14th Int’l Metropolis Conference

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

8:45-9:30: Conference Opening

Permanent Secretary Claes Nilas, The Ministry for Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs

Secretary-General Finn Andersen, The Danish Cultural Institute, and President for the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC)

9:30 - 10:15: Keynote: Manolo Abella, Chief Technical Adviser, ILO Asia, Thailand

- Vulnerability of Migration Policy to Economic Shocks

Plenary 1: 10:15-11:30

Labour Mobility in a Global Economic Downturn
(Sponsored by The Rockwool Foundation)

Moderator: Torben Tranæs (The Rockwool Foundation’s Research Unit)

This plenary session will focus on the prospects for labour mobility within the climate of a global economic downturn and recession. Although North America and Europe are set to experience low or negative growth in the coming years, China, India and other parts of the world are on track for economic growth of between 7-9%. How will global labour markets respond to this new competitive landscape? Will the West continue to enjoy a steady supply of high and low-skilled labour, or will the legal and institutional barriers to immigration prove too costly relative to better opportunities elsewhere? What will this mean for our understandings of brain-drain, of the attractiveness of the Global North for economic and social opportunity, and of contemporary approaches to migration management and the role of immigration in fuelling a return to economic growth in the Global North? What can the Global North expect of labour mobility in the coming years? Are our policies and programmes agile enough to cope with potential shifts?

Panellists: Christian Dustmann, University College London
                   Jeni Klugman, UNDP, New York, USA
                   Jane Leu, Upwardly Global, USA


11:30-11:45: Discussion

11:45-12:05: Coffee

Plenary 2: 12:05-13:20

International Migration and National Welfare – the Challenge of Managing Migration

Moderator: Trine Lund Thomsen, University of Aalborg, Denmark

Immigration and increased labour mobility brings challenges to the institutions and ideals of welfare states. Public discourse on this front seems to pull in two directions, on the one hand acknowledging the need for immigration to fulfil labour demand, but on the other hand expressing fear of the potentially negative effects of migration on the public institutions that make up the modern welfare state. But how and to what extent does migration challenge welfare states? Does migration as currently accepted and regulated in the Global North increase national welfare? What different forms and durations of migration and mobility are required in order to sustain existing welfare models? Does migration come at the cost of national welfare?

This plenary will explore the issues and tensions that international migration brings to various types of welfare states, such as the Scandinavian welfare model, and will address the question of how different countries manage these contradictory features of contemporary migration. In addition, impacts of the current global financial crisis in relation to how it may influence the relation between immigration and welfare states, will be discussed.

Panellists: Rita Kumar, KIM, Norway
Torben M. Andersen, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Andrew Geddes, University of Sheffield, UK

13:20-13:40: Discussion

13:40-13:45: Information

13:45-14:30: Lunch

14:30-18:00: Workshops

19:00: Reception at the City Hall of Copenhagen

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Plenary 3: 9:00-10:15

Challenges to Social Cohesion: The Parallel Lives Debate

Moderator: Jon Kaldan, Journalist, The Danish National Broadcasting Network (DR)

Migration is making cities throughout the world increasingly diverse. This takes various forms – from ‘global nomads’ shuttling between the financial centres of the world to those in ethnic enclaves living lives more in keeping with homeland traditions. The enclave, once seen in settler societies as a place of transition in the integration process, has in some cities become a preferred and permanent destination that offers a comfortable middle class life, satisfying employment, a full range of services, and places for socializing. Enclaves can also, however, exhibit the enduring poverty that once characterized most enclaves, and whether we are talking of middle class or underclass enclaves, they have re-introduced the concern over minority populations leading parallel lives to that of the mainstream population. Such spatial segregation may even foster fear of the growth of radicalism. In this plenary we look at how migration and transnational links are transforming cities and investigate what this means for our ability to live together in bounded areas. As the lustre of multiculturalism is fading in some of our societies, how do different groups, cities and nations tackle the challenges posed by the closed co-existence of different ethnic groups within urban perimeters?

