INVITATION PACKAGE
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ………………………………………..……………………………… 3 WELCOME LETTER FROM THE T.O. THEME
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REGISTRATION ………………………………………………………..……………… 7 VISAS
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VENUE
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HOTEL AND ACCOMMODATION ...………………………………………..….. 17 TRAVELING
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OPENING CEREMONY …………….....………………………………………..….. 23 CLOSING CEREMONY
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SOCIAL PROGRAM AND ENTERTAINMENT ………………………..….. 25 Pre GA
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Post GA
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TEAM OF OFFICIALS 2014-2015 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
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INTRODUCTION 64TH IFMSA GENERAL ASSEMBLY AUGUST MEETING 2015 IFMSA General Assembly is the biggest international student congress in the world. Each year on the same GA participate more than 850 delegates from 119 country members and other representatives from almost all nongovernmental organizations from the United Nations system who are official partners of IFMSA. IFMSA General Assembly offers a unique chance of medical students to be involved in ideas exchange and opinions among their colleagues and about questions that concerns public health, medical education, reproductive health, human rights and all global issues actual in the moment. This GA reliefs the development of the global network to all medical workers round the globe. Students can participate in dozen of trainings which affects on forming the cultural and sensitive medical students and future doctors. Medical students that participate in the IFMSA General Assembly are future leaders in the district of public health and medical protection. Because of the huge importance of the General Assembly, having the opportunity to organize one is representing a great honor to every country member of IFMSA. We are proud on the fact that we had the honor to be the organizers and hosts of the IFMSA-General Assembly in 2004 and 2009, and now again in 2015.
MOTIVATION FOR ORGANIZING THE 64TH IFMSA GENERAL ASSEMBLY Macedonian Medical Student’s Association-MMSA is a constitutional member of IFMSA more than 60 years. During the past 10 years we were working constantly to improve our capacities and founding constant teams and results, forming firmly base for future needs. Today proudly we can say that our projects have lighter future and our teams are more capable to face any-kind of challenge. MMSA-Macedonian Medical Student’s Association had its role in IFMSA from the beginning. We never spared our capacities in fulfilling the goals and the development. Today we can proudly say that we are one of the most active student organizations in our country and MMSA-Macedonia enjoys a great support from all relevant medical institutions in Republic of Macedonia. Organizing a meeting with a character of IFMSA-General Assembly represents a great honor for every organization, that is why enormous effort and work, energy, creativity and great and compact team is needed . In the meantime hosting the Assembly needs huge responsibility for the organizing country. MMSA-team is highly trained and experienced to organize this General Assembly and we think that there is no doubt that this GA will be one of the best ever no matter of the circumstances and the fact that we have only 5 months to organize it.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN MACEDONIA AFTER ONLY 6 YEARS August 2009 in Ohrid, Macedonia, MMSA hosted more than 750 medical students when organized 58th IFMSA-General Assembly which was the most adequate / appropriate way of celebrating the 58th anniversary of our membership in IFMSA. 58rd General Assemble was held under the hat of the Macedonian Government, the University of St. Cyril and Methodius-Skopje and many other private companies that recognized the importance of this event as a promotion of the country-Republic of Macedonia and promotion of the MMSA. Just like than MMSA with great desire expects the colleagues and friends from all over the world with great motivation and enthusiasm for one more gathering. In only 6 years, MMSA is ready for one more incredible experience in organizing the IFMSA-General Assembly. Today, pleasant political and social situation in Macedonia allow us to believe that we can use our strength and capacity on the right way, as we will be in opportunity to offer IFMSA and our friends round the globe another one not- forgettable General Assembly. The support we had in the past years from all relevant state institutions from health, education and science gives us a strong belief that we can contribute with quality on the General Assembly and achieve remarkable results. Macedonian Medical Student’s Association-MMSA thinks that our country Republic of Macedonia with all hers natural beauties and cultural heritage has the opportunity to offer unique experience to our colleagues. This is the Invitation Package for the August Meeting 2015 of IFMSA, the 64th General Assembly August Meeting which will be held in Ohrid ‐Republic of Macedonia, hosted by the Macedonian Medical Students Association. The theme of this GA will be “Migration of health care workers – brain drain.Aware that initiative