Dear SIEF2023 Conference delegate

This email aims to help you reach a summery and social Brno, the capital of South Moravia, Czech Republic’s second-largest city and within it, the reception desk of SIEF2023 - either at OREA Congress Hotel Brno, Křížkovského 458 on 7 June or the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1 on all other days! 

What to pack for Brno

• Your presentation files on a USB or other portable device (or just the USB stick, no files, if you’re planning to write it all on your trainride 😉)
• Some cash in local currency Czech crowns (Kč/CZK) 
• Video adapters (if you need to use an Apple to deliver a presentation)
• Plug adaptors for European standard electrical sockets (if you are from an alternative-socket-land like the UK/US)
• Your water bottle (please write your name on it for losing purposes)
• Rainwear, umbrella (if you don’t bring any, it will rain)
• Sunscreen (for playing hooky from panels at the beer gardens)
• Insect repellent (if you are going to the countryside afterwards)
• Dancing outfit to blend in with all the other trendy folklorists and ethnologists on Saturday night’s party (you’ll need to have booked a ticket)
• What not to bring: Beer and wine (they have plenty)

Where to go and when?

If you arrive on Wednesday, 7 June with time to spare before the opening, go to your hotel first, leave your luggage there, freshen up and then figure out the best way to reach OREA Congress Hotel Brno, Křížkovského 458 no earlier than 14:00 when registration opens (see Travel page for map and transport info). If you come early, we can offer welcoming hugs, but no badges, books or bags! If your arrival time is closer to the beginning of the night’s events at 17:50, you may prefer to come straight to OREA. If heading out from the train station, take Tram #1 going towards Bystrc, get off at Mendlovo náměstí (stop), then change to bus #84 towards Stará osada (stop Křížkovského) and you’ll be 100m from the hotel. Walk down the road and take the first left, then you’ll see the hotel. 

Alternatively, you can take Tram #2 from in front of the mains station at Hlavní nádraží towards Modřice and get off at Poříčí stop. The hotel is then a 10 minute walk away: follow the road down and turn right into Poříčí/Route 42, follow that main road until you take the second right and the hotel will be further down that street on your right. 

The reception desk and the congress office (NomadIT) will be located on the ground floor of the OREA Congress Hotel on 7 June. The opening keynote lecture and the welcome drinks reception will take place on the same floor.

If you arrive on Thursday or later, you will need to head to the main venue: Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1. The heart of the conference will be Building D: Reception desk will be there on the ground floor, publishers will display their books in Room D21 and coffee/tea will be served in Buildings D and B. The congress office for NomadIT will be in room D33 on Floor 3, easily accessible from the Reception area by elevator. 

Coming from the central station to the university, you can either take tram #4 (headed for Náměstí Míru) or #12 (headed for Technologický park) from the Central station tram stop Hlavní nádraží. Tram #4 stops at Obilní trh, #12 at Grohova, both just near Arna Nováka 1.  

Congress team

There is a team of helpful volunteers, familiar with the programme, the venue and the surrounding area that you can turn to when in need of assistance. The volunteer team members can be identified by their t-shirts carrying the SIEF2023 logo.
Reception desk hours

• Wed 7 June: 14:00-17:45 (OREA Congress Hotel Brno, Křížkovského 458, ground floor)
• Thu 8 June: 08:00-18:00 (Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1, ground floor)
• Fri 9 June: 08:00-18:00 (Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1, ground floor)
• Sat 10 June: 08:30-15:00 (Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1, ground floor)

Congress office (NomadIT) hours

All financial arrangements must be dealt with in the Congress organisers' (NomadIT) office.  room D33 on Floor 3, easily accessible from the Reception area by elevator.

• Wed 7 June: 14:00-17:45 (OREA Congress Hotel Brno, Křížkovského 458, ground floor)
• Thu 8 June: 08:00-18:00 (Room D33, Floor 3, Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1)
• Fri 9 June: 08:00-18:00 (Room D33, Floor 3, Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1)
• Sat 10 June: 08:30-15:00 (Room D33, Floor 3, Building D, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1)

Once you've reached the Reception desk, the student volunteers will check if you have registered and paid your conference and membership fees, and if all is in order, hand you your badge, your book and your bag. You can then go on to enjoy the conference. 

If you are still to settle your fees - membership and conference.

Please try to pay your fees by card before the end of this week! If this is not possible, please bring what you owe in cash (EUR) to the Congress office when you arrive.

