General Assembly 2014 BCD Students EVENT GUIDE

-Event guide-

24th April - 2nd may

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 A FEW WORDS ABOUT BUCHAREST 5 WELCOME TO ROMANIA

FACTS ABOUT ROMANIA

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FACTS ABOUT BUCHAREST BEST CAREER DAY

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10 ARRIVAL BUCHAREST PUBLIC TRANSPORT 13 ACCOMODATIONS

16 OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION 18 25 MAPS

CONTACT

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Š Graphics and layout by Flavia Husar

WELCOME to ROMANIA

Romania is one of the largest countries of Europe, with a population of approx.

19 million inhabitants. It is located between Central Europe and Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the sixth largest city in the EU. Along with the Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Serbs, Turks and other national minorities also live in the country. Most of them are of Greek-Orthodox religion, but there are also many Catholics, Protestants, Evangelical, Muslims and others.

Romanian is a Romance language spoken by about 24 million people in Romania and Moldova. Romanian retains a number of features of Latin, such as noun cases, which other Romance languages dispensed with a long time ago. Romanian contains also many words taken from the surrounding Slavic languages, and also from French, Old Church Slavonic, German, Greek and Turkish.

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a few words about BUCHAREST

Bucharest is Romania’s capital and largest city, as well as the most important industrial and commercial center of the country. With 2 million inhabitants in the city proper and more than 2.4 million in the urban area, Bucharest is one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe.

Bucharest is the primary entry point into Romania, a booming city with many large infrastructure projects changing the old face of the city. Known in the past as “The Little Paris�, Bucharest has changed a lot lately, and today it has become a very interesting mix of old and new that has little to do with its initial reputation.

Finding a 300 year old church, a steel-and-glass office building and Communistera apartment blocks next to one another is a common sight. Bucharest offers some excellent attractions, and has cultivated in recent years a sophisticated, trendy, and modern sensibility that many have come to expect from a European capital.

The city has been undergoing major construction and modernization works in recent years, such as the Basarab Overpass and the National Arena. Bucharest has benefited from an economic boom that have helped rebuild neglected parts of the city, such as the historic Lipscani area.

Bucharest is also the city in which all participants should arrive on the 24th of April where they will be settled in at Hello Hottel, and where you will attend the Official Opening Day at Willbrook Hotel.

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FACTS about ROMANIA Did you know that…

Peles Castle was the first European castle entirely lit by electric power. The electricity was produced by the castle’s own plant. The castle’s central heating system, built in 1888, is still functional and in use today.

The legendary vampire Count Dracula, created by Bram Stoker, was inspired by the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler because he was fond of impaling his enemies and exhibiting their bodies along the roads.

The tallest wooden church in the world, and the second tallest wooden structure in Europe, can be found in Sapanta Peri, Maramures of northwestern Romania. It has a 23 feet tall cross that weighs 1,000 lbs, on top of the 257 feet tall church.

The modern jet engine was invented by the Bucharest-born inventor Henri Coanda in 1910.

The Romanian language is 1,700 years old.

The fountain pen was invented by Craiova-born Petrache Poenaru in 17991875, and was patented in May 1827.

The Romanian Palace of Parliament in Bucharest is the second largest building in the world, preceded only by the Pentagon in the United States.

The Danube-Black Sea Canal in south-east Romania is world’s third longest man-made navigation route, after the Suez and the Panama Canals.

The old Constanta has been associated with the legend of Jason and the Argonauts, who embarked on a long voyage from Greece to Kolchis (Georgia) on the Black Sea coast in search of the Golden Fleece.

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The actor who first played the role of Tarzan was born in Romania - Johnny Weissmuller, who starred as the Ape Man in 1932.

General Assembly Bucharest 2014

facts about bucharest The Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest’s most prestigious concert and exhibition hall, was built between 1886-1888

by French architect Albert Galleron.

This is the place to listen to classical music; the resident orchestra is the George Enescu Philharmonic. In front of the building there is the statue of the greatest Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu.

The old National Theatre was next to Telephone Palace. Bombed out during the air-raid of August 24th 1944. The actual National Theatre was built over 1967-1970. The Intercontinental Hotel was built in 1970 by a group of 23 Romanian architects, with 400 rooms, restaurants, swiming pool, casino, garages.

