Venue

Welcome to Oulu!

The city of Oulu is located in Northern Finland approximately 550 kilometres north of Helsinki, by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of the Oulu River, which is an ancient trading site. The city was founded in 1605 by King Carl IX of Sweden and has been a provincial capital since 1776. The name Oulu comes from a word in the Saami language meaning floodwater. Oulu has been the capital of Oulu province since 1776. From being a town known for tar and salmon, Oulu has evolved into a growing modern center of competence Oulu has a population of approximately 140,000, making it the sixth largest city in Finland. What sets Oulu apart from other Finnish cities is its youthful age structure: there is a constant influx of students and job applicants, and nativity has always been high in the region.

Up to the end of the 19th century, Oulu was a significant center of the wood tar trade. Tar was exported throughout Europe, where it was used mainly for waterproofing wooden ships. In the 1860s Oulu had the largest fleet of merchant ships of any Finnish city.

Today, Oulu is considered one of the most significant centers of competence in Northern Europe. A significant amount of high technology know-how, especially in the field of mobile communication, has concentrated in the area. The City of Oulu, the Capital of Northern Scandinavia, is the community of 140 000 people. It combines Northern hospitality, nature and culture with modern technology. The Oulu Region also has a lively cultural climate.

Today Oulu is internationally known as a city of technology. Cooperation between enterprises, research, education and public organizations has produced significant results. Today Oulu is a major center of competence in the field of high technology, particularly IT and wellness technology.

For more information about what to do, see and enjoy in Oulu please visit the City of Oulu website and the website of the Oulu city tourist office.

You can find the map of Oulu here

About the University

The University of Oulu (Oulun yliopisto in Finnish) http://www.oulu.fi/english/ was founded in 1958. It has six faculties with a total of approximately 17,000 students and 3,000 staff, making it the second largest university in Finland. The University of Oulu is an international research and innovation university engaged in multidisciplinary basic research and academic education. The fields of Information Technology; Biosciences and Health; Cultural Identity and Interaction; and Environment, Natural Resources and Materials have been defined as special research focus areas. The University of Oulu also cooperates closely with industry and commerce and has connections with hundreds of international research and educational institutions.

Conference Venue

The university is located 20 minutes from the center of Oulu. You can find information for visitors here

You can find the university on the map of Oulu here 

The main section of the NPCW will be held in the main building of the University of Oulu (University of Oulu, Linnanmaa Campus  Saalasti Hall  http://www.oulu.fi/english/about-us/Linnanmaa

For your convenience, inside the university building there will be signs to help you find workshop rooms, places for coffee breaks, lunches and other facilities.

Use the entrance 2T when arriving to the Tutorial Days in room TF103 and the entrance P when arriving to the NPC workshop.

Equipment

The presentation rooms are equipped with a PC, data projector and speakers. The PCs run Windows XP and are equipped with a DVD-ROM drive, USB port, Microsoft Office package, Internet connection and media player software supporting common audio and video file formats.

Using your own laptop with the data projector should also be possible. There will be technical support personnel to help if needed. If you require additional equipment or specific software, please let us know well in advance.

It is always a good idea to have a backup copy of your presentation in case things go wrong.
 
Each presenter will have a board and a table for their poster/software demonstration and handouts. The maximum size allowed for posters is 141 cm * 120 cm (width*height). Pins will be provided.

Please let us know in advance if you wish to use your laptop during the poster session so that we can provide the outlet. The standard European plug system with two circular metal pins is used in Finland. The voltage is 230V, 50 Hz. There is also a free WLAN network, panOULU, available at the university as well as in the city centre and at the airport. For more information, see: www.panoulu.net

There is a free recharging station for mobile phones at the university main hall. The station is suitable for various mobile phone brands: Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens and SonyEricsson.

Accommodation

All hotel reservations should be made directly to hotels, quoting the conference code for that hotel. All the prices are per night. Please note, that rooms must be reserved before August 5th. We cannot guarantee any accommodation after that.

Preliminary room reservations have been made at the following hotels:

Radisson BLU Oulu

Radisson BLU is located in the city centre, next to the marketplace and on the sea shore. The hotel offers high-speed Internet connections to its guest, free of charge.     

	Address: Hallituskatu 1, 90100 Oulu Tel. +358 (0)20 1234 700 Fax: +358 (0)20 1234 740  Room rates are: Standard Single 98€ Standard Double 108€

The rooms can be booked by email sales.oulu@radissonblu.com with conference code NPCW2013More information http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-oulu

Holiday Inn Oulu

Holiday Inn Oulu is located in the city centre, next to the Ainola park and the cathedral. Shopping streets like Rotuaari pedestrian street and many interesting sights can be found near the hotel. Cosy interiors, guaranteed efficiency, international-class comfort and excellent service ensure a pleasant stay for guests.

