
| 16.30-16.45 | F8 Modeling craniofacial abnormalities in the developing zebrafish: implementation of new functional endpoints, determination of windows of susceptibility and evaluation of misoprostol as model compound | Marta Barenys, University of Barcelona, Spain | |
| 16.45-17.00 | F9 Teratogenicity susceptibility and cardiovascular system malformations: molecular analyses of HAND2 gene in thalidomide survivors | Bruna Rengel, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| Poster session |
17.00-19.00 | ||
| Thursday 19th September 2019 | |||
| President’s Award Lecture | 09.00-09.45 | Title TBD | Jochen Buschmann, Germany |
| Symposium 2 Assisted Reproductive Technologies and pregnancy outcome Chairs: Steven Van Cruchten (Belgium), Nicola Powles-Glover (UK) |
09.45-10.30 | S2-1 The implementation of single embryo transfer: the biggest step towards a better outcome of children after ART | Diane De Neubourg, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee | ||
| 11.00-11.45 | S2-2 The health of children after ART | Anja Pinborg, Rigshospitalet, Denmark | |
| 11.45-12.30 | S2-3 Factors in ART impacting postnatal outcome | John Dumoulin, Maastricht UMC, The Netherlands | |
| 12:30-13.30 | Lunch | ||
| Young Scientists Round Table (including lunch) Chairs: Deirdre Brennan (Ireland), Steven Van Cruchten (Belgium) |
12.30-13.30 | Introduction by chairs | |
| 12.40-12-50 | Teratogenicity in mammals predicted by a non-mammalian test system, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo | Katharina Brotzmann, University of Heidelberg, Germany | |
| 12.50-13.00 | The retinoic acid pathway as a source of gene expression biomarkers of developmental toxicity in the zebrafish embryotoxicity assay | Laura Samrani, RIVM, The Netherlands | |
| 13.00-13.10 | Asb2 bèta is essential for embryonic cardiomyocyte development and filamin B degradation in epicardium and endocardium in mice | Seul Gi Park, Chungbuk National University, Republic of Korea | |
| 13.10-12.20 | Poland syndrome complicated with metabolic syndrome and gynecomastia | Ismini Tzanaki, European University Cyprus, Cyprus | |
| 13.20-13.30 | Discussion and Conclusion | ||
| ETS/TS Exchange Discussion Chairs: Manon Beekhuijzen (The Netherlands), Sue Makris (USA) |
13.30-14.15 | The new 3Rs: Reproducibility and Rigor in Reproduction studies | Shay Giles, UCD, Ireland and Don Stump, Charles River, USA |
| Free communications Chairs: Stephanie Clubb (UK), Manon Beekhuijzen (The Netherlands) |
14.15-14.30 | F10 Allocation of pesticide active substances to cumulative risk groups for effects on reproduction and development | Mary Moxon, UK |
| 14.30-14.45 | F11 Do PFOS/PFOA levels in Italian women pose a risk to fetal growth | Alberto Mantovani, Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Italy | |
| 14.45-15.00 | F12 Non-neurotoxic concentrations of single environmental chemicals become neurotoxic in mixture: developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) evaluation using human in vitro model | Anna Bal-Price, JRC, Italy | |
| 15.00-15.15 | F13 Reproductive and Pathology Assessment of Bisphenol AF | Vicki Sutherland, NTP, USA | |
| 15.30-16.00 | Coffee | ||
| 16.00-16.30 | Update Task Forces (Folic Acid completed, Thyroid, Zebrafish, Artificial Intelligence) | ||
| 2020 ETS Conference Presentation | 16.30-16.45 | Presentation on the 2020 ETS conference | |
| ETS AGM | 16.45-18.00 | ETS members only | |
| ETS Gala Dinner |
19.30- | Wartesaal am Dom | |
| Friday 20th September 2019 | |||
| Elsevier Award Lecture | 09.00-09.45 | Species-specific developmental toxicity in rats and rabbits: Generation of a reference compound list for development of alternative testing approaches | Elisabet Teixidó, Barcelona, Spain |
| Symposium 3 Updated regulatory guidances on reproductive testing of pharmaceuticals and chemicals Chairs: Jason Manton (UK), Stephanie Clubb (UK) |
09.45-10.30 | S3-1 Recent Updates on Regulatory Guidance for Reproductive Testing of Pharmaceuticals - ICH S5(R3) | Paul Barrow, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee | ||
| 11.00-11.45 | S3-2 Recent Updates on Regulatory Guidance for Developmental Toxicity Testing of Chemicals - OECD 414 | Manon Beekhuijzen, Charles River Laboratories, s-Hertsogenbosch, The Netherlands | |