The Triumphal Arch was built in 1922 from wood and it was rebuilt between 1935-1936 in concrete and granite by architect Petre Antonescu.

The monument honors the heroism of the Romanian army demonstrated during World War I.

The Cantacuzino Palace was erected in the first decade of the 20th century by architect I.D.Berindei. After 1955 the Composers’ Union of Romania and the “George Enescu” museum began their activity here.

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BEST CAREER DAY This event gathers together the top 100 European students and more than 300 BEST members,all people interested in their professional future, in an environment conceived especially to fulfill both employers’ and potential employees’ needs.

The participants will attend workshops, presentations and discussions meant to highlight the latest job offers and hiring opportunities in fields of technology, innovation, management, marketing and many more.

Institutions, partners and corporations are gladly welcome to take part in this event and become an active element in this endeavours to provide career support to the students. It is also a great context to get to know BEST, to witness our ways of work and to interact with our motivated members.

SCHEDULE FRIDAY 25TH APRIL 2014 9:00

Arrival

of

Company Representatives

9 :15 Company Speeches 11.30 Official Picture 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Workshops 16:00 Job

fair

18:00 Cocktail

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This event will take place in Bucharest,Romania at Willbrook Platinum Business and Convention Center, 172-176 Bucuresti-Ploiesti Street,District 1, Bucharest.

Willbrook Platinum Business and Convention Center is a conference center hosting all types of events, from conferences, trainings, seminars, congresses to cocktails, product lunch parties, exhibitions and fashion parades.

Embraced by Baneasa woods, Willbrook Platinum Business and Convention Center offers excellent connection with the city center(15 minutes away from the north side of the city center) as well as the airport (5 minutes away from Henri Coanda International Airport ). Convenient public transportation solutions,total of 4 lines (149, 449, 304, 783, 780) offer fast transfers to the main areas of the city as: Piata Victoriei, Piata Unirii, Piara Romana, North Railway Station.

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arrival

BY PLANE

There are many low-cost airlines flying to Bucharest. If you book your flights early you can get very good prices from many places in Europe. Here is a list of the most important low-cost airlines with flights to Bucharest:

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www.blueairweb.com www.germanwings.com www.wizzair.com The low cost airlines and the traditional ones will arrive at Otopeni Airport. You can always search with even more options and updated low cost destinations on www.farecompare.com or www.momondo.com.

All scheduled flights, including those operated by low cost airlines, land at Henri Coandă International Airport (IATA: OTP) , located in Otopeni, 18 km north of downtown. Henri Coanda airport is often referred to as Otopeni on airline bookings, because of its location . The airport is the main hub for the Romanian flag carrier Tarom. All concessions inside the airport (shops, cafes, restaurants) are extremely expensive (everything is about twice more expensive than in the city). Avoid exchanging money in the airport, exchange rates are 20-25% worse than what you would find in the city - you are advised to use a credit card at an ATM in the lobby for immediate needs and exchange money downtown. There is a supermarket on the bottom floor (domestic departure) which is a reasonable place to get a snack and/or spend your last few Lei on departure.

Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP) http://www.bucharestairports.ro/

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General Assembly Bucharest 2014

BY TRAIN

There are many direct trains to Bucharest especially within the Balkans.

4 5 If you want to connect other trains/flights with a direct train to Bucharest you should consider these cities: Budapest (14 hours), Vienna (17 hours), Belgrade (13 hours), Sofia (9 hours), Thessaloniki (17 Hours), Istanbul (19 hours) and Chisinau (13 hours).

If you need to check the timetable of ALL international trains we recommend you to use: www.bahn.de.

You can check the timetable including prices of Romanian trains at www. mersultrenurilor.ro or at www.cfrcalatori.ro.

All international trains and most long distance internal trains arrive at Gara de Nord (Northern) station, located quite near of the city center. You can see the exact location in the map.

Do not use any exchange services around the train station: they offer about 20-25 % below the actual exchange rate -- use an ATM instead or walk a few blocks to get a much better rate, then take the subway system, which is reasonably priced (~1 euro for 2 uses) and has clearly marked maps and schedules.

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BY BUS Buses are a good option to get to Bucharest if coming from Moldova, Turkey, Greece and to some extent Bulgaria, given the low frequency and speeds of trains between these countries and Romania.