	Address: Kirkkokatu 3, 90100 Oulu Tel. +358 (0)8 883 9111 Fax: +358 (0)8 883 9100 Room rates are: Standard Single 99€ Standard Double 124€

The rooms can be booked by email oulu.holidayinn@restel.fi with conference code NPCW2013.
More information http://finland.holidayinn.com/hotellit/oulu/en_GB/oulu/

Hotel Cumulus OULU

The Cumulus Oulu is a cosy hotel for a pleasant business or leisure visit. Our friendly personnel ensure a good stay in the cheerful Cumulus environment.
Special rooms: allergic, disabled, combi, superior, extra beds

	Address: Kajaaninkatu 17 90100 Oulu Tel:+358 (0)8 882 7111 Fax:+358 (0)8 882 7299 Room rates are: Standard Single 97€    Standard Double 117€

The rooms can be booked by email oulu.cumulus@restel.fi  with conference code NPCW2013
More information http://www.cumulus.fi/hotellit/oulu/en_GB/oulu/map

Distances:
To the Center 150 m
Bus station 300 m
Railway station 200 m
Airport 16 km
Pedestrian Street Rotuaari 400 m
Tietomaa Science Centre 500 m

Forenom Hotel Oulu (a low budget accommodation)

Make yourself at home in one of 36 individually decorated guestrooms, all offering free Wi-Fi and dining areas. You'll be within minutes of sights like Tietomaa and Toripolliisi Statue.

	Address: Rautatienkatu 9, Oulu, 90100 Finland

You'll appreciate amenities like multilingual staff, tour/ticket assistance, and express check-in.
More information and bookings http://www.hotels.com/ho383986/forenom-hotel-oulu-oulu-finland/http://www.hotels.com/ho383986/forenom-hotel-oulu-oulu-finland/#maps

For individual accommodation arrangements, see Oulu tourist information at http://www.oulutourism.fi/en/

Getting to Oulu

By Air
The quickest way to get to Oulu is by air. Oulu airport is the second busiest in Finland, with flights from Helsinki arriving throughout the day. The operators between Helsinki and Oulu are Finnair and Norwegian.
The airport is located approximately 15 kilometers from the city. Bus number 19 bus runs between the airport and Oulu town centre. The route is Linnanmaa – Oulu centre – Oulunsalo – Airport. The bus runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and once an hour on Saturdays and Sundays, stopping on request at all bus stops along the way. The journey costs approximately 5€. Taxi to the city costs approximately 30-35€.

The following companies fly to Oulu either directly or via Helsinki:
Norwegian Airlines: http://www.norwegian.com
Finnair: http://www.finnair.com

By Train
The railway station in Oulu is located in the city centre, and there are many connections to a number of Finnish cities. Travelling to Oulu from Helsinki takes just under 6 hours on the Pendolino trains and approximately 7 hours on the InterCity. Tickets cost approximately € 150 (return). You can buy tickets from VR’s website, from railway station, from retailers or from train conductors.

The Finnish Railways http://www.vr.fi

By car
From neighboring countries (Norway, Sweden and Russia) it’s possible to come to Finland by using own or rented car. From Sweden and Norway you can cross the border anywhere if you don’t have anything to toll. From Russia you have to cross the border at official crossing place and you need to have valid passport and visa to enter Finland.

Oulu is well connected within the Finnish road network and can be easily reached by car. Most of the major car rental agencies are represented in Finland. From Helsinki to Oulu you get easiest by choosing main road 4. Speed limits vary from 50km/h to 120km/h.
Some car rental agencies:

Avis
Budget   http://www.budget.fi/gb
Europcar  http://en.europcar.fi/
Hertz  http://www.hertz.fi/rentacar/reservation/home

You can also arrive by  bus:
http://www.expressbus.fi

Local transportation:
Information of the local bus routes: http://www.koskilinjat.fi/etusivu/103-etusivu/1510-briefly-in-english and http://www.linjakas.fi/

Busses number 4, 5, 6, 7, 16, 19 and 22 drive from the center to the university. Timetables for bus routes between the center and university: http://www.koskilinjat.fi/aikataulut/paikallisliikenne/selected-timetables-13-8-2012-2-6-2013 

You can order a taxi from number +358 600 30081. The closest taxi stop is University of Oulu, taxi stand 2.

Practical Information
Weather in Oulu
Owing to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, Finland's climate is temperate. Summer in Finland is warm, bright and exhilarating. The daytime temperature in June–August is usually between +15 and +25°C, and in June the weather is mostly sunny, but occasional raining is also possible. In June there is daylight around the clock, for at its lowest the sun is only just below the horizon.

Survival Kit

Maikkula Estate
The workshop reception is held in Maikkula Estate, mansion by the Oulu River. The Great Barn (Liiteri) offers a chance to celebrate large and elegant occasions. Candles and flower centerpieces on white or flaxen tablecloths create an elevated party atmosphere.