Venue and Travel

Conference Location

SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation meeting will be held at the Palais des Congrès Parc Chanot Conference Centre in Marseille, France.
http://www.parc-chanot.com/

On this page:

• Hotels
• Travel
• Venue
• Food and Beverage Services
• SPIE Onsite Services
• Policies
• Visa Information and Invitation Requests

Hotels

The agency Mathez Travel has been named the official hotel agency and are holding a number of hotel rooms throughout Marseille. In order to make a booking, please visit their website www.matheztravel.com/atic2008for your online booking or to print off a hotel reservation form. For any questions, please contact them by email at atic2008@matheztravel.com.

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Travel

Transportation to City Center and Parc Chanot

Airport Arrivals
A taxi from Marignane Airport to Parc Chanot area hotels costs approximately €65 and takes approximately 40 minutes.

Another option is to take the bus from the Marignane Airport to the St. Charles train station. The bus takes about 25 minutes. Service operates from 6:30 am to 8:50 pm every 20 minutes. The fare is approximately €8.50. The St. Charles train station connects to the Metro for access to city center hotels and the Parc Chanot.

Parc Chanot
To reach the Parc Chanot take the metro Red Line to the Rond-Point du Prado station. The metro station is located near Gate A, the most convenient entrance for the conference.

The metro from St. Charles train station takes approximately 10 minutes at a cost of €1.70.

About Marseille, France
Located in southeastern France on the Mediterranean Sea, Marseille has evolved over the course of its 2,500-year history to become France's second largest city with a metropolitan area exceeding 1,200,000. As the leading commercial port on the Mediterranean, the city's economy is anchored by trade. Although possessing a rich history that dates back to ancient Greece, Marseille is a modern, cosmopolitan city that offers exciting nightclubs, fabulous restaurants, a variety of theaters, an international soccer stadium, and more than twenty museums. The heart of the city is Vieux Port, which enables visitors to glimpse the bustling activity along streets such as La Canèbiere. Popular tourist sites include the old quarter of Panier, Palaise de Longchamp, the Cathedral of the Major, the ruins of Jardin, and the 19th-century Notre Dame de la Garde.

Visit the Marseille Visitor Site for more information about the local area.
http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/in-marseille/ or download our travel and tourism document.

Travel Safety

While both France and Monaco have relatively low rates of violent crime, a limited number of neighborhoods in the larger French cities merit extra caution. Thieves commonly target vehicles with non-local license plates, and work in or near tourist attractions such as museums, monuments, restaurants, hotels, beaches, trains, train stations, airports, and subways.

Tourists in France and Monaco should be particularly alert to pickpockets in train stations and subways. Photocopies of travel documents and credit cards should be kept separate from the originals, and key telephone numbers maintained to contact banks if credit cards are stolen or lost.

Southern France: Thefts from cars with unlocked doors or open windows stopped at red lights or caught in slow traffic are very common, particularly along the Riviera of the Nice-Antibes-Cannes area, and in Marseille. Car doors should be kept locked and windows raised at all times to prevent incidents of "snatch-and-grab" thefts. In this type of scenario, the thief is usually a passenger on a motorcycle. Break-ins of parked cars are also fairly common. Valuables should not be left in the car, not even in the trunk, when the vehicle is unattended.

Student Travel Contingency Grants
A limited number of SPIE contingency student travel grants will be awarded based on need. Applications must be received no later than 10 weeks prior to the meeting. Eligible applicants must present an accepted paper at this meeting. Offer applies to undergraduate/graduate students who are enrolled full-time and have not yet received their PhD.

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Venue

Le Palais des Congrès
Parc Chanot Conference Centre
SAFIM
BP 2
13266 Marseille cedex 08
France

http://www.parc-chanot.com/

The Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation conferences will take place in the Parc Chanot Conference Centre convenient to the Parc Chanot Gate A entrance.

Parc Chanot Marseille Congrès & Expositions is located in the heart of Marseille, 5 minutes from the beaches and "callanques," in the centre of major communication axes.

The Parc Chanot is surrounded by numerous hotels. It is located conveniently at the junction of the North, East and Littoral motorways, 20 minutes from the airport as well as being linked to the main rail station by the Metro.

Parc Chanot Parking
Parking is available at the Parc Chanot and is 4€ per day.

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Food and Beverage Services

Coffee Breaks
Complimentary coffee will be served twice each day of the conference following the morning plenary. Please check the individual technical conference listings for exact times and locations.

Local Eateries to get Lunch
To assist our Astronomy attendees, the Parc Chanot Convention Centre has provided a map of restuarants within walking distance.

Local Restaurant Map

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SPIE Onsite Services

Badge Corrections
Attendees who need a correction to their badge information onsite may do so at the SPIE Registration Desk in the registration area. Please have your badge removed from the badge holder, marked with your changes, and ready to hand to the attendant upon approaching the counter.

Cashier Station
If you are paying by cash or check as part of your onsite registration, wish to add a short course, workshop, or special event requiring payment, or have questions regarding your registration please see the onsite cashier at the Cashier station in the registration area.

Audiovisual Preview Station
Hall des Pas Perdus
Monday through Saturday
8.00 to 17.00

All conference rooms will have a computer workstation, LCD projector, screen, microphone, and laser pointer. All presenters are requested to come to the Preview Station to confirm display settings of their presentations from their memory devices or laptops with the audiovisual equipment being used at this symposium.

Course Materials Desk
Located at the SPIE Registration Desk
Open during Registration hours
If you have registered to attend a course, please stop by the Course Materials Desk AFTER you pick up your badge. Your badge kit will include a course ticket allowing you to obtain your course notes.

SPIE Marketplace & Membership Services
Located in the Golden Foyer
The SPIE Marketplace is your source for the latest SPIE Press books, Proceedings, and Educational and Professional Development materials. You can become a member of SPIE, explore the Digital Library, and take home a souvenir.

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Policies

Refund Policy
There is a $35 service charge for processing refunds. Requests for registration refunds must be received in writing, no later than 5 June 2008. All registration fees will be forfeited at this time. Membership dues are not refundable. SPIE Digital Library subscriptions are not refundable.

Audio, Video, Digital Recording Policy

Meeting Rooms and Poster Sessions
For copyright reasons, recordings of any kind are strictly prohibited without prior written consent of the presenter in any conference session, short course or of posters presented. Each presenter being taped must file a signed written consent form. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to leave a given session and asked to surrender their film or recording media. Consent forms are available at the SPIE Registration Desk.

Exhibition Hall
For security and courtesy reasons, photographing or videotaping individual booths and displays in the exhibit hall is allowed ONLY with explicit permission from on-site company representatives. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to surrender their film and to leave the exhibit hall.

No Suitcasing
Suitcasing is the act of soliciting business in the aisles during the exhibition or in other public spaces, including another company's booth or a hotel lobby.
Please note that while all meeting attendees are invited to the exhibition, any attendee who is observed to be soliciting business in the aisles or other public spaces, in another company's booth, or in violation of any portion of SPIE Exhibition Policy will be asked to leave immediately. Additional penalties may be applied. Please report any violations you may observe to show management.

Unsecured Items
Personal belongings such as briefcases, backpacks, coats, book bags, etc. should not be left unattended in meeting rooms or public areas. These items will be subject to removal by security upon discovery.

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