today IDS Cologne Show Preview

Date 22–26 March 2011 Opening hours Daily from 9 am to 6 pm Admission Advance sale (ends 21 March 2010) Adults: €13 Reduced (Students/Children): €7,50 Two-day ticket: €17 Season ticket: €21 Regular sale (onsite) Adults: €15 Reduced (Students/Children): €8,50 Two-day ticket: €19,50 Season ticket: €25 Organisers • Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Dental-Industrie mbH • The Commercial Enterprise of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI) e.V. Realisation Koelnmesse GmbH Sector Health, Lifestyle and Facilities Messeplatz 1, 50679 Köln, Germany Tel.: +49 221 821-0 Fax: +49 221 821-3271 Web: www.koelnmesse.de Support services for physically disabled persons All areas of the exhibition centre are accessible for wheel chair users and disabled toilets facilities are located in every exhibition hall. If needed, wheel chairs can also be rented onsite from the Security Of- fices North and East. Requests will be answeredateveryinformationdeskin the exhibition centre. Visa All Non-EU foreigners require a visa for stays in Germany. However, a visa is not required for semi-annual visits of up to three months for nation- als of those countries for which the European Community has abolished the visa requirement. A complete list of these countries can be found on the Federal Foreign Office website at www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN. German missions usually require between two and ten working days to decide on an application for a short stay visa. Applicants should consult the website of the respective mission prior to their departure to find out about the visa procedure and about the documentation which has to be submitted. Flight service ThelargestGermanairlineiscoop- erating with IDS 2011 and offers dis- counted travel for international atten- dees. To make use of the offer, visitors are advised to use the code DEAPD for their flight reservation. Directions The exhibition centre in Cologne DeutzcanbereachedfromtheAirport through the suburban railway line S13 and other local train services. High-speed ICE trains also connect the airports in Düsseldorf, Frank- furt/Main, Amsterdam, and Brussels directly with Koelnmesse. Tickets can be booked in advance on the website of the German Railway at www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en. Leaving from main station, the exhibition can be reached by foot over the “Hohenzollern” bridge right next to the Cathedral or by ferry. Suburban railway lines S6, S11, S12 and S13 reg- ularly leave the Main Station towards Cologne “Messe/Deutz”. Taxis Cologne’s taxi drivers are obliged to apply the legally binding basic tar- iff of minimum €2,20 plus extra charges for each additional kilometre. These charges are subject the dis- tance, day or night time, labour day, Sunday or public holiday tariffs as well as waiting times. Drivers are not obliged to wait for more than 15 min- utes. For distances exceeding 65 or 69 kilometres visitors are advised to negotiate a flatrate with the driver. A tip is expected by most drivers. Köln WelcomeCard The Köln WelcomeCard allows for free public transport inside and outside Cologne. It also provides addi- tional offers and bonuses for attrac- tions such as the Phantasialand fun park in Brühl, SEA Life underwater world in Königswinter or the Roman glass factory in Linz/Rhein. Visitors can purchase the card at all tourist offices and in hotels. Prices range from €9 to €22 (24 hours) depending on the requested public transportion area. Money Since the beginning of 2002, the Euro has been Germany’s official cur- rency. They come in seven notes (five, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros) and eight coins (one- and two-euro coins and one-, two-, five-, 10-, 20- and 50-cent coins). Visitors can exchange their home currency money at many banks and post offices as well as foreign-ex- change offices which are primarily located in airports, train stations and most city centres. American Express and Thomas Cook/Travelex offices can also be used. Exchange rates are rather de- cent and rarely fluctuate. For the latest rates with all major curren- cies, however, check with your local bank or online at www.xe.com/ucc or www.oanda.com. Cell Phones Most countries including Ger- manyareusingtheGSMsystemwhich is not always compatible to foreign cell phones. Visitors are advised to check with their provider at home to find out if their phone is able to use these frequencies or “bands”. Local SIM cards are available in many locations; the largest providers of telecommunication services are T-Mobile, O2 and E-Plus. However, it may be more convenient getting this card prior to arrival. Taxes & refunds Prices for all goods and services include a VAT called Mehrwertsteuer, which is currently 19 per cent for reg- ular goods and 7 per cent for food and books.Incaseyoupermanentlyreside outside the European Union, you can have a large portion of the VAT re- funded, provided you shop at a store displaying tax-free signs sign and ob- tain a tax-free form for your purchase from the sales clerk. At the airport, you can show this form, your unused goodsandareceipttoacus-tomofficial before checking your luggage. The customs official will stamp the form, whichyoucanthentakestraighttothe cash refund office at the airport. Links  www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN  www.germany.travel  www.lonelyplanet.com/germany  www.howtogermany.com  www.gogermany.about.com  www.koeln.de/ cologne_tourist_information (Sources Koelnmesse, Kölntourismus/For more information about Cologne please also visit the website www.cologne-tourism.com.) service 15IDS Cologne—22–26 March, 2011 www.dosperevo.com 2011 Halle 10.2 T-030-U-031 AD General Information—International Dental Show 2011