Panellists: Kent Andersson, Deputy Mayor, City of Malmoe, Sweden

                  Giulio Boscagli, Assesore, Lombardia, IT
                   Nina Glick-Schiller, University of Manchester, UK
                   Daniel Hiebert, University of British Columbia, Canada

10:15-10:35: Discussion

10:35-11:00: Coffee

Plenary 4: 11:00- 12:15

Border Zones and Mobility – Øresund and Beyond
(Sponsored by Nordic Migration Research - NMR)

Moderator: Ulf Hedetoft

Migration is commonly associated with travel across relatively considerable distances and well-delineated cultural spaces. However, as the Öresund region illustrates, geographical and cultural proximity between two affluent Scandinavian neighbours is no guarantee of seamless mobility and problem-free integration. In fact Denmark and Sweden – and their political and cultural interaction - are an interesting laboratory for the study of cross-national labour migration, divergent asylum policies, and administrative differences in the management of migration flows and intercultural encounters across a bridge, which both marks close historical and cultural affinities as well as a boundary between two sovereign territorial states.

However, border zones too are different, and this plenary will widen the comparative horizon to take a closer look at political, cultural and bureaucratic ways of constructing and managing flows across different borders of Europe, at different types of border regions, and at more or less rigid ways to control, maintain, and ultimately define the border as an archetype of political geography.

The plenary will include comparisons between different European border zones (regions well ensconced in Europe’s heartland as well as others liminally located on the fringes of Europe), but will also debate EU initiatives and legislation concerning the governance of cross-border migration and their contradictory impact on the nature of borders, depending on whether these borders are regarded as a barrier to desirable labour migration (and hence as penetrable) or a safeguard of national security (and hence as a guarantee of culture and stability).

Panellists: Orvar Löfgren, University of Lund, Sweden
                   Sandra Pratt, Former Deputy Head of Unit on Immigration
                                          and Asylum in the European Commission's
                                          Directorate General Justice, Freedom and
                                          Security
                   Marie Sandberg, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

12:15-12:35: Discussion

12:35-14:00: Lunch

14:00-17:30: Workshops

Evening free

Additional meeting: Meeting with UK European Migration Network (EMN) National Contact Point

Wednesday 16^th September, 1830-2000, Room 17, 1^st floor (accessible from Center Hall)

An opportunity to meet the UK EMN NCP and discuss the current and future work of the European Migration Network. Open to all UK Metropolis delegates. Refreshments provided.

Please contact Kiren.Vadher@homeoffice .gsi.gov.uk for further information or to confirm attendance.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

Plenary 5: 9:15-10:30

Making the Family – Marriage Within and Across Borders

Moderator: Nana Oishi, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

Marriage and migration often go hand in hand and down many different aisles, from immigrants accompanied by their spouses, to mail-order brides, and to immigrants and their children marrying spouses from the home country. Due not only to the volume but occasionally also to problems seen to arise from some forms of marriage migration, some states have attempted to regulate these flows. This panel will explore the different ways in which marriage migration takes place, the various motivations underlying marriage migration, how for some marriage has become yet another possible pathway to developed countries, how marriage can bring with it challenges to immigrant integration, and the social and family consequences of marriage migration. One of the more often-discussed aspects of marriage migration is the choice by the second generation of a co-ethnic partner, either someone from within the host society or a transnational co-ethnic partner, over a partner from the mainstream. Furthermore, the panel will consider gender differences in the causes and consequences of marriage migration and will examine the variety of effects of marriage migration on persons of both genders.

Panellists: Katharine Charsley, University of Bristol, UK
                   Nicole Constable, University of Pittsburgh, US
                   Andrew Bruce, IOM Regional Representative for
                   South East Asia, Thailand

10:30-10:50: Discussion

10:50-11:10: Coffee

Plenary 6: 11:10-12:25

Youth issues: Opportunities and Identities of Opposition

Moderator: Garbi Schmidt

Well-publicized incidents of rioting and vandalism involving young immigrants or members of the second generation, together with more serious acts of terrorism, have given rise to a new concern over the identities that these people assume. With whom do they identify and in which groups do they see themselves as members? Public commentators and government officials express concerns that young people of ethnic minority backgrounds have come to identify with groups other than the mainstream of the societies in which they reside. More seriously, some young members of ethnic minority groups adopt an “identity of opposition” to the mainstream, often involving a strong, exclusionist attachment to an ethnic or religious minority group. Based on such loyalties, they come to see mainstream society as worthy of contempt and act accordingly, choosing to withdraw or behave in active opposition to it.

