It’s that time of the year again. February is slowly passing by and the best thing about it is that VIV approaches steadily. We hope you are already looking forward to coming to Vienna. In this update we have gathered some more useful information for you so that you can prepare properly for your time in Vienna. This post will be structured as follows:
1 – Before you go: What to pack for VIV
2- Arrival: How to get about in Vienna
3- At the IV: Schedule etc.
4- Austro-Hungarian Debating Week: What to do if you are there earlier
5- Help and Assistance: Important numbers and things to find people to help you out
1- Before you go: What to pack for VIV
Although nudity is widely accepted in Vienna (according to the author), you should bring cloth and all the regular stuff that you would need at a debating tournament. This includes:
- Your teammate
- A toothbrush
- A winter jacked (expected temperatures will be between -3 to +6)
- 5 EUR in cash for the key-card in the Hotel. You will get the 5EUR back if you hand the key-card back to the hotel at the end of the tournament.
This does not include:
- A sleeping bag (no need, there is Hotel Accommodation)
- Your weird pet (you can do some days without it, just give it enough food for the weekend)
- Your rifle (I know we have many Americans coming, but in Austria the 2nd Amendment is not that accepted – this is Europe)
Both lists are not exhaustive!
Especially mind the following:
Attire at VIV
Friday night social: Formal/Business*
Saturday night social: Casual/Debate Wear
Sunday Final: Formal/Business Casual
*The Fri night social is quite classy this year, which means you won’t be overdressed if you wear black tie or even white tie (tailcoats? – yes this is Vienna – some people possess these things and you can bring them along). Yet, since this is a debating tournament, nobody will be kicked out if he or she does not comply with the formalities, just make sure you have something nice to suit the venue we are getting you into (which is our glamourous city hall).
2- Arrival: How to get about in Vienna
One thing to note before everything else: We organised 3 day public transport tickets for all participants. DO NOT buy your own day tickets, it’s a waste of money. The tickets will be handed out right at registration, which should be an incentive for you to register first and put everything else behind that.
So how do you get to Meininger Downtown Franz (i.e. the Hotel)?
If you arrive in Vienna on Friday (8th March) before 12:30pm:
From the airport:
Look out for the S-Bahn signs at the Airport (blue). Book a VOR Ticket for 2 Zones into the city and take the next train westbound.
Get off at Landstraße and change to U4 (green subway), direction Heiligenstadt.
Get off at Roßauer Lände and walk to Meininger Hotel Donwtown Franz to reg and receive everything you need there (see map).
From the station: Westbahnhof
Book a single ride (2EUR) at the ticketing machines and take the U3 (orange subway) towards Simmering.
Change at Landstraße and take the U4 (green subway), direction Heiligenstadt.
Get off at Roßauer Lände and walk to Meininger Hotel Downtown Franz to reg and receive everything you need there (see map).
From the station: Meidling
Book a single ride at the ticketing machines.
Take the next S-Bahn that passes through Landstraße (most S-Bahn’s do, have a look at the maps or ask somebody – they usually depart from platform 3 or 4).
Change at Landstraße and take the U4 (green subway), direction Heiligenstadt.
Get off at Roßauer Lände and walk to Meininger Hotel Donwtown Franz to reg and receive everything you need there (see map).
By car:
The address of the Hotel is Rembrandtstraße 21, 1020 Wien. Enter that into your navi and do what it says.
(But use your brain as well – you’re a debater!)
By bike:
Search it on google maps before you go and beware of the taxi drivers – they are pretty unfriendly to cyclists in the city.
3- At the IV: Schedule etc.
| Friday | ||
| 9am | Start of Registration | Meininger Downtown Franz |
| 10am | Workshop with the CAs | Meininger Downtown Franz |
| 1pm | End of Registration | Meininger Downtown Franz |
| 1:30pm | Draw 1st Round | WU Wien |
| 4pm | Draw 2nd Round | WU Wien |
| 6pm | End of Day | WU Wien |
| 7:30pm | Cocktail Reception | City Hall |
| afterwards | after party | Wein & Co Schottentor |
| Saturday | ||
| 7am | Breakfast | Meininger Downtown Franz |
| 8am | Transfer to WU | |
| 8:50am | End of Reg | WU Wien |
| 9am | Draw 3rd Round | WU Wien |
| 11am | Draw 4th Round | WU Wien |
| 1pm | Lunch | WU Wien |
| 2:30pm | Draw 5th Round | WU Wien |
| 5pm | Draw 6th Round | WU Wien |
| 7pm | End of Day | WU Wien |
| 8pm | Schnitzel & Break | Centimeter |
| afterwards | Social (with first free drinks) | MMX Bar |
| Sunday | ||
| 6am | Zombie Sightseeing | TBA |
| 7am | Hardcore Sightseeing | TBA |
| 8am | Wimpy Sightseeing | TBA |
| 10am | Semi Finals | Uni Wien |
| 11:30am | Brunch/Lunch | Uni Wien |
| 2pm | Final Ceremony | Great Hall, Uni Wien |
| 4pm | End of Finals/Winner Announcement | |
| afterwards | Sunday Evening Drinks | Einstein |
Colour Codes:
Red: Fixed Times – Reg/Social Entry. Please write those times in bold in your calendar.
Green: General Debate Schedule
Grey: Optional Side Events
Blue: Afterparty, Stringently Mandatory
4- Austro-Hungarian Debating Week: What to do if you are there earlier
If you come right from Budapest, we have the following options for you:
1- There is a limited number of cheaply pre-booked rooms at the Hotel. To get one of them, get in touch with Madlen (madlen.stottmeyer@gmx.net).
2- There is a guided tour through the UN Headquaters, on Thursday at 1:30pm. To sign up, write an email to Miriam (baghdady.miriam@gmail.com)
3- We are planning to have a debate and pre-registration on Thu evening. To get all the when and where’s for this event join the AHDW facebook group.
5- Help and Assistance: Important numbers and things to find people to help you out
Numbers:
Stefan (sergeant at arms): +43 664 6415032
Anika (registration): +43 6641022081
Addresses:
Hotels:
Meininger Hotel WienDowntown Franz, Rembrandtstraße 21, 1020 Wien,
Wombats Vienna “THE BASE” Grangasse 6, 1150 Wien
WU Wien (general rounds): Augasse 2-6, 1090 Wien
Uni Wien (Finals): Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien
City Hall (Fri Night): Feststiege 1, Lichtenfelsgasse 2, 1010 Wien
Centimeter (Sat Eve): Lenaugasse 11, 1080 Wien
MMX Bar (Sat Night): Alserstraße 15, 1080 Wien
We are very excited and look forward to welcoming you all very soon to Vienna!
Your Debattierklub Wien – Crowd
