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congress information
Emergency and First Aid
In case of emergency please address to the
staff at the registration counter in entrance
hall of the East Wing of the Vancouver Con-
vention Centre. The attentive staff will be
pleased to help.
HOW TO GET THERE
From Vancouver International Airport
to the City Centre/Vancouver Convention
Centre
Located approximately 20 minutes/12 km
from downtown Vancouver, Vancouver Inter-
national Airport (IATA: YVR; ICAO: CYVR) is
served by a wide variety of local, national
and international air carriers with direct
routes to most major destinations. The air-
port, located on Sea Island in Richmond,
British Columbia, Canada, is well regarded
as one of the most accessible airports in the
world. In 2004, Vancouver International Air-
port was awarded the Rick Hansen Accessi-
bility Award, which recognizes facilities and
communities that improve the quality of life
for people with mobility limitations.
Local Transportation
The Vancouver Convention Center is in the
Downtown City Center of Vancouver. It can
be reached by several public transportation
possibilities: TransLink provides city transit
for tourists and residents seven days a week
via buses through its transit system, Sky-
Train. With the opening of the Canada Line,
travel between the Waterfront Station and
Vancouver International Airport has been
significantly reduced to 26 minutes per one-
way trip. This allows for a more convenient
trip for international travellers to and from
downtown Vancouver.
Metro/Public Transportation
Under the auspices of the South Coast Brit-
ish Columbia Transportation Authority the
Metro Vancouver operates a regional rapid
mass transit network, known as TransLink.
It is responsible for all aspects of municipal
transportation. TransLink is introducing an
electronic Compass Card to replace existing
monthly and daily passes, tickets and cash.
A bus service operates throughout most of
the region under a private subsidiary known
as Coast Mountain Bus Company. All buses
are wheelchair-accessible. Vancouver is ac-
tively maintaining and upgrading its trolley-
bus fleet. Vancouver also offers a SeaBus
Service. It is a passenger-only ferry connect-
ing downtown Vancouver and the City of
North Vancouver across Burrard Inlet. There
are three ferries in the fleet.
From Pacific Central Station to the City
Centre/Vancouver Convention Centre
The Pacific Central Station is located in the
City Center of Vancouver and approximately
2.5 kilometres (30 minutes walking distance)
away from the Congress Venue.
Taxi
Vancouver taxi cabs are allowed to operate
within the Vancouver area, including Vancou-
ver International Airport. Taxis can be called,
hailed on the street or found at one of more
than 50 official taxi ranks located around the
city. The ranks can be found near the com-
mon tourist spots such as the Art Gallery, the
Aquarium or the Science World TELUS.
Bank and ATM
Banks are open weekdays between 9:30am
and 4:00pm. Many banks are closed on Sat-
urday and Sunday, though some have limited
services on a Saturday morning. Most shops
and restaurants in Vancouver accept the
common credit cards like Visacard, Ameri-
can Express and Mastercard.
