About the Venue:

University College London
Gower Street
London WC 1E 6BT
London, UK
+44 (0)20 7679 2000
www.ucl.ac.uk

GECCO-2007 tutorials, workshops, and technical sessions are scheduled to be held at the UCL Gower Street Site, in the Darwin Lecture Theatre and the Roberts and Malet Place buildings.

Getting There

Find Underground, National Rail, and Bus travel information, and maps of UCL sites and surrounding London on this UCL webpage:
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/access-ucl/location-and-travel

Hotel Rooms

Publicity Chair Peter Bentley has arranged a special conference rate at two local hotels. Space is limited, so book early! To obtain the rates, follow the instructions below.

Radisson Grafton Hotel
130 Tottenham Court Road , London W1T 5AY

To make a reservation:

Online: http://www.radissonedwardian.com/uclgecco

Telephone directly:
+44 (0)20 7666 5444 direct hotel reservations
(give code 0706UCL when booking)
+44 (0)20 7451 0196 central reservations
(give hotel name and booking code 0706UCL)

or email:
Give name of hotel and code 0706UCL (may be slower than phoning due to volume of emails. Please do not send credit card information via email)

Website: http://www.radisson.com/londonuk_grafton/

Save time and check in online at
http://www.radissonedwardian.com/ey/home.jsp within 7 days and up to 2 hours before your arrival.

GECCO rates (available from 6-12 July 2007):
Single room: £120 per night
Double room, single occupancy: £140 per night
Double room, double occupancy: £160 per night
Go to the hotel website and book online or by phone, quoting "0706UCL" to obtain this rate.

Cancellation less than 1 month before will be chargeable for the full accommodation charge. Prices include tax, service charge and breakfast. Rooms have ensuite showers or baths (choose when booking). Each room features complimentary wireless Internet access, US 110v sockets. Check in is from 2.00pm onwards, check out is before 11.00am.

Euston Square Hotel
http://www.euston-square-hotel.com/

152-156 North Gower Street, London NW1 2LU
tel: +44 20 7388 0099
fax: +44 20 7788 9699
mobile: +44 79 2057 2008

GECCO Rate: 89 pounds per room (double room, single or double occupancy), available from 6-12 July 2007. Go to the hotel website and book online or by phone, quoting "GECCO conference" to obtain this rate. Cancellation less than 6 weeks before will be chargeable for the full accommodation charge. To confirm any reservation the hotel requires credit card details to guarantee the booking. Continental breakfast is included in the above quoted rate. Check in time is 14.00. The hotel provides free wireless internet in public areas and broadband internet in rooms. All rooms are en suite, with flat screen interactive television, video on demand, internet television and hospitality tray.


Individual Bookings

For the best value London hotels (look for those in WC1 or Bloomsbury):

http://www.expedia.co.uk/

http://www.hoteldirect.co.uk/London/

http://www.reserve-hotel.com/HBOImages/destinations/uk/london/

http://www.visitlondon.com/

http://www.indianymca.org/

http://www.london-hotels-booking.co.uk/

http://www.bhrc.co.uk/

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Student Accommodations

University College London's Residences
www.ucl.ac.uk/residences/

Rates and Reservations

Rates at UCL Residences range from £25 to £50 per night.

GECCO does not have a group rate for student accommodations. You must make your room reservation as an Individual Booking.

The student residences that accept Individual Bookings are:

Astor College
Campbell House
The Ifor Evans Site

Rates for these residences can be found at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/residences/prices/individual-rates/index.shtml

IMPORTANT: dates are written down: day/month/year in England. The date 6/7/07 means 6th of July 2007. TAKE CARE WHEN BOOKING HOTELS!

Roommates

Unless you specify a roommate, University College London's Residences will assign one to you. Single rooms may be available; inquire with UCL Residential Services.

ACM Policy and Terms of Use

"You acknowledge that ACM takes no responsibility for your satisfaction, or lack of satisfaction, with your roommate. By using this website, you acknowledge that you have read, and agree to, the Terms of Use [Insert link to Terms of Use]. In addition, you expressly understand and agree that your use of the service provided by ACM is at your sole risk. ACM expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. ACM makes no warranty that (i) the service will meet your requirements, (ii) the service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free, (iii) the results that may be obtained from the use of the service are accurate or reliable, and (iv) the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you through the service will meet your expectations. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from ACM or through the service offered on this website shall create any warranty not expressly stated in the Terms of Use."

