2010 Internet Measurement Conference


Internet Measurement Conference 2010
Sponsored by ACM SIGCOMM and ACM SIGMETRICS and
in cooperation with USENIX

November 1-3, 2010
Melbourne, Australia



 


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IMC2010 Local Arrangements

Visas

       
Visitors to Australia typically require a visa.   As detailed on the Department of Immigration site, the ETA (AUD$20) and eVisitor (free) visas will allow passport holders from Europe, North America, and a number of other countries to obtain their visa online, with 2 weeks processing time.  Other passport holders will require a Business - Short Stay (Subclass 456) visa (AUD$105). This cannot be lodged online and requires longer processing times (allow 6-8 weeks).  To support the application for a 456, candidates should obtain proof of conference registration from the ACM. Invitation letters from the Chair are not normally required. However, if you do need a visa support letter, please send an email to supportletters@acm.org.



Accomodation

The conference will be held during the horse racing season's Spring Carnival, an extremely busy time for hotels in Melbourne. In fact, Tuesday 2nd November is a public holiday in honour of the racing highlight, the Melbourne Cup. It is strongly recommended that hotel bookings be made as soon as possible.

Conference Hotel

The conference hotel is the Crown Promenade, a 4.5 star hotel a pleasant 15-20 minute walk across the Yarra river and downstream of the conference venue (see their zoomed map). It is about 10 minutes walk across the river from the Southern Cross railway station.

A block of approximately 200 room-nights covering the Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 inclusive, at a conference rate of AUD$252, are available. These are Standard King rooms and some Standard Twin.  Further nights at the conference rate are possible, subject to availability. Breakfast is not included. Internet access (both wireless and wired) is complementary for IMC delegates.

Booking can be done directly through this weblink, or by telephone (+61 3 9292 6688) or email (reservations@crownpromenade.com.au). Please note that rooms not booked by October 17 will no longer be guaranteed!  the web based reservation will cease working on this date, and although telephone and email bookings will remain open, they will be subject to (unlikely) availability.

Other Hotels

The conference venue is in the heart of Melbourne and there are a wide variety of hotels to choose from. The following (selected by a proprietary algorithm) are worth looking at if the conference hotel is not suitable.

**** Medina Executive Northbank          [ very close to buses to the MEL airport ]
**** Hotel Rendezvous                          [ very close to venue, a `grand' hotel ]
**** Riverside Serviced Apartments       [ city views ]
**** Clarion Suites Gateway                  [ city views ]
**** Park Regis Griffin Suites                [ a bit further, but direct tram access to venue in one direction, beach in the other ]
***  Magnolia Court Boutique Hotel         [ a bit further, but very nice ]
***  Georgian Court Bed and Breakfast   [ a bit further, but charming ]

Alternatively, this site may prove useful. It gives room rates and availability for multiple dates and multiple hotels on a single page. It does not cover all hotels but the selection is wide, and is clickable. Note that accomodation under 4 stars is hard to find in the city centre, the 3 star options above are a little further out (40 mins walk, or 10mins + tram).



Travel Information

Arriving From Overseas

Australia, being an isolated continent, has a very strict quarantine regime, which can result in long customs queues. To avoid problems, bring absolutely no food or anything suspiciously organic.

Duty free is available on arrival, before reaching immigration, at both Sydney and Melbourne.

Melbourne Airport [MEL]

Melbourne Airport is relatively small and efficient. After negotiating immigration and customs (if arriving direct), just walk straight ahead, step outside, and you will be close to taxi ranks and the `Skybus', which stops at the Southern Cross railway station not far from the conference hotel, and then drops off at a number of hotels including the Crown Towers hotel which is in the same complex as the conference hotel.  There is no rail link. 

The trip to the Central Business District or CBD (this is what we call downtown) is about 30mins.  The taxi fare will be close to AUD$50 one way, and the Skybus about a third of that.

Navigating Downtown

Central Melbourne has the world's largest tram network (and a simple underground rail loop).  Moving between hotels, the conference locations, and central attractions can be done on foot or by tram.  Useful maps for finding the conference venue and moving around the CBD on foot can be found here.



The Conference

Conference Venue

The conference will be held in the BMW Edge which is part of Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne, by the Yarra River and many of the city's main landmarks such as Flinders Street Station.  The square itself is a sculpted urban landscape with a video-wall which functions as a focus of the city during major events.  It is a good option for breakfast and emergency coffee breaks and has free public WiFi.