The question remains how we are to understand these identities of opposition? Are we to see them as indications that barriers to integration in the mainstream remain high? Or are we to understand the increasingly public and sometimes violent manifestations of immigrants simply as a contemporary example of what once was called a counterculture, and thereby compatible with processes within the majority population? Alternatively: are we witnessing something historically new and potentially destabilizing for the societies we all live in? How should societies facing these situations think about the incentives that they could offer to members of minority groups? Do young people of immigrant background have an adequate platform for communicating their needs in the societies where they live? Or is a potentially lacking access to political opportunities having negative consequences for how young people manifest their needs and identity, e.g. in the form of violent opposition and radicalization?

Panellists: Friedrich Heckmann, Bamberg University, Germany
                   Pernille Kjeldgaard, Head of Division of the Office of Integration Service, Municipality of Copenhagen
                  Abdul Wahid Pedersen, Imam, Denmark

12:25-12:45: Discussion

12:45-14:00: Lunch

14:00-17:30: Workshops

19:30: Conference Banquet

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Plenary 7: 9:15-10:30

Irregular Migration and Labour Market Activities

Moderator: Trine Lund Thomsen, University of Aalborg, Denmark

An increasingly globalised world influences the patterns of international migration in various ways – one being extended irregular migration and subsequent further immigration control. Irregular migration is often linked to the informal labour market, where on the one hand economic gains at times lead to exploitation of foreign workers and on the other hand facilitates opportunities for socio-economic mobility. This rather paradoxical nature of the informal/irregular labour market will be debated and seen in the context of different trades as for example caretaking, domestic work, construction, agriculture, and the sex industry.

The plenary session will discuss the causes and consequences of irregular migration in relation the socio-economic living conditions of the individuals involved, and how it affects societies concerned, not at least in the light of the current economic crisis. Furthermore, steps towards limiting irregular migration will be discussed.

Panellists: Laura Agustín, Independent Scholar, Sweden/UK
                   Elspeth Guild, Special Advisor on Economic Migration in the
                   EU, UK
                   David Kyle, University of California at Davis, US

10:30-10:50: Discussion

10:50-11:15: Coffee

Plenary 8: 11:15-12:30

Democracy and Diversity in Modern Times

Moderator: Howard Duncan

Democratic countries from across the globe are quick to recognize the role of immigration in fulfilling labour market demands, but less so when it comes to resolving the role of immigration in shaping their national culture and political identity. Despite the emergence of visibly multicultural societies, national discourse, public institutions and political representation have often been slow to reflect the diversity present in their societies. The enthusiasm that in the 1990s accompanied the development of models to combine political unity with cultural diversity is being replaced in some corners by widespread scepticism and often opposition to multiculturalism as a realistic or desirable project. In this light, can we see the recent prominence of notions of ‘integration’, ‘social cohesion’, and even ‘assimilation’ as signalling a shift toward monocultural national identities or ideals? If so, what are we to make of the marriage between democracy and diversity? Will political unity and identity take precedence over cultural diversity? Are rights to be favoured over representation? Will votes equal voice?

Panellists: Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University, US
                    Sergio Marchi, Senior Fellow, International Center for
                    Trade & Sustainable Development,
                    Former Commissioner,
                    Global Commission on International Migration
                    Benjamin Reilly, Centre for Democratic Institutions, AUS

12:30-12:50: Discussion

12:50-13:00 Announcement of the 15th Metropolis Conference

13:00-13:15: Closing of Conference

_____________________________________________________

Study tours

4. Study tours

Monday, September 14, nine study tours to integration projects and ethnic neighbourhoods in the Copenhagen area will take place. Delegates not already booked for a tour may sign up at the registration desk, free of charge. Some tours may be fully booked.

