D) Finance

1.) What do I have to pay?

You will have to pay for your travel and visa expenses. Accommodation during the conference and basic meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) will be provided by us. There is no participation fee for this conference. In addition, you will have free entry to all ISWI 2017 cultural events.

2.) Do I have to pay a participation fee?

No. There is no participation fee for ISWI 2017. You only have to pay your travelling and visa costs.

3.) How much money should I bring?

That depends on what you would like to buy. Accommodation, meals and festival events are free of charge for you, but you might want to buy some souvenirs or beer, juice and coffee at the student clubs while hanging out with friends. If so, we would like to stress that the standard of living in Germany is high. To give you an idea of the prices: a coffee is about 70 cents, a beer about 2 euros and a soft drink about 1,50 euro. These prices are taken from the student clubs on the campus, where everything is usually much cheaper than in other clubs or in restaurants.

4.) Is there any financial support by the ISWI 2017 Organisation Committee concerning the travel?

Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to give any financial support for your travel expenses. We are only a student organisation that tries to do its best in organising this conference. Thus, we depend on public funding from the German State and from private sponsors and foundations. It is hard work to get all the money to realise the conference. We hope that you can understand our situation, and that you kindly refrain from asking for such support. However, we can assist you by writing a letter of support if you plan to ask your university or local companies for a scholarship or sponsorship. Please contact us and tell us the details if you would like such support.

5.) Where can I exchange some foreign currency into Euros (in Germany)?

You can exchange your money in any bank in Ilmenau (banking hours are from Mo-Fr, 9 am – 4 pm), but, due to the schedule of the festival events, you probably won’t have much time to do this. We would also like to warn you that some banks do not accept some currencies. The US dollar is probably the most advisable and convenient foreign currency to carry and exchange if you do not carry any Euros. Be aware that you won’t get the full value back because banks charge about 5 Euro commission each time you exchange foreign currency, so it would be better to exchange all of the foreign currency you think you’ll need for your stay in just one transaction. We should also warn you that exchange centres in airports and train stations charge a higher commission than regular banks. ATMs (automatic teller machines) are available all over Ilmenau as well. In general, the best option is to withdraw money from a local ATM directly in Euros using a credit card or similar.

6.) What about traveller’s cheques, bank cards and credit cards?

If you plan to use traveller’s cheques instead of cash to exchange into Euros, we should warn you that the exchange rate for a traveller’s cheque is lower than that for cash, and that the “commission” system applies to traveller’s cheques too (see preceding question). You can avoid these commissions by using your bank card or credit card to withdraw money (if you withdraw money in Germany, the ATM will give it to you in Euros no matter the account currency). Master Card and Visa are widely accepted in Germany, and you can also use them (and your Euro Cheque bank card, if you have one) to withdraw money from the automatic teller machines 24 hours a day.

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E) The conference

1.) How many people applied for the last ISWI?

For ISWI 2015, we got more than 1800 applications from 123 different countries.

2.) In which workshop will I participate?

The final selection of your workshop will be made after your arrival in Ilmenau at the check-in, where you will register for the working group you will participate in. We will try to give you your first choice, but due to capacity reasons it is possible that we can only offer you your second or third choice topic. Note: You will only be able to participate in one working group during the conference.

3.) In how many workshops will I participate?

You will participate in only one of the three working groups you selected during the application process (see the preceding question).

4.) Can I change my workshop?

You can change your selected workshop during the registration after your arrival in Ilmenau.

5.) Can I hold a lecture during the conference?

You are invited to hold a lecture, give a workshop or start a discussion on a certain topic of your choice within the ‘Fair Fair’ on Wednesday, 17th May. In case you’d like to hold a lecture please prepare and bring all the material you need. Please inform us if you need any equipment.

6.) I have stated that I would like to hold a lecture. When will I be able to do so?

There will be the ‘Fair Fair’  on Wednesday, 17th May,  where you are invited to hold your lecture (see preceeding question).

7.) Where can I find information on the programme of the conference?

Here you can find more information on the programme of ISWI 2017 and a preliminary schedule.

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F) Your stay in Ilmenau

1.) What about accommodation and board during the ISWI?

We have a host program, where Ilmenau students and citizens voluntarily host the participants of our conference so that both sides can directly meet each other. Within the preceding conferences we made good experiences with this. Often, the hosts and the participants become close friends.
So, you will have a host who will welcome you and will try to make your stay in Ilmenau as pleasant as possible. During ISWI, you will live in your host’s house. Every participant will meet his/her host at the check-in.

2.) How will I find a host?

