A: Please register as soon as you know that your attendance is definite. This will mean that the conference secretariat will be able to send all the relevant documentation to you in good time before the conference, and your name will be included in the published list of participants. It will also mean that you have a guaranteed place - on occasions conferences do become fully booked and regrettably we do have to turn people away. However, if your attendance is not definite - i.e. you do not yet have your funding or entry visa finalized, please do not register yet,

A: If you are planning to attend the conference as a standard delegate (i.e. not a presenter), there is no deadline for registration. As long as space is available at the conference, you can register right up until the conference itself. Do check the homepage of the conference website for announcements about the conference being/becoming fully booked. However, if you know you are going to attend, we do recommend that you do it as early as possible. As well as ensuring your place, this will mean that the conference secretariat will be able to send all the relevant documentation to you in good time before the conference, and your name will be added to the published list of participants. If you are making a presentation at the conference, it is essential that you register according to the author registration deadline which is detailed in your acceptance correspondence. If you do not register by this date, your material will be automatically excluded from the final conference program.

A: If the conference is fully booked, this will be announced prominently on the homepage of the conference website. If there is no such announcement, we still have places available at the current time. If the conference begins in less than 2 days, please fill in the conference registration form, and bring this along with you to the conference in order to register on-site. If the conference is more than 2 days away, please pre-register in the normal way by faxing your completed form to the Secretariat.

A: On occasions, conferences do become fully booked, and therefore in order to avoid a wasted journey to the conference, please check the homepage of the conference website for announcements. If places are still available complete a conference registration form and bring this along to the conference with you. Please note that we do require full payment for on-site registrations, and that we will be unable to invoice your organization at such a late stage.

A: All registrations are acknowledged by email, or in writing if no email address is provided, and you will receive a confirmation letter and an information sheet giving details on how to travel to the conference and registration times etc. An invoice/receipt for your registration fee will be sent by airmail from the UK. Please allow approximately one week delivery time for airmail letters from the UK. We aim to process registrations as quickly as possible, and usually this is done within 7 days of receipt, but if you register over an author deadline or an early booking deadline, please be patient, as we experience high volumes of registration form submissions over these times, and delays can be experienced. Remember that registering in good time before deadlines means that you are dealt with promptly!

A: This could mean that either your form was not received successfully, and you are not registered, or that our confirmation documents have not reached you successfully. It is essential that you make urgent contact with the Conference Secretariat in order to check the status of your registration.

A: Please contact the Conference Secretariat immediately, informing them of the error, so that it can be rectified straight away.

A: Please let the Conference Secretariat know in writing, including any payment details, and subject to places being available, we will be able to get this amendment made for you.

A: No, if you are not sure that you can attend, do not register at this stage. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not attend the conference. This also applies if ...

A: This is usually not a problem. Please inform the Conference Secretariat in writing of your details, plus the contact details of the person who will be attending in your place. A substitution can then be made, and no extra charge or cancellation penalty is incurred.

A: Please contact the Conference Secretariat in writing in order to cancel the place fully. Cancellation terms will apply, and the cancellation charge will depend on the date of your cancellation - please refer to the Registration Information section of the website for details.

A: Not necessarily. Unfortunately, the cancellation terms outlined in the Registration Informationsection of the website apply regardless of the reason for your cancellation

A: We would prefer that you inform the Conference Secretariat in writing of your cancellation for our records, regardless of whether you are due a refund or not.

A: No, if you are unable to attend, you must let the Conference Secretariat know in writing. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. This is regardless of whether you have received your confirmation documents and is regardless of whether you have paid or not. If you have not received your confirmation documents, please let us know. Please refer to the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for the specific cancellation terms. Depending on when you cancel your place, you will be asked to pay 10%, 50% or 100% of the registration fee due. 100% cancellation charges apply if you book a place but do not show up at the conference. This also applies if you have not yet pre-paid but you cancel or do not attend (you will still be asked to pay the applicable cancellation charge).

