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Useful Information

Weather
October is the best month for weather conditions in Shanghai. Typically, it is neither hot nor cold - just the perfect time to stay and visit in Shanghai and elsewhere in China. The average temperature in Shanghai in October is 18°C (66°F). The average highest temperature is 22°C (72°F) and the average lowest temperature is 15°C (59°F).

Customs
Information about Chinese customs is available from your local Chinese Embassy or Consulate or your travel agency.

Insurance
The Congress Organizers recommends participants to possess travel, property medical or other necessary insurances before coming to China. The INTER-NOISE 2008 Congress Organizers cannot be held responsible for the costs resulting from personal accidents or property loss during the Congress.

Currency Exchange
The currency in circulation in China is the Chinese yuan, or RMB yuan, whose international standard abbreviation sign is CNY. 1 CNY consists of 10 jiao (dimes) or 100 fen (cents). The denominations of the Chinese yuan in bank notes are 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100 CNY. Participants can exchange their currencies at airports, major hotels and banks in China. The exchange rate will be given daily by the Bank of China. Currently, 1 EUR can be exchanged for about 10 CNY. All currency exchange receipts should be saved in case participants want to exchange RMB back to their own currency. Banks may demand to see the original exchange receipt.

Food and Drink
Dining-rooms with different styles are located in the Shanghai International Convention Center and neighboring hotels. These restaurants provide Chinese food, Western food, and Islamic food 24 hours a day. Coffee houses and Bars in the Center will also serve attendees. Participants can taste many kinds of Shanghai style food at restaurants in the vicinity of the Center

Water
It is not recommended to directly drink the water from the tap in your hotel room. If you want to drink cold water, it is best to order or buy bottled water, mineral or distilled. Avoiding the ice cubes being made from tap water is also recommended.
Upon request, hotels will provide containers of hot or chilled drinking water in the sleeping rooms at no extra cost. Hotels will also provide an electrically heated kettle to boil water from the tap in your room. The boiled water can then be stored in a vacuum thermos for drinking. Some hotels also provide a special tap in the lavatory that delivers a flow of purified water for drinking or taking medications.
This advice also applies to your pre-Congress or post-Congress travel in others cities in China, such as Beijing, Xi'an and Guilin.

Voltage, Socket and Plugs
The electrical current in China is 220-volts, 50Hz A/C. Hotels generally provide wall sockets in every room, accommodating both the standard “Flat blade attachment plug (Type A)” and common “Oblique flat blades with ground (inverted V) plug (Type I)” as well as the not-so-common “Round pin attachment plug (Type C)”as shown in following photographs

Wall socket	Type A plug	Type I plug	Type C plug

Language
The Congress working language is English.

Projectors
Overhead projectors and computer-aided projectors (for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations only) will be available. Mac computers will not be available for PowerPoint presentations. Mac users can connect to the computer-aided projectors if they bring their own computer and connecting cord.

Poster Display Board
Each poster presenter will be provided with a vertical surface to mount their poster presentation. The area available for the poster is limited to a rectangle 245 cm tall by 95 cm wide. Each board will host one poster, and it’s recommended that each poster use the standard size of 120 cm tall by 90 cm wide. Poster materials must be legible from a distance of two meters. Lettering in text and figures should be at least 5 mm, and the heading should be at least 10 mm. The title of the paper, the authors, and their affiliations should appear near the top of the poster in letters approximately 25 mm high.

Arrival in Shanghai

Taxi
Shanghai has several big taxi companies that have their own color schemes. Dazhong Taxi Company paints their cars sky blue, Qiangsheng orange, Jinjiang white, Bashi green and Nonggongshang blue. Of the taxi companies, Dazhong and Qiangsheng are the best. Taxi service is available at Shanghai Pudong International Airport the whole day. The cost from the airport to the selected hotels is about 15EURO, or RMB 150 Yuan enclosed the extra highway fee 10 Yuan/car. Please do ask for the receipt from the driver. Payment should be made in RMB cash. You can use the ATM's or bank offices at the airport to get change. It is not customary to tip drivers. Please pay strictly accordingly to the meter in the taxi.

Shuttle Bus
You can take the airport shuttle Line 5 or 6 (running from 8:00am to 23:00pm at the No. 9 exit of the airport) to the Dongfang Hospital. From there, it will be a short taxi ride to the hotel (RMB 15).

The LOC of INTER-NOISE 2008 have selected 7 hotels near the Shanghai International Convention Center (SHICC). LOC will arrange Congress shuttle bus between the hotels and the SHICC during the Congress.