Terms of Use:

"Under no circumstances will ACM be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from use of this service or any interactions between users. There is no screening or verification process and all users must make their own determination as to appropriate safeguards and suitability of a potential roommate. Each user must be 18 years or older and provide complete and accurate information."

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About University College London

UCL was the first university to be established in England after Oxford and Cambridge, providing a progressive alternative to those institutions’ social exclusivity, religious restrictions and academic constraints.

Today UCL is one of the intellectual powerhouses of British higher education, able to compete with the best nationally and internationally. UCL is proud of its sustained academic excellence, for example in biomedical science (it has many leading London hospitals within its purlieu), the Slade school of fine art and the Bartlett, UCL’s faculty of the built environment that takes in architecture and urban planning. UCL also has arguably the finest economics department in the UK. UCL has the highest number of professors of any university in the UK, with more than 600 established and personal chairs, as well as the highest number of female professors. Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 19 academics and graduates.

Innovative partnerships with commerce and industry are of great importance to UCL, including a research and graduate training centre at BT's Adastral Park, as well as a £4.6-million programme to equip UCL's scientists and engineers with enterprise and business skills.

Some Interesting Facts:

The university's main building was designed by William Wilkins who went on to build the National Gallery.
The first Professor of Mathematics was De Morgan.
UCL was the first university in England to admit students of any race, class or religion, and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men.
Academic disciplines were introduced as required by the emerging industrial and commercial society; the first English university to offer the systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.
England’s first student union is established at UCL
One of the more bizarre things to see at UCL is the "autoicon" of Jeremy Bentham - UCL's spiritual father who died in 1832, but still sits in his favourite chair, in a glass case in the South Cloisters. The local pub is also named after him.
In 1839 Charles and Emma Darwin leased a town house with garden in Bloomsbury, London. The site on Gower Street is now occupied by the Darwin Lecture Theatre of University College - the main lecture theatre used by GECCO 2007.

University of London

Although UCL itself comprises many institutes, hospitals and centres, it is just one college of the University of London, which consists of around 50 other colleges, such as Kings, Goldsmiths, Queen Mary.

The University of London (www.lon.ac.uk) is a federal University and is the third oldest university in England, as well as being one of the largest and most diverse universities in the UK. Established by Royal Charter in 1836, the University is recognised globally as a world leader in Higher Education.

The two founding Colleges of the University, UCL (founded 1827) and King’s College London (founded 1829), both predate the University, as do many other of the University’s constituent institutions. For example, St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School (now part of Queen Mary) and St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School (now part of King’s College London) both have twelfth-century origins.

The University has a very diverse student population of over 125,000 students, with a further 34,000 students studying by distance learning on the University's External Programme.

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Local Information

Eat, Drink, Do

Pubs near to UCL:
www.beerintheevening.com

Restaurants near to UCL:
www.london-eating.co.uk

Things to do in London:
www.thisislondon.co.uk

Theatres in London:
www.londontheatre.co.uk

General Notes

In the summer, London enjoys daylight from 5am to 9pm. Daytime temperatures vary from around 20 to 28 C. London is usually one of the warmest and driest parts of the UK, but umbrellas may be needed as the weather is always unpredictable!

London has a huge variety of public transport, including underground trains (known as "the tube"), overground trains, buses, taxis and even rickshaws. London is also a nice city to walk about in - you will find that UCL is walking distance to all the nearby hotels, pubs, restaurants, and also China Town, Covent Garden and the West End. (Driving is *not* recommended as parking is hugely expensive and UCL lies within the congestion charging zone, meaning all drivers would have to pay a daily fee, or incur a large fine.)

From summer 2007 smoking will be banned in all pubs and restaurants of England.

Although traditionally some pubs close their doors at 11pm, many now have 24 hour licenses so will stay open longer.

Caution

Like all large cities, London suffers from crime. Keep your valuables safely with you, especially when in restaurants, pubs or traveling by the tube. Do not keep wallets, phones or passports in back pockets or jacket pockets where they may be easily snatched. Try not to look too much like a tourist (don't walk around with a map open).

In the heightened security following the 9-11 attacks and the bombing of the London underground, you are required to keep your luggage with you at all times when you travel. Bags left unattended at a station - even briefly - will be treated as suspicious and may be destroyed.

Police have the right to stop and search you should they be suspicious. Just cooperate and smile, and everything will be fine.

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