General Information

Registration and Opening Hours

All times stated below refer to British Summer Time (GMT +1)

Please note that no cash payments will be accepted on site.

Opening Hours Registration

Opening Hours Speaker Service Centre (Hall 2)

Opening Hours Exhibition

Opening Hours Exhibition Service Desk

Access to the conference venue and participant badges

Participants should print and collect their name badges from the self-printing registration desks. As only registered participants will be permitted to attend the scientific sessions, the exhibition and poster areas, you are required to wear your badge when entering and while remaining in the conference venue. Exhibitors will also receive badges to allow access to the appropriate areas. Lost badges can be replaced at the registration desk. However, a handling fee of EUR 50.- will be charged.

Cancellations and Refunds

Notice of cancellation (e.g. in case of sickness, lack of funding or any other personal reasons) must be made in writing by e-mail  to the ESHG Conference organisers: conference@eshg.org

Registration fees may be refunded if written cancellation if received as follows:

– until April 20, 2023                                      75% refund
– between April 21-May 25, 2023               25% refund
– as of May 26, 2023                                        no refund

The date of the email is the basis for considering refunds. Refunds will be made after the conference.

Certificate of Attendance / CME Certificates

Participants will be able to download their certificate of attendance (as of June 10, 2023 at 08:00 CEST) and CME certificate directly from the ESHG Portal. You can access the portal with the same email and password you used to register and access the virtual conference platform. More information on how to obtain CME credits will follow soon.

Certificate of Presentation

Presentation certificates will be available for download to all abstract authors on the virtual conference platform one week after the conference. Please do not request certificates onsite, via phone or email.

Insurance

By registering to the ESHG 2023 participants agree that neither the organising committee nor the conference office assume any liability whatsoever. Participants are requested to make their own arrangements for health and travel insurance. The conference fee does not include insurance. Cancellations made after the deadline (May 25, 2023) cannot be refunded for any reasons.

Online participation

Access to the virtual conference platform

All participants (in-person and online only) will have access to the conference virtual platform. To access the platform attendees will need to use their email address and password used for their registration.

What will you find in the virtual conference platform?

In the virtual platform you will have access to:

• Real time live stream of sessions with the possibility of interaction through the session chat
• Access to all posters presented at the conference (hybrid posters and e-Posters)
• Presenter profiles
• Sponsor and Exhibitor information (if booked by sponsor)
• CME evaluations
• On-demand recording of presentations (on the following day)

General Conference Information

Mobile App

The mobile app with full programme and other useful information will be available for download one week before the conference.

Information for presenters

Click here for more information about the presentation guidelines for presenters.

Live Streaming in the Exhibition Hall

The plenary lecture hall is equipped with a live transmission possibility to the live streaming area in the exhibition (Hall 4). The programme of the plenary hall (Hall 3) will be transmitted to this area during exhibition opening hours.

Coffee Breaks

During the session breaks, refreshments (coffee, tea and water) will be served free of charge to participants wearing name badges. Coffee and lunch bags will be served in the exhibition area.

Lunch and Refreshments

Lunch tickets for lunch bags needed to be pre-ordered until 22 May 2023 – they cannot be purchased on site. Please note that lunch tickets are not refundable after May 22, 2023 at 23:59 CEST. Please take care of your lunch vouchers on site. They will be printed together with your badge. If you lose them, we cannot hand them out again to you due to reasons of fraud. So please bring them with you on each according day and do not lose them.

Lunch bags can be picked up from 12.00 – 13.00 hrs CEST on Saturday to Monday and from 12:30-13:30 on Tuesday at the respective stations in the exhibition halls:

• Warm, Cold and Special (Regular and vegetarian) lunches in Hall 4 (please follow according signage in the hall)
  
• On Tuesday June 13, when the exhibition is closed, participants can pick up their lunches in Hall 3.

A cash bar is also available in the exhibition area.

Official Networking Events

The ESHG Conference offers multiple networking events such as the Networking Mixer (welcome reception) and the ESHG Networking Evening. For more information please click here.

Sustainability

The ESHG Conference is committed to host an event that bears in mind the responsible use of resources, our environment and the use of sustainable conference materials. Hence, we would like to encourage all of our participants to keep these aspect in mind when attending the in-person meeting. For more information please click here.

