About

Badges

Participants can print their name badges at the registration desk. Due to security regulations, all participants and accompanying persons must wear their badges throughout the congress. Only participants with white badges will be admitted to the sessions. 

Accompanying persons have a white badge with a black-coloured bar accompanying person printed on it. They can join the opening ceremony, the exhibition and the social programme, but they are not allowed to attend sessions. Participants with a day card have the appropriate day printed on their badge and are allowed to attend sessions on that day only. Some participants will wear a coloured ribbon on their badge (e.g. first timer, staff, vice-president, council, speaker, chair etc.). If you have not yet received the ribbon you feel you should be wearing, please check the list below. The following ribbons will be made available for picking up:  

Breaks

The coffee/tea breaks during the sessions will be from 10:20 to 10:40 in the morning and from 15:50 to 16:10 in the afternoon. Between the sessions there will be a lunch break from 12:00 to 14:30. Please note that there are also some sessions between 12:30 and 14:00.

Dress code

For the congress: Smart business wear is recommended.

First-time visitors to Abu Dhabi may be unsure of what to wear. There are varying interpretations of dress code, but bear in mind that the United Arab Emirates is a Muslim country and many expatriates living in the country also hold strong religious views. Traditional dress for men is a long white cotton shirt and headdress secured by a leather rope. The traditional dress for women is a long black cloak over long loose clothing and a black headscarf. Some local women also cover their face in various ways (sometimes the face is completely covered).

Visitors are not expected to cover their heads (except in mosques) or wear traditional clothing. However, it is advisable to wear long, loose clothing made from natural materials (e.g. cotton or linen). It is one of the best ways to cope with the heat.

Skirts or trousers should be knee-length or longer. Don’t wear tight, form-fitting clothes or expose thighs, cleavage, midriff or upper arms. Short sleeve tops are acceptable. It is advisable to have a loose shirt/jacket or shawl with you at all times, even in hot weather, because mall, restaurant and cinema air conditioning can be extremely cold. Shorts are only considered suitable for the beach (for men and women). Western-style swimsuits (one or two piece) are acceptable at all beaches. 

Filming, recording, photography and social media policy

Any photography, filming, taping, recording or reproduction in any medium of any of the programme sessions, events, exhibits and/or posters presented at the FIP congress without the express written consent of FIP is strictly forbidden. FIP may record and broadcast your activity at its meetings and reserves the rights to all recordings, reproductions or presentations.

FIP operates an open social-media policy. Speakers have been advised that if any content in their presentations is not to be disseminated outside the walls of the meeting room, they should specifically state this at the beginning of or at the appropriate points of their presentation. Please feel free to share information, ideas, thoughts and your reflections from this meeting through social media.

If you don’t already do so, we encourage you to follow FIP on social media (facebook.com/FIPpharmacists; twitter.com/FIP_org; www.linkedin.com/in/fippharmacists/)

Please note that in general, normal tourist photography is allowed, but it is considered offensive to photograph Muslim women. It is also courteous to request permission before photographing men.

Language

The official congress language is English. There will be no simultaneous translation to other languages in the congress sessions and symposia, except for the Council Meetings.

Media room

Mezzanine Lounge

The congress media room will offer a number of services strictly limited to official press representatives and professional journalists. Press accreditation and press registration are required for access to the media room. For more information, please visit the “press and media” section of the congress website.

Visa requirements

The invitation letter from the organisers, which can be requested during the online registration process, can be used to apply for a visa to the United Arab Emirates if needed.

All delegates requiring visas for the United Arab Emirates should contact their nearest United Arab Emirates embassy or consulate in good time, allowing at least 10 weeks for their visa to be processed. All delegates, regardless of needing a visa or not, must hold a passport valid for at least six months after their time of departure from the United Arab Emirates. They must also ensure that they have transit visas in order should they be necessary.

There are three different options for the visa procedure and you only need to have this visa invitation letter for option 1.

1. If you are going to arrange the visa application yourself via the UAE Embassy in your home country, you would need to purchase a visa invitation letter through your online registration.

2. If you have booked/are going to book a hotel via the link of the official housing agent MCI UAE, you have the possibility to arrange the visa together with your hotel reservation. In this case, you don’t need to purchase the visa invitation letter with your online registration. The housing agent will charge USD 160 (excluding 5% UAE VAT) and an additional USD 40 (excluding 5% UAE VAT) for Arab and African nationalities for this service.

3. If you have made a hotel reservation directly with a hotel, the hotel might provide you assistance with your visa application. The hotel will charge you for this service.   

For registration click here