must be taken by those with the resources, vision and knowledge to make an impact in the world this theme was chosen directly by the NMO’s of IFMSA. Our GA and our Pre-GA will be hosted in thel city of Ohrid, at the Desaret Hotel Resort, adequate congress center with high‐tech equipment. The arrival day for Pre-GA will be the 30th of July 2015 and the departure day will be the 3th of August 2015; day of the beginning of the GA which will end the 9th of August 2015. The departure day for the GA will be 9th of August 2015. From the 9th of August, there will be amazing post-GA tours in the capital city of Skopje, which will last 3- days. This package will give a general overview of what will be our GA, for more details please have a look on our web site. www.am2015macedonia.com If there are any questions, concerns or something else, feel free to contact us in anytime, With respect, Stefan Vasilevski – MMSA President Benjamin Kamberi – OC President of IFMSA GA - August Meeting 2015
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WELCOME LETTER FROM THE TEAM OF OFFICIALS Dear IFMSA members, It is with pleasure that we invite you to participate in the 64th IFMSA General Assembly August Meeting in Ohrid, Macedonia. It is with great expectation that IFMSA is coming once again to this magic place near the lake Ohrid, after also receiving the IFMSA GAs August Meeting in 2004 and 2009. We hope that you are excited for the amazing sessions prepared by the IFMSA Team of Officials. To guarantee the success of the GA will need your support and participation in all the sessions and discussions. From our side, we will do our best to support you and guarantee concrete outcomes are obtained from this meeting. This General Assembly theme event is also a topic that affect all of us: Migration of health workers. During the theme sessions, it will be important to discuss the problems related with education, retention and planning of health workforce, as well the challenge of migration for young doctors. It will be also debated the international work develop by different organisations, such as WHO and what are the measures that are being undertaken at global level to face this challenge. An international recognized panel of specialists and advocates will be invited to give their insight about this topic and support IFMSA members in obtaining outcomes from these discussions. Finally, I want to thank MMSA-Macedonia for moving forward with their candidature to host the GA. They raised up to the challenge and they are doing their best to host an amazing GA. See you in the General Assembly, On behalf of the Team of Officials, Agostinho Moreira de Sousa IFMSA President
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THEME “Migration of health care workers� According to the World Health Report released in 2006, over 1 billion people worldwide lack access to quality health services. World Health Organization also alerted the world back then to a shortfall of 4.3 million health workers globally. However, a lot has changed since then. Several factors were identified that are leading to a critical shortfall from health professionals in many countries such as clear lack of planning of its healthcare system and education and lack of retention policies. These factors are promoting migration of health care professionals. Strict health workforce planning is crucial to ensure that proper health care is provided. Although there seems to be a global lack of healthcare workers, there are many factors that play a major role into this, one of which is distribution. Even within different countries, there are disparities between the rural and urban areas, or within the type of healthcare workers and specialties present. This was already noticed by several countries and international organizations. Taking this into account, the World Health Assembly approved several resolutions targeting planning, education and ethical recruitment of health workers and the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GWHA) was launched to address specific aspects, such as health worker education and training, migration and financing. Regional actions are also taking place, for example, a Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting, supported by the European Union, is trying to tackling these challenges within it’s region. This is a topic that deeply concerns medical students and their future. During the theme events, several topics are aimed to be discussed: from the lack of proper working conditions and environment to the active recruitment from some countries that is promoting brain drain. The direct implications for medical students and their education today as well as their expectations and concerns for their future and the future of healthcare itself will also be discussed, such has access to specialty, continuous professional development and to a meaningful profession and what are the main reasons for the migration of health workers, mainly young medical professionals. IFMSA aims to discuss this topic in order to create awareness among its members about the interconnecting factors between the different countries. In the end of the General Assembly, it is expected to create an outcome document that summarizes the discussions taken and a list of proposed solutions to be implemented at internally and externally by medical students at local, national and international levels.