A: Your registration fee must be paid in full by the date of the conference in order to ensure that you are allowed entry to conference sessions. In order to make the registration process as quick and efficient as possible for you, we recommend that you complete the registration form with your credit card details.

A: In order to expedite the registration process, please complete the registration form with your credit card details. Confirmation of your credit card payment along with registration confirmation documents will be sent to you by (air)mail. Please see the Registration Information section of the conference website for alternative payment methods.

A: If there is any way that you can pay by credit card, we do strongly recommend it, as it is the quickest and most efficient method of payment. However, if this is impossible, please see the Registration Information section of the conference website for alternative payment methods.

A: Please refer to the invoice/receipt which was sent to you as part of your registration confirmation pack. This document will contain any payment details which we received at time of registration, and will be marked "fully paid" if payment has already been processed. Your invoice may be marked "To be paid by credit card" which means that we have received your credit card details and at the time of mailing the invoice to you your credit card is in the process of being charged, and there is no further action required on your part. If you paid subsequently, and need to confirm receipt of your payment, please contact our accounts department in the Netherlands, quoting your invoice number and full payment details in order that they can trace the payment for you. (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)

A: This means that we have received your credit card details and, at the time of mailing the invoice to you, your card is still in the process of being charged. There is no further action required on your part.

A: Unfortunately, no, you still have to pay the VAT. Your institute may be exempt from paying VAT on goods purchased, but conferences are classified as a service supplied where performed, and therefore the VAT of the country hosting the conference must be charged. For further details please consult the current VAT Act - Articles 9 and 15 - The Sixth VAT Directive - sect.77/388 which defines the place of supply of services.

A: We are sorry that this has happened. Occasionally we do have problems with direct wire/bank transfers when they are sent to our account with very little accompanying details about what or whom the payment is for. On these occasions, the payment is in our bank account, but we are unable to settle the relevant customer's account. Similarly, this can happen with cheques and bank drafts which are sent to us from without related invoice numbers or delegate names. If you have received a letter from our accounts department in Amsterdam saying that your account is outstanding, please send full details of your payment - i.e. date made, payment method, organisation name, invoice number, plus any bank reference number for wire transfers, or cheque number to our accounts department, in order that your payment can be located and your account settled. (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)

A: In your registration confirmation pack, you will receive a confirmation invoice. This includes the full amount to be paid for your registration fee along with any relevant payment details received on your registration form. It may also be marked "Fully Paid" if your payment has already been processed, and this can be used as an official receipt for most purposes. If you require any other type of receipt document, please contact our accounts department. (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)

A: No, not automatically. Your confirmation invoice/receipt is sent to you with your registration confirmation pack by (air)mail. We may be able to provide a copy of this at the registration desk, but we would prefer that you ask for the document by email before the conference if you can, rather than on-site at the conference. If you require any further receipt documents, please contact our accounts department before or after the conference. (Delegates are reminded not to email credit card information in any circumstances.)

A: Information will be available on the call for papers section of the conference website. This will provide you with the relevant abstract submission deadline and submission guidelines, and it will also inform you if the submission period is not yet open, or if the deadline has passed and submissions are no longer being considered.

A: Abstract submissions must be done online using the abstract submissions system. Please see the call for papers section of the conference website for full guidelines. The system involves you filling in a simple web form with your contact and abstract details, attaching your prepared abstract and pressing submit. The whole submission process is very quick, and means that your abstract is automatically acknowledged and is added to the review system. You must format your abstract exactly according to the template and guidelines provided on the website. Please do ensure that you submit carefully and accurately, in order to avoid later revisions. In order that you receive your automatic receipt, it is particularly important that you input your email address accurately.

A: If you know for definite that it will be impossible for your material to be presented at the conference by yourself or a co-author/colleague if it is accepted, please do not make a submission. Only those abstracts to be presented at the conference by a registered delegate will be included in the conference program and abstract book. We do not allow abstracts to be published in the conference materials without an attending author.

