Partner Program

Just because you're coming to a conference doesn't mean your loved ones must stay back home. And if they do come with you, the fact that you're at the conference doesn't mean they have to stay at the hotel.

This year, YAPC::EU includes a partner program. This means your loved ones (husbands, wives, children, etc.) can come with you and have a great time in and around Lisbon.

We'll be taking them to palaces and castles, gardens and aquariums, showing them the views and making sure they have a good time while in Portugal.

Do not presume, however, that just because you'll be at the conference and your loved ones at the partner program, that you won't be seeing them. They'll be present at the conference opening and closing, and also at key points such as the conference dinner.

Monday

After seeing the official opening of the conference, the participants of the partner program will be taken by bus, accompanied with English speaking guides, to Sintra.
In Sintra, the bus will take them to the Castle of the Moors, an ancient (~1,000 years) fortress with an amazing view in every direction.
Close to the Castle is the Pena National Palace, a fantastic place we will also visit.
After lunch in Sintra, we'll be taken back to Lisbon through the district of Belém, where we'll stop to visit the Jerónimo's Monastery and the Belém Tower.
After a quick stop at the hotels to freshen up, we'll meet up with the conference attendees at the conference dinner.

Tuesday

The second day will be spent in Lisbon.
We'll be visiting downtown and the city's botanic garden.
We'll then take you to the Expo98 area, where among an awesome collection of gardens and a great view of the Tagus river and the Vasco da Gama Bridge (the longest bridge in Europe, including viaducts), we'll also take you to the Lisbon Oceanarium, the second largest in the world and the largest in Europe.
There, among some very odd, strange and interesting marine species, you will also have the opportunity to see, in the same large tank, sharks, tuna, barracuda, groupers, moray eels and one of the main attractions – a large Sunfish.

Wednesday

After two days with the group, you will certainly have made some friends by now.
On this third day of the conference you'll be able to go and explore the city in smaller groups.
We'll be providing you with all sorts of information on what you might be interested in seeing, be it older parts of the city, monuments, museums or simply going out shopping at a mall (the Colombo shopping center, for instance, has over 420 stores, 60 restaurants, a movie theatre with 10 rooms and a fair which even has its own kart track).
Of course, we'll be around to help you out with whatever you may need, and by the end of the afternoon, we'll all gather around for the live auction and the official conference closing.

Still got your attention?

How much does it cost? How do I sign in?

The cost of the partner program is basically the cost of the entrances in the places we'll be visiting (considering we'll be purchasing them at group rates), the travel (bus and others), the guides and the conference dinner.

For grownups, the partner program costs 80 euros. Children from 4 to 12 years old (which should be accompanied by an adult) will be paying 60 euros, while children under 4 will be able to attend free of charge.

To sign up for the partner program, the person attending the conference should go to the purchases page, select how many grownups and kids (both under and above 4) will be attending the program, and then use the usual means of payment available (notice: the form for registration to this program will be updated/made available on June 1st).

Anything else I should know?

Yes.

While we're very happy about this initiative, at the moment we'll be limiting participation to 50 people, which means you should register for the program as soon as possible.

This 50 person limit doesn't mean we won't be able to accommodate anyone else; it simply means that 50 people will be able to register and attend. If interest grows and we find that this limit is being reached, we'll start making arrangements to accommodate more.

Some of the Visits/Tours included in the Partner Program

* Castle of the Moors - UNESCO's World Heritage Site
* Pena National Palace - UNESCO's World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal
* Jerónimo's Monastery - UNESCO's World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal
* Belém Tower - UNESCO's World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal
* Botanic garden of Lisbon
* Lisbon Oceanarium - the second largest in the world and the largest in Europe

version 18 saved on 01/06/09 12:40 by Karen Pauley

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