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REGISTRATION REGISTRATION PERIOD
From 15/04/2015 at 00:00h GMT+1 until 16/06/2015 at 23:59h GMT+1
DEADLINES:
The early registration will start on the 15/04/2015 at 00:00 GMT+1. The early registration period will end the 15/05/2015 at 23:59 GMT+1. The late registration period will start on the 16/05/2015 at 00:00 GMT+1 and will end the 16/06/2016 at 23:59 GMT+1.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND CANCELLATIONS:
Substitutions will be accepted till the 20/07/2015; The cancellations will be accepted till the 06/07/2015.
DELEGATION QUOTA
Each National Member Organization (NMO) is allowed a quota of eight 8 delegates as early registration (only if they register in the early registration period) and 8 others as late. Additional delegates above the total of 16 are allowed in the form of Alumni, Externals, Observers, IFMSA Officials and other Extra Quota delegates (Support Persons, Program Coordinators and 2 members of the Organizing Committee of the March Meeting 2016). Any delegate, whose registration is not complete by the close of the early registration, will have to register as late.
REGISTRATION FEES THE REGISTRATION FEES FOR THE AUGUST MEETING 2015 NMO CATEGORY A and B C and D E and F
EARLY REGISTRATION 125 € 220 € + 10 € TAF 285 € + 25 € TAF Other Fees
Observers and Alumni
Late quota of their NMO
Pre GA Post GA
150 € 130 €
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LATE REGISTRATION 215 € 360 € + 10 € TAF 465 € + 25 € TAF
PLEASE NOTE:
Extra delegates above the allowed quota of 8 per NMO must each pay an additional EUR25 towards the IFMSA Central Budget. Delegates from Category C and D countries must also pay an additional EUR10 to the Travel Assistance Fund. Delegates from Category E and F countries must also pay an additional EUR25 to the Travel Assistance Fund Your National Member Organization President must approve you before your registration can proceed to payment of fees and confirmation
HOW TO REGISTER ON THE WEB SITE NMO PRESIDENTS When you get to the AM2015 website ( www.am2015macedonia.com ), click on the register link. Then carefully fill out the form. Your account will be approved by the OC so you can log in and get the NMO president privileges. After you log in you will see the pages: Approve users: Here you will see a list of delegates that applied under your NMO. On the right of every name there is a button to approve that person as a member of your delegation. IMPORTANT NOTES:
Only the first seven people you approve will be in early registration (you are the 8th) – the order in which people apply is not important but the order in which you approve them is. Only the first seven people you approve will be in early registration (if registered before 15.05.2015 23:59 GMT+1), the other 8 will be late registration and they will have to pay 25 euro for extra delegates (This is charged by IFMSA NOT by the OC). Once you approve a delegate there is no going back – you cannot unapprove someone!!! (This is valid if everyone is registered and all the fees are transferred before the early registration deadline which is the 01.06.2015 23:59 GMT+1, if not everyone will need to pay late registration). The late registration quota will be 8 delegates and they have to be registered before 16.06.2015 23:59 GMT+1. Status page: Here you will be able to see a list of all approved delegates for your NMO and how much each one has to pay and the grand total your NMO needs to transfer to the OC. On this page you will also see the AM2015 bank account details that you need to transfer the funds to. Funds for all the delegates you approved for early registration have to be transferred by 01.06.2015 23:59 GMT+1. If someone is registered for early registration but the fee is not transferred by the deadline they will be moved to late registration. (This is done automatically by the system so even if you are one hour late with the transfer you will have to pay late registration fees, so please don’t wait until the last moment). At the bottom you will see a link to download your invitation letter if you need one. NMO President will be approved according to the IFMSA.org database. If you haven’t made the changes yet NOW is a great time.
If during the registration you encounter any problems, bugs, etc or you make any kind of mistake please write immediately to registration@am2015macedonia.com
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GENERAL DELEGATES
Carefully fill out the form (user details etc.). Your account will be approved by the NMO President. At the bottom you will see a link to download your invitation letter if you need one. If you register or pay after the deadline you will be moved to late registration Status page: Here you can see if you have been approved by IFMSA President and you will see a breakdown of all the fees and a total you have to pay.