Venue

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) features the SEC Centre– five interconnected exhibition and meeting spaces, the iconic 3,000 seat SEC Armadillo and our most recent addition, the OVO Hydro – a 14,300 capacity concert, sporting and special events arena. With its infinite flexibility, the campus has gone from strength to strength and, with planned expansion and development, will continue to position Glasgow on the world stage.

For more information visit: https://www.sec.co.uk/about-the-sec

Catering

In collaboration with the caterer who has introduced a Sustainable Food Strategy, the catering at the conference follows the following criteria:

• Offering a broader range of plant-based / plant-forward options
• Utilising UK & Scottish sourced in-season produce
• Sourcing lower-impact, locally sourced animal proteins
• Nutritious menus inline with our Healthy Venue Accreditation
• Proactively minimising our food waste
• Eliminating single use non-recyclable plastics
• We do not use “open front coolers“.
• We do not use electric or gas heaters for in outdoor areas.
• We mainly use beverages from glass bottles or reusable PET bottles.
• In guest areas we mainly use reusable tableware, if not otherwise possible we resort to bio-degradable disposable tableware.
• We offer vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
• Catering employees are informed about the criteria of catering and youth protection regulations before the event.
• We will pass on the special features of the catering (regional products, seasonal or organic products, etc.) to the participants through the wording in the offer and the menu cards.

Materials

Bags
Since 2014 the ESHG Conference has aimed to provide congress bags that are made from durable materials, such as cotton. This is aimed at increasing the re-usability of the bags and decreasing the amount of waste created, and in the best case, making it biodegradable.

Pens
Your pen is made from recycled PET-bottles! As previously mentioned, we are committed to using the recourses responsibly. For this reason, we have, for the last 7 years, opted for conference pens made from recycled PET bottles, which would otherwise have ended up as waste.

Printed Materials
In this area ESHG has been making hard efforts to reduce its printed materials over time, while ensuring to keep high standards for its conference participants. The ESHG stopped printing the abstract book 8 years ago. This 500+ pages publication totalised around 5 tons of ink and paper each year. Instead we implemented the online programme planner as well as the conference app, which we continue to improve over the years, and have been adopted by our participants. The convenience in using these tools as preparation ahead of the meeting is a quasi standard today, however the fringe benefits of reducing the number of produced items seems less obvious, but definitely contributes to the whole. Starting with ESHG 2019, we implemented an “self-printing” approach for registration materials. By using this procedure, we have been able to reduce the registration materials of each participant to a single sheet of paper. Moreover, all participants will receive their confirmation of attendance and CME certificate as pdf via the ESHG Portal. These initiatives will help us reduce more than 8000 printouts and other materials, having a significant impact in the amount of paper and ink used for the ESHG conference and in consequence largely reducing the CO2 footprint of the transport of all print work from Vienna to the conference location. Concerning printing of posters, the ESHG has been introducing e-Posters to its poster exhibition. Currently more than 700 posters are available only in an electronic version located in the exhibition hall next to the live stream and on the virtual conference platform. This has not only helped in reducing the amount of printed posters but provide a new experience in terms of interaction between the participants and abstracts being presented.

Hybrid Conference

For the second time the ESHG will be held as a hybrid conference. This means participants have the option to participate in-person or online via the ESHG virtual conference platform. By providing an online option, we aim at, not only connecting more geneticists worldwide, but at helping decrease the necessary travel carbon footprint participants create when assisting the in-person conference.

YOU!

Keep in mind that you as participant play an important role in the responsible use of the resources at the ESHG conferences. You can help us to do this by recycling your waste, using only the necessary amount of water and eating only those catering items that you know you will completely consume. Furthermore, you can contribute to reduce the amount of waste created by reusing your conference materials, such as conference bag and pen, as long as possible. Together with your efforts and ours we can continue to strive for a more environmentally friendly ESHG conference.

Venue

Scottish Event Campus (SEC)

Exhibition Way
Glasgow G3 8YW
Scotland, United Kingdom
https://www.sec.co.uk/

For more information about the venue please visit our Venue & Location page

Cloakroom and Luggage

A cloakroom and luggage storage are available close to the registration area (Hall 2).

Opening hours:

• Saturday, June 10:   07:30-22:30
• Sunday, June 11:    08:00-22:00
• Monday, June 12:   08:00-19:30
• Tuesday, June 13:   08:30-17:00

WIFI

WiFi is available throughout the conference venue.

