TECO-2010, Local arrangements, p. 1

W O R L D M E T E O R O L O G I C A L O R G A N I Z A T I O N

WMO TECHNICAL CONFERENCE ON METEOROLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION

TECO-2010

Helsinki, Finland, 30 August – 1 September 2010

Information on local arrangements

1.Venue of the Conference

At the kind invitation of the Government of Finland, the Technical Conference on Meteorological and Environmental Instruments and Methods of Observation, TECO-2010, will be held in Finland, Helsinki, Wanha Satama(“OldHarbour”) Exhibition Centre (Hall F), from 30 August to 1 September 2010. Map in the Appendix A shows the location of the venue in Helsinki.

The venue:

Wanha Satama Exhibition Centre

Pikku Satamakatu 3-5

00161 Helsinki

Finland

Phone: +358-9-173341

Fax: +358-9-17334444

Email:

Website:

Contact: Marja Pekkanen (tel. +358-9-1733 4250)

Local Organizing Committee:

Finnish Meteorological Institute

Erik Palménin aukio

00560 Helsinki

Finland

Email:

Website:

Contacts: Jani Poutiainen (tel. +358-9-1929 4140), Pauli Rissanen (tel. +358-9-1929 5760)

The opening ceremony will take place on Monday, 30August 2010, at 10.00 a.m. TheExhibition of Meteorological Instruments, Related Equipment and Services (METEOREX-2010) will be held from 31 August to 2 September 2010 at the same venue.

2.Interpretation

It is currently planned to conduct the Conference in English only.

3.Registration of participants

The registration for the delegates of TECO-2010 will take place at the Registration Desk, starting on Monday, 30August 2010, from 8:30 hours, and will be continuedthroughout the Conference. Delegates will receive identification cards at the time of registration.

4.Post, telephone and telefax services

Participants can be reached at the conference venueatphone number: +358-9-173341.Telephone and postal services will be available at the meeting place or in its vicinity.

5.Entry formalities

The entry to Finland of foreign nationals is subject to the provisions of the Finnish Aliens Act and the Schengen Agreement. All participants should possess a valid passport and/or passport replacing travel documents. Foreign nationals who need an entry visa are requested to apply for it from the nearest Finnish Diplomatic Representation. More details per country for acquiring travel documents to Finlandare provided by the Passport and Visa Unitof the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at enquiries about travel documents accepted by Finland and visa issues should be emailed to the Passport and Visa Unit ().

Enquiries about the progress of visa applications or about the application procedure itselfshould be made directly to the Finnish Diplomatic Representation concerned.

If, exceptionally, a personal invitation from Finland for attending the Conference is required as a precondition for getting a visa, please contact the Local Organizing Committee directly for making the necessary arrangements. Visas cannot be issued at the entry to Finland.

6.Currency, exchange rate, use of credit cards

The local currency in Finland is euroand is denoted by “€”.At present, the exchange rate is approximately:1 US$ = 0,75€. All major cards and traveler checks are widely accepted in Finland.

7.Hotel reservation

The Local Organizing Committee has made rooms available for TECO participants at hotels near the session venue (see AppendixA). Book your hotel room by contacting the hotels directly and refer to TECO/CIMO/METEOREX for special pricing. When using e-mail please attach your contact information and payment method.Late reservations will be subject to availability of rooms.Participants are responsible for their own hotel reservations; however, the Local Organizing Committee will help the participants if requested.

The hotel list is provided only as an aid to participants in making accommodation arrangements and the details it contains may be changed prior to the session without the knowledge of WMO or the Local Organizing Committee. All suggested hotels are situated a walking distance away from the venue and Helsinki city centre, and their locations are shown on the map (see Appendix A). The information on hotel accommodation can alsobe directly accessed on-line at or through

8.Travel information

To travel between the HelsinkiInternationalAirport and Helsinkicity centre one may take bus or taxi. At the airport, bus stops are situated in front of the terminals. Public bus service to and from Helsinki City is operated with bus line number 615, and the trip takes approximately 35 minutes.

The timetables are available on-line with theHelsinki Region Transport’s Journey Planner Service

One may also take a direct Finnair City Bus to and from downtown Helsinki. For timetables go to company website

Taxi journey from the airport to the centre of Helsinki takes nearly half an hour and costs about 35-40 €. The taxi stations are located right outside the arrival areas of the terminals. There are also three taxi operators at HelsinkiAirport that offer special taxi services, fixed fare shared taxi and tours and chartered drives.