If during the registration you encounter any problems, bugs, etc or you make any kind of mistake please write immediately to registration@am2015macedonia.com DELEGATES OUT OF NMO QUOTA: a). IFMSA Officials, EB and EB Elect – will be approved by IFMSA President b). Alumni, Support Persons, Program Coordinators – will be approved by NMO and IFMSA Presidents.
If you register or pay after the deadline you will be moved to late registration Status page: Here you can see if you have been approved by IFMSA President and you will see a breakdown of all the fees and a total you have to pay.
If during the registration you encounter any problems, bugs, etc or you make any kind of mistake please write immediately to registration@am2015macedonia.com
IMPORTANT NOTES:
If your fee is transferred with the fees from your NMO please write and notify us at registration@am2015macedonia.com . The early registration deadline is 15.05.2015 23:59 GMT+1. If you register or pay after the deadline you will be moved to late registration
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VISAS MOST OF THE NMOS DO NOT REQUIRE A VISA TO GET TO MACEDONIA.
To check if you need a visa you can download the official document STATING THE Macedonian visa regime from the web site of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://mfa.gov.mk/index.php/en/ and http://mfa.gov.mk/index.php/en/consularservices/for-foreign-nationals Also, in the same document you can find information about the Macedonian embassy that is nearest to your country.
We must state that because of the circumstances, the organizing committee of AM2015 will provide all the delegates with special support letters and the ministry of foreign affairs will be contacted directly by the University.
We will provide an official invitation letters for all of the NMO’s that do not need Macedonian visa but need a European schengen for transiting thru Europe. We will also provide an official support letter from the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius – Skopje , Medical Faculty Skopje If needed, we will make a special support letter for every delegate of the NMO who requires a Macedonian visa. The validity of the passport or other travel document of the applicant has to be minimum 3 (three) months. * For all those delegates that don’t have a Macedonian embassy in their country we are finalizing the procedure for getting the visa upon arrival. The details of the process will be announced really soon.
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VENUE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA That unforgettable name evoking images of ancient, great civilizations and exotic adventure - is also a warm and welcoming modern-day republic in the very heart of southeastern Europe. While easily accessible from all points abroad, and boasting all the amenities of the Western world, Macedonia remains one of Europe’s last great undiscovered countries: a natural paradise of mountains, lakes and rivers, where life moves to a different rhythm, amidst the sprawling grandeur of rich historical ruins and idyllic villages that have remained practically unchanged for centuries. Macedonia’s geographical and cultural position as bridge between East and West, as the crossroads between Christian Europe and the mystical Orient, is attested to today in its inhabitants. The Macedonian people – a mixture of ancient Macedonians and Slavic tribes that settled here starting in the 5th century C.E. – make up the greatest part of a country where that mixed population is a vibrant reminder of Macedonia’s rich and lengthy history… The diverse range of peoples living in Macedonia along with the Macedonians, like the Albanians, Serbs, Turkish etc. in a multicultural society that co-existed for thousands of years, just straightens the fact that this is a place where hospitality always welcomes visitors and it comes from the heart. And indeed, the country’s charms have not been lost on an increasing number of Westerners today who are now choosing it as their second home!In addition to its diversity,, Macedonia’s cultural richness is expressed in its archaeological legacy. Although just a little country, it holds many antique theaters, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques, in addition to relics from the Stone Age and even earlier periods of human civilization.
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GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT MACEDONIA Republic of Macedonia is the homeland of Mother Teresa.
Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia is the place where Mother Teresa was born and raised during her whole childhood. The memorial house of mother Teresa, The gallery of the museum depicts the interior of a city house in Macedonia from XX century. The exhibition includes photos, documents and exhibits through which one can follow the life journey of Mother Teresa starting from her childhood years in Macedonia, via the years that she spent as a Missionary of Charity, until her death and beneficiation. Among the most important documents that this museum possesses, several can be highlighted: Her well know white and blue colored SARI, her prayer book, her rosary and cross that she was wearing, her baptism certificate issued by the Catholic Church “Sacred Heart of Jesus�, etc. Republic of Macedonia is a land of the bible and the name Macedonia is in fact the oldest surviving name of a country in the continent of Europe and one of the oldest in the world.
