General Invitation to Montenegro INFOFEST-2003 (28.9. - 4.10.)

[vipforum2003]

Dear Dr. Emacs:

I am happy to invite you to be a speaker at the VIP Scientific
Forum of the International IPSI-2003 Conference in Montenegro, Former
Yugoslavia (IPSI = Internet, Processing, Systems, Interdisciplinaries).

This year IPSI-2003 takes place from Sunday October 5 at 8pm (start of
the Welcome Dinner) till Saturday October 11 at 10am (end of the
Farewell Breakfast), in the World-famous medieval island-city-hotel
Sveti Stefan on the Adriatic Sea (see the WWW site given below).

So far, about 200 speakers, from 20 different countries accepted the 
invitation, and we expect to reach the projected 240 attendees (physical 
limit of the Sveti Stefan hotel system) before the 31.5.2003. deadline 
for invitees to respond. 

In addition to other programs, a special VIP Scientific Forum is also
organized (with both plenary talks and parallel sessions), and I have
been asked to serve as the General Chairman. Talks of the VIP Scientific
Forum are open to all participants (other fori include the High Tech
Forum, Talented Students Forum, etc.). Therefore, speakers in the VIP
Scientific Forum get a wide visibility, which is good for all kinds of
activities that they may like to establish with this part of the World.

The VIP Scientific Forum will be held in the BEST hotel of the nation
(Sveti Stefan). This hotel served as a destination during the honeymoon
trip of Lady Diana and Prince Charles. 

Keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the VIP Scientific Forum will
be Dr. Dag von Lubitz (USA), Laureate of the Smithsonian Award.

I like to line up the VIP Scientific Forum 2003 talks before the end of
May 2003, so that the general audience can be invited after June 1, 2003
(to attend). Therefore, if you like to accept this invitation, please
let me know before May 23 (when I am to start an overseas trip), and
definitely before May 31 when I am supposed to submit the list of VIP
Scientific Forum speakers. Of course, the sooner you acknowledge your
participation - the better it is! However, if you need more time to
decide, please let me know, and we will try our best to accomodate you.

The major goal of this forum is to establish a podium for a fruitful
exchange of the newest scientific ideas, and that is why your
participation is extremely important to all of us. Only elite
researchers and professionals are invited.

If you like to accept this invitation, please send email (with title, 
abstract, and affiliation) to vipforum@rti7020.etf.bg.ac.yu (or simply 
reply to this email).

Conditions of this invitation are as follows:

1. Duration of your slot is 30 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for your talk,
and the rest for discussions).

2. You are financially responsible: (a) for the air ticket to arrive to
Montenegro (Tivat Airport), (b) for the hotel/breakfast/dinner cost (for
6 days, one person in a single room = e360, one person in a double room
= e300, one person in a triple room = e240 - see details below), and (c)
for the conference fee (e290).

3. Tivat airport is directly connected (by AirMontenegro) with Rome and
some other European destinations, but the best connection is via
Belgrade (with YugoslavAir and AirMontenegro). Airport taxes are about
e10. The price from Belgrade to Tivat is about e55 (one way), and there
will be 2 or 3 flights each day, during the time of the conference. If
needed, we may decide to arrange for a special charter flight, on 5.10.  
(from Belgrade to Tivat) and on 11.10.2003. (from Tivat to Belgrade).

4. You will be staying in the Sveti Stefan hotel system. There are 3
hotels in that system: One on the island, and two on the coast (all 3
about 100m away from each other). Participants will be assigned, on the
FCFS basis, first to the island-hotel (headquarters), then to the
King-of-Montenegro-Summer-House hotel, and then to the
Queen-of-Montenegro-Beach-House hotel (all 3 hotels are located on the
premises of the King of Montenegro Summer Residence, in a paradise-like
setting). The 6-day stays are preferred (to maximize the interaction
among invitees), but shorter stays are also possible. Please, note that
the list price of the Sveti Stefan hotels is e120/day in the smallest
room, and IPSI has a good discount: e60/person/day in a single room, e50
in a double, e40 in a triple, and e20 extra for a child under 10 years
of age (all prices include a room, a strong breakfast, and an excellent
dinner - from noon to noon). Breakfast includes all kinds of drinks.  
Dinner includes no drinks (these are treated as extra costs for hotel
guests). After the conference, you can continue to stay for the same
price (stays before the conference are not possible). The first night is
to be payed by bank transfer; the remaining nights on the spot. Of
course, if you like further to save on your budget, on the spot, you can
find plenty of rooms in private houses, on the walking distance from
Sveti Stefan (for about e10 to e20 per night).