| 11.45-12.30 | S3-3 New Guidance on EDC’s in the EU (EFSA/ECHA Guidance; OECD GD 150) for Agrochemicals and Biocides | Emily Richmond, Exponent, Harrogate, United Kingdom | |
| Farewell Address | 12.30-12.40 | ||
| ETS Council Meeting 2 | 13.00-14.00 | ||
| Tuesday 17th | Wednesday 18th | Thursday 19th | Friday 20th |
| ETS Council Meeting 1 | Symposium 1 – Digitalisation meets Pathology and Developmental Toxicology – Part 1 | President’s Award Lecture: How hazardous is risk? Challenges for the European Teratology Society” | Elsevier Award Lecture |
| Symposium 2 – Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Pregnancy Outcome | Symposium 3 – Updated Regulatory Guidance on DART Testing of Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals | ||
| Registration open | Lunch |
Lunch – Young Scientists’ Round Table |
Farewell address |
| Education Course Fetal Pathology |
Symposium 1 – Digitalisation meets Pathology and Developmental Toxicology – Part 2 |
ETS/TS Exchange Lecture: “The New3Rs: Reproducibility and Rigor in Reproduction Studies” Free Communications ETS Task Force updates 2020 ETS Conference Presentation |
ETS Council Meeting 2 |
| Young Scientist Free Communications | ETS AGM | ||
| Welcome Reception | Poster Session | Gala Dinner |
Call for Abstracts
Participants interested in giving an oral or poster presentation are invited to submit an abstract. Work on topics related to the main symposia or the education course and ETS/ TS Discussion, will be given preference for free communications. Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the ETS officers. Accepted abstracts received until 30th April 2019 will be published in the Special Conference Issue of Reproductive Toxicology. Abstracts received after this date will be distributed at the meeting.
Abstract template (Times New Roman 12):
- Title in bold
- Authors names should appear in bold, with surname first followed by full first name and second initial. Presenting author should be indicated with an asterisk after surname. Example: Beekhuijzen*1 Manon, Mantovani2 Alberto, Barrow3 Paul.
Failure to follow this format will result in incorrect indexing in the journal.
- Affiliation in italics, name of institute, place and country only. Multiple affiliations indicated by superscript numbers after surnames.
- One line spacing before body text.
- Abstract body in plain text in one paragraph, no indents or empty lines. No figures or Tables
- Up to three references may be cited indicated by numbers in square brackets in line with the text. The reference style of Reproductive Toxicology should be used (https://www.elsevier.com/journals/reproductive-toxicology/0890-6238/guideforauthors#20300).
- Organize text in: introduction, methods, results and conclusions. Provide factual text. Avoid general statements like: “results will be presented”.
- Use 300 up to a maximum of 500 words for complete abstract (including title, authors, affiliation and text).
- Add preference choice for poster or oral presentation.
Abstract deadline: 30 April 2019
Please e-mail abstracts to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ETS/Elsevier Prizes
The following prizes will be awarded during the ETS meeting:
- The ETS and Elsevier Publication Award for best Reproductive Toxicology manuscript in the previous year.
- The ETS Prize given best poster or free communication delivered by a young scientist at the conference.
- The Elsevier Best Presentation Award for best poster or free communication at the conference.
- The ETS Presidents’ Award lecture, given by an esteemed member of the ETS at the invitation of the president.
- The ETS Young Scientist Round Table Medal for the best presentation at the young scientist round table discussion session.
ETS Young Scientist/Student Support
Thanks to our Sustaining Membership Sponsors, the ETS has the opportunity to encourage, educate and support a number of young scientists/students through travel grants, research/congress bursaries, young scientist prizes and reduced registration fees. In order to be eligible, students must submit an abstract for presentation at the conference and apply for membership to the Society. Applications should be made by the student’s Supervisor to the Secretary of the ETS. Awards will be given at the discretion of the ETS.
