The calendar of events planned for 2008 suggests that a slot in either early August or towards the end of August will be available for this congress. At the moment, the steering committee favours the last week in August, welcoming participants on Sunday, 24.08.2008.As can be seen from the accompanying documentation, this region is centrally located within Europe, with several major airports nearby. In addition, this region is well connected with other European destinations by air, the ICE, Thalys, and Metropolitan rapid train systems, as well as major motorways.On a local level, the Ruhr Area and Essen offer ample conference facilities to choose from, and the region has a well developed infrastructure. Essen, as a major exhibition and conference centre, has proven in the past that it is capable of hosting such a major international events.The steering committee will integrate facilities available at Essen University and conference facilities offered by the Congress Centre Essen GmbH as well as the City of Essen into the structure of the congress. These include some very special historical and architectural venues, such as -among others- the Lichtburg, Aalto Theatre, and the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex. All those responsible for such facilities have been contacted and signalled interest and support. The advantage of these facilities is that all sites can accommodate large audiences as well as smaller groups and are located within in easy reach in the centre of Essen's city. In the case of a successful bid, the steering committee will start negotiations with those responsible for the facilities mentioned above and plan accordingly in order to ensure that the conference fee for AILA 2008 stays within the usual range. An exact prediction cannot be made at this time, but as can be seen from the letters of support, initial responses by potential sponsors have been very positive, so that a high quality yet affordable congress seems feasible.As the documentation provided by the Congress Centre Essen GmbH indicates, even a conference with a number of participants in excess of 3000 can be accommodated in Essen. As far as hotel accommodation is concerned, no exact prediction as to the actual cost can be made for the year 2008. However, accommodation rates in this area are usually lower than in comparable central locations.