Congress venues

On 7 June everything will take place at the OREA Congress hotel and nowhere else, so please don’t go to the university on the opening day!

8-10 June, all panels, workshops, roundtables and Working Group meetings etc (except for plenaries!) will take place at the main venue: Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1.

Plenary events on Thursday and Friday (8 and 9 June) will be held at University Cinema Scala (Univerzitní kino Scala, Moravské nám. 127, 602 00), located at Moravské náměstí in the basement of building 127/3 in Brno-střed.

On Saturday, 10 June, all events (except for the farewell party) will take place at the main venue (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1), including the keynote lecture by Andrea Pető and the Closing Roundtable on Precarity in rooms B2.13 (the main lecture hall for the keynote) and C33, D22, B2.43 (relay rooms). 

LUNCH - IMPORTANT! 

As we all know from our ruminations on the congress theme, uncertainty can be upsetting and inspiring at the same time. When this congress was planned, the world still trying to ditch COVID and comprehend the new war in Europe, we were cautious with estimating attendance, doubting delegate numbers would rise beyond 500. Yet here we are, on the eve of the congress, looking at 977 registrations, which is so heartwarming! - and yet so challenging, as the lunch venue has but 300+ seats 🫣! 

In order to make sure everyone gets to eat, we have had to divide you into 3 groups for lunch and use two venues. One group can have lunch at the canteen 13:00-14:00, the second can have lunch at the canteen 14:00-15:00 and the third will be served a boxed lunch at the main venue. 
The group you have been assigned will be indicated on your badge, but we will also email you your allocation beforehand.

• On Thursday, 8 June, Group 1 will eat 13:00-14:00 at the canteen (Academic Canteen, Moravské náměstí, Moravském nám. 617/9), Group 2 14:00-15:00 at the canteen, Group 3 will be served boxed lunch at the main venue (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1).
• On Day 2, Group 2 will eat 13:00-14:00 at the canteen (Academic Canteen, Moravské náměstí, Moravském nám. 617/9), Group 3 14:00-15:00 at the canteen, Group 1 will be served boxed lunch at the main venue (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1).
• On Day 3, Group 3 will eat 13:00-14:00 at the canteen (Academic Canteen, Moravské náměstí, Moravském nám. 617/9), Group 1 14:00-15:00 at the canteen, Group 2 will be served boxed lunch at the main venue (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1).

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU JOIN THE RIGHT GROUP AT THE RIGHT TIME - we’d like to avoid food waste and queues. Please do not alter your lunch destination at whim, as volunteers will have been instructed to check the numbers on badges and direct everyone to their intended destination. We thank you in advance for your patience, kindness and support in making this work. 

Conference party

The farewell event takes place in the centre of Brno, at the Brno Market Hall (Zelný trh 14–16, Brno, 602 00) on the final night of the congress (10 June), starting at 20:00. 

The tickets sold out a long time ago, but as some colleagues will be keen to sell and others buy, NomadIT will be running a ticket exchange at their office in room D33 on Floor 3 of  building D, at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1.

WiFi

Please use your Eduroam credentials, if you have them, as Eduroam wireless internet is available at Masaryk University. If you do not have Eduroam credentials, connect to MUNIguests network using password: MUNIguests.

Printing

If you need to print your paper, boarding pass or other documents, or have to make photocopies, this can be done in the print shop not far from the main venue at PowerPrint Brno at Gorkého 3. https://tiskarna.powerprint.cz/nase-pobocky

Certificates of attendance, receipts of payment

Some funding bodies and institutions require proof of attendance at an event from the delegate they have funded. We do not automatically print these for all delegates, since many do not require them and the papers are easily crumpled/lost on the homeward journey. Every attending delegate can download a signed, headed PDF stating their involvement in the conference (panels convened, papers presented) from the login environment on our website, after the event is over. Just go through your conference details in Cocoa and click on the "C" icon behind the paper/panel title.  If, however, such a PDF really is not acceptable to your administration, please come to the NomadIT office during a quieter moment to request a printed and pen-signed certificate, and we will be happy to supply one. Same goes for Receipts of payment.

Quiet room and working room

Room C32 in Building C is a quiet room, meant for those who need to overcome anxiety, to meditate or simply sit in quiet contemplation. 
Please note - you cannot work on your computer in the Quiet room! 