ETS Secretary: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Social Programme
Welcome Reception – Tuesday 17th September – Maternushaus
(Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1-3, 50668 Köln)
On the evening of Tuesday 17th September we would like to invite you to join us at the Welcome Reception. The Reception will be a joint event with the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology (ESTP).
The Reception will take place in the congress venue where you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues and friends, to chat and prepare yourself for the following days of the conference.
The Reception will last 2 hours, with drinks and light snacks. There are several restaurants in walking distance to the venue to go out for dinner afterwards.
Join us, have a drink and enjoy the evening.
Young Scientists Happy Hour
The Young Scientists Happy Hour, an informal get-together to foster networking opportunities for students, researchers and professionals of all ages will take place on Tuesday 17th September at the same venue where the Welcome Reception takes place.
Dinner – Thursday 19th September – Wartesaal am Dom
(Johannisstraße 11 ,50668 Köln)
The Conference dinner will take place in the ‘’Wartesaal am Dom“ on Thursday 19th September and will also be a joint event with ESTP.
You are invited to enjoy a delicious dinner and to meet friends and colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere. The Restaurant is located in the old waiting hall of the historic train station of Cologne. It is located right next to the new main train station and the famous cathedral of Cologne. It is only 900 m walking distance from the congress venue, you walk through the old part of the town and might want to make a short stop at the cathedral.
This is the perfect opportunity to relax and reflect on the congress and engage in spirited conversation.
ETS Annual Meeting Registration
Registration will be online soon.
Please register online at: http://www.etsoc.com/meeting-registration you will be able to pay directly by credit card (American Express, Master Card and Visa). The fees quoted are inclusive of VAT (19%). A VAT receipt will be issued to permit VAT registered companies to reclaim the tax.
Registration Fees
Complete Congress (including 19% VAT)
| Until 31 May 2019 | 01 - 30 June 2019 | After 30 June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETS Members | € 445.00 | € 475.00 | € 565.00 |
| Non-Members | € 540.00 | € 570.00 | € 660.00 |
| Students* | € 130.00 | € 140.00 | € 165.00 |
Above fees include all scientific sessions, free communications, lunch, welcome reception and ETS Conference dinner.
One-Day Registration (including 19% VAT)
| Until 31 May 2019 | 01 - 30 June 2019 | After 30 June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETS Members | € 130.00 | € 140.00 | € 160.00 |
| Non-Members | € 165.00 | € 175.00 | € 215.00 |
| Students* | € 65.00 | € 70.00 | € 75.00 |
One-Day fees include the ETS lectures, free communications and lunch for the registered day.
Education Course (including 19% VAT)
| Until 31 May 2019 | 01 - 30 June 2019 | After 30 June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETS Members | € 90.00 | € 100.00 | € 135.00 |
| Non-Members | € 130.00 | € 145.00 | € 170.00 |
| Students* | € 50.00 | € 60.00 | € 75.00 |
Accompanying Person (including 19% VAT)
| Until 30 June 2019 | After 30 June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| € 100.00 | € 100.00 |
The Accompanying Person fee includes welcome reception and ETS Conference dinner. Entrance to the scientific sessions and lunch is not included.
* Students registration to be supported by supervisors’ letter.
Terms of Service, Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations are to be notified in writing to the ETS Conference Organizing office. Refunds will be made under the following conditions:
You may cancel at no penalty within 48 hours of placing your registration.
- Until 1 July 2019 a 60% refund of the registration fee will be given.
- After 1 July 2019, no registration fees will be refunded.
- All refunds will be handled after the Conference.
Accommodation
The congress hotel (Maternushaus Köln) is located in the city center, close to the main station where you can find public transport. The Cologne Cathedral, one of the most famous cultural highlight, is also in walking distance.
All over Cologne you can find hotels and hostels in different categories. Make your reservation as early as possible. Cologne is well-booked in September because of exhibitions!