Staff

If you should have any questions, the congress staff (recognizable by a pink badge and lanyard) at the registration area will be pleased to help you.

Conference Policy

Language

The official language of the congress is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided.

Pictures

Please note that taking pictures during the sessions is allowed, unless indicated otherwise by the presenter or the poster author. Persons who will not observe this rule will be excluded from the session by the chairpersons.

Smoking Policy

The ESHG 2023 is officially a “No-smoking-Conference”. Note that smoking is banned in public buildings and private businesses – including restaurants, pubs, shops, public transport, entertainment venues and workplaces.

Social Media Guidelines

Please see our full policy here.
The ESHG supports the use of social media around the European Human Genetics Conference to network with your colleagues and friends attending the meeting. Please do however respect the ESHG social media guidelines.
The views and opinions posted on ESHG’s social media do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the ESHG, its Board or membership. The ESHG reserves the right to remove comments it deems to be inappropriate.

Glasgow– General Information

Location

Glasgow is situated in Scotland (United Kingdom, Europe).

Official language

The official language is English.

Currency and exchange

Pound Sterling – GBP, £
Foreign currency and travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks, post offices, travel agents, bureau de change kiosks and some hotels throughout the city.
Credit cards are widely accepted in Glasgow and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or cash machines can be found throughout the city.

Banks

Most banks in Glasgow are open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, shorter hours on a Saturday and closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Climate

Glasgow is one of Scotland’s milder areas with temperature usually higher than most places of equal latitude away from the UK, due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.

Summer is warm and has the added benefit of 16 hours of daylight. Delegates may wish to bring an umbrella or light rain jacket.

Check the weather forecast before you travel.

Tipping

There are no hard and fast rules for tipping in Scotland. If you are happy with the service, a 10-15% tip is customary, particularly in a restaurant or café with table service. Tipping in bars is not expected. For taxi fares, tipping is at your discretion.

Telephone codes

The telephone prefix for calling Glasgow from other countries is: + 44 141

GSM Cell Phone Roaming

Roaming charges may apply in the UK depending on your provider. Please contact your service provider before travelling.

Shopping

Shops in the city centre are generally open Monday-Friday until at least 6.00 pm  and from 10.00 am – 6.00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Late night shopping is on Thursdays, with many stores open until 8.00 pm.

Safety

Glasgow is like any other big city: it has safe areas and less safe areas, and the basic common sense rules apply.
The centre of Glasgow is very safe and you should not encounter any problems. All of the city centre and tourist areas are well policed. During the day, the city centre also has many ‘information officers’ who would be able to assist you if needed.

Experience has shown that some basic precautionary measures should always be kept in mind in any city:
– Do not carry important items like flight tickets, passports etc. with you when visiting the conference or strolling through the city, leave them in the hotel safe during your stay. Rather carry a Xerox copy of your passport or an identity card with you.
– Try not to carry all documents, money, credit cards and other essential items and valuables in one bag or purse. If it is lost or stolen, everything will be gone and might be difficult to replace on short notice, especially passports and visa to return to your country of residence.
– Take off your name badge when leaving the conference centre.
– In heavily frequented tourist zones and the metro at rush hour, be aware of attemps of scam and pickpocketing.
– Do not respond to anybody unknown to you who comes up to you on the street engaging you in a conversation, no matter how safe they appear to be.

Smoking

Smoking is banned in all public places including all enclosed or partly-enclosed public areas.

Electricity & conversions

The standard voltage in Scotland is 240V AC, 50Hz. North American appliances need a transformer and an adapter; Australian and European appliances need only an adapter. Plugs have 3 square pins and adapters are widely available.

Time zone

Glasgow is in the British Summer Time (CET = GMT / UCT + 1). Daylight saving time applies from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October (CEST).

VAT

All purchases in the UK are subject to VAT, which increases the cost of an item by 20%. This is already included in the price shown in shops.

Emergency services

In case of an emergency police, ambulance and fire service can be contacted by telephoning: 999

For non-emergency health advice, please call 111.

Pharmacies are typically open from Monday to Saturday from 9.00 am – 5.00 pm. Visit the following page to find the open pharmacy in your district: https://www.nhsinform.scot/scotlands-service-directory/pharmacies

Getting around Glasgow

See you in Glasgow!