IESS 2007 - Location, Travel and Hotel Information
The conference will be held in
Irvine,
Orange County, in Southern California (USA). The conference venue is:
Beckman Conference Center
The Beckman Center is located on the campus of the
University of California, Irvine (UCI).
National Academies of Sciences & Engineering
100 Academy
Irvine, CA 92612
Directions to the center can be found on the
Beckman
Center Website:
The Beckman Center provides free parking for all conference attendees.
Complementary wireless internet access is available at the center.
Irvine is located on the California coast
between Los Angeles and San Diego.
It is about 5 miles inland from the coast (Newport Beach) and about 45 miles
south of Los Angeles.
Irvine can be reached by air via the following airports:
John Wayne airport (named after the actor who lived in Newport Beach; also
called Orange County or Santa Ana airport) is the closest and most
convenient airport. It is only 5 minutes away from the conference center and
hotels. SNA is not an international airport but is served by all major
US airlines from their domestic hubs and major cities in the US.
The Long Beach aiport is about 25 miles away (to the north, half way towards
Los Angeles) from Irvine. It is located right off the 405 freeway. A taxi cab
from/to LGB will cost about $45 (one way).
LAX is the closest major international airport. It is about 45 miles north
of Irvine along the 405 freeway (however, keep in mind that traffic on the 405 can be very
heavy, esp. at peak times). A taxi cab to/from LAX can be $100 or more.
However, there are several shuttle services running from LAX (e.g.
Super Shuttle). No reservations
necessary from the airport, shuttles can simply be boarded from one of
the van stops right outside of baggage claim. A one-way shuttle ride from LAX
should be around $50.
Please make sure to check whether you need a visa to enter the United States. Visa policies and procedures can be found on the website of the U.S. Department of State.
We have reserved blocks of rooms with
guaranteed rates in two hotels. In order to book a room in either hotel,
please contact the hotels directly and make sure to
mention
that you are with the "IESS" group/meeting when booking (in
case of questions or problems, feel free to contact the local arrangements
chair, see below):
The hotels are both close to the John Wayne (SNA) airport. Complementary
self-parking for IESS guests with (rental) cars is included in the rates.
Otherwise, both hotels offer a free airport shuttle from SNA and scheduled
shuttle service to the conference center (in the morning) and back (in the
evening). In addition, for the
social event a shuttle between hotels, conference center and event location
will be provided.
Address: 18700 Mac Arthur Boulevard; Irvine, CA 92612 (directly across from SNA airport, in walking distance)
Phone: +1-949-833-2770 or 1-800-544-3012,
Fax: +1-949-757-1228,
Email: reservations@atriumhotel.com
Rate: $99/night, including breakfast buffet; internet access and phone package for extra $9.95/day (noon to noon)
Rooms must be booked no later
than May 23, 2007 to guarantee rate. Standard hotel cancellation policies
apply (must be cancelled by 4pm on date of arrival).
Address: 4545 MacArthur Blvd.; Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone: +1-949-833-0570 or 1-800-333-3333 (Radisson central line),
Fax: +1-949-833-3927,
Email: Reservations@radissonnewportbeach.com
Web: Online
reservations (make sure to use promotional code IESS)
Rate: $119/night, including breakfast buffet and free DSL internet access
Rooms must be booked no later
than May 8, 2007 May 18, 2007 to guarantee rate. Standard hotel cancellation policies
apply (must be cancelled by May 27).
In addition to those two official conference
hotels, there are many hotel choices in or around Irvine. UCI provides a
list of hotels with which they have negotiated a special UCI
rate. Note that in all cases, rates are not guaranteed and based on availability.
If you prefer a hotel other than the ones listed above, please contact the
hotels directly to confirm rates, check availability and reserve/book rooms
(make sure to mention the "UCI" rate, if available).
Some of the more notable other local hotels are:
Most local hotels (including all conference
hotels) will provide a free shuttle service to/from Orange County airport
(SNA). Fare-based shuttles are available from/to Los Angeles airport
(LAX), see above. In addition, as part of the conference, free shuttle
busses will run between the conference hotels, the conference center and the
social event.
To get around Orange County outside
of the conference scope, a (rental) car is the best option. All major
car rental agencies are available at all the airports.
Public
transportation is limited to a network of busses run by the
Orange County Transport Authority (OCTA):
Some general information about Irvine and
Orange County can be found in the following sources:
Closest hotel to the conference center (10-15 minute walk).
Close to the South Coast Plaza
shopping center (see below).
Close to the beaches, part of Fashion Island (see below).
Some specific highlights in terms of local attractions are:
The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is about 20 miles inland from Irvine.
It includes the Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure
theme parks.
Orange County is at the heart of the so-called California Riviera with a
beautiful coastline and many nice beaches.
The closest beach is Newport Beach.
A particular nice area is Laguna Beach.
Orange County has many shopping centers. One of the biggest (3rd largest in
the US) and most famous malls is
South Coast Plaza,
an upscale shopping center with many luxury and ultra-luxury brand boutiques
and (flagship) stores.
Another popular mall with many shops, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. is
Fashion Island.
Finally, there is the Irvine Spectrum center,
a more entertainment-oriented mall with a large (IMAX) movie theater.
The weather in Orange County is typically very pleasant and almost always sunny and warm. Conditions should be dry with temperatures in the low 70s (Fahrenheit, around 21° Celsius) during the day and in the high 50s (around 14° Celsius) in the night.
In case of questions, concerns or comments about any of these issues, please contact the local arrangements chair Andreas Gerstlauer.
Copyright: webmaster@iess.org. Last update: 8. May 2007