Since I have received many enquiries about UNICA 2009, I would like to share with you my impressions, from a meeting with the organising committee that took place between 16th and 19th April in Danzig.

Danzig was and is a fantastic city, and spending a few days there is an experience. Danzig is a jewel and would be worth visiting even if there were not a UNICA there. I’ve seldom known such a city.

I am confident that each participant in UNICA 2009 will come back with impressive pictures. I can only say, that if you let yourself embrace the fascination of this city, you will never regret it.

Congress building:

The Philharmonic Hall can hold far more people than normally attend UNICA. The premises are generous, have fantastic acoustics, and put simply are an ideal place for a large event. The Philharmonic lies not far from some of the hotels, that were selected for the UNICA Congress.

Hotels:

The visited hotels are very attractive. The prices depend on how close the hotel is to the congress centre and its quality (star-rating). I realise that today’s financial situation requires us to consider carefully in which hotel and at which prices we want to sign-up.

The list circulated gave hotel prices in Złoty. Since at the moment there is quite considerable fluctuation in exchange rates, I recommend you to explore these yourself at your bank to clarify the hotel costs. Please do the hotel reservations only by e-mail to office@eventlux.pl

This organisation will then send you the confirmation of your reservation and will ask you for the payment. Please transfer only Złoty, (i.e. instruct the bank to transfer the sum in Złoty, even if a Euro amount has been quoted.)  Differences in prices are charged against you and could be quite large. If you do not have e-mail, you will surely find a friend, who can do this for you.

Congress card 200 Euro per person

You must also order the congress card by email from: unica@unica2009.pl - the address of the organising committee in Warsaw. On the registration form you can find details of the various charges and how to transfer the money.  I realise you may find this a bit complicated. However different countries, different customs ...

Taxis in Danzig

Taxis are relatively cheap.  From the airport to your hotel or to the Philharmonic will cost you about 70 Złoty (a ½ hour trip). Taxis in the city are really reasonable.
 
Clothing

Danzig is basically an "old" city. So, there are many streets and footpaths, where cobblestones have been restored, just as in the past. I suggest you do not bring shoes with very high heels!!

Danzig lies not far from the sea. There may be some breezes from there, so take that into account when choosing what clothes to bring. Maybe a windbreaker would be useful in case of need.
 
Meals

The food is very good and there is ample opportunity to find meals at a good price. However, there are superb gastronomic restaurants like DOM POD Lososiem, for example, which boasts a quite exceptional atmosphere. This is not cheap, but the quality and the ambience is exceptional.

Money changing