ASIAN MEDIA INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION CENTRE (AMIC)
24th AMIC Annual Conference
Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies and challenges
In partnership with
American University in Dubai (AUD)
Dubai
AMIC 2015 will be held at the AUD campus. The main forums and plenary sessions will be held at the auditorium. The breakout sessions will be held in the School of Business Administration (“B”) building. Lunches will be held in the university’s gymnasium (called the “Arena”). Room locations and further schedule details will be announced closer to the event.
Getting Around
Airport
We apologize that AMIC will not be able to arrange pick-up at the airport and that you have to make your way to the conference venue. The Dubai Airport (DXB) has three main terminals. All three are on the Metro line. All three have metered taxi services.
It is likely that delegates will arrive at either Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, in this case, after retrieving your luggage, you may proceed out to find the taxi stand, or go up to the Metro line.
Metro
The conference venue will be the campus of AUD (American University in Dubai). AUD is directly on the Metro (red) line (Nakheel station) and very close to the Tram line (Media City station). Our official hotel is Media One. It is a short walk from campus, and the walk is possible even in the summer heat. If you decide to take a taxi from the Metro to the hotel (good idea if you have heavy luggage) – it would be only 12 AED – the mandatory minimum payment for Taxi service in Dubai. You would not need to take a taxi to the university, as we are directly on the Metro line – the “Nakheel” station is directly in the parking lot and at the entrance to the university. Once you have arrived at Nakheel Station, take the pedestrian bridge to the American University in Dubai.
The cost to go from the Airportto the AUD campus (and Media One) is 6.00-7.50AED in “silver” class, and 12.00-15.00AED for “gold” class. Gold class is recommended for delegates (there is a special place in Gold class for luggage placement). The Dubai Metro is clean and safe, and there are many representatives staffing the station who will be able to answer your questions. You may purchase one way or round trip tickets, or you may purchase a “NOL” card which allows you to use all public transport in Dubai – you can decide how much to “load” on the card.
Here is information about the “Nol” card: http://www.nol.ae/RtaPortal/Portal.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=home_help_FAQ
Here is a website where you can interact with the Metro map and see the stations and costs: http://www.mydubaimetro.com/en
Here is the link to the metro station directly at the university: http://www.mydubaimetro.com/en/station/stop/nakheel.html
Note: AUD is directly on the Metro line (1 minute walk) and very close to the Tram line (5 minute walk). Participants are advised that the weather will be hot in June. As a result, it is a good idea to stay at a hotel that is on either the Metro or Tram lines. Otherwise, if you are not staying at Media One (or Radisson Blue-Media City), plan on a budget for taxi rides. Taxis are relatively cheap and plentiful in Dubai.
Please use the following links for information:
http://www.aud.edu/app/webroot/js/ckfinder/userfiles/images/campusdir.png
http://www.mediaonehotel.com/our-location.aspx
Taxis
Regular and limo-type taxis are professional and metered. There are also “pink taxis” which are meant for female passengers. As you exit the baggage claim area, you can follow the signs for “taxis” and go to the taxi stand. The approximate cost for a regular taxi ride to Media City (where AUD and Media One are located) should be about 60 to 100 AED. For the limo-type taxis (they will usually approach you as you exit with your luggage) the price will be approximately 100 to 170 AED. The majority of taxis also accept credit cards. Tell the driver “I am going to Media One Hotel, located in Media City”; or “I am going to the Campus of the American University in Dubai, located at Exit 32 of Sheikh Zayed Road in Media City.”
Here are links to taxi service information in Dubai:
http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/links/special_needs/en/taxi.html
http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/wps/portal/rta/services/public-transport/taxi/booking-taxi?SwitchToLatestLocale=true
http://dubai-taxi.com/
http://www.dubaitaxi.ae/en/Pages/Home.aspx
Money
There are many money exchange services located throughout Dubai. You may exchange money at the airport, or at any mall or shopping center. If you are using a credit card, many merchants will also offere the chance to select your home currency for the transaction.
The currency in Dubai is United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED). The currency is pegged to the U.S. Dollar at a standard rate of 3.6 AED to 1 USD.
City Tour (Optional)
At this time, the local conference organizers are speaking with tour operators in order to offer a tour of the city of Dubai on Saturday June 13th following the end of the conference. More details will be provided in due time.
