IVOA Interoperability meeting
Venue Information

Meeting Location

The meeting will be held at the NCSA building located on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. The building is within walking distance (2 blocks) of the Hampton Inn; from other hotels, transportation is necessary.

Registration can be found just inside the main entrance in the building lobby. Plenary sessions will be held nearby on the ground floor in the auditorium. Break out rooms are located on the ground and second floors.

Program

See the program page.

Registration

Registration will open in February. There is no charge for the meeting. Through the registration page, you may sign up for the banquet for approximately $40.

Registration Opening soon

Travel Information

Getting to Urbana

By Air

The most convenient way to get to Urbana from afar is to fly into Champaign's Willard Airport (CMI). It is served by American Airlines with 6 flights in and out per day connecting to Chicago O'Hare (ORD, 5 flights) and Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW, 1 flight).

To get to your hotel from Willard, you have three options:

• rent a car (see "By Car" for directions).
• take a taxi (recommended)
  • Typically, there are cab drivers waiting in the lobby with a sign; vehicles are clearly marked as commercial cabs.
  • Taxis charge a flat fee of ~$15 for transport from the airport to destinations in the Champaign-Urbana area.
• hotel shuttle (check with your hotel; not available from all hotels)

Alternatively, you can fly into one of the airports listed below in order of proximity to Urbana. Each of these have on-site desks for the major car rental companies.

• Bloomington (BMI) is a 45 minute drive west of Urbana
• Indianapolis (IND) is a 2 hour drive east of Urbana
• Chicago Midway (MDW) is a 2.5 hour drive north of Urbana
• Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is a 3 hour drive north of Urbana
• St. Louis (STL) is a 3 hour drive west of Urbana

Note that it is possible to take busses and trains from the Chicago airports; see below.

By Bus (Shuttle)

Chicago O'Hare -- Urbana

The Illini Shuttle offers five runs per day back and forth between Urbana and O'Hare Airport for about $27. The trip (see the schedule) takes about 3 hours.

You can get tickets on-line but only about two weeks ahead. The shuttle is used extensively by students (though the semester will be over by a week during the conference), so it is recommended that you get your tickets reserved as early as they can become available. Consider calling for earlier reservations.

If you are staying at the Hampton Inn (or leaving from the NCSA building), the Altgeld Hall stop would be the closest one. Allow 20 minutes to walk there from NCSA or the Hampton Inn. If you are staying at the Holiday Inn, you will need to take a taxi or a bus to get to your hotel.

Indianapolis Airport -- Champaign

The LEX shuttle provides six trips a day between Champaign and the Indianapolis Airport for $196. Reservations can be made on-line. Select the "IL Terminal" as your Champaign destination; from there, you can get a cab or a bus to your hotel.

By Train

Champaign-Urbana are served by Amtrak with 3 trains daily from Chicago and connections to other cities.

It is possible to take trains from Chicago airports to Champaign-Urbana, though it can be a bit involved, time-consuming, and involves a small bit of walking. (In other words, it's not well suited for people coming off long or late flights; the shuttle option described above tends to be more convenient.) Often a connection to fly into Champaign can be about the same price as the train option. Amtrak leaves from Chicago's Union Station; use the "El" (subway) to get there:

• from O'Hare
• from Midway

Trains arrive into Champaign's Illinois Terminal. From there, one can take a taxi or a city bus. For a bus, use the MTD's trip planner to plan your trip. The Orange Bus stops right behind the Hampton Inn (just past the hospital).

By Car

Urbana is easily accessible from Interstates 57 and 74; see these instructions for driving to the NCSA building for details, including for driving from Willard Airport. Unless you are coming from the airport, you will probably enter town from the southbound Lincoln Avenue exit off of I-74. The Holiday Inn and the Ramada Inn are both located just off this exit on the right. For the Hampton Inn, see this map which marks the hotel's location.

Getting to the NCSA building

From the Hampton Inn:

The NCSA building is less than 2 short blocks from the Hampton Inn. Cross University Avenue (the busy street in front of the hotel) at the crosswalk at its intersection with Goodwin Avenue (to the left as you exit the hotel). Walk south along Goodwin just past the parking garage; the NCSA building is the next one behind it.

From the Holiday Inn or Ramada Inn:

If you drive, consult this map. You can park in the parking garage adjacent to the NCSA building; see "Parking" below for details.

Alternatively, the city bus is fairly convenient. The Illini line (#22) picks up near the hotel (map to stops) every 10 minutes from 7am to 7pm (schedule), and the ride costs $1. When the bus turns onto Goodwin Ave. (you will see the Hampton Inn on your right, street view), signal a stop and get off at the next stop. Alternatively, you can ask the driver to let you know when the bus gets to the NCSA building on Goodwin Ave.

From Willard Airport and out of town:

Consult these driving instructions. You can park in the parking garage adjacent to the NCSA building; see "Parking" below for details.

Once you arrive at the NCSA building, enter into the lobby from the center doors. Just inside your will find a reception desk where you can pick up your name tag and be directed to the auditorium.

Parking

If you drive to the NCSA building, you can park in the parking garage adjacent to the NCSA building (map). The lowest level features parking meters that cost $0.75 per hour payable by coin or, if you have a cell phone, by credit card. Carpooling is recommended.

Accommodations

We have blocks reserved at the following hotels:

• Hampton Inn
  1200 West University Avenue (map)
  Recommended: within walking distance of the meeting. There are limited rooms available in our block.
  Room Rate: $119
  To reserve, visit Hampton Inn's IVOA reservation page or call +1-217-337-1100 (mention "IVOA Meeting")
  Block rate deadline: May 4, 2012

• Holiday Inn
  Requires car or use of city bus
  Rates start at $70.
  To reserve with the special IVOA rate, visit their site on-line using "NIO" as the group code (which should already be filled in when accessing via the link here). This block is available for checkins beginning May 20. Alternatively, you can call the hotel at +1-217-328-7900 and request the "IVOA Meeting" block.
  Block rate deadline: April 27, 2012

• Ramada Inn
  Requires car or use of city bus
  Rates start at $78. There is no special block for this hotel.
  To reserve, visit their website or call them at +1-217-328-4400.

Other hotels are available in the area, some closer to the venue than the Ramada and Holiday Inns.

Local Information

Eating

coming soon