EduWiki Conference 2023/Guide

EduWiki Conference 2023
Belgrade, Serbia
May 26–28, 2023

Main Page

Program

List of participants

Important information for grant-funded participants

Please note the following:

Your travel and stay will be organised and paid for by Wikimedia Serbia (thanks to WMF grant), using the information provided in the registration form. Please do not buy plane / train / bus tickets on your own, unless specifically asked to do so by our staff.
The scholarship covers: travel to/from Belgrade (excluding travel from the place of your residence/hotel to airport/bus station or vice versa), four nights at Hotel M (from Thursday to Monday) and all meals from breakfast on Friday to breakfast on Monday.
The scholarship does not cover: local travel costs from the place of your residence/hotel to airport/bus station or vice versa, meals on Thursday, costs related to visa approval.

Important information for self-funded participants

The number of available standard rooms in Hotel M is limited, so please make your reservation as soon as possible after you get confirmation that we have accepted your participation in the conference. You can reserve your room on this email: events@hotel-m.com. Use EduWiki Conference as a mail subject.

UPDATE: There are no more standard rooms left in Hotel M, only premier rooms for the price 135€ per night + 1.5€ city tax.

Self-funded participants who do not find rooms available at the Hotel M can stay at the Hotel Sterling (4 stars) or Hotel N (3 stars). Both hotels are 10 minutes walking distance from the hotel M.

Important information for all participants

Lunches and dinners will be provided for all participants during EduWiki Conference as part of the program. Beside mentioned, participants will have two coffee breaks each day of the conference.
Wikimedia Foundation covers Travel Medical Insurance for all participants of the EduWiki Conference. Contact the organizers of the conference if you need a travel insurance certificate.

Time frame

The main conference program starts on Friday, May 26 at Hotel M.

For detailed information on program, look here.

Registration & Information Desks

A registration and info desk will be set up at Hotel M (at the entrance to the Atrium room). The Info desk will be open throughout the conference. Registration for the Edu Wiki Conference 2023 will be opened in the following time frame:

May 25 (Thursday), 19.00 - 21.00
May 26 (Friday), 8.00 - 9.00

information e-mail: eduwiki@vikimedija.org

Conference badge

You can pick up your conference badge, which comes together with EduWiki Conference welcome package, at the Registration & Information Desk, starting from Thursday afternoon. Please wear your conference badge at all times while taking part in all of EduWiki Conference's program, including less formal evening events. Try not to lose it, but if you do, please visit the Information Desk as soon as possible. Red badge ribbons will be provided for participants who do not wish to be photographed.

Friendly space policy & security

Taking into account that civility and assuming good faith are core principles of the Wikimedia movement, Wikipedia & Education User Group together with Wikimedia Serbia expect all participants to abide to the Wikimedia Serbia’s Friendly Space Policy for Wikimedia movement events, as well as the Universal Code of Conduct during all activities of EduWiki Conference 2023.

In case of any participant is breaking the Friendly space policy or causing other troubles, please approach any of the conference Safety team members: (TBA).

Internet access

Free internet access will be provided via wi-fi networks at Hotel M.

Side activities

Saturday afternoon, May 27, 6 pm: Participants will have organized city tour starting from 18:00 (6 pm). The tour will be led by the famous Serbian tourist guide, Željko Petrović (Facebook, Instagram). During the tour participants will be able to see some of the famous Belgrade attractions by bus and move on to Kalemegdan fortress by foot. The end of the tour is at Skadarlija district, famous bohemian street in Belgrade at 20.30.; Update: The protest Serbia Against Violence will be organized on Saturday, May 27 in the city center. Due to the protest, the route for the bus tour might be slightly changed, however, the Kalemegdan tour will not be affected by it.

Saturday night, May 27, 8.30 pm: Participants will have an organized dinner at the famous bohemian part of Belgrade - Skadarlija. The dinner will be held in the famous "Tri Šešira" (eng: “Three Hats”) restaurant, opened in 1864. It had the honor to host some of the most eminent domestic and international figures: King Juan Carlos, George Bush, Pertini, Willy Brandt, and others. Conference participants will have the opportunity to feel the spirit of Serbian tradition and old Belgrade with the sounds of the tambourine.

All participants will have a set-up menu, except for those with food preferences, and one drink included, others will have to be covered by yourself.

Important information for participants with specific dietary preferences: In addition to the meals with meat, the restaurant only offers options for vegetarians and vegans.

For vegans and vegetarians, we recommend vegetarian plate (cheese and pie can be excluded), Serbian Baked Beans and salads. Please mention this to the waiter when ordering.