If you’re willing to make extremely long bus rides it’s also possible to get to Bucharest from a large number of cities in Western and South-Western Europe; these lines are operated by Eurolines(http://www.eurolines.com/en/) and their local affiliate Atlassib(http://www.atlassib.ro/en/).

You can also find additional information about bus routes to romania here: http:// www.autogari.ro/?lang=en /!\ If you decide to come to Bucharest by bus you should get in touch with the Participants responsible Luminita Hergheligiu [contacts at the end of the survival guide] in order to obtain information about the best route to reach us once you arrive.

BY CAR It is very uncommon for our participants to use this option. If you want to consider it you should know that the average driving time from the western border (with Hungary) to Bucharest is 12 hours. If you still want to come by car please consult with the organizers for more information. /!\ If you decide to come to Bucharest by car you should get in touch with the Participants responsible Luminita Hergheligiu [contacts at the end of the survival guide] in order to obtain information about the best route to reach us once you arrive.

BY SPACESHIP If you are arriving by space ship please let us know ASAP so we can start building a landing pad.

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bucharest Public transport BUSES, TRAMS AND TROLLEYBUSES The company operating surface public transportation in Bucharest is called RATB. To use the buses / trams / trolleys you need to buy an electronic card called “Card Activ”, which costs 3,7 lei (no trip included). You can load it with a sum of money, directly proportional with the number of trips (no connections). A trip costs 1.3 Lei. You can buy the tickets in the bus stations from little round stores called ‘Casa de bilete RATB’.

You cannot buy tickets in the bus. You have to buy them before and validate them immediately after entering the bus.

You have to put some money on the card before and validate it immediately after entering the bus/tram/trolley. When you’ll arrive, get this card only for the days before / after the BEST event if you need them.

The fine for getting caught without a valid ticket or pass is 50 Lei. If you do get caught first try to play the ‘stupid foreign tourist’ who doesn’t understand what’s going on. But if they don’t buy that you will have to pay the fee so it’s always recommended to have a ticket.

For the official map of the public transport network, use the official RATB site: http://www.ratb.ro/harta.php. There are also some night busses, but you have to wait at least 40 minutes in the station. The lines can be seen here(http://www. ratb.ro/v_noapte.php) and the map here(http://www.ratb.ro/maps1/Trasee_ noapte.pdf).

Airport Transfer Bus A trip with bus 783(to/from the airport) has a different price( 3.5 lei per trip).

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METRO (SUBWAY) The metro, which has four lines (M1, M2, M3, M4) and covers the city quite extensively, is usually a cheap (4 lei for 2 trips, 15 lei for 10 trips, 6 lei for 1 day, 20 lei for a 7 days and 50 lei for a monthly pass with 62 trips) and easy way to get around even though there are surprisingly few stops in the city center, since the system was originally built to transport workers and commuters from outlying neighborhoods through the city to peripheral industrial areas. If you’re staying outside the city center, or even if you want to travel within it, the Metro can be a very fast and convenient way of traveling to your destination, avoiding the traffic jams and crowds that frequently characterize surface transport.

Remember that all transportation operates between 5AM and 11PM.If you miss the last bus/metro, your only alternatives are the night-buses and the taxis.

The important stations for you are “Politehnica” which is about 100 meters away from our University, and “Gara de Nord “, right next to your accommodation “ Hello Hotel”.

Maps of the subway can be found on the Metrorex official site: www.metrorex. ro.

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General Assembly Bucharest 2014

TAXI There are a lot of taxi companies in Bucharest and you’ll easily find a cab here.

But be aware! Don’t take any independent cab drivers, but use only the services of big taxi companies. Cars from these companies have the rates displayed on the door. Each door used to contain an initial “sitting” fee (between 1.39 to 3 lei), a per km fee (1.39 to 3.6 lei) and per hour fee. However, taxis now display a single number which is both the initial “sitting fee” and the per km fee.

Be wary of taking taxis from places where a lot of tourists pass through, especially from Gara de Nord and the airport. Many of these taxis may be operated by con men. Tourists being asked to pay large sums to recover their luggage from the trunk or even muggings after taxi rides are not unheard of. It is not necessary to take a taxi from the front of the queue in Romania, in fact it is usually safer to take the last taxi there. Always stick with the large safer companies, these include Black Cab, Speed Taxi, Meridian, Taxi 2000, National Taxi, Cobalcescu and Dartex.