Tour 1

Education
Education of our youth is important in order to ensure a prosperous society in an increasingly globalised and competitive world. It is also one of the fundamental pillars underpinning the inclusion and integration of all youngsters regardless of ethnic belonging. This tour will give you a first hand insight into concrete examples and easy-to-copy best and promising practices, when it comes to increasing the number of especially minority youngsters that enrol in and complete a youth educational programme. We will visit schools, volunteer driven youth clubs and home work support initiatives and meet young people that on a voluntarily basis engage in dialogue with minority youngsters on issues relating to education and integration. Approximately 1.6 mio. citizens reside in the Greater Copenhagen area.

Where: Schools, Youth Clubs, Youth in Dialogue etc. in TEC-Hvidovre, Inner Copenhagen/Nørrebro (Copenhagen Neighbourhoods), Nordvest (Copenhagen Northwest)

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 12:00

Duration: Approximately 5 hours. Participants will subsequently be taken by bus to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Tour 2

Experiences with minority issues in two municipalities of the Copenhagen Region
The Copenhagen region has the highest rate and density of minority populations in Denmark. Approx. 25 % of all ethnic minorities in Denmark live in the city of Copenhagen or on the outskirts of the city. Over the last 50 yrs. the region has attracted and retained immigrants and refugees from all over the world. The region around Copenhagen includes 15 municipalities on the immediate outskirts of the city.

This pre-conference tour will take you to two municipalities for a presentation of the local implementation of national policies. You will get a first hand impression of the challenges from the perspective of two different municipalities. The visits to the municipalities will include a brief introduction to the local demographics and statistics on integration, but will primarily focus on the presentation of hands-on experience with minority issues, cross-sectoral boundaries and an insight into local successes and easy-to-copy best and promising practices. There will be a visit to one municipality before lunch and one in the afternoon.

Where: Two suburban municipalities

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 9:30

Duration: Approximately 6 hours. Participants will subsequently be taken by bus to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Tour 3 CANCELLED

Diversity theatre
This study tour includes a visit to Taastrup Theatre, located in the municipality of Høje-Taastrup. The theatre is both a cultural, social and democratic player within the municipality. The main strategy of the theatre is to challenge the traditional Danish understanding of a theatre by developing close relations to a new audience consisting of citizens with an ethnic minority background. Taastrup Theatre has established a partnership with a number of institutions, businesses and associations in the municipality. This includes partnerships established in order to create different activities in the neighbouring housing areas and a partnership with the local school about a theatrical performance with the participation of pupils with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Høje-Taastrup municipality is situated approx. 20 kilometres west of Copenhagen. Høje-Taastrup municipality covers an area of 78 square kilometres and consists of three towns, connected by a railway, and 14 original villages Approx. 46.000 people live in the municipality.

Where: Høje-Taastrup municipality

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 12:20

Duration: The visit at Taastrup Theatre takes place from 13.00 to 15.30. The participants will be transported by bus from the Bella Center to Høje-Taastrup. Participants will subsequently be taken by bus to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Tour 4

A visit to the neighbourhood of ‘Sjælør’: The Hotspot Project.
Hotspot is a project in the Municipality of Copenhagen based on experiences from the Netherlands. The aim of Hotspot is to strengthen the efforts to prevent and combat crime in neighbourhoods where the feeling of insecurity is relatively widespread among the citizens. The idea behind Hotspot is not to replace the existing efforts to prevent and combat crime, but to increase the effect of these efforts through coordination. The short-term objective of Hotspot is to recreate the feeling of improved security and to reduce the crime rate in the neighbourhood. The long-term objective is to support a positive development of the neighbourhood and to strengthen the citizens’ capability to take care of their own life and the life of their families, including improving the labour market affiliation and educational level of the citizens. Sjælør is one of the selected neighbourhoods for the Hotspot Project. Sjælør is located in the southern part of Copenhagen and is a neighbourhood with a high concentration of ethnic minorities.

Where: Sjælør Boulevard (Copenhagen Southwest)

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 8:50

Duration: Approximately 2 hours. The participants will be transported by bus from the Bella Center to Sjælør and back to the Bella Center after the visit.

