2023:Travel
16–19 August 2023, Singapore and Online
Diversity. Collaboration. Future.
Overview
The conference will be held in Singapore, one of the major global cities near the equator. It is sunny and humid year-round, with temperatures from 30-32 C (86-90 F) during the day. Rain in August is common, so bringing light clothing and an umbrella are recommended.
Venue
The event will be held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre in downtown Singapore. It includes the pre-conference, hackathon, opening ceremony/reception (dinner), main conference, and closing plenary (handover).
Exact location: 1° 17' 34.21"N, 103° 51' 24.76"E.