A: Most importantly, do not resubmit your abstract at this stage! There may be a number of reasons why you have not received your receipt. There may be an email delay, there may have been an error in your email address field on the form, or your organisation may have blocked the message assuming that it is spam. You should generally receive your receipt quoting your reference number within two hours of submission, but please wait one day before contacting the Secretariat. If you still do not have your receipt, please do contact the Conference Secretariat in order to check the status of your submission. Important: Your submission is not valid until you receive the electronic receipt quoting your reference number! Please don't presume that we have received your abstract successfully until you have received acknowledgement of its safe receipt. If you contact us nearer to the conference enquiring about the status of your submission, and we have not received it, it may be too late at that ...

A: No, please do not resubmit your abstract online, as this will result in a duplication. Please send an email to the Secretariat explaining the revision, and attach the revised abstract. Remember to quote your abstract reference number.

A: The Conference Secretariat will be able to remind you of your abstract reference number, which should be quoted in future correspondence. In the meantime, please provide the Secretariat with the corresponding author's full name and the full abstract title(s) related to your query, in order for us to be able to trace your submission.

A: Your abstract will be sent for review by the Conference Scientific Review committee, in order to determine whether it is acceptable for presentation at the conference. This can take some time, and the date when we expect to be able to inform you of the outcome of review will be included in your electronic abstract receipt. Correspondence informing you of the outcome of review will normally be sent to you by email and hard copy mail. This correspondence will inform you of the details of your presentation format, registration information as well as instructions for the submission of your full paper.

A: Yes, if you are presenting an oral or poster presentation, it is absolutely essential that you register by the author registration deadline which will be detailed in your acceptance correspondence. The acceptance of your abstract is conditional on you registering to attend the conference. Your registration confirms to the conference organisers that you will be presenting your material at the conference, and without your registration we will presume that you are no longer able to present. If you do not register by the author deadline, your presentation will be automatically removed from the program. If the deadline is problematic for you for whatever reason, then please contact the Conference Secretariat in order to explain your situation, and in order that we can retain your material in the program.

A: The author registration deadline is set so that we can ensure that the final printed oral and poster programs and abstract book are as up-to-date as possible and include only the presentations which are actually going to be presented at the conference itself. This avoids having disruptive empty oral slots and empty poster boards at the conference set aside for authors who submitted abstracts but were ultimately unable to present.

A: Do not register for the conference, until you are sure that your funding to attend the conference is approved. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Rather than registering, and potentially cancelling at a later stage, please let the conference secretariat know your position, and let us know the date when you expect to receive confirmation of the funding application. This will mean that we may be able to provisionally keep your material in the ...

A: Do not register for the conference, until you are sure that your entry visa has been approved. Cancellation terms and conditions apply to your registration from the moment that you submit your signed registration form to us, as we will then be holding a place at the conference specifically for you. The conference organisers incur prepaid costs for each place booked, for example for your conference catering and for conference materials, regardless of whether you ultimately attend or not, which is the reason for the cancellation charge. In addition, if you book a place, and the conference becomes fully booked, you will be preventing someone else from attending the conference. Rather than registering, and potentially cancelling at a later stage, please let the conference secretariat know your position, and let us know the date when you expect to receive notification regarding your visa application from the relevant authorities. This will mean that we may be able to provisionally keep ...

A: Please let the Conference Secretariat know as soon as possible by email, in order that we can update your records and the conference program.

A: Unfortunately, no. Only those abstracts to be presented at the conference by a registered delegate will be included in the conference program and abstract book. We do not allow abstracts to be printed in the conference materials unless a presenting author registers to attend the conference.

A: Subject to restrictions being in place regarding presenters giving multiple presentations, it should be acceptable for your co-author or colleague to present your material for you. However, it is essential that you inform the Conference Secretariat of the name of the new presenting author before the author registration deadline, as your failure to register by the deadline will mean that your material is removed from the program.

