There is no particular dress code for the conference. However, pack a few layers which you may require in the mornings and evenings. A business wear during the dinners will be appreciated.
India has only one time zone which covers the entire country. Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT.
The official language of the conference is English.
The local language – Kannada is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly but more than 40% of Bangalore’s population consists people from states other than Karnataka. Out of these 40%, roughly 40% are those who have their first or second language as Hindi. English is also quite widely spoken in the city.
The voltage in India is 230 volts. You will require a voltage converter if you are carrying a
device that does not accept 230 Volts. Wall sockets accept plugs with two or three round pins.
Should you wish to use appliances of 110 volts, most Conference Hotels will provide adaptors on
request but it may be useful to carry your own for convenience. Most laptops have adaptors that
accept 110-240 volts, but will still need plugs of the type shown below.
Typical Indian 3-Pin and 2-Pin plugs. The separation between the two smaller round pins is 2 cm.
All Visitors coming from overseas will require a valid visa. Visas can be obtained from the
Indian missions abroad through application where a sticker is required in the passport
(non-ETA). One should possess a valid passport.
For those traveling to India to attend a
conference/ seminar/ symposium, CONFERENCE VISA will be required.
The above currency values are as on date and approximate. Please log onto www.xe.com to calculate the approximate current currency values. The above rate of exchange changes every day therefore the current date rate to be taken at the time of calculation.
All the International Banks are represented by Branches in Bangalore. Bank Hours are 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM from Monday to Friday and 9.30 am -1.30 pm on Saturdays. The 2nd & 4th Saturdays in the month are holidays for the banks in India.
American Express, Visa, Master Card etc. are generally accepted in the major hotels and shops. However, you are advised to confirm the merchant if they would accept cards beforehand.
Always drink bottled water. Do not drink water from the tap. However, the tap water is safe to brush your teeth with.
All public areas are non-smoking except for specifically labelled smoking areas.
There are plenty of shops selling liquor of all varieties where the price will be around 50% less
than the same brand served in a hotel.
The pubs/ bars/ restaurants generally follow 11 PM as the cut-off for last order, unless
mentioned specifically. dividuals who wish to continue to partake of alcoholic beverages after
11.00 p.m. may only do so via room service orders within hotels.
The organizers do not take responsibility for any individual, medical, travel or personal
insurance. Participants are advised to secure their own insurance policies before departure from
their countries, as required.
While every attempt is made to ensure efficient,
trouble-free hospitality, including hotel accommodation, sightseeing and tours, participants are
advised that no liability accrues to the Organizers in the event of any necessary modifications,
including change in itineraries for tours due to delays or cancellations of flights/other
exigencies beyond the Organizers’ control.
Tipping Practices are similar to most other parts of the world. Most restaurants include a service charge of 10% in the bills, but tipping in general is at customers’ discretion which could vary from 2% to 8%. The local currency is preferred while tipping. Naturally, it’s never compulsory and should only be done if you’re happy with the service. However, tipping is not a very common practice while using a radio taxi/ call taxi (like Uber, Ola) or even autos (tuktuks).
It is not mandatory to wear a mask in Bangalore anymore. However, we suggest you to please wear a
mask if you are not well due to cold/ cough and sanitize hands on regular intervals.
Any change in the local law/ protocol due to COVID will be communicated at regular intervals as
applicable. The conference will be taking all necessary precautions as per the local COVID
norms.
The rules of the road are simply very different here in India. Traffic generally is much slower than in some other parts of the world, and it is very common to see animals amongst moving traffic. Use great caution when crossing streets. Horn blowing is deemed precautionary and is a constant 24-hour reality.