To find it (see map), enter Fed-Square from Swanston Street and walk up and past Cafe Chinotto (which actually looks into BMW Edge), then downstairs, or alternatively enter the glass Atrium from Flinders St and go straight ahead to the end.

fedsquare_screenshot.png

The venue is a unique space with transparent walls and embedded metal latticework, as can be seen from this quicktime virtual tour. It overlooks the river and from the river's edge appears as a glass cube. It is a well known venue in the city and often hosts televised events. For cricket fans: the MCG is visible from inside the auditorium through the east wall.

The screen used for presentations has a resolution of 1024x768.  Presenters are requested to use their own laptops, and if this is not possible, to contact their session chair and/or local organisers well ahead of time.


Cocktail Reception

This will be held within the BMW Edge auditorium.  There is a transparent elevated walkway contouring the space which looks out over the river as well as a large adjacent outdoor terrace.

Banquet

To be held at the Blue Diamond, a jazz/caberet club on the top floor of a highrise in the middle of downtown, from 7pm to midnight on Tuesday November 2nd.  There is a wrap-around balcony which gives a unique avantage point into the skyline, particularly at sunset. The evening will include a buffet style dinner, and from 9:30pm, live entertainment in two sets. Partners are welcome to participate for AUD$90. A cash payment will be required (correct change please).




View the Larger Map




The City of Melbourne

Climate

The average [min, max] temperature for the beginning of November is [8.7, 20.8] Celcius  ([48, 69] Farenheit), but the variability is quite high, so it is best to prepare both for summer and cool weather.  Current conditions related to La Niña suggest that temperatures will be above average.

Weather forecasts and Rain radar are provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. An entertaining and useful view of weather conditions in central Melbourne over the last few days up to the current minute is hosted here.

The City

Melbourne is the most European of Australia's major cities, and generally regarded as the cultural, sporting and culinary capital. It has a population of around 4 million, and is well known for its multicultural character, gardens, cafe culture, festivals, understated outlook, and `3 seasons in one day' weather. It lies on the banks of the Yarra River and the northern shore of the very large Port Phillip Bay, and enjoys a mix of Victorian, Art Deco and modern architecture (well, and 60's too..).  There is far too much to talk about or see, but here are some of the obvious things to look out for, starting roughly from the centre of town. To find out "what's on in Melbourne", take a look at thatsmelbourne.

Across the river from the conference are the Royal Botanical Gardens, Arts Centre, Southgate Precinct and the Eureka Tower, the cities' tallest building and owner of its best view. The Melbourne Aquarium, across the river from the conference hotel, is very good and the preferred way to get close to sharks. The Italian quarter is just to the north - take any tram up Swanston St to the University of Melbourne, then walk a couple of blocks east to Lygon St. A few more blocks gets you to Brunswick St (but it is best to take tram 112 from the city centre) a very lively district full of bars and restaurants.  In the other direction, tram 16 on Swanston Street will take you in south to the beach, the sea baths and the amusement park in St Kilda in 25 minutes.  St Kilda defies description - you just have to go. Be warned, the water is not warm! and for surf you will have to travel much further to the ocean side of the bay, however diving in the bay is quite interesting with seals, sea horses, dolphins, wrecks, rays, coral, lots of fish..... 

Melbourne Zoo is excellent and has just seen two baby elephants arrive.  It is close to the centre and can be reached by tram and train. Ballooning at sunrise over the city and suburbs happens almost every day of the year, and is fantastic (imagine contouring the skyline).  Yes you can still be back in time for the sessions! Finally, since the city will be stopping in the middle of IMC for the Melbourne Cup and Federation Square will be buzzing with it, details of the Spring Racing Carnival are here for any racing and fashion enthusiasts.

It is very easy to eat well in Melbourne, but if greater certainty is needed, the Age Good Food Guide is well respected.  The side streets and alleys in the downtown area are full of hidden bars, cafes and restaurants if you feel like exploring.  As for coffee, it is becoming a national obsession. Ask for a `flat white', a kind of high density latte and our favourite drink.

And Beyond

For those having a little more time to look around,  here are three classic Victorian destinations not too far from Melbourne. Many more will be listed on the official tourist site for Melbourne and Victoria.

Healesville Sanctuary is a zoo specialising in native animals an hour to the east of the city. All the wierd creatures you have heard about and a lot of others you haven't can be found here.  You can get there by public transport and you won't regret it.

The Great Ocean Road is Australia's version of California's Highway 1.  It begins an hour to the south of Melbourne near the iconic surfing destination Bells Beach, and goes west for as long as you want, taking in the Twelve Apostles along the way.

Wilson's Promontory National Park is another place where native animals can be easily seen, this time running wild. It is a beautiful geographic anomaly which forms the southernmost point of mainland Australia, some 3 hours to the south east of Melbourne. It has some of the purest beaches on the planet.

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