Important information for participants who are coming to the restaurant directly (from 20.30), bear in mind that streets “Bulevar kralja Aleksandra” from National Assembly to the Faculty of Law, "Starine Novaka", Ilije Garašanina" and “Takovska” will be closed due to the protest.

Bus transfers will be provided free of charge on Saturday for the city tour for all participants. The conference badge will serve as ticket. The free transfers are:

Saturday, 18:00: buses departing from Hotel M
Saturday, 23:30: buses departing from Dušanova, Francuska. The organizational team will guide participants to the mentioned departing location.

Addresses

Hotel M

Serbian name: Хотел М

Role: main conference accommodation and venue for grant-funded delegates

Address: Bulevar Oslobođenja 56a (Serbian: Булевар Ослобођења 56a)

Coordinates: 44.7682139, 20.474102

Public transport stop: FON or Mosorska (the hotel is in between)

Lines from the Nikola Tesla Airport: A1 mini bus (route: Airport ‒ Slavija Square), and then bus route 47 or 48 (route: Slavija Square - FON or Mosorska)

Lines from the Belgrade Bus Station: Tram 9 (route: Ekonomski fakultet - Karađorđev park), and then bus route 47 or 48 (route: Karađorđev park - FON or Mosorska)

Hotel Sterling

Serbian name: Хотел Стерлинг

Role: alternative conference accommodation for self-funded delegates

Address: Pazinska 31 (Serbian: Пазинска 31)

Coordinates: 44.761772, 20.4782333

Public transport stop: Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog

Lines from the Nikola Tesla Airport: A1 mini bus (route:Airport ‒ Slavija Square), and then bus route 47 or 48 (route: Slavija Square - Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog)

Lines from the Belgrade Bus Station: Tram 9 (route: Ekonomski fakultet - Karađorđev park), and then bus route 47 or 48 (route: Karađorđev park - Crkva Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog)

Other important information

Currency: Serbia uses its own currency called Serbian Dinar (in short: RSD). The current official exchange rate can be found here. One can exchange the currency in banks or in numerous exchange offices (Serbian - menjačnica). Most credit cards and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard) are usually accepted in most shops and restaurants.
Language: Serbian is the main language of Serbia. It is a South Slavic language, written in Cyrillic and Latin alphabet. English is most commonly spoken in Serbia. If you get lost in Belgrade, you should be able to find someone with at least basic knowledge of English very quickly.
Electricity

The voltage in Serbia is 220-230 Volts with a frequency of 50Hz. The electric socket used is the European CEE7/7 "Schuko" wall outlet, as well as its non-grounded equivalent, the European CEE7/16 "Europlug". If your equipment uses different sockets, please make sure that you bring correct adapters, as these are hard to find in stores in Serbia.
Climate: Our conference will be held in May, which is late spring in Belgrade. According to Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, the weather will be nice and warm. In Belgrade and the surrounding area, the average minimum air temperature in May will be around 13.4ºC and the average maximum around 23.7ºC. The weather forecast shows possible rain at the end of the week,so participants are advised to bring umbrellas
Recent events in Serbia: At the beginning of May, Serbia faced two mass shooting incidents, one in Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School and one in a city near Belgrade. Even though for some this might be common news, it’s not so common in Serbia and it has really shaken our nation. We had three mourning days and there were protests under the slogan Serbia against violence. The organizational team is carefully watching the situation, but there are no indications that this might affect the conference. Unfortunately, this has become a political issue, as the current government is planning to organize a massive gathering on Friday, May 26. This is usually organized in the city center, so it shouldn’t affect participants, but it’s good for them to know this information in case they planned some sightseeing on Friday afternoon or evening. It is also important to mention two additional gatherings in the Belgrade city center. One is on Thursday, May 25, 19.00 and it’s organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church. They will walk from Church of the Ascension (Admirala Geprata 19) to Saint Sava Temple (through the Bulevar Oslobođenja). The other one is, the previously mentioned Serbia Against Violence protest, which will be organized on Saturday, May 27, 18.00. The route is from National Assemble to the Radio Television of Serbia, and it will include streets “Bulevar kralja Aleksandra” from the National Assembly to the Faculty of Law, "Starine Novaka", Ilije Garašanina" and “Takovska”. Protests are peaceful, there are no riots or anything that might cause reasons for concern. but if participants feel safer, here’s the link to the google map with saved properties close to the hotel they can use. Glovo and Wolt app are food delivery apps.