VENUE

Click on the image to access more pictures.

Espacio Riesco - Santiago Convention and Exhibition Center
Av. El Salto 5000 - Huechuraba
Chile

Santiago’s world class convention centre Espacio Riesco is the chosen venue to host the WFOT 2010 Congress: Sharing the World of Occupational Therapy from Latin America. Situated about 20 minutes outside of the city itself, Espacio Riesco’s innovative infrastructure has a surface area of 10,000 m2 and can accommodate up to 6,500 people simultaneously.

Audio-visual

With the objective of offering the best option in technology the centre offers services for a wide range of the latest generation of audio-visual equipment. Please refer to the Speaker Information page to see full details of the audio-visual equipment you will have available for your type of presentation.

Connectivity

Santiago Convention and Exhibition Center prides itself in having the latest technology to satisfy all its client’s needs regarding phone, broadband and video conferencing communications.

Parking

Capacity to park 2,000 cars in a secure and private area.
For more information about the venue, please visit the website: http://www.espacioriesco.cl/espanol/espacios_centro_convenciones.asp


Getting There

By Air

Airfare discounts at LAN Chile

As official sponsor of the WFOT Congress 2010, LAN Chile is offering up to 15% discount on your airfare to Santiago. For information on these amazing deals, and full terms and conditions click here.

By Shuttle / Coach

The Congress’ official tour operator OTSI, will be arrange for a bus fleet to operate between hotels in Las Condes, Santiago Downtown and Providencia.

Tickets will also be available for purchase to participants who have not organised accommodation through OTSI, but who prefer to use this method of transportation, instead of public transportation.

Although bus stops and schedules will be made available closer to the Congress date, please note that pick-ups will be before 8.30 am. to allow enough time for participants to arrive at the Congress site before the start of the congress sessions. Return buses will depart at the close of sessions, around 5.30 pm of after the Welcome Reception on the first day.

In addition to the coaches, there will also be a limited number of smaller vans that may be booked at other times, if participants wish to leave earlier.

Bus transfers for the Congress Dinner will also be arranged, and the cost is included in the Dinner ticket. More details will be available soon under the Social Programme page.

By taxi

The radio taxi company working with the Convention Center is called “SPEED“.

  • Tel: 6290152 and 6218911.
To book a SPEED radio taxi, please inform the hotel reception who will help you find a car, as their cars are always moving through the city.
The rates are as follows, subject to modifications:
  1. Downtown Hotels to and from Congress venue: USD 9 / CHP 4.500
  2. Providencia Hotels Area to and from Congress venue: USD 10 / CHP 5.000
  3. Las Condes Hotels Area to and form Congress venue: USD 12 / CHP 6.000
There will also be radio taxis outside the venue all the time. Also OTSI has its own STAND at the Congress venue, and can assist you with booking taxis from there.

By Public Transportation

We do not recommend using the metro/bus grid to try to reach the Convention Centre Espacio Riesco, as this will most likely mean that you will need to combine different transportation mediums (bus/metro), which could be both confusing and time consuming.


TRANSPORTATION

Around Santiago

To/From the Airport

So, you made it to Chile! Now how do you get to your hotel?
OTSI will arrange a bus fleet to transport WFOT delegates from / to hotels, airport and Congress venue. The cost of tickets, bus stops and bus schedules will be available and published closer to the Congress dates. If you would like OTSI to organize transport from the airport, please contact OTSI directly.

In the arrivals area, after you pass customs, there is always a big crowd of people, which is an ideal place for a pickpocket to go to work. Keep track of your luggage and don’t get distracted!

Taxi drivers in the arrival area in the Santiago airport insistently offer their services and immediately try to take the cart with suitcases if you are not careful. The majority of them don’t have a license nor passenger insurance, and in many cases they appear in a old vehicle.

We strongly advise that you refuse all offers with a firm “No, gracias“ and direct yourself with resolve to the OTSI representative at the airport, who will help guide you to either the OTSI VANS or TRANSVIP SHUTTLES, or to the counter of an authorized car rental or taxi company.