Tour 5

Centre for employment, language and integration (CBSI)
This study tour includes a visit to the Centre for Employment, Language and Integration (CBSI) in the Municipality of Copenhagen. The participants will get an insight into different educational courses and educational projects managed by CBSI. The target group of these courses/projects is ethnic minorities, and the purpose is to increase the employability of the ethnic minorities. One of the projects is ‘Bydelsmødre’ (mothers of the neighbourhood). In this project women with ethnic minority backgrounds are appointed as local advisers for women and families in the neighbourhood. In preparation for their work as advisers, the women have taken courses in topics like health, exercise, bringing up children, the labour market, etc.

The municipality of Copenhagen has about 500.000 inhabitants and is the most populous municipality in Denmark. About 20 percent of the population has an ethnic minority background.

Where: CBSI – Copenhagen Northwest

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 10:00

Duration: The participants will arrive at CBSI at 10:30 a.m. The presentation of the activities of CBSI (including the project ‘Bydelsmødre’) will take approximately two hours and will be followed by light refreshments and discussions. The participants will be transported by bus from the Bella Center to CBSI and back to the Bella Center after the visit.

Tour 6

A guided walk through the city of Copenhagen with a focus on the topographies and histories of migration.
The tour will tell stories of the earliest traces of trade and exchange, of the mobility of labour, and the formation of a nation. It will show the sites where stray soldiers and German traders settled in specific streets near the harbour in the Middle Ages. It will recount the stories of the first black people who came to the city from East India and Africa during the Renaissance period as well as slaves imported from the colonies in a later period. The first Jewish settlements and communities in the early 17th century and the flight of Jews across the Sound during WWII are also Copenhagen stories. Copenhagen absorbed people fleeing the French Revolution and receives refugees from across the world escaping today’s political conflicts. Continuous migration from rural areas in neighbouring regions is part of the everyday life of the capital.

Following the development and growth of the capital through the lenses of migration, the guided tour will go from Copenhagen Inner City to the City Museum of Copenhagen, where there will be refreshments and discussions of current museum projects around migration.

Where: Central Copenhagen

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 13.00

Duration: The walk will take approximately two hours, ending with light refreshments and discussion at the Copenhagen City Museum from 15.00-16.00. The participants will, guided by two volunteers, take the Metro to the meeting place in Copenhagen City. The volunteers will subsequently guide participants to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Tour 7

Religious and cultural diversity: The case of Nørrebro
Nørrebro (located just north of the city center of Copenhagen) is one of the city’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. This study tour allows you to visit some of the institutions that immigrants have established in Nørrebro, and one of the institutions established for immigrant women as well. We visit two mosques in the area. First, The Mosque Foundation, a recently established Islamic center with the stated ambition to nurture dialogue with the surrounding society and to undertake all activities in the center in one common language: Danish. Second, we visit the Islamic Faith Society, one of the largest and most well-established mosques in Copenhagen and Denmark as a whole. The activities and the profile of the center have frequently been covered in the Danish press, not least due to the work of late imam Abu Laban. Third, we visit a center for immigrant women in the center of Nørrebro. The center has been established by the municipality of Copenhagen and is a haven for the group of immigrant women in the neighbourhood that otherwise have a weak platform of interaction with the surrounding society.

Where: Nørrebro – inner Copenhagen neighbourhood

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 12:15

Duration: approximately 5 hours (the participants will be transported to the reception at the University of Copenhagen).

Tour 8

A walk through some of the less advantaged neighbourhoods in the City of Frederiksberg

This study tour will guide you through some of the socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the city of Frederiksberg.

Our tour will end in the new ’Neighbourhood House’ (Danish: ‘Kvarterhus’) positioned in the residential district of Søndermarken– the area around Søndermarken is best known for the high rise building named ‘Domus Vista’.

The Neighbourhood House has been established in collaboration with the City of Frederiksberg and Frederiksberg Housing Association. The Neighbourhood House is part of a holistic integration effort in the municipality and physically placed on the 2nd floor of Roskildevej 63.

At the Neighbourhood House a coordinator is in charge of the day-to-day business of running the place. The Neighbourhood House is user driven and filled with activities such as girls clubs, extra tuition, helping parents with everyday problems, counselling and educational guidance and so forth. On the day of the visit, a presentation will detail the activities with a follow-up Q&A-session.