Here are a few hotels which provide a limited contingent of rooms (slide left and right if you think the table has been cut off):
| Hotel | Category | Distance to congress venue | Room | Price / night incl. breakfast | Rooms blocked 16–20 Sept. 2019 | Available till | Contact / how to book |
|
NH Collection Köln Mediapark |
FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED | FULLY BOOKED |
| Ibis Hotel Köln Centrum | ** | 2 km | Classic Single | € 94,00 – € 102,00 (minimum stay 4 nights) |
30 | 22nd July 2019 | via e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. keyword: ETS & ESTP 2019 |
| Park Inn by Radisson Köln City West |
**** | 2,5 km | Superior Single | € 177,00 (excl. Breakfast (breakfast: € 23,00) |
40 | 22nd July 2019 | via e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. keyword: ETS & ESTP 2019 |
The city of Cologne charges an additional fee of 5% of the accommodation rate. Business travelers do not have to pay the fee! Please ask the hotel at the booking what you need to do to not pay the cultural fee. Make your reservation as soon as possible.
Credit Card Guarantee
In order to guarantee accommodation you need to provide your credit card details tot he hotel. The information will only be used in case of no-show or late cancellation.
Payment Options
Accommodation must be paid directly to the hotel during your stay. You will be able to pay by credit card or by cash.
Change your reservation
If you need to change your reservation, please contact the hotel directly.
Meeting Organisation – Registration Queries
Solution office e.K.
Julia Robker
Bergstr. 2
29646 Bispingen
Germany
Tel.: +49 5194 97449-0
Fax: +49 5194 97449-4
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Congress Venue
Maternushaus
Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1-3
50668 Köln
Tel.: +49 221 1631-0
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.maternushaus.de
The Maternushaus hotel is located in the Altstadt-North district of Cologne and is very close to galleries, a basilica and the famous gothic Cologne Cathedral. The Old Town with Alter Markt and Heumarkt is the centre of Cologne’s old neighbourhood of handicrafts and trade, and these are major attractions for Cologne residents and visitors. Surrounded by many small restaurants and cafés and located at the borders of the river Rhine, this area is an inviting place to relax and enjoy life, especially in the month September.
Climate in Cologne
Cologne has a temperate climate, with moderate summer temperatures and mild winters. September generally has very pleasant temperatures. The average maximum temperature lies around 18.0°C (64.4°F). You will see the sun sometimes in this month, it has 135 hours of sun. So what to wear in September? Visitors traveling to Cologne should plan on bringing a totally waterproof rain jacket since it will be raining some days. Plan on layering your clothes. Some days or part of the day it will be nice and warm and some moments it can be a bit chilly.
Transportation
By air
Cologne Bonn Airport is the largest low-cost hub in continental Europe. Around 60 airlines connect the Airport to over 130 domestic and international destinations in 39 countries.
The airport is well connected to the road network although to the bus and railway network. The new Intercity-Express (ICE) railway station is right in the centre of the Airport. From there you can get straightforward to the city of Cologne.
Cologne Bonn Airport by bus or train
2004 saw the opening of a train station right at the heart of the airport, and since then the airport has benefited from excellent public transport links with the city centre. The airport is just a 14 minute ride from Cologne central station with S-Bahn line 1 (Cologne- Troisdorf), and just an 11 minute trip with the Regional Express train RE 8 (Rhein-Erft- Express). Many ICE long-distance trains also stop at the airport train station. S-Bahn fare (ticket zone 1b) is currently € 2.90 one-way.
Düsseldorf International Airport (IATA: DUS) offers many intercontinental connections. Train ride from the airport train station to Cologne central station takes about 40 min.
Frankfurt Rhein Main International Airport (IATA: FRA) is the largest airport in Germany, served by all major international airlines. ICE (InterCityExpress) high speed trains connect Frankfurt Airport and Cologne central station in less than one hour. You can book your ticket with the Deutsche Bahn (https://www.bahn.de).
By train
Central Railway Station Cologne is served by two major railway stations – Köln Hauptbahnhof and Köln-Deutz.
Cologne is linked with Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg and Paris by Thalys and ICE High Speed trains. Additionally, Frankfurt airport (IATA:FRA) has direct service to Cologne and is within one hour by ICE trains.