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accomodations IN BUCHAREST In Bucharest you will stay at Hello Hotel. It is just 5 minutes away from the North Railway Station and it’s easily found no matter where you are coming from.

If you want to reach the hotel from the airport, you can get a cab or you can take the 780 bus, directly from the airport. The bus station is inside the airport in front of the Arrival and Departure Terminal and it will take you at Gara de Nord (North Railway Station).

If you will come to Bucharest one or two days before the arrival day or leave maybe a bit later, we have some hostels suggestions for you: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/YMCA-UniversitariaHostel/Bucharest/33180 - this one is located right in the centre of Bucharest, in a very safe area, and within minutes of walking to the OldCityCentre - the main attraction of Bucharest, especially during the evenings; this is the most expensive of our suggestions, but the most comfortable http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Wonderland-Hostel/ Bucharest/44599 - this is also located right in the centre, even closer to the OldCityCentre and just a couple of minutes from the most central place in Bucharest, University Plaza http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Happy-Hostel/ Bucharest/35022 - this is a bit further from the city centre (about 20 minutes of walking or one metro stop); it’s very well located, near a metro entrance;)

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You can also find many other hostels/hotels and you can pick on your own. Here are some websites which might help you in this way: http://www.hostelworld.com http://www.hotels.com http://www.hostelbookers.com http://www.booking.com Consider that check-in starts Thursday at 10 AM, at the Hello Hotel reception.

We recommend you do not try to come earlier that day.

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other useful information LEGAL DOCUMENTS Passport / visa / ID card:

For EU citizens your ID card is all you need to enter Romania. Having the passport is optional but sometimes it helps to avoid any problems at the border.

For non-EU citizens a passport is required. Also please check the visa requirements specific for your country and if you do need a visa please make sure you request it from the Romanian consulate with enough time in advance.

LBG Bucharest will send you an invitation letter if you need it to obtain the visa. Sometimes there might be reduced or even no visa fees if you participate to a student or cultural event so check that option as it might save you some money. Also please take into consideration that Romania is not part of the Schengen Agreement.

Health insurance:

For EU citizens the standard health insurance card is also valid in Romania

For non-EU citizens you need to buy travel health insurance for the duration of your stay in Romania Student card (ISIC, Euro<26 or usual student card) - This will give you discounts in many places such as museums.

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General Assembly Bucharest 2014

FOOD Throughout the entire event, food will be provided by the organizers, but if you arrive early in Bucharest or just want to take some of the best places to eat in town, we have some suggestions for you: Caru cu bere Tel: +40726 28.23.73/ +4021 313.75.60 Address: Stavropoleos Street, nr. 5 Website: http://www.carucubere.ro/en/ Hanu berarilor Tel: +4021 336.80.09/ +40729 40.08.00 Address: Poenaru Bordea Street, nr. 2 Website: http://www.hanuberarilor.ro/en/ SkyBar Tel: +40724.759.227 Address: Calea Dorobanti Street,nr. 155, et. 5 Website: http://www.en.skybar.ro/ La Mama Ateneu Tel: +4021 312 97 97/+40721 52 62 62 Address: Episcopiei Street, nr. 9 Website: http://www.lamama.ro/index.php?lang=en La Mama Stefan cel Mare Tel: +4021 212 40 86 +40723 292 863 Address: Barbu Vacarescu Street,nr. 3 Website: http://www.lamama.ro/index.php?lang=en

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WEATHER During Springtime, April - May, the weather can be very shallow. The temperature may vary from 10 C to 30 C. So choose your clothes adequately.

CURRENCY The Romanian currency is leu (singular), lei (plural), (“lei” is pronounced like the English ‘lay’. “leu” means in Romanian “lion”). Please note that sometimes the Leu is also referred to as RON (Romanian New Leu).

Coins : 1 ban, 5 bani, 10 bani , 50 bani Bills : 1 leu, 5 lei, 10 lei, 50 lei, 100 lei, 200 lei and 500 lei.

The current exchange rates for Euro and USD are: 1 Euro ~ 4,5 lei, 1 USD ~ 3,3 lei.

For updated information about exchange rates, you can visit www.cursvalutar.rol.ro There is a slight variation from one Exchange Office to another. You can find Exchange Offices (including traveler checks) almost everywhere opened all the week. The safest exchange offices are the ones inside the banks.