We will provide an online forum, where the participants and hosts can contact and find each other before the start of the conference. But due to our experience the most participants will find their host at the arrival in Ilmenau, where the Organisation Committee will assist every participant in finding a host. So don’t worry if you do not find a host before your travel. We will inform you as soon as the forum is online.

3.) How will the weather be and what to pack for ISWI?

Ilmenau weather can be very capricious. One minute, the sun may be shining and five minutes later, it may start to rain. So when you pack, bring both – clothes for warm and sunny as well as for cold and rainy weather. (If you want to pack light, remember you can always wear clothes in layers when it’s cold.) Bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes, too, if you plan to go hiking in the forests around Ilmenau or participate in the sports event.
The other important things you need, are listed below:

Required:

• passport (Make sure you have the necessary visa!)
• copy of all personal documents (passport, visa, …)
• ticket (flight and return flight)
• a sleeping bag (if you have one)
• money for your personal expenses
• sense of humour and an open mind

Optional:

• sportswear and shoes for in- and outdoor sport during the sports event. Please make sure that your indoor shoes have a light sole; not a black one.
• national costume and traditional music (for the International Dinner on Sunday)
• traditional food of your country (for the International Dinner on Sunday).
• lecture materials (If you want to give a lecture, be well prepared and if you need any equipment, let us know.)
• medication you might need
• comfortable and sturdy walking shoes (if you plan to go hiking on Thursday)
• musical instrument (if you like to play some own music, especially in the music group)
• camera (if you want to take photos, especially in the photography group)

4.) Am I insured during the conference?

During the whole course of ISWI 2017 you are insured. The Organisation Committee will provide you with free health-, accident-, and third party- insurance as well as legal protection. That fact also will be stated in your official invitation letter.

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G) Food

1.) Which kind of food will be provided for breakfast?

Breakfast will be provided by the hosts. If you have special wishes, please get in contact with them via forum.iswi.org. You can also discuss this with your host directly when you are in Ilmenau.

2.) Which kind of food will be provided for lunch?

The lunch package will not contain any animal products and therefore should suit everyone’s needs. Depending on the day, you will get a variation of bread and spread. Also, one day we have rice with dal and another day soup.

3.) Which kind of food will be provided for dinner?

For dinner we will provide warm meals in the Mensa (cafeteria of TU Ilmenau) and by the “Küchenkollektiv Leipzig”. It will be mostly without any animal products, but we will provide menus with meat on two days.

4.) I am allergic to some ingredients. Do you provide food-options for this?

We try to have lunch packages mostly without allergens. At dinner you can choose from 2 options. We tried to avoid having common allergens in both of them. Unfortunately it is not possible to provide gluten-free meals on each day. For any special needs please get in contact with info@iswi.org

5.) Why do you provide so many meals without animal products.

The (not only) German habit to eat meat everyday is neither sustainable nor healthy. Consumerism and nutrition is mainly responsible for ones “ecological footprint” (“meat atlas” (Heinrich Böll Stiftung)). Because of a global market, the resources of several countries are often used for cheap animal food production. We want to consider the impact of our consumerism as a everyday topic of “Global Justice”.

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H) Other

1.) I need a reference for applying for a sponsorship. Could you provide something like this?

Please send us an email to info@iswi.org with your detailed request (What do you need the reference for? What information should the letter contain?). Within a few days we will send you a reference letter.

2.) How can I contact other participants (from my country) (e.g. to arrange travelling together)?

To contact other participants (e.g. from your country) you can use different ways. If you have a Facebook account, you can join the ISWI-Group on Facebook and look for other participants of ISWI 2017.
The other possibility for contacting people will be the online forum that we will provide in due time. There you can ask questions, contact people (e.g. your future host), talk etc. But please do not discuss the conference’s topics in detail because other participants might not have the chance to take part in this discussion (e.g. due to bad Internet connection).

For data privacy reasons we cannot give you the contact of other participants. But we can give your contact data to the other participants of your country, if you allow us to do so. Then they can contact you. If you want us to give your contact data to the other participants from your country, you can write to info@iswi.org.

3.) How long does it normally take until I get a reply to my request?

We try our best to answer all your requests as soon as possible. But since we are all volunteers and organise the conference in our free time after our studies, it could take a few days up to a week until we are able to answer your request. We try our best to answer urgent questions immediately. Thank you for your understanding. Please don’t send your email more than once! It doesn’t make us answer faster.

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We tried to cover all questions. If there is something you would still like to ask, e-mail us at info@iswi.org and we’ll be happy to help you.