Macedonia has over 4000 archeological sites and is one of the most attractive archeological destinations in the world. Evidence shows that old European civilizations flourished on the territory of Macedonia even in 7000 B.C. Macedonia is a timeless place where you can feel the
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moments from 7000 B.C. to ancient cities and ruins, to middle age fortress and battle towers to modern age architecture. There is one famous quotation that says: “ In Macedonia, the centuries do not follow one another, but exist simultaneously”. Republic of Macedonia’s territory shares the great history with the ancient Greek civilization and is part of the famous Ancient Macedonian Empire of the greatest warrior of all time – Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great and the empire of ancient Macedonians and Greeks, was occupying 3 continents of the world. He was the only emperor in the history who never lost a battle and the first one who was spreading multi-cultural values and wanted to unite the whole world. Based on his ideals, today’s world organizations such as United Nation, European Union work. This is also what IFMSA is doing as an organization in the moment, united medical students worldwide, no matter of the cultural, ethnical, religion, racial and other differences. Republic of Macedonia and the city of Ohrid is the place of the roots of the Slavic world alphabet.
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The Slavic world alphabet, Cyrillic (Кирилица), was written by St. Cyril and Methodius and has its roots in the city of Ohrid. The city of Ohrid had one of the first 3 Universities established in Europe. The city is protected by UNESCO and the Lake Ohrid was accepted as Cultural and Natural World Heritage Site.
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THE CITY OF OHRID “ If you bathing in Ohrid on a sunny day and suddenly emerge from its depths, breaking the surface for a moment, you will see on the pale blue expanse all around you silvery, transparent bubbles, big and small. In each of them the Sun is doubly reflected, like two focuses of different sizes. Approaching one of the bigger bubbles, holding your breath for fear it may burst, you can see in it, as in a distorting mirror, the reflection of your face, wet and laughing. And all the time, that bigger sun, like a vast star, hangs over your head… It all lasts for just an instant, like all beauty, yet it is repeated over and over again... “ According to some legends Kadmos founded the town, but it was the Iliyrian tribe of Desaretes that stayed in the town for a very long period of time. The antique name of the town was Lychnidos and as such it was mentioned in the year 353 B.C. when it was conquered by Philip II Makedonski. In the Roman time, the town was one of the main points on the major Roman road communication Via Egnatia. In the Slavic, time it was the seat of the first Macedonian State or as it was also called Tsar Samoil's state. A witness of that time is the old Samoil's or Ohrid fortress, which speaks for the rich and legendary history of the town. In the town and its surroundings there are numerous cultural monuments that represent the anthropogenous values of the area. In the vicinity of the village of Trebenishte is one of the biggest archaeologicalfindings, characterized by the world famous Trebenishte masks. The find is present even in the world antilogies. The Monastery of St.Kliment honouring St.Pantelejmon situated in the locality of Imaret, south of Samoil's fortress, is one of them. It was the first university in the Balkans and Europe. In the time of the Macedonian educator Kliment, 3,500 of his followers were educated here. After his death in 916 his, relics were buried there. Later, they were taken to the Church of St.Bogorodica (the Holy Mother of God) Peribleptos (10th century). This church is also a rare monument and a treasury of a large number of old church books, handwritings, icons and fresco-paintings. The latest findings, a ecropolis with 150 graves, tell that this church used to be a hospital while Kliment was alive. The Church of St.Jovan of Kaneo belongs to the 14th century and is one of the most attractive ones. It is situated in the old part of the town on the steep cliff above the lake. One of the rare cultural monuments from the Middle Age is the Church of St.Sofija in the area called S'rische. It is believed to be built by Tsar Samoil, whereas the fresco-paintings in the church belong