Tips & Tricks: Do not exchange money from the people on the street. Always go to an exchange office.

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SMALL ENGLISH - ROMANIAN DICTIONARY First of all, in Romanian, you pronounce as you read, there is no special pronunciation rule, you just have to say the letters from a word as they are written (don’t use the English spelling) .

Good morning - Bună dimineaţa Good afternoon - Bună ziua Good evening - Bună seara Good night - Noapte bună Hi, Hello - Bună, salut Good bye - La revedere Thank you - Mulţumesc You’re welcome - Cu placere Please - Vă rog Help - Ajutor Yes/no - Da/nu What time is it - Cât este ceasul Where is my luggage - Unde este bagajul meu I don’t know - Nu ştiu I don’t understand - Nu înteleg What /why /how - Cum /de ce /Când My name is - Numele meu este What time is it - Cât este ceasul Where is my luggage - Unde este bagajul meu How much is it - Cât costa Bus/trolley-bus/tram - Autobuz /troleu /tramvai

Subway- Metrou I don’t have a ticket, I am a foreigner - Nu am bilet, sunt strain Tips & Tricks: You are cool! - Esti beton!

I will never drink again! - Înca un pahar!

Ohh - Ohhhhhhhhhh (Everything is

longer in Romania !)

Cheers – Noroc You should become BEST member! - Ar trebui sa devii membru BEST! One beer please! - O bere vă rog!

You drive me crazy! - Mă înnebuneşti!

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PRICES Mineral water 3 Lei (2 liters) Coffee 2.5 Lei Soft drinks 2.5 Lei (½ liter) Milk 4.5 Lei (1 liter) Entrance at Disco 10 - 20 Lei Condoms 8 - 10 Lei (3 pieces) Packet of cigarettes 13-15 Lei A Cinema ticke 8-16 Lei Pizza 15 Lei A Big-Mac Menu 15 Lei Beer in stores 3 Lei (½ liter) and 7-8 lei (2 liter) Beer in bars 6 Lei(½ liter)

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STUFF TO BRING WITH YOU

Money for extra food, shopping etc.

A sleeping bag is usually NOT required during the BEST 4 event 5 itself.

However if you plan to travel before or after the event the sleeping bag could be useful.

Formal clothes for Company Day

Leisure wear (for some games or sport activities)

Comfortable shoes or slippers.

All the energy you can get - Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a long one

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PHONES AND USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS Emergency Telephone Number :112 You can use your own GSM mobile phone in Romania with the roaming service. Always check the prices for making receiving calls with your home operator. Usually they are quite expensive.

You can also use public telephones on the street. They only work with prepaid cards that you can buy from newspaper stands, postal and Romtelecom offices.

Tips & Tricks: Remember that while using the roaming service you are also paying for the calls you receive. If you plan to use the phone a lot while in Romania we recommend you to buy a pre-paid SIM card from a Romanian operator. You can make cheaper calls and receive as many calls as you want for free. The SIM cards are quite cheap and they will give you an initial credit for calls. If you run out of credit you can always recharge them. Before you buy make sure your mobile phone is not SIM-locked on your home operator. You can choose from the following Romanian operators: www.cosmote.ro www.vodafone.ro www.orange.ro The phone prefix of Romania is +40, and the phone prefix for Bucharest is 21.

The code for Romanian mobile phone numbers starts with a 7. To call them from abroad use: +40 7xx xxx xxx. To call them from within Romania use: 07 xx xxx xxx .

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maps RESTAURANTS IN BUCHAREST MAP

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ACCOMMODATION AND OFFICIAL OPENING DAY MAP

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General Assembly Bucharest 2014

FAST FOODS MAP

For additional information about the locations and schedule of the event and also for the interactive map of Bucharest please download getlokal application before the event from the link below: http://app.getlokal.com/?lang=ro

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CONTACT

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General Assembly Bucharest 2014

Herghiligiu Luminita Participants

Responsible for General Assembly 2014 +40721732708 luminita.herghiligiu@BEST.eu.org

Alexandra-Madalina Pelmus Social Responsible for General Assembly 2014

+40 724 206 471 alexandra.pelmus@BEST.eu.org

25yearsofBEST.com

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