Postponement

Dear Colleagues,

As you all know we have had to take the very difficult decision to postpone ECIO 2010 to July 21-24 due to the closing down of big parts of Europe’s airspace the week of the congress. To keep the resulting inconveniences to a minimum we already took this decision on Monday, April 19th, in order to avoid our congress delegat es getting stranded at an airport on their way to Florence. As on April 20th, the main travelling day for the meeting, the Florence airport was also shut down, it was clear that we had taken the right decision.

We are very grateful for the understanding and support you have given us. Our industry partners and most of the ECIO faculty have already confirmed their participation in ECIO in July. This goes to show that this meeting is of great importance to our community and the development of our specialty.

We are confident that we will have a fantastic congress in July and hope that as many of you as possible will continue their support and join us in Florence. It goes without saying that we will do everything in our power to make the transition to the new congress date as smooth as possible for all of you. Your registration for ECIO 2010 therefore continues to be valid for the new date of July 21-24. Our travel partner Kuoni has also changed all hotel bookings from April to July. For further details on accommodation arrangements please contact ecio@it.kuoni.com.

Those of you who will not be able to join us in July were able to receive a refund of their registration fees until the 3rd of May. If you have any further queries regarding the postponement of ECIO 2010, please contact us at registration@esir.org.

Once again we would like to thank you for your understanding and great support. It is times like these that show the true value of a community and we are proud to be part of this great group of people!

ECIO Advisory Committee

Andreas Adam
Johannes Lammer
Riccardo Lencioni
Jim A. Reekers

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM APRIL 19, 2010

Due to the current unpredictable airspace and traffic situation in most parts of Europe the ECIO Advisory Board has decided to reschedule ECIO 2010 to July 21-24, 2010 in Florence, Italy.

As per today (April 19, 12.00 CET) airspace in most European countries including the airports of Florence, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Munich remain closed. Unfortunately for the time being it is not predictable whether the situation will improve in the next few days.

Many of our international colleagues and faculty members have already informed us about their cancellations as they will not be able to get to Florence in time. The high quality and volume of our educational programme can therefore not be guaranteed.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and hope for your understanding that this decision was made in the best interest of all participants. We will do our best to make the transition to the new date as smooth as possible for everyone involved and would like thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

We hope to see you all at ECIO 2010 July 21-24, 2010 in Florence, Italy.

For further details please refer to the ECIO 2010 information sheet.

INFORMATION SHEET:

ECIO 2010 will take place from July 21-24, 2010, in Florence, Italy

Due to the current unpredictable airspace and traffic situation in most parts of Europe the ECIO Advisory Board has decided to reschedule ECIO 2010 to July 21-24, 2010 in Florence, Italy.

Registration Fee
All registrations for ECIO 2010 remain valid. In case delegates are not able to participate in the rescheduled ECIO 2010 they may ask for reimbursement of their paid congress registration fee. Such requests must be sent in writing to registration@esir.org until May 3rd, 2010.

Corporate Partners and Exhibitors
Corporate partners and exhibitors will receive specific information and may contact the Exhibition Management at cirse@media.co.at at any time.

Flight Bookings
We recommend all participants contact their airline or travel agent for further information concerning cancellation or rebooking of their flights.

Accommodation
We recommend all participants contact their hotels or travel agent for further information concerning cancellation or rebooking of their hotel booking.

Delegates who have booked their rooms through the official ECIO housing bureau Kuoni DMC Italy are requested to contact Kuoni at ecio@it.kuoni.com

If you have any further questions or require any further assistance please contact the CIRSE Office at office@esir.org or +43 1 904 2003