Useful informations

Accommodation and Conference

Accommodation

Special rates for accommodation are offered for staying in Starhotel Du Parc Parma: the conference venue.

Should you need any help with your accommodation, please email info@foodintegrity2017-parma.eu or contact the hotel at duparc.pr@starhotels.it

Badges
You will receive your name badge at the registration.
The name badge must be worn at all the time of conference.

Insurance and Liability
Participants are strongly recommended to take adequate cover for health, travel and private liability insurance.

The organisers cannot accept any liability for loss or damage of properties, injures, unexpected events, non-appearance of specific speakers, program changes.

Language
The official language of the conference will be English.
No simultaneous translation will be provided.

Internet connection

Wi-Fi access will be available during the whole conference.

Entry into Italy

Passports and Visas
Italy is a member of the Schengen area. Inhabitants of contractual states are allowed to cross borders between states within the area without undergoing border controls.

Still, inhabitants of these states have the obligation to carry their passport or identity card with them.

Italy is also a member of the European Union. We recommend you to take your passport as a personal identification document even when being a EU citizen, anyway.

The participants from particular countries are required to have a valid visa.

Please contact the nearest Italian Embassy or Consulate for further information, or visit the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en.

Official letters of Invitation
Invitation letters for short-stay visa purposes can be requested and will be issued by the symposium secretariat upon request.

Delegates requiring visas should request a visa invitation letter from the organisers at the time of registering for the event, ensuing sufficient time is left for applications to be completed.

Delegates are then responsible for contacting the relevant or appropriate embassy themselves. The organisers can do nothing further to assist this process.

Should you require an official letter of invitation to obtain your visa to enter Italy, please contact info@foodintegrity2017-parma.eu.

Please note that the organisers do not undertake any obligation to pay any expenses incurred by supplying these letters. The organisers also will not act as an intermediary between the foreign police and will not provide notarized invitation letters. Furthermore, for some countries, the organisers or the authorities may require a confirmation of registration with payment.

About Italy and Parma

Climate
Parma is located in the western part of the Po valley. The climate there has strong continental influences: there is a wide temperature range, with significant changes between summer and winter.

The proximity to the river Po causes a constant high humidity. The Po valley is one of the least windy regions of Italy.

Since the conference takes place in May, the average temperatures will probably lie between 10 and 25 °C (50 – 77 °F).

You can expect the weather to shift very quickly from rain to hot sun.

Currency
The currency in Italy is Euro.

Electricity
In Italy, electricity comes out of the wall socket at about 220 volts.

A transformer is necessary if your electrical and electronic equipment uses different voltages.

Please make sure to bring adapters for wall sockets, since in your country they may be different from those in Italy.

Time zone
Italy is located in the Central European time zone (CET).
Central European time is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +1).

Transportation
Parma is a relatively small town and the public transport is entirely based on bus lines. They are quite efficient and easy to use.

For further information about bus lines, taxi and car rental services please visit the Travelling section of our website or check the Parma bus service’s page.

Useful telephone numbers and contacts

Please take note that he international dial code for Italy is +39. You might need to add it when you type an Italian number on your phone.

Parma Tourist and Visitors office
Piazza Garibaldi 1
Phone: 0521 218889
Opening hours: from Monday to Sunday, 9.00 am to 7.00 pm.

Radio Taxi service
Phone: 0521 252562
Active 24/7.

Bus service information office
Telephone: 0521 214255
Hours: from Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 1.00 pm; 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm.

Emergency numbers

• Ambulance – 118
• Fire department – 115
• Police – 113
• Carabinieri (Military police force) – 112
• Municipal police – 0521 40521
• Roadside assistance – 800 116 800