By Public Transportation

In 2007 a new integrated system of urban transportation was inaugurated in the city; its name is Transantiago. The urban buses are called micros. There are mainline buses that are white and green that circulate across the big thoroughfares like Alameda, Av. Providencia, etc. and feeder buses (with different colors) that connect with the city's outskirts. The most important stops of the route are listed in the window shield. In transantiago.cl you can look for the bus lines that you need for a specific route. (Only available in Spanish)

Tickets cost 400 pesos (about USD 0.70) and allow the transfer to other buses or the subway. The only way to pay is with the prepaid card Bip!.
Bus Terminals in Santiago:

  1. Terminal Alameda: directly by Universidad de Santiago Metro station; the companies "Tur-Bus" and "Pullman Bus" leave from here to all directions; to Viña/Valparaíso every 15 minutes
  2. Terminal Santiago (formerly, Terminal Sur): Alameda at Nicasio Retamales, 150 m west of Alameda terminal; all companies going to the coast and south
  3. Terminal Los Héroes: Tucapel Jiménez at Alameda, close to Los Héroes Metro stop; various companies going to the north
  4. Terminal San Borja (Terminal Norte): San Borja at Alameda, next to Estación Central train station: to the north and Greater Santiago.

By Metro

Santiago's subway is fast, but during the peak period crowded. Possibility to use clon-buses, that have the same route as the metro, but on the surface.

Today it has five lines. The main line (1) runs modern French trains along the central East-West axis Alameda - Providencia - Apoquindo serving the center as well as the newer business districts of Providencia and Las Condes.

At Los Héroes, Baquedano and Tobalaba stops, you can change to one of the three lines connecting the southern parts of the city to the center. The fifth line is in the South. Tickets cost between 380 and 460 pesos (about USD 0.70- 0.82), depending on time of day, and include transfers. It is recommended to buy a prepaid card Multivía or Bip!.

By car

To rent a car, you have to be at least 21 (22 or 25 at some companies), present a valid driver's license (ideally your national and an international one), and leave a blank credit card voucher as a guarantee.

The price should include free mileage (kilometraje libre), insurance (seguro, with or without deductible) and value-added tax (IVA).

Also inquire about roadside assistance, parts service and liability in case of accident. It costs more to take a rental car across national borders, and it requires additional paperwork and insurance; not all rental companies offer this service.

Car Rental Companies Julio to provide taxi companies names and phone numbers.

  1. AVIS RENT A CAR -CHILE Call Center: 600-3682000
  2. BUDGET RENT A CAR CHILE Call Center: 598-3200
  3. FIRST RENT A CAR CHILE Call Center 2256328

By taxi

Taking a taxi in Chile is safe and relatively cheap. The black cars with their yellow roofs can be hailed anywhere. In Santiago, there is a base price of 200 pesos (USD 0.40) plus around 100 pesos for each 200 m driven (or per minute when waiting). The rates are posted on the windscreen;

Tips:

  1. Check to see that the taxi meter is working and is within sight. In Santiago, there is a base price of 200 pesos (USD $0.35) plus around 100 pesos for every 200 meters of distance (or per minute while standing). That means that a kilometer is approximately 700 pesos (USD $1.25), while evening/nighttime rates can be double.
  2. For longer distances (e.g. cross-country) it’s recommended to first negotiate a fixed price with the driver.
  3. Don’t count on the taxi driver’s sense of direction. Quite often they don’t know how to get to the requested destination. The more instructions you have for getting to the desired place, the better. If the taxi driver seems lost insist that he pause the meter while he finds the way.
  4. When paying, be sure to count the change and don´t leave any valuables in the vehicle.
  5. Tipping is not customary.
  6. It’s always safer, especially at night, to call a radio taxi instead of waiting for any taxi on the street corner. Radio taxis are just a little more expensive than „normal taxis“, arrive within 10 minutes and offer more comfortable and modern cars. In case of problems, you can make a claim with the company responsible. You can request a radiotaxi by phone. Please ask the concierge of your hotel to call one for you, or you can check the Yellow Pages under “Taxis”