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to the 11th, 12th and 14th century. The church was the seat of the Ohrid archbishopric. In fact, in the town of Ohrid there are around 365 holy places and churches i.e. one for each day of the year. The Monastery of St.Naum is built on the steep south shore of the lake 30 km from the town. The great Macedonian educator Naum founded the Monastery church of St.Arhangel in the 10th century, whose relics are still in the stone sarcophagus in the church. There is a legend that says that if you touch the sarcophagus, your wish will come true. In the church, beside the valuable icons and fresco-paintings, we can distinguish the wood-carved iconostasis from the year 1711. The inns are a part of the church complex -7 rooms of which are used to accommodate the church visitors. The newly built inn is with 30 suites of high category with a complete infrastructure. The town of Ohrid is frequently visited by some great names in the field of art, literature and sport. It is host to a number of cultural events such as: the Ohrid summer; the Balkan Folklore Festival; Ohrid handshakes; the more and more popular Ohrid marathon; etc. From the unique natural beauties, Lake Ohrid is the one that marks the region, bearing the title as one of the most beautiful tectonic lakes in the world. It is with an altitude of 699 m, covering an area of 348.8 km2 (229.9 m2 belong to neighbouring Albania). It is 30.35 km long and its greatest depth is 287 m. Its crystal clear water provides an extraordinary translucency of 21 m. It provides excellent swimming conditions in summer, autumn and even spring. The water temperature in summer can reach up to 24째C, while the average temperature of the air is around 22째C. Biljana's springs (near the Hydrobiological institute) are another attraction, known as the place where the endemic Ohrid trout has been spawned. The national park Galicica covers an area of 22,750 hectares and it is on the mountain bearing the same name. The park connects the two most beautiful Macedonian lakes - Ohrid and Prespa. The park is home to 1,000 plant species and 177 animal species of which 10 are amphibians, 18 are reptiles, 124 are birds and 18 are mammals. The tourism in Ohrid and the area is developed. There are over 120 tourist units and the total bed capacity is 30,723. There are quite a large number of hotels, recreational facilities for employees as well as residential facilities attractive for the tourists. The well known holiday areas along the Ohrid Riviera are: Lagadin, Eleshec, Pestani, Ljubanista, Trpejca and St.Naum.
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HOTEL AND ACCOMMODATION DESARET HOTEL RESORT
Preserving the traditional Ohrid architectural style from the 19th century, Hotel and Resort Desaret enjoys a scenic location in Peshtani-Ohrid. Free WiFi and free private parking are provided. Ohrid lake is set a 2-3 minute walk from the property. Each room comes with a TV with cable channels, a seating area, a balcony, opening to lake views. The ensuite bathroom comes with shower or a bath. Some rooms feature a sofa. A safety deposit box is provided for free. An on-site restaurant and a bar are available on site. The spacious garden offers barbecue facilities at a surcharge. The sport activities in the area include hiking, cycling, canoeing, table tennis and fishing. An onsite tennis court is available at a surcharge. At an additional fee, guest can request massage. A grocery shop can be found within a 2-3 minute walk from Resort Desaret. The bus stop is set 20 meters away. A 10min drive can take you to the city center that is located 11 kilometers from the Resort. The Desaret resort offers more than 250 rooms and additional villas that can accommodate guests in the range of 2 to 6 per room.
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Outdoors -Outdoor pool, Garden, Terrace, Sun Terrace, Beach Bar. Activities -Tennis court, fishing, table tennis, Darts, Canoeing, Hiking, Bowling, Massage, Private Beach Area. Food and drink -Bar, Breakfast in the room, Restaurant (a la carte), Snack bar, Special diet menu(on request). Internet -FREE WiFi is available in all areas. Services -Room service, Packed lunches, Shuttle service, Airport Shuttle, 24 hour front desk, Currency exchange, Tour desk, Luggage storage, Lockers, Shared lounge/TV area, Laundry, Gift shop. General -Safety deposit box, Non-smoking rooms, Lift, Heating, Non-smoking throughout Designed smoking area.