A: No, the registration fee for the conference applies to each attending delegate regardless of the number of presentations made.

A: Full guidelines for the production of your poster are available on the conference website. Please contact the Conference Secretariat should you need a further copy of the guidelines.

A: Please refer to the conference oral program to see when your individual presentation will take place and its duration.

A: Please inform the Conference Secretariat if your presentation details need to be updated on the website. Please bear in mind that the website is updated periodically, but is not immediately reflective of each change to the program as it occurs.

A: In order that we can keep you fully informed, please complete the reply form on the conference website, or on the call for papers brochure. This will mean that we will be able to send to you information, such as the conference program and registration brochure when it becomes available. On the reply form, you can also request email updates, which is a good way for you to get the most up-to-date information. Due to data protection restrictions, we are unable to send you conference information unless you specifically request it using the reply form.

A: The fax number for the Conference Secretariat is in the UK. If you are dialling from the U.S.A., you will need to dial 011-44 to dial the UK followed by the fax number for the secretariat, making sure you omit the initial 0 of the area code. From Europe the code is 00 44 followed by the fax number, omitting the initial 0 from the area code. If you are dialling correctly, but are still not successful, please contact the secretariat by email or telephone in order to ascertain the problem.

A: No, we have found from experience that delegates prefer to make their own independent travel arrangements. In the age of internet bookings, it is easier and more cost-efficient for you to shop around and find the most convenient travel option for yourself. The conference organisers do not provide shuttles from the airport to the conference venue, but transfers by public transport are normally available and information on these can be found on the information sheet sent with your registration confirmation pack.

A: No, but the conference program will be available and updated on the conference website for you to print out up until the conference. The conference abstract book and final printed program, together with any late news items will be available for collection at the registration desk when you arrive at the conference.

A: If you are interested in exhibiting or sponsoring the conference, please contact the Conference Secretariat for further details of costs and availability.

A: As a minimum, you will receive the final printed program and conference abstracts plus a list of participants. You will also receive a name badge at the registration desk which we ask you to wear throughout conference hours for security purposes. Please see the Registration Informationsection of the conference website for a list of exactly what is included in your registration fee.

A: Due to data protection restrictions, we are prohibited from giving out these details. The list you receive at the conference will include the name, organisation and country of each delegate, but no further details. We recommend that you solicit business cards from contacts you make personally at the conference, and therefore recommend that you bring plenty of cards with you to the event. See http://hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980029.htm for details of the Data Protection Act 1998.

A: There is no specific dress code for the conference sessions. However, if you are attending a conference in a hot climate, please remember that the conference room will be air-conditioned. We recommend that you bring along a sweater or jacket for indoors. Similarly, unless a dress code is given on the website along with the details for any conference dinners or social events, then you are free to dress as you like.

A: Not a dress "code" as such, but we would just recommend that for your presentation you wear something with either a lapel or a buttoned front in order that the wireless lapel microphone can be clipped on properly. Also, it is important that oral presenters do not wear a neck-scarf or anything which may interfere with the lapel microphone.

A: An official accommodation option is always included on the conference website once the registration period is open.Please see the Location section of the conference website for details of how to make a booking. Please note that you should book early to guarantee availability and any special conference rate.

A: If you are unsure whether you need a visa to attend the conference, please check with your local embassy or travel agent. If you do, it is essential that you begin the process as soon as possible, in order that you obtain your visa in time for the conference or registration deadline. Visa application procedures for entering many countries, and in particular the USA, have become stricter and more complex following recent terrorist activities, and therefore it can take much longer to process your application than anticipated. Subject to certain conditions, we can provide a standard invitation letter to assist you with your visa application, and this should be requested from the Conference Secretariat. We do ask though that you submit your own application to the relevant authority and follow up accordingly. Unfortunately the Secretariat is unable to follow up your application on your behalf or enter into correspondence directly with consulates. The invitation letter simply invites you to ...

A: Yes, the conference information and registration desk will be staffed throughout conference hours for queries and late registration.