The City of Frederiksberg is a modern, metropolitan local authority with the characteristics of a major city. First and foremost, however it, is a residential area with all service provisions included. The many parks and leisure facilities in the city provide the Capital with a green oasis characterised by a special, historic charm.

Frederiksberg's area is nine square kilometres, which makes it the smallest and the most densely populated local authority in the country, with a density of about 10,000 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Where: Frederiksberg municipality

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 12:30

Duration: The participants will arrive at Frederiksberg at 13:00 p.m. The visit at Frederiksberg will take approximately three hours. Participants will subsequently be taken by bus to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Tour 9

Mentoring and network as successful tools for integration

While there are many programmes around the world using mentoring as a strategy to support business development and educational achievements, in Denmark, the Centre for Information on Women and Gender (KVINFO) has created a unique Mentor Network that pairs up refugee and immigrant women with women who are firmly established members of the Danish society. Taking the needs and wishes of the individual into account, the programme opens doors for these women and helps them become better acquainted with all aspects of Danish society.

Today, KVINFO's Mentor Network involves more than 4.000 participants all over Denmark, and according to David Clutterbuck - one of Europe's most respected thinkers in the field of mentoring and coaching - it is the largest of its kind.

The visit to KVINFO's main office situated on Copenhagen's waterfront will include a brief introduction to what and how mentoring and networking is done to support integration, but will primarily focus on testimonies by mentors and mentees about their hands-on experience with mentoring in order to find a job, to enter into local politics and to navigate in society. There will be coffee and tea and time to discuss and interact with the women engaged in this Network.

Where: KVINFO – Central Copenhagen

Meeting place: Bella Center

Starting time: 13:00

Duration: The participants will arrive at KVINFO’s main office at 13:30 p.m. The visit will take approximately three and a half hours. The participants will be transported by bus from the Bella Center to KVINFO’s main office. Participants will subsequently be taken by bus to the Copenhagen University reception venue.

Social Events

Welcome reception at the University of Copenhagen, Monday, September 14, 18:00 hrs.

Welcome address by Prorector Lykke Friis

The reception will take place at The University of Copenhagen Ceremonial Hall.
Vor Frue Plads
1017 Copenhagen K

Directions: The Metro line from the Bella Center runs directly to Nørreport (direction towards Vanløse), which is the station closest to the the University of Copenhagen Ceremonial Hall.
You will emerge from the station to the street level at the intersection Frederiksborggade/Nørre Voldgade. Follow the pedestrian crossing across Nørre Voldgade, facing away from Frederiksborggade. Once on the other side, turn right and walk to Fiolstræde, the first street on the left. Walk down Fiolstræde until you come upon a large church (Copenhagen Cathedral) in a square to your right. Just opposite the church, in the middle of the square, are the stairs and entrance to the Ceremonial Hall. The walk from Nørreport Station to the Ceremonial Hall will take approximately 5-10 minutes.

We are proud to hold the reception in one of the city's most beautiful rooms, the University of Copenhagen Ceremonial Hall. The building was opened in 1836, but not until 60 years later was the decoration of the rooms finished. The Ceremonial Hall is decorated with paintings showing the University's history, an example is Wilhelm Marstrand’s painting from 1871 showing the University's inauguration in 1479.

Reception at Copenhagen City Hall, Tuesday September 15, 19:00 hrs.

Welcome address by Mayor Jakob Hougaard, The Employment and Integration Administration, Copenhagen City Hall

Directions: Take bus number 30 directly from the Bella Center (direction Vesterport). Get off at Tivoli/ the Copenhagen Central Train Station. Cross the pedestrian crossing immediately outside the main entrance of the Central Train Station and turn left. Walk to Vesterbrogade and turn right. Walk past the main entrance of Tivoli and straight ahead until you arrive at City Hall Square. Enter City Hall via the main steps in the middle of the building.