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ROOM TYPE: -Junior suit with lake view -Double or Twin room with lake view -Single Room with lake view -Apartments for 4 to 6 people with and without lake view -Special Luxury suits MEETING ROOMS: Resort and Hotel Desaret offer you unique combination of more than 10 conference facilities. We also have the experience and the expertise to ensure your event is hosted smoothly and stylishly and can offer a wonderful palette of rooms to choose from, each with its own individual flair. Ultimately, you can rely on us to ensure that your meeting is successful. We are
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committed to the satisfaction of our customers. The capacity of the meeting rooms are in the range of 30 to 650 guest seated. -Congres Hall – 650 guests -Kazino Hall – 200 guests -Desaret Hall – 150 guests -Bar Hall – 70 guests -Desaret II Hall – 120 guests -Desaret III Hall – 100 guests -Pestani Hall – 70 guests -Restaurant I Hall – 450 guests -Restaurant II Hall – 350 guests -Desaret IV Hall – 120 guests The hotel offers a variety of empty halls and on floor facilities that can be transferred into a workshop hall in the range of 50 to 150 guests. The Desaret hotel complex widely opens its doors and welcomes everybody who would like to hold a seminar, conference or business meetings in its wonderful surroundings. The hotel has specially designed halls for such purposes, meeting all standards with their technical equipment.
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TRAVELING HOW TO GET TO MACEDONIA? OC Transportation OC Transportation will be provided on the 30th of July and 3rd of August 2015. Busses will be provided from Skopje (the city and airport) to Ohrid, and from the Ohrid Airport to the venue. If there are a lot of delegates arriving in some of the capitals of our neighboring countries there is the option to organize transportation from there but this will be decided when we will have all the arrival details. Departure from Ohrid to Skopje will be on the 09th of August 2015. There will be organized transport from the OC. By Plane Airport Alexander The Great - Skopje, - we suggest to search for tickets to Skopje Airport St. Paul The Apostle - Ohrid Almost every major European city in connected to the airport Alexander The Great in Skopje. Cheap round-trip tickets can be found with many airline companies. The following airline companies have daily flights to Macedonia:
www.wizzair.com www.croatiaairlines.hr www.adria.si www.austrian.com www.airserbia.com www.turkishairlines.com www.corendon-airlines.com www.sunexpress.com www.flyedelweiss.com www.airberlin.com www.flydubai.com www.flypgs.com www.alitalia.com
You can find all useful information at: http://www.airports.com.mk/default.aspx?ItemID=345 Or you can fly to Sophia, Belgrade and Thessaloniki, which are neighbors to Macedonia, and then by bus or a train to arrive in Macedonia.
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By Bus or By Train If you are coming from foreign countries in Macedonia with a bus or a train you will arrive in Skopje in exactly the same place. That is because the Bus and the Train station are situated in the same building. Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia is connected to all regional capital and non-capital cities. Roundtrip bus tickets can be found from the regional capitals like Belgrade (Serbia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Thessaloniki (Greece), to Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, etc. The average cost of a ticket from the Regional cities is in the range of 25 euro to 50 euro. Example, a return ticket even from Istanbul is from 50 to maximum 60 euro. Skopje bus station is connected with 50 + cities all around Europe. Cities connecting to Skopje by bus: Belgrade, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Munich, Wien, Salzburg, Linz, Brussels, Prague, Brno, Copenhagen, Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Ljubljana, Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Milan, Venice, Verona, Sarajevo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Budva, Podgorica, Bochum, Dusseldorf, Nurnberg, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Malmo, etc. For further info you can check the website of the Bus Station in Skopje: http://www.sas.com.mk/ and info@sas.com.mk + 389 2 2466 313 Skopje-Ohrid-Skopje return ticket is around 8,5 Euro. We are in a contact with one of the best travel agencies in Macedonia, so for further assistance, feel free to contact the Organizing Committee of AM2015.
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OPENING CEREMONY
The opening ceremony of the 64th General Assembly of IFMSA, AM2015, will take place a Hotel Inex Gorica. The hotel is a 5 star resort famous for its location with a view of the entire city of Ohrid, lake by resort which is the leading conference center in Republic of Macedonia. Also the first plenary will take place at the same hotel and hall. The opening will follow up with a welcoming party at a beach bar.
