While there is usually not a problem for international participants to
obtain a visa to attend the Plant and Animal Genome meeting,
the Organizing Committee is aware of growing problems and is
very concerned that scientists do not have any difficulty in getting a
visa to attend this and all future PAG meetings you desire to
participate in. Thus the conference organizing committee is offering
assistance should any potential problem arise. Those individuals wishing
a letter of invitation should provided a complete mailing address,
telephone and fax number; in a few cases, additional information may also
be requested. Each US Embassy (consular/visa section) in the country in
which the person wishing to come to the PAG meeting is currently working
in is the place the decision is made, e.g., if someone who is a citizen
of Freedonia working in a lab in the United Kingdom that person needs to
go to the US Embassy in London. If you are initially rejected, request a
written reason for the rejection and obtain the name and title of the
person who is in charge of the visa process at that embassy. Then send
this information with a request for assistance to the PAG.
Hans Cheng,(hcheng@msu.edu)
is the contact person for getting letters of invitation
to attend the meeting, which will assist in the application process.
For help and information and visa to the USA please check the following US Government web site: http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/
High Speed Internet Access
Besides having access to the Internet in the PAG Computer Room, there is high speed Wireless (WIFI) Internet access in the conference/registration area.
Starting in January 2005 The Town & Country hotel has added High Speed Internet availability in all the
hotel rooms. For PAG atendees the cost is a reduced price of $5 per day.
Special Diets
Those who have special dietary needs (e.g., vegetarian) should please note this on their registration forms. All efforts will be made to accommodate all requests. The Wednesday evening dinner banquet is a buffet and there is a wide variety of food available at the dinner banquet.
The Fashion Shopping Mall, located behind the hotel has improved substantially over the past few years and has a wide variety of shopping and stores. There are also a number of restaurants located in this mall, particularly in the upstairs (upper level) Food Court, most of which are inexpensive.
Getting downtown is simple thanks to the trolley line connecting the Fashion Valley Mall and downtown San Diego. The trolley makes it easy for conference attendees to go to downtown San Diego, as well as to other locations on the San Diego trolley system (such as south to the Mexican border). Trolley Transit passes cost US $5.00 for one (1)0 day, US $9 for two (2) days, US $12.00 for three (3) days, and US $15.00 for four (4) days and are available at the trolley stations.
United Airlines
, along with their code-share partners, US Airways and Air Canada, are the official airlines of the PAG conference. This means that any US Airways or Air Canada code-share flight (i.e., a flight operated by US Airways or Air Canada, but with a United Airlines flight number) will be discounted. You MUST call United Airlines to get the discount, even if you are flying a code-share flight. United Airlines is offering a 10% discount off the unrestricted mid-week coach fare when purchased 7 days in advance. United Airlines is also offering a 5% discount off the lowest applicable discount fare. United Airlines is now offering additional 5% discount to PAG-XIII meeting attendees if you book and ticket at least 60 days prior to the meeting. This increases the regular 5% discount on the low applicable fare to 10% (plus another 5% off the price of a full fare unrestricted coach fare). For further details on conference airfare discounts in the USA, please call the PAG travel agent, Rinis Travel, your local travel agent, or the United Airlines Meeting Desk (in the USA) at the toll-free number: 1-800-521-4041. The United Airlines Meeting Desk is open 7 days a week from 7:00 am to midnight EST. Outside the USA please call your local United Airlines office. The PAG conference code is: 556HR.Official PAG Travel Agent:
Babette
Rinis Travel
9517 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email: rts.travel@verizon.net
Phone: 1-301-587-1021
Fax: 1-301-587-3418
Meeting ID Code Number 556HR
For the PAG meeting the organizing committee has found a tour company, Enjoy California Tours which will offer tours of San Diego and the surrounding area. Due to the relative lack of interest in these tours in previous years, please contact the company directly if you want to take a tour.
For the PAG meeting two message boards will be set aside in the foyer area. These message boards will be for posting of job openings and for those looking for positions in the plant and animal genome fields.
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This page last updated Wednesday, 14-Sep-2005 17:29:17 EDT