The conference will be held in Slovenia, situated in the heart of Europe, where Bled is just 14km from Austrian border Some facts about Slovenia: lonely planet CIA Travelocity

You can fly to Slovenia (Ljubljana) from any part of the world. There are two flights per day from Frankfurt (Germany) and Zurich (Switzerland). You can get more informations at your local travel agency or on the Lufthansa and  Adria Airways homepages.

You can also take the train to Lesce Bled station (use Lesce for search in database).There are excelent connections from any place in Europe.

If you choose to travel with the car, we are happy to inform you that Slovenia built new highways connecting Ljubljana  with Italian and Austrian highway system. Speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h outsite towns, 130 km/h on highways. Car lights have to be turned on allways when driving. Allowed blood alcohol content is 0.05% (when driving).

About Slovenia

Slovenia is a green and diverse country that lies in the Central European geographical area, between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia and which embraces all the beauty of the Old Continent.

A nation of two million, with a distinctive and clear identity, which has preserved its individuality in this treacherous sub-alpine crossroads for 1,500 years, built and preserved during this period 3,000 churches, created a rich artistic heritage, published the Slovene translation of the Bible as early as 1584 and today has many museums, castles and galleries.

The first impression of the landscape is green, green and more green. Over a million hectares of woodland, half of the entire young country. You can find woods in Ljubljana, the capital city which has a majestic baroque city center, modern commercial and congress centers and outstanding cultural events. Triglav, the highest Alpine Peak is divinely dominating: pagan Slovenes saw it as a God with three heads - one for controlling the Sky, the second the Earth and the third the Underworld. Indeed, it seems that Slovenia does exist on three levels: above her the mountain sky dazzles with its countless Mediterranean shades, below there are 15,000 underground caves: some of them world famous such as Postojna and Skocjan.

The conference site Bled lies at the edge of the Triglav National Park which is among the largest natural parks in Europe. The story of Bled originates in a prehistoric settlement, past medieval rural houses and modern hotels, plush villas and exuberant gardens. Bled became widely acclaimed as a most fashionable European resort as early as the beginning of this century. The tradition of this towering splendor has been preserved to this very day. Nature endowed it with infinite gifts - a healthy subalpine climate, healing springs, an idyllic and lovely little island in the middle of a lake and a stately castle above it.

The heritage of every period is preserved in Slovenia’s churches, monasteries and museums. Near Bled is Brezje with a particularly interesting pilgrimage church. The European Museum of the Year, designated by the Council of Europe, is World War I Museum in Kobarid, devoted to the greatest mountain battle in all of human history: the Soca (Isonzo) Front where more than a million soldiers died and where Ernest Hemingway wrote his “A Farewell To Arms”.

Throughout history Slovenes lived under foreign domination but they managed to develop and preserve their Slovene language as the most precious treasure. Slovenes are known for their hospitality and friendliness and the majority know at least one other language including English, German, Italian etc.

Slovenia is one of the youngest independent states in Europe and is endeavoring to establish an economy based on market principles. The ISIE'99 conference will be a major opportunity for its industry to strengthen already strong links with more demanding world markets and build new ones.

We look forward to meeting with you in Slovenia and drinking a glass of excellent Slovenia wine with you.

Weather: Bled is a four-seasoned small city with healthy subalpine climate, the temperature in July is about 25 to 30^oCelsius. There might be an occasional shower, therefore it is advisable to bring a jacket, shirts, a sweater or an umbrella.