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CLOSING CEREMONY
The closing ceremony of the 64th General Assembly of IFMSA, AM2015, will be held at ancient amphitheater located in the city center of Ohrid, surrounded by Ohrid old town with its unique traditional 18th century houses and lightened up by the beautiful Tsar Samuil fortress which is above the ancient site. The last plenary will be held before the closing ceremony at the same spot. There will be a follow-up farewell party with a DJ performance at the ancient amphitheater and after-party at some of the Ohrid beach bar parties.
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SOCIAL PROGRAM AND ENTERTAINMENT
Ohrid, know as the city of lights, offers a variety of nightclubs, bars and beach bars, traditional restaurants, beach and on-lake restaurants, many cultural and traditional shows, etc. The average temperature is around 28 Celsius, which means that you should prepare your swimsuits. Many boat trips for a round trip lake view and visit to traditional lake spots are avaiable in this period. The period of 15th of July to 15th of August is Ohrids busiest dates and full season! Imagine a General Assembly in the center of the summer maddness in Ohrid.
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The biggest holiday in Republic of Macedonia is the 2nd of August which will be on Sunday, the last day of the preGA. The weekend from 31st of July to 2nd of August, almost 50% of the young people in Macedonia are visiting Ohrid for the amazing beach festivals, cultural and musical shows, great events with world star DJ (Tiesto, David Guetta, Lenny Kravitz‌). On these dates, Ohrid is alive for 24 hours. During the day, there are more than 10 beaches for young people with full program of shows, music, foam parties, boat parties, etc. During the night, the beaches turn into open area nightclubs and as mentioned above, more than 50 DJ from the Balkan area and from the world visit Ohrid for these 10 days of maddness which you will attend due to the fact that the GA and preGA are exactly on the same dates. That is why we reccomand to all participants who are attending the GA and planning to spend some time before in Macedonia, to use that time in the same city, the city of Ohrid.
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PreGA DATE: 30th July to 3rd of August 2015
August Meeting PreGA will take place at the same venue as the GA. The date of the PreGA will be 30th of July to 3rd of August and will take place at Hotel Desaret. The capacity of the PreGA will be limited to 10 workshops and the price will be 150 euro including free transport from Skopje to Ohrid. The PreGA will include:
10 workshops at Hotel Desaret Free transport from Skopje to Ohrid and the venue Opening ceremony at the hotel Social Program including beach parties and games at the venue Closing ceremony at a beach bar in Ohrid
PreGA price: 150 €
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PostGA DATE: 9th to 11th of August
The PostGA will take place at the capital city of Macedonia, Skopje. The venue of the PostGA will be at hotel Continental (http://www.hotelcontinental.com.mk/) which is 2km from Skopje downtown. The PostGA will be 3 days with 2 nights at the capital city of Macedonia. It will include organized visits to all the important points of the city, social program, etc. Macedonia is the homeland of Mother Teresa, and Skopje is her birth place. The house where Mother Teresa was living is in the city center and now it is transformed in a memorial house and museum. Skopje is known as one of the best cities on the Balkans for nightlife. Social program will be organized every day and night joined by medical students from the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje. Skopje is also the student center of Macedonia.
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PostGA agenda: DAY 1
Arrival at around 16:00 pm Dinner in the Hotel 30-40 minutes, city night tour with special tour buses Welcoming party at one of the best bars in the downtown of Skopje
DAY 2
Breakfast in the Hotel Visit of the memorial house of Mother Teresa Visit to the top hill of mountain VODNO with 1 hour break at the Millennium Cross and a breathtaking view of the entire city of Skopje Visit to the KALE fortress-the keeper of the city 100 meters from the KALE fortress in one of the biggest old bazaars in Eastern Europe, lunch at the famous restaurants in the Old Bazaar Visit to the city square, Alexander the Great Monument and the Museum of Archaeology of Macedonia Back to Hotel, dinner and Farewell Macedonia party
DAY 3
Breakfast and departure
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PostGA price: 130 € In the price of the PostGA is included:
3days Hotel Stay in Skopje at Hotel Continental – half board Transport from Ohrid to the Hotel in Skopje Transport to all spots of the tours included Entrance to all the museums, fortress, etc
Yours is only to come and enjoy the capital city of Macedonia, a lifetime experience that you will never forget!
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