Dear Colleagues,
In the hope that you have already heard of, we are excited to announce the 31st European Congress of Arachnology in a “circular way”. The 31st ECA is going to be held in
Vác, Hungary , between 8-13 July, 2018.
The Organizing Committee warmly awaits arachnologist from all over Europe, and in fact from all over the World to this event.
The pre-registration is already open on the Congress homepage:
www.eca2018.hu, and you can also follow events about the organization and the congress at our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ECA2018Hungary/ . If you consider coming, please register your interest and feel free to spread the word and encourage colleagues to pre-register on the webpage. Under the hood many details are being worked on. Stay tuned for a refreshed and remodelled webpage with latest developments which will be available in the next 2-3 weeks.
Venues
The Congress will be hosted by the Apor Vilmos Catholic Collage in Vác, Hungary. Vác is a small historic town on the Danube, in the Danube Bend region. It is conveniently close to and well connected to Budapest:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g1102816-Activities-Vac_Pest_County_Central_Hungary.html.
Vác is on the eastern bank of the Danube, at the beginning of the nearly 180 degrees bend which the river takes to break through between the Börzsöny and Pilis mountains. The c. 35000 town is famous for its well preserved baroque old-town, fantastic setting, and yet it is not flooded by tourists (yet). It is also the seat for one of the Hungarian catholic archbishops and a religious centre. Our host institution, the Catholic College is centrally located and very conveniently provides space for scientific events, as well as gives student accommodation and lunch possibility on site. Watch our teaser video compilation about the region and Vác:
https://www.youtube.com/ Logo
The logo depicts the uloborid spider Hyptiotes paradoxus as it waves its triangular orb on the Danube, with all threads meeting at Vác. (design: Éva Szita)
Accommodation
We have secured the whole capacity (two student residences) of the Apor Vilmos Catholic College and also a student residence of a nearby secondary school. They are typically multiple-bed rooms, which can be made into single bed accommodations as occupancy allows. We reached agreement with a number of private accommodations scattered in the town, which provide higher class alternatives, but are more limited in capacity. Those who wish to book such accommodation should closely follow their announcement (when booking will open), as they will be provided on a first come – first served basis. Those looking for hotel accommodation will have to seek for themselves and are likely to find only outside the town.
Programme
Congress programme will follow the canonical route:
July 8 – Registration, welcome party
July 9 – Opening ceremony, scientific sessions
July 10 – Scientific sessions, Russian party
July 11 – Mid-congress excursion, BBQ in the dark forests of the Börzsöny mts
July 12 – Scientific sessions, congress dinner
July 13 – Scientific sessions, closing ceremony
Plenary talks
We are pleased to announce our plenary speakers, who will be:
Jason Dunlop - paleontology (Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin)
Rosa Fernández - phylogenomics (Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona)
Jutta Schneider – behavioural ecology (University of Hamburg)
Christian Wirkner – morphology (University of Rostock)
Excursions
Still in the planning phase! We would like to offer three options for the mid-congress tour:
Walking tour in the Börzsöny Mts. between Nagymaros and Zebegény with scenic views on the Danube Bend
Narrow-gauge railway ride to Királyrét and more leisurely excursion in the forests
Visit Visegrád castle and renaissance palace and surroundings on the other side of the Danube
All three tours meet up at Katalinpuszta forestry visitor centre for an evening BBQ/goulash.
Organisers
The Congress will be organized jointly by the Hungarien Ecological Society, Centre for Agricultural Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Apor Vilmos Catholic College and the European Society of Arachnologists.
Organising Committee
Ferenc Samu (chair)
Csaba Szinetár (co-chair)
György Dudás
Róbert Gallé
László Mezőfi
Zsolt Szabó
Éva Szita
Tamás Szűts
Natalija Vukaljovic
We look forward to seeing you in Hungary!
Ferenc Samu
on behalf of the Organising Committee