More information for local trip planning from and to the airport can be found at

Additionally, from the close countries Helsinki city centre can be reached by train or boat. See Appendix A for the location of Helsinki Central Railway Station. Also some of the international boat terminals are seen on the map, i.e. “Kanavaterminaali”, “Makasiiniterminaali”, and “Katajanokan terminaali”.

9.Geography/Climate

Helsinki is located in the Northern Europe, and lies on the shore of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland). It is situated at about 60 degrees North Latitude and 25 degrees East Longitude. Climatological data for August/Septemberare as follows:

Mean temperature15,8 °C/10,9 °C

Maximum temperature19,8 °C/13,9 °C

Minimum temperature12,6 °C/8,1 °C

Mean humidity77 %/82 %

Mean monthly precipitation78 mm/66 mm

Average number of days with precipitation (>1mm)11/10

10.Useful links

The city of Helsinki:

Official tourism website of the city of Helsinki:

Many of WLAN hotspots in Helsinki:

All services of Helsinki city:

About Finland:,

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland:

The Finnish Government:

News in English, local and international:

On-line maps of Helsinki and Finland :

The public transportation authority in Helsinki area:

Journey Planner service for public transportation:

Helsinki International Airport:

The national airline:

Railway traffic:

Boating companies:

Weather forecasts:

Local weather radar and surface observations (Helsinki Testbed observation network):

Wanha Satama Exhibition Centre:

Currencyexchange rates:,

Hotels: (select link “Helsinki” and then “Accommodation”)

Shopping: (select link “Shopping”)

Restaurants: (select link “Eat & Enjoy”)

11.Information service

Further information on the local arrangements, hotel accommodations and other services canbe obtained from the Local Organizing Committee for TECO-2010. Please see document item “1. Venue of the Conference” for contact details.

Information on the programme and organization of TECO-2010 can be obtained from:

J. Duvernoy

World Meteorological Organization
Observing and Information Systems Department
P.O. Box 2300
CH1211Geneva2
Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 730 8217
Fax: (+41 22) 730 8021
E-mail:

Appendix A

LOCATION OF THE VENUE AND HOTELS

Address : / F Hall, Wanha Satama Exhibition Centre, Pikku Satamakatu 3-5, 00161 Helsinki, Finland.
The venue is 2,4 km away from the central railway station, and within walking distance from all offered hotels. Katajanokka area, where the venue is located, is best accessed by the tram number 4 or 4T from the central city. See the green line in the following image, or Journey Planner on the internet ( The suggested hotels have been marked in the image as follows: B = Best Western Katajanokka, S = Scandic Grand Marina, H = Hotel Haven, and E = Eurohostel.More on-line mapsare available at:

SUGGESTED HOTELS

Best Western Katajanokka ****

The old Katajanokka prison building is situated 100 meters from the venue. It is protected by the National Board of Antiquities and forms a unique setting for a hotel visit. The old prison cells have undergone a thorough transformation by modern interior design. Rates start from single 74€ and double 82€ /room/night including breakfast and VAT.
Bookings: tel +358 9686 450, fax +358 9 670 290, ,

Address: Merikasarminkatu1a, 00160 Helsinki, Finland.

Scandic Grand Marina ****

Originally a harbor warehouse the hotel charms the visitor with its character and setting. The hotel is set right by the harbor 100meters from the venue. Rates are for single 109€ and double 119€/room/nightincluding breakfast and VAT. Booking code BWAN290810.
Bookings: tel +358 9 16 661, fax. +358 9 166 6857,,

Address: Katajanokanlaituri 7, 00160, Helsinki, Finland.

Hotel Haven *****

Hotel Haven, Finland’s first member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World chain, is designed to provide homely warmth, exclusive comfort and high-quality services for the discerning guest. The hotel is conveniently situated in the attractive setting ofHelsinki’s Market Square only 10minutes walk from the venue. Rates start from single 146€ and double 176€ /room/night including breakfast and VAT.
Bookings: tel +358 9 681930, ,

Address: Unioninkatu 17, 00130 Helsinki, Finland.

Eurohostel

Eurohostel provides comfortable and budget accommodation in Katajanokka only short walking distance away from the venue. Rates startfrom 23€/person/night.
Bookings: tel. + 358 9 622 0470 fax. +358 9 6220 4747, ,

Address: Linnankatu 9, 00160, Helsinki, Finland.