Delegates who need to use the internet or do some work on a computer may use the computers in the D2TYM7 at the main venue.

Parent and child room 

For feeding a baby or getting one to fall asleep, please head to Building C, C31.

Those presenting

Presenting at conferences often creates stress for participants – we assure you that there is no need to be worried, as our student team will be around to sort out the technology and NomadIT will be hovering over them to troubleshoot tricky tech. Please go to your panel rooms 15 minutes before the session starts, to upload/download and check your files. Mac users should bring the special Mac adaptor along. 

Those convening/chairing

Please be a little early for the start of your panel as your colleagues will want to upload their presentations and our team member will be ready to help you connect your device to the data projector etc.

Strict time-keeping is crucial to any good conference, and is one of your responsibilities - please ensure each presenter gets their fair share of the time, and do not overrun the breaks. In the interest of those who wish to listen to specific papers, please try to keep to the division of sessions/papers that is indicated in the printed programme, even if there are further withdrawals. We have placed a laminated sheet in each room with some 'Guidelines' on chairing which we recommend reading.

Timing of papers/sessions

Sessions are 105 mins long with up to five papers per session, some fewer. It is up to the convenors of each panel to decide how much time they want for discussion, how long papers can be (we recommend 15 mins if there are five papers) and if they want papers or powerpoints pre-circulated. 

SIEF2023 Audiovisual programme

SIEF2023 Audiovisual programme will take place in room C34 at the main venue, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1
The audiovisual section of the SIEF2023 closely follows and sensorially reflects the conference theme Living Uncertainty and structured according to the following sub-themes: Sensory Landscapes, Future Unfolds, Witnessing Uncertainty, Identities in Transformation, Body and Intimacy.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, who will be on-site in person. Please find all details and film descriptions on the dedicated Audiovisual Programme page. 

Events and meetings

We recommend reading through the congress timetable on the website already now, starring all events and meetings, as well as panels, that you wish to attend. You can do that by logging into the SIEF2023 from the Login link in the upper left corner and navigating to the timetable. Once you’ve starred your ‘event menu’ for the congress, clicking on the star next to the button for participants will filter the day's view to show just the things you've starred! If you wish to add such items to your calendar, so as to get reminders, you can do that by using the blue calendar icons on the right side. 

• Working Group members - note your meeting times on the evenings of Thu and Fri
• Mentors and Mentees - we will be getting in touch with a separate email to detail plans for the Mentorship programme
• Everyone - we heartily recommend that you all try to take part in one of the amazing workshops organised by the Local Committee (see details in the Programme) on Thursday and Friday:
• Earthen architecture – the return of a lost building tradition
• (Re)design of processing nettle fibre
• Everyone - take note of evening events and meetings, including the SIEF 19:00-20:20 Journal reception and SIEF2021 special issue launch on Thursday (with drinks!), but also the wonderful Young Scholars plenary taking place after the General Assembly on Friday!

Contact details

• Congress phone number: +37255958560 Triinu Mets
• Congress email: congress@siefhome.org
• Conference website: https://www.siefhome.org/congresses/sief2023/
• Emergency Services: 112
• City Taxi +420 777 014 004

Making use of your portable device

Given that the programme went to print a while back and many withdrawals and room swaps have occurred since, you should treat it more like an honest attempt at writing a fantasy novel than an accurate timetable. We’ll be adding a corrections sheet to the book to indicate some of these errors, but as changes may keep occurring even during the conference, please go to SIEF2023 panel pages on the website for the most recent, updated information.

For a quick reference as to when and where a particular panel or event is taking place (including how many sessions it has), always look at the Timetable. You can also see the date/times/location of any panel when viewing that panel or lab page from the All panels view.

If you find the book inconvenient to carry around, we recommend downloading the PDF version.

Conference news will be posted from SIEF Facebook and Twitter (@siefhome) accounts - so make sure you like/follow those. The conference hashtag is #SIEF2023.

So, this is it, I’ll be leaving you to your preparations, echoing Miss Black in Astrid Lindgren’s Karlsson flies again: ‘I must go and do my hair and bath and have my face done and a manicure, and then I’m going to try out my new foot-supports. You have to look nice when you’re going to appear on television.’ Just as true of a SIEF congress.

Safe travels, see you soon!
Fondly,
Triinu, with Carlotta, Johann Sander and Rohan (SIEF2023 NomadIT team)