General Information

Latest News

18 19 21 23 September: The printer-friendly PDF version of the Final Programme has been updated and is available for download.

12 September: The printer-friendly PDF version of the Final Programme is available for download.

Venue

The 10th FISV Annual Meeting (FISV 2008) will be held from 24-27 September 2008 at the Fierecongressi Conference Centre, Riva del Garda, Trento, Italy. Detailed information about the Conference Centre is available at the Centre's web pages. Detailed information on Getting to Riva del Garda (including FISV's shuttle bus service) will be available here.

WiFi connectivity

A wireless internet connection (WiFi) will be available at the meeting. Pre-paid cards for 1, 4, and 8 hours will be available at the front desk for 5, 10, and 20 EUR, respectively. The duration of each card is intended as the cumulative duration of actual online connections: upon disconnection, the countdown stops until the next login. Cards are linked to unique username-password combinations and, by Italian law, are non-transferrable.

Registration Desk

The registration desk at the Conference Centre opens on Wednesday, 24 September, at 10:00.
Sarà possibile registrarsi al Congresso a partire da mercoledì 24 settembre alle ore 10.00, presso il Centro Congressi.

FISV 2008 Secretariat, from 23 September:
Segreteria del Convegno dal 23 settembre:

Official language

The official language of FISV 2008 is English. When preparing an Abstract or a Poster, you may use American or British variants, but please be consistent.

If you are a speaker, please remember that most people in your audience are not native English speakers - speak clearly (whether or not English is your native tongue) and not too fast.

Registration

Registration for FISV 2008 includes the following steps, available through our main Registration Hub, where additional information is available.

• Step 1. PRE-registration of your personal data (name, affiliation, address, etc)
  You will need to enter this data only once; it will be used in subsequent steps and even in future FISV events. You will be able to update this data at any time.

  If you have completed this step in previous years, jump straight to Step 2!

  If you are an Invited Speaker or a Session Organiser, your data (at least in part) is already in our database—please don't create a new entry.

  Remember that a password can always be retrieved from our automated system, either from any of the Login screens or via the Additional Services page; instructions will be sent to you by e-mail.

• Step 2a. Registration for the meeting itself
  You will be able to select whether to attend the meeting for a single day or for the entire duration of the event. Registration fees and mode of payment are indicated below. The registration is processed online but is only considered definitive upon receipt of a printed copy. Print a copy of your registration, add proof of payment or a cheque (see below), and send it by mail to:

  Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso
  Via Nomentana 935
  00137 Roma
  Italia
  

• Step 2b. Accommodation
  Hotel reservations are handled by Rivatour, through their online service:

  • In Italian
  • In English
  For additional information, please contact Rivatour directly at (+39) 0464 570370.

• Step 3. Abstract Submissions
  You are strongly encouraged to submit a presentation for one of the Minisymposia or one of the Special Interest Subgroups. Abstracts are submitted exclusively through our online service. You will be able to choose whether to be eligible for an oral presentation or ask to be considered only for a poster presentation. The online abstract submission pages will be open from 18 June 2008. The deadline for abstract submissions is 12 July 2008, 17:00, Italian time.

  Invited Speakers should submit their abstracts directly from the Daily Programme pages. Simply locate your presentation in the programme, click the 'upload abstract' icon, and follow the instructions. If you need assistance, contact us by clicking here.

  Detailed instructions for the abstract preparation and submission are available below.

Meeting registration fees and mode of payment

The registration fees for FISV 2008 are shown in the table below.

NB. Registrations received until 12 July benefit from the early bird discount; the corresponding payment must be received within 15 July — if payment is not received within this date, registrants will be charged the full fee, irrespective of their registration date.

The following modes of payment are possible:

• By credit card

  This year, we offer two methods of credit card payment.

  • Paper-based

    Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted. In the printed copy of your registration form (see Step 2a, above), write clearly your credit card data (name, 16-digit number, expiry date) and sign it before sending it by mail to:

    Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso
    Via Nomentana 935
    00137 Roma
    Italia
    

  • Online

    Mastercard, Visa, and other pre-paid cards such as Postepay can be used to pay for your registration using the PayPal service.

    Upon registration (see Step 2a, above), a confirmation e-mail is sent to you; this message contains, among other information, a reference number. Simply enter your registration's reference number below and click CONTINUE.

    
    
    Ref. No.:   
    
    

    NB. To process the payment of more than one registration, please contact us by e-mail with the list of registrations. We can issue a "batch reference number" to cover the individual reference numbers.

• By bank transfer
  Upon registration (see Step 2a, above), a confirmation e-mail is sent to you; this message contains, among other information, a reference number. Please do not process your payment without this reference number — thank you for your cooperation. Remember to indicate clearly that the transfer refers to 'FISV 2008', and include your name, surname and reference number; e.g., [FISV 2008: Mario Rossi, abc123].

  NB. Any transfer charges must be covered by you; i.e., the final amount transferred into the account below must reflect the exact amount due. Bank transfers should be processed using the following data:

  To process the payment of more than one registration, please contact us by e-mail with the list of registrations. We can issue a "batch reference number" to cover the individual reference numbers.

