FutureID : Local Arrangements

Registration

Participants, whether paper presenters or observers, must make payment of the $200 conference fee by January 1, 2017. Please find below the banking details for payment of the $200 registration fee for the February workshop in Johannesburg.  As you know we are hosting this workshop without a sponsor.  These funds will be used to support participants who cannot cover the full costs of the event and to pay for a conference dinner.  Let me know if you do not have access to research or institutional funds to support conferences. 

Please ensure that your deposit includes the reference 4430-WISER and that you email proof of the deposit to Adila.Deshmukh@wits.ac.za.  We will then issue you with a receipt.

Account name: University of The Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, Social SCS and EDU
Bank: First National Bank of South Africa Limited
Branch: Commercial Accounts Services
Branch no: 210-554
Type of Account: Current Accounts
Account Number: 62150130575
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Bank Address: First National Bank, a Division of Firstrand Bank Limited
Bank City, Cnr Simmonds & Pritchard Streets
Johannesburg
Reference: 4430-WiSER

Venue

After much discussion of possible formats and venues, we have agreed that Johannesburg in mid-February next year will be a good venue. The workshop will be hosted by WISER at the University of the Witwatersrand on February 15—16, 2017.  Johannesburg is the transport hub for southern Africa, all flights have to pass through the city, and participants will easily be able to go on to other destinations. The city is also home to many researchers working in this field.

Funding

This workshop has no core organisational sponsor, and we are expecting that the great majority of the participants will be able to draw on their own funds to make the journey and take care of their subsistence in Johannesburg.  If funding is an obstacle, please let us know how much will be required for you to attend the meeting.  Similarly, if you know of likely funders, especially those who would be interested in supporting researchers from outside of Europe and North America, let us know.

Accommodation

We recommend that participants reserve rooms at one of the hotels in Rosebank—the Hyatt, the Holiday Inn and the Monarch Hotel are all within easy walking distance of the Gautrain station (which will bring you very quickly and safely from the Johannesburg airport). 

Organisation

The basic information for the workshop will be published on the bhalisa-list and the WISER and CR4D websites.

Transport

We recommend that you use the Gautrain to travel between the airport and the city. It is very quick, clean, efficient and possibly the safest space in the country. You will need to buy a card, which you can do in the Gautrain station, and load it with at least R340 (the cost of a return ticket). The journey between the Airport and Rosebank normally takes about 30 minutes. The Gautrain station is on the top floor on your right hand side of the Arrivals building. You will need to travel up two long escalators. It is signposted. The train travels via two other stops to Sandton and it comes to a standstill where you must get out. At Sandton take the escalators up one flight and take the train to Park Station, usually from Platform B. If in doubt ask one of the many security officers or another traveller. On a weekday these trains run frequently. You will leave the train at the next station (Rosebank); that journey takes about five minutes. At Rosebank you should leave using the North Exit which will bring you to the surface near to the Monarch Hotel. The Holiday Inn and the Hyatt are about 50 metres north of the exit, walking along Oxford Road. Uber works well in Johannesburg although it will require you to have access to data. Most Uber drivers prefer to pick people up from the Airport Departures Drop and Go of Terminal B which is the top floor of that building. (Arrivals are on the ground.) The fare will be between R250 and R300. If you don't have decent roaming it's probably a good idea to pick up a SIM card and some data when you arrive. You can do that from the Vodacom shop in the Arrivals Hall. It will cost you about R115 and include some airtime. Almost all South African shops and restaurants will use VISA and it's generally safe -- especially if you have pin and chip. There is 30 minutes of free wifi available from AlwaysOn at the airport. There are touts in the OR Tambo Airport arrivals area; they're not aggressive but you should not engage with them ...