ICNP'98 Conference Site

Austin is home to The University of Texas at Austin, the state government (but only every two years) and a dynamic and growing technology community, developing everything from semiconductors to systems to software. Austin companies include something old (Motorola), something new (both Tivoli and Dell were started here), something borrowed (MCC, Sematech and the Austin Technology Incubator all provide support for both startup and established companies) and something blue (IBM has been here for over 30 years).

But Austin isn't all work - although best known culturally for its music scene (Austin City Limits, the SXSW Music Festival and Sixth Street), the Austin film community is also thriving, featuring three film festivals (one in the two weeks before the conference!) and providing a home (or home away from home) for directors Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and Steven Soderbergh, animator Mike Judge, and documentary film makers Paul Stekler and Ellen Spiro. Throw in several lively local theater groups and, to paraphrase Samuel Johnson, if one is bored in Austin, you'll have to go to London.

As for the weather, well, we can't give you any absolute guarantees, but it will probably be cooler than Dallas and drier than Houston. One small hint: don't bring your overcoat.

But do bring your appetite: while it was true at one time that Austin cuisine was rather limited: "Cuisine? We got both kinds: BBQ and TexMex!" this is no longer the case. We still have great BBQ and TexMex in and around Austin (the world's best BBQ joint is just down the road in ... well, if you come to the conference, we'll tell you), but Austin restaurants now feature everything from Caribbean to Belgian cuisine (inclusive).

For more Austin information, visit Austin Chronicle, Austin360.com or Yahoo's Austin Guide.

Hotel Information

The Conference Hotel is:

The Omni Austin Downtown
700 San Jacinto
Austin, Texas 78701, USA
Phone: +1 512 476 3700
Fax: +1 512 320 5882

The conference room rate is $119/single, $149/double. Be sure to mention "ICNP98" when you call the hotel to make your reservation. The hotel is 5 miles from the airport. The deadline for registration is Monday, September 21, 5pm CDT.

Transportation from Austin Municipal Airport

Last update: 7/27/98 by Geoffrey Xie