Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2019/Guide

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2019
Belgrade, Serbia, 11–13 October
Broaden Your Capacity!

Welcome to Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2019 in Belgrade! On this page you will find some basic practical information regarding your stay in Belgrade and your participation in the conference. For more general information about travelling to Belgrade and to Serbia, compiled by our team, please look here.

Conference information

Time frame

The conference will consist out of the Learning Day which will take place in Hotel M, on October 10. Learning Day is organized together with the Community Development Team at the Wikimedia Foundation. These learning experiences will focus on developing and strengthening skills necessary for growth in the free knowledge movement and designed to engage learners from all stages in the Wikimedian work.

The main conference programme starts on Friday, October 11, at 9:30 (9:30 am) at Hotel M.

For detailed information on programme, look here.

Accommodation & meals

For grant-funded delegates, the conference scholarship covers four nights at Hotel M (from Thursday to Monday) and all meals from breakfast on Friday to dinner on Sunday. The same coverage applies to self-funded delegates staying at Hotel M. Self-funded delegates staying at other hotels should have breakfast at their hotels, at their own expense. Lunches and dinners will be provided as a part of the programme. Beside mentioned, participants will have two coffee breaks each day of the conference.

Registration & Information Desks

Registration for the CEE Meeting 2019 will be opened in the following timeframe:

day	time	place
Thursday, October 10	15:00 - 20:00	Hotel M
Friday, October 11	08:00 - 13:00	Hotel M

Information desk will be at the Hotel M all the time of the conference.

information e-mail: ceem2019@vikimedija.org
phone line for urgent assistance: +381607454772

Conference badge

You can pick up your conference badge, which comes together with CEE Meeting welcome package, at the Registration & Information Desk, starting from Thursday afternoon. Please wear your conference badge at all times while taking part in all of CEE Meeting's programme, including less formal evening events. Try not to lose it, but if you do, please visit the Information Desk as soon as possible.

Transfers

Bus transfers will be provided free of charge on Saturday for the city tour. Those can be used by all delegates. The conference badges will serve as tickets. The free transfers are:

Saturday, 18:00: buses departing from Hotel M
Saturday, 22:30: buses departing from city center (accurate location will be provided timely) to Hotel M
Saturday, 23:30: buses departing from city center (accurate location will be provided timely) to Hotel M

Friendly space policy & security

Taking into account that civility and assuming good faith are core principles of the Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia Serbia together with Hotel M expect all participants to abide to the Friendly Space Policy during all activities of CEE Meeting 2019.

In case of any participant is breaking the Friendly space policy or causing other troubles, please approach any of the conference Safety team members:

Internet access

Free internet access will be provided via wi-fi networks at Hotel M.

Addresses

Hotel M

Serbian name: Хотел М

role: main conference accommodation and venue for grant-funded delegates

address: Bulevar Oslobođenja 56a (Serbian: Булевар Ослобођења 56a)

coordinates: 44.7682139, 20.474102

public transport stop: FON or Mosorska (the hotel is in between)

lines from the Nikola Tesla Airport: A1 mini bus (route: Airport ‒ Slavija Square); buses 48, 47 (route: Slavija Square - FON or Mosorska)

lines from the Belgrade Bus Station: Tram 9 (route: Ekonomski fakultet - Karađorđev park), buses 48, 47 (route: Karađorđev park - FON or Mosorska)

Hotel Sterling

Serbian name: Хотел Стерлинг

role: alternative conference accommodation for self-funded delegates

address: Pazinska 31 (Serbian: Пазинска 31)

coordinates: 44.761772, 20.4782333

public transport stop: Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog

lines from the Nikola Tesla Airport: A1 mini bus (route:Airport ‒ Slavija Square); buses 48, 47 (route: Slavija Square - Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog)

lines from the Belgrade Bus Station: Tram 9 (route: Ekonomski fakultet - Karađorđev park), buses 48, 47 (route: Karađorđev park - Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog)

Side activities

Saturday afternoon, October 11, 6 pm: Participants will have organized city tour starting from 18:00 (6 pm).
Saturday night, October 11, 8.30 pm: Participants will have organized dinner at famous bohemian part of Belgrade - Skadarlija. Dinner with traditional music and drinks will be in restaurant Velika Skadarlija.

Other important information

Currency: Serbia uses its own currency called Serbian Dinar (in short: RSD). The current official exchange rate can be found here. One can exchange the currency in banks or in numerous exchange offices (Serbian - menjačnica). Most credit cards and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard) are usually accepted in most shops and restaurants.
Language: Serbian is the main language of Serbia. It is a South Slavic language, written in Cyrillic and Latin alphabet. English is most commonly spoken in Serbia. If you get lost in Belgrade, you should be able to find someone with at least basic knowledge of English very quickly.
Electricity: The voltage in Serbia is 220-230 Volts with a frequency of 50Hz. The electric socket used is the European CEE7/7 "Schuko" wall outlet, as well as its non-grounded equivalent, the European CEE7/16 "Europlug". If your equipment uses different sockets, please make sure that you bring correct adapters, as these are hard to find in stores in Serbia.
Climate: Our conference will be held in October, which is typically early Autumn in Belgrade. According to Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, the weather will be nice and warm. In Belgrade and the surrounding area, the average maximum air temperature in October will be around 19.5ºC. But bear in mind that wind Košava is very common for Belgrade.