Conference Venue

The conference will be held in Belfast's Europa Hotel. Its city centre location is ideal for both the conference and for evening entertainment. The hotel sits next door to the glorious Grand Opera House. The historic Crown Bar, the National Trust's only public house property, beckons from just across the road. And then you've got shops, shops and more shops, several award-winning restaurants, high-end entertainment and the business district – all within walking distance.

Accommodation in Belfast

Working together with the Belfast Visitor and Convention Centre we have secured discounted hotel rooms across a range of hotels. Full details of the range of hotels available rate are available on our dedicated PSA 2012 Hotel Bookings page. Key benefits include:

• No pre-payment! You book today but don't pay a penny until you pay the hotel directly upon your departure.
• Book your accommodation here and receive a free Belfast themed gift for every room booked and 15% discount in the Belfast Welcome Centre.
• Immediate confirmations - no waiting or wondering
• There are no service fees to make your reservations
• Secure 128 bit encryption website
• Dedicated Accommodation Booking Executive on hand to offer assistance

This accommodation is available ONLINE only until 3rd March 2012 at the negotiated conference rates but remember that the best deals will disappear quickly, so reserve your room now! The World Championship Irish Dancing competition will be hosted in Belfast at the same time as the PSA conference and they will need a LOT of hotel rooms also, so BOOK EARLY!!!

*** Should you experience any difficulties with the online system please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Gribben at BVCB by email: conferencebook@belfastvisitor.com Sarah will also be delighted to answer any travel and accommodation queries that you might have.

Childcare facilities in Belfast

Should you require any childcare facilities during your trip to Belfast, details of approved and registered day-care providers may be downloaded from here and here. Please contact the providers direct.

Getting to Northern Ireland and Belfast

By Air
Belfast is easily accessible from major cities in the UK, Europe the USA and Canada with regular scheduled flights coming into both Belfast City and Belfast International Airports. Direct access is available from Newark/New York with Continental airlines. There are flights to Belfast from many UK regional airports and travel from most UK destinations takes just over 1 hour.

Flights from UK Cities to Belfast (1 - 6 April 2012)

George Best Belfast City Airport www.belfastcityairport.com is situated just 3 miles from the city centre. The Airport Express 600 bus service runs from the Airport terminal to Belfast city centre every 20 minutes (06.00 - 22.05) Monday to Friday. Please check the timetable at www.translink.co.uk for services on Saturdays and Sundays. A shuttle bus service operates between the Airport Terminal and the adjacent rail halt at Sydenham. A rail service operates every 30 minutes (06.00 - 23.00) Monday to Friday, to Central and Victoria Street Stations. Please check the timetable at www.translink.co.uk for services on Saturdays and Sundays.
Belfast International Airport www.belfastairport.com is 30 minutes drive via the M2 Motorway. The Airbus service now operates a 24 hour service between the Airport and Belfast city centre with buses departing every 10 minutes (06.50 - 18.15) Monday to Friday. Please check the timetable for services before or after these times and on Saturdays and Sundays.
For those delegates flying into Dublin International Airport it takes approximately 2 hours to get to Belfast by road or rail, with regular and direct coach transfers running from the airport to Belfast city, for further information visit: www.translink.co.uk
An Enterprise service runs 8 times daily (5 on Sundays) from Belfast to Dublin. The journey time is approximately 2 hours.
Enterprise Ticket and Seat Reservations
Tel: 028 9089 9409
http://www.translink.co.uk/Enterprise

From the Airports
George Best Belfast City airport is approximately ten minutes’ drive from the city centre by taxi. The fare should cost between £10-12. Belfast International Airport is a 20-30 minute taxi journey from the city centre and the fare would cost approx £25-30. Please visit Valuecabs www.valuecabs.co.uk for more information on taxi services.

George Best Belfast City Airport is also regularly serviced by Airport Express bus 600, which picks up at 20 minute intervals and terminates at the Europa Buscentre on Great Victoria Street (which is next door to the conference venue). The fare is £2 for an adult single or £3 for a return ticket.

The International Airport is serviced by Airport Express 300, which departs from outside the Arrivals terminal at fifteen minute intervals (with less frequency in the evening). The 30-40 minute journey costs £7 single and £10 return. The bus terminus is the Europa Buscentre on Great Victoria Street and it also services Laganside Buscentre.

Please visit the website of Translink, www.translink.co.uk, the public transport company in Northern Ireland for further information on buses and trains.

By Sea

Belfast is easily accessed by sea crossing from both Scotland and England. Travel by high-speed catamaran or by traditional ferry with impressive journey times from just 1 hour.

Taxis

Value Cabs www.valuecabs.co.uk Tel: 028 9080 9080
fonaCAB www.fonacab.com Tel: 028 9033 3333
Citi Cabs NI www.citicabsni.com Tel:028 9066 5566

Did You Know? Belfast is the best value for money…

Belfast is the best value UK city for tourists, according to a new cost comparison index from the travel website TripAdvisor produced in July 2011. The comparisons were based on the cost of a pizza, a dry martini, a taxi ride and one night's accommodation in a four-star hotel. Belfast's total TripIndex cost came to just £106.54, less than half the cost of the UK’s most expensive city, London (£227.99) and £9.08 cheaper than its closest rival, Liverpool (£115.62) followed by Cardiff (£123.06), Glasgow (£131.40) and Manchester (£135.89).

TripAdvisor's Emma O'Boyle said: 'Cost, and in particular value for money, is one of the most important considerations for travellers. This index allows travellers to make an educated decision as to whether a destination is right for them.'

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14224207

Further Information

Go To Belfast - the Official Tourism Website for Belfast, Northern Ireland
Advice on getting here and getting around the city; accommodation; things to do; places to go and people to meet.

Go To Belfast - Photostream
Check out some of the iconic images of Belfast in advance of your arrival.

Belfast Visitors and Convention Bureau
Information tailored for conference delegates.

Discover Northern Ireland
Official Site of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board for those of you intending to stay on a little longer after the conference and enjoy the all that Northern Ireland has to offer.