  Fond. Buzzati / FISV
  (C.F. / P.IVA 01104580186)
  Banca di Roma
  IBAN IT08B0300205030000003328830
  (BIC/SWIFT: BROMITR1216)
  

  Include a copy of the transfer receipt when mailing the printed copy of your registration form to:

  Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso
  Via Nomentana 935
  00137 Roma
  Italia
  

• By cheque
  Cheques from Italian banks are accepted. Make the cheque out to 'Fond. Buzzati / FISV' and send it with the printed copy of your registration form to:

  Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso
  Via Nomentana 935
  00137 Roma
  Italia
  

Grants

Meeting attendance grants are available for individuals who meet the following criteria:

• register for the full meeting

• are less than 30 years old

• fall in the Student category
  (Italian studenti, dottorandi, specializzandi, tirocinanti, borsisti, neolaureati, or other internationally recognized students up to and including Ph.D. level)

• are the first author of a presentation

• do not have other sources for meeting fees

Grant requests must be accompanied by

• a printed copy of the presentation abstract

• a certificate regarding the requester's position and unavailability of other meeting attendance funds, printed on official letterhead and signed by the responsible tutor or professor (a template, in Italian, is available here)

and must be submitted with the printed copy of your registration form (as well as proof of payment or a cheque) before 12 July 2008 to:

Grant requests will be awarded by the Organising Committee. Awardees will be notified by email for the reimbursement details.

Accommodation

Hotel reservations are handled by Rivatour, through their online service:

• In Italian
• In English

Travel

Detailed information on Getting to Riva del Garda (including FISV's shuttle bus service) can be found [here].

Posters

Poster presentations may be submitted for Special Interest Subgroups or any of the themes on this year's Oral Communication Sessions—please check the Programme to see the full list of available themes. Abstracts for the presentations are accepted exclusively through our online service (see Step 3. Abstract Submissions above) and will not be considered if received after the deadline. Each contributor can only submit one abstract as first author. Those who submit an abstract to Special Interest Subgroups need to register for at least one day (24 September).

The Organisers of each Oral Communication Sessions will evaluate the submitted abstracts and select a restricted number to be presented orally; some abstracts may be selected for inclusion in regular Parallel Symposia. The selected authors will be contacted by e-mail during the first week of August with details regarding their presentation. If you do not feel like giving an oral presentation, please check the 'poster only' option during your abstract submission. Accepted abstracts (for poster or oral communications) will be listed online after 4 August 2008.

NB. All accepted presentations should be presented as a Poster; i.e., even if your abstract is selected for an oral presentation, you are requested to present a poster ALSO.

The accepted abstracts will be published online and in the FISV 2008 Proceedings book, to be distributed to each registered participant. If, for whatever reason, you do not wish to have your abstract displayed online before the beginning of the meeting (24 September 2008), please remember to indicate this during your abstract submission.

The presentation title should not be longer than 120 characters, and the abstract text should not exceed 1200 characters (spaces included in both cases). More detailed information is available directly from the submission form — please read the guidelines carefully before submitting your abstract.

When preparing a Poster, remember that the available area is 120 cm (height) by 90 cm (width). Please indicate your presentation number clearly; this number will be available in the Poster lists (as soon as they are published online).

Help desk

Having doubts about something? Don't panic: if you need any help, we'll be happy to assist you.

• For information on the scientific contents of the meeting,
  please contact Daniela Chiaramonte at the FISV secretariat:

• For information regarding board and lodging in Riva del Garda, fellowships and reimbursements,
  please contact Giuliana Boera at the Fondazione Adriano Buzzati Traverso:

• For information on submitted abstracts, correction requests, and technical problems,
  please contact the FISV2008 Web HelpDesk:

Presentation Guidelines

• ORAL PRESENTATIONS
  General
  All conference rooms are equipped with computers for the presentations. The software available includes Microsoft PowerPoint, both for Microsoft Windows XP and Macintosh OS-X. Speakers must manage their own presentations, either from the available computer or from a personal laptop. Traditional slide projectors will not be available.

  Presentations should be in English, unless all the attendees at your session are Italian. Please remember that most people in your audience are not native English speakers - speak clearly (whether or not English is your native tongue) and not too fast.

  Invited Speakers
  The format of your presentation (duration and discussion times) should have been communicated to you by the organisation. For any questions, contact your Session Organiser or the FISV secretariat:

  Oral Communication Sessions
  Unless specific arrangements have been made by your Session Organiser(s), the standard FISV 2008 oral communications in Oral Communication Sessions (ex-Parallel Minisymposia) should be 15 min: 12 min for the presentation itself and 3 min for discussion. Please remember that all speakers in these sessions are requested to present a poster also—see below.

• POSTERS
  Posters should be prepared to fit the available panel surface (height, 120 cm; width 90 cm) and will be on display at the permanent exhibition area. Please indicate your presentation number clearly in your poster; this number is available in the Poster lists (as soon as they are published online). You are expected to be present at your poster according to the following schedule:

  • Themes 1-7 & Special Interest Subgroups:
    Thursday, 25 September, 14:00-16:00
    
  • Themes 8-13:
    Friday, 26 September, 14:00-16:00