By car
Cologne requires all cars to have a “Low Emissions” sticker in order to drive around in the city centre (Low Emission Zone, “Umweltzone”). Information on obtaining a sticker (which must be done at least several weeks in advance) is available here.
Plenty of motorways (Autobahns A1, A4, A3, A57, A555) lead to Cologne. During rush hour the streets are heavily congested, also due to massive construction of a new subway tunnel Nord-Süd Stadtbahn, crossing half the city centre.
For cheap parking, with quick connections to central cologne, use park and ride (“park und ride”). At some stations, parking is free when you present a validated transit ticket on exit.
Get around
Public transport
Discovering the city by bus and tram is easy because Cologne is well connected to the bus and tram network. The tarif levels depend on the distance from the city or the place where you start your journey. Even you can get day tickets for one person or for groups, for one or four journeys, and, of course, for longer periods. With the Köln WelcomeCard tourists can use the public transport for 24 hours and you also receive reductions of up to 50 % from more than 100 partners.
The different tickets are available at customer service centres. Even most of them are available at the ticket vending machines in busses, undergrounds and trams as well as at the ticket machines at most tram stops.
Day ticket for many desinations: To the cathedral, the museums or for music and shopping – the 5 persons day ticket enables small groups to comfortably reach many destinations in one day – between 9 in the morning and 3 at night, on weekends and bank holidays, even from midnight. For all of Cologne simply select price category 1b on the ticket machine of the stop or in the KVB vehicle and pay with coins or card. This ticket is automatically validated. If you purchase your ticket at a sales outlet, please validate as soon as enter the vehicle (red validating machine).
Webpage of the public transport operator: https://auskunft.kvb-koeln.de/kvb/cgi/page/eingabeRoute?lang=UK
Language
The language of the congress is English.
Dress Code
Business casual.
Local Currency
German currency: Euro
You can exchange your foreign currency and travelers checks at German banks, exchange bureau (called “Wechselstube” or “Geldwechsel” in German), airports, railway stations and major hotels. German Banks are usually open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. One of the fastest ways to get money cash out is by using an ATM, called “Geldautomat” in German. They are ubiquitous in German cities and can be accessed 24/7. Make sure you know your card PIN number before travelling as this will be needed to access your account on ATMs. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are usually accepted in Germany – but not everywhere, and often not in taxis.
Electricity
Electricity in Germany is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you travel with a device that does not accept 230 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter. Outlets in Germany generally accept 1 type of plug: Two round pins. If your appliances plug has a different shape, you may need a plug adapter.
Disclaimer
The organizers are not liable for damages and/or losses of any kind which may be incurred by the meeting delegates or by any other individuals accompanying them, both during the official activities as well as going to/from the meeting. Delegates are responsible for their own safety and belongings.
Insurance and Vaccinations
The registration fee does not cover insurance for the delegates. The organizers recommend that delegates take out an insurance in their home country to cover pre- journey cancellation for personal reasons and to cover accidents, medical expenses and loss of personal belongings during the visit. No vaccinations are needed when visiting Germany.
Visas
Passport and Visas
Please check on the list of the Federal Foreign Office which you will find on the following link if you need to apply for a visa to travel to Germany.
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/EinreiseUndAufenthalt/Visabestimmungen_node.html
It is the sole responsibility of the attendee to take care of his / her visa requirements. Attendees who require an entry visa must allow sufficient time for the application procedure. Attendees should contact the nearest embassy or consulate to determine the appropriate timing of their visa applications. It is recommended to apply for a visa at least 3 months in advance of the Congress. When the registration has already been paid, the registration fee minus a handling fee of 50 EUR will be refunded after the Congress if the visa was applied for in time, and proof of this, together with an official notice from the embassy confirming that a visa could not be granted, is forwarded to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Letter of invitation
If you need a letter of invitation for your visa please contact the congress organizer Julia Robker at solution office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Please note that a letter of invitation will only be issued after you have registered and paid for the congress.
Sponsors & Exhibitors
There are several opportunities to sponsor the ETS annual meeting. Please have a look at the application form (coming soon) or contact the meeting organisation directly under: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