5. The conference fee is e290. It includes the program, a book of
abstracts, a CD with full papers, a cocktail and the welcome dinner on
Sunday at 8pm, and access to all professional and social activities of
the IPSI-2003. Also FREE transfer from the Tivat airport to the hotel
(upon arrival) and back (on departure); the transfer will be organized
by my students. If you wish, it will also include a Montenegro SIM card
for your cell phone, so family, friends, and businesses can call you. At
one point in time, in September 2003, all participants will be asked
about the SIM card, and will obtain their Montenegro number before the
end of September 2003. Social activities will include sightseeing trips
by bus and boat (if the famous medieval Jadran boat is in Montenegro at
the time of IPSI-2003; see the WWW for photos from the past).

5. For more details you can check the preliminary web site of the VIP
Scientific Forum 2003. The web site of the VIP Scientific Forum includes
the list of my friends who visited me in Montenegro in the past,
starting with 1997. You know many of them (e.g., Nick Tredennick,
Krishna Kavi, Frederic Patricelli, Mateo Valero), and you can check with
them, about my hospitality. The WWW site also includes the maps with
relevant cities: Tivat (airport), Budva (the nearby city where the
center of action is - pubs, restaurants, discos, etc...), and Sveti
Stefan (location of the IPSI-2003 and the VIP Scientific Forum of the
IPSI-2003 International Conference). Also the pictures of the landscape
and some useful links. All 3 relevant cities (Tivat, Budva, and Sveti
Stefan) are on the Adriatic cost. Distances: Tivat-Budva=20km,
Budva-SvetiStefan=10km, Tivat-SvetiStefan=30km.

6. Format of your paper is the same as for IEEE Transactions on
Computers (see the IEEE web site for details). Your paper will be
reviewed, not for accept/reject, but for providing you with a feedback
that can help improve the quality.

7. Deadlines: May 20 (the earlier the better) or May 31 for AFFILIATION
and TITLE and ABSTRACT (100 words). June 30 for full papers (maximum
1MBy and minimum 4 pages of the IEEE Transactions on Computers format).
Short extensions after June 30 are possible, on request.

8. The scope of the conference is relatively large: Informatics,
Internet, Computer Science and Engineering, Interdisciplinary Research,
MBA, Internet aspects of Medicine, Education, Management, Law, etc. Of
course, traditional Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Engineering
Physics, or BioEngineering, too.

9. The social program in Montenegro is extremely rich. See the photos at
the web site. Each evening, music for dance on the gran terrace above
the sea (weather permitting). The Sveti Stefan casino is well known.

10. Montenegro coast has the reputation of a best European coast, with
history dating back over 2000 years - best toured by yacht (one yacht
will be available 24 hours each day, during the conference, for day and
nite tours, at discounted rates of e24 per hour, for up to 8 persons -
this is e3 per person per hour, or e24 if someone likes to be alone -
details in a follow up email). Weather in early October is ideal for
beach activities. In Montenegro, the first half of October is one of the
driest fortnights of the year.

11. All those who stay in the the Sveti Stefan hotels, obtain a ceramic 
souvenir plate (with a picture of Sveti Stefan) - a good bye gift 
from hotel management.

12. Hotels of the Sveti Stefan system do have Internet connection:

URL(IPSI-2003 VIP Scientific Forum)=> 
http://galeb.etf.bg.ac.yu/vm/ipsi/vipforum

URL(Chairman of the IPSI-2003 VIP Scientific Forum)=>
http://galeb.etf.bg.ac.yu/vm/


Sincerely yours,

Prof. Dr. V. Milutinovic, Fellow of the IEEE,
General Chair of the IPSI-2003 and the IPSI-2003 VIP Scientific Forum


PS - I have been invited also to chair the VIP Scientific Forum of a
large IPSI conference to take place each March on the top of the
beautifull Kopaonik mountain (the best skiing of Serbia). I plan, in the
future, twice a year, to inform you about these two scientific
non-profit events. However, if you like that your name be removed from
the list, please let me know.