The reception is hosted by the City Council of Copenhagen and will take place at the City Hall. If you wish to attend the City Hall reception you will receive a personal invitation from the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen.
Copenhagen City Hall is situated in Rådhuspladsen (English: City Hall Square) in central Copenhagen. It was designed by architect Martin Nyrop, the design for the building being inspired by the City Hall of Siena, Italy. Construction began in 1892 and the Hall was opened on September 12, 1905.

The appearance of the City Hall is dominated by its impressive front, the golden statue of Absalon just above the balcony and the tall, slim clock tower. The City Hall tower with its 105.6 meters is one of the tallest structures in Copenhagen.

Conference Banquet, Langelinie Pavillonen, Thursday 17 September, 19:00 hrs.

Delegates will be guided from the Bella Center to the banquet venue by volunteers. If you are arriving from your hotel or any other location in Copenhagen, to get to the venue, take the Metro to Kongens Nytorv station. From Kongens Nytorv, take bus number 26 opposite Magasin department store in the direction of Langelinie. Get of at Langelinie/Kastellet.

Located on the waterfront with an unrivalled view of The Little Mermaid, the restaurant contains some if the finest examples of 1950s Danish design, including Poul Henningsen’s world-famous cone lamps, of which the restaurant is the proud owner of the first eight ever produced. With the restaurant’s superb cuisine, the evening is bound to be a great experience!

Please indicate on the registration form whether you wish to attend.
Dress: Informal – a light coat may be useful

Accompanying person tours:

The City, the Canals and the Harbour
Sunday 13 September 13:00-16:00 hrs.
Copenhagen was - for Hans Christian Andersen - “Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, friendly old queen of the sea” and this tour is one of the best ways to see what he meant. During this charming tour of the city, you will see many of the main points of interest within the city: City Hall Square, the Carlsberg Glyptotek and Tivoli Gardens, the National Museum and the old “Latin Quarter” - so called because here you find the university and academic centre of old Copenhagen, - the Round Tower and the Old Fish Market. Here, you board our chartered, specially built canal launches and cruise through the canals and harbour. You will see Copenhagen as sailors have seen it for several centuries, passing under the incredibly low bridges to view some of the fabulous buildings that - typically for a city with maritime associations - are all close to the sea or the waterways: Christian IV’s Stock Exchange, Christiansborg Palace and Holmens Church - the Naval church in Copenhagen - and the charming old sailor’s quarter Nyhavn, Amalienborg Palace and the Little Mermaid. Along the canals through Christianshavn, you can still see “old salts” and their descendants, sitting on the wharf enjoying tales of the Seven Seas over a Carlsberg before you continue sailing past Christian IV’s old Brewery.
Price per person DKK 330,-

Louisiana – Museum of Modern Art
Monday 14 September 13:00-17:00 hrs.
Drive northwards, heading out of the city past the harbour and, following the shoreline, past the Royal Deer Park before continuing along the scenic route to the village of Humlebæk, where the Louisiana Museum for Modern Art is beautifully located in a park on low cliffs overlooking the Sound. The museum has a comprehensive, permanent collection of paintings and sculptures by world famous artists such as Giacometti, Henry Moore, Mire, Picas, Max Ernst, Bonnard and many others and also regularly hosts touring exhibitions that attract visitors from all over Scandinavia. Coffee will be served in the museum café with views across the Sound of Sweden. After coffee departure for Copenhagen.
Price per person DKK 595,-

Rules & Conditions for Accompanying Person Tour:
All tours are guided in English. During transportation participants are insured according to Danish Legislation regarding Transportation Insurance, but should otherwise be covered by their personal travel and health insurance when not on the bus.
All tours will start/end in front of Palace Hotel at the time mentioned. You are kindly asked to announce your presence at least 10 minutes prior to the departure time. To board the bus you have to present a valid ticket, otherwise the tour guide is authorised to refuse admittance on the tour.
Cancellation of any tours must be made in writing and forwarded to DIS Congress Service at least 21 days prior to operation of tour. After this, no refund can be expected.
The Congress Secretariat reserves the right to adjust or change the programme as necessary. A minimum advance reservation for 20 persons per tour is required in order to guarantee operation. The Congress Secretariat reserves the right to cancel operation in the event of insufficient advance reservations. In the event that the Congress Secretariat cancels the tour full reimbursement will be made.