By Colectivo

These reasonably-priced group taxis run their fixed routes indicated on the signs on their roofs. They usually wait at the metro stations in Santiago or at other central locations and leave when there is a minimum of riders. In other cities, they operate like buses. A colectivo can also be stopped anywhere along the way. At night, they will take you to a specific address for an additional fee and as long as it is close to their route (a domicilio)


MONEY

Currency


The unit of currency is the peso ($ or CHP), which exists in banknotes of $1000, $2000, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000 and coins of $1, $5, $10, $50, $100 and $500. Personal checks are a respected and widely used document, which require identification to use them.

Foreign Cash

Foreign cash is not generally used, except for hotels that may waive the value-added tax (IVA) if you are a foreigner, when you pay in US dollars or credit card.

Credit cards

Credit cards are widely used and accepted. There is no surcharge for their use. The most commonly accepted cards are Visa, Master Card and Diners Club. In medium-sized to large businesses American Express is also honored. Exchange rates for credit cards are very convenient. Some small, rural towns function solely on a cash-only basis, so have cash handy when going off the beaten path.

Teller Machines

In commercial and banking areas as well as gas stations, it is easy to find Automatic Teller Machines (Redbanc network) honoring cards of all local banks as well as Cirrus cards, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Exchange rates are very good.

Money Exchange

The government does not regulate the market of foreign currency in Chile making it possible to exchange money at any established "Casa de Cambio" at market driven exchange rates. They are common in the downtown area and Providencia district as well as shopping centers. Check out our section on Shopping.

For information on exchange rates check The Universal Currency Converter (TM).


CLIMATE

When you attend to the Council Meeting, we will be in the middle of Autumn, during this time it rains with moderate frequency and the temperature in Santiago varies from 20ºC to 5ºC, for this reason, it is recommendable to bring adequate clothes with you. Although temperatures are not summer, Santiago offers a nice landscape to the travelers.


LANGUAGES

The official language of Chile is Spanish.

The two official languages of the WFOT 2010 Congress are English and Spanish. All oral presentations (including plenary sessions and short orals) will be translated simultaneously. Poster presentations and workshops will be conducted in either English or Spanish, as indicated on the programme.

The website, the programme and the Congress handbook will also be in both languages. To translate the titles of the presentations, please use the Google Translate tool at the top of the Full Programme page.


SAFETY

Chile is one of the safest countries to visit in Latin America. Travelers can move about freely without taking major precautions. They should, like everywhere in the world, avoid marginalized neighborhoods in the big cities and be careful in the city centers. Chile has a low rate of violent crimes. However, it is possible to become a victim of theft or pick-pocketing.

Beware of a very special trick: seemingly nice and well educated (most often young) people approach foreigners and present a social, political or ecological campaign they’ve allegedly been planning. With a very valid argument and psychological pressure – they always work in groups – they convince their victim to „donate“ a large sum of money. These groups tend to work in Cerro Santa Lucía and in Parque Forestal in Santiago.

Useful Numbers

  • Sitio web con toda la información de extranjería en Extranjería (Dirección es San Antonio 580. Santiago, Centro. Atención de 9:00 a 16:00 hrs.)
  • Policía Internacional (Dirección es General Borgoño 1052 - fono 5657863. Horario de atención de Lunes a Viernes de 08:00 a 14:00 hrs.)
  • Carabineros - 133
  • Información policial 139
  • Bomberos Ambulancia 132
  • Posta Central 131
  • Informaciones: 103


INSURANCE

The WFOT 2010 registration fee does not include personal travel or health insurance of any kind.

We recommend that you purchase your own travel and health insurance before travelling to Chile.