Social Program


Monday Welcome Reception

The Welcome reception will be held on Monday June 22nd at 7:40 p.m. in the Congress Center (room Vitorino Nemésio). This room and the large adjacent terrace have a wide view over the Tagus river.


Wednesday Excursion

We offer two conference tours to choose from. You can book your tour when registering to the conference.

Walk/Bus tour in Lisbon

Day: Wednesday, 24th June

Time: 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Price: 35 EUR per person
Start point: Congress Centre
End point: Congress Centre

Departure from the Congress Center heading towards Lisbon city Centre. The tour will first provide a splendid sight along the River Tagus, stopping at two landmarks reminiscent of the Sea Discovery era (16th century): the Tower of Belém, a 16th Century fortress and the Monument to the Sea Discoveries.

Then the tour will continue for a visit to the Monastery of the Jerónimos (Hieronymite Monks) built in 1502 and the finest example of the Gothic-Naturalist. The splendid church with chapels and the main-altar in Gothic-Renaissance style will be visited.

Torre de Belém Lisbon Tram

The tour will then proceed towards Lisbon city centre and go through this remarkable city built nearly 2.500 years ago. The visitor will pass by buildings dating from the 18th Century and along the famous mosaic paved streets.

Proceeding high above the city at the Castle of Saint George, an 8th Century fortress from whose ramparts can be enjoyed a superb view of the old boroughs, the River Tagus and some of the hills that nickname Lisbon as "the city of the seven hills".


Bus tour to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril

Day: Wednesday, 24th June

Time: 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Price: 40 EUR per person
Start point: Congress Centre
End point: Congress Centre

Departure to Sintra, a small delightful town in the forest covered Mountain of Sintra, immortalized as "Glorious Eden" by the World famous poet Lord Byron. Classified by UNESCO as World Heritage and Cultural Landscape since 1995, Sintra is one of those magic places where nature and man combined in a perfect symbiosis, as if they wanted to surprise us and fill us with emotion in the beauty of their work.

Located about 30 kilometres northwest of Lisbon, there will be a visit to the Royal Palace of Sintra, a fabulous royal residence of many Portuguese Kings, with wings and halls dating from the 13/14th Centuries. Sintra is a top spot for finding traditional souvenirs and handicraft from Portugal and the visitor will have enough time to indulge himself for leisure.

Descending the mountain on to Cape Roca, the Western-most point of continental Europe, there will be a stop by the cliffs over the Atlantic Ocean (mind the frequent refreshing windy mood of Cape Roca). Following the coastline, the tour will pass by Guincho Beach, Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth), an ocean carved spectacle maze in rocks with powerful soundtrack provided by the charging waves.

Cascais Sintra

Arriving at the old fishermen village of Cascais, chosen in the 1940's as refuge by the exiled European Royalty, a stop will be made by the lovely bay, with a beautiful atmosphere bridging tradition (small fishing boats) and modernity. There will be time for leisure in Cascais and the return to Lisbon will be made following the beautiful Estoril coastal road.


Thursday Conference Dinner

The Conference Dinner will be held on June 25th at 8 p.m. in the exhibition palace of the Lisbon Institute of Agronomy.

This iron and glass palace was build for the 3rd Agricultural Exhibition in Lisbon in 1884. It is currently used for social and cultural events and includes a garden with a romantic fountain and a magnificent view over the river Tagus.

The exhibition palace is located in a former Royal Hunting Reserve and is one of the most beautiful botanical parks in Lisbon. The park with about 100 hectares is surrounded by a wall that has protected over the years of urban development temptations, has many green spaces and infrastructure open to the public, including a botanical reserve internationally recognized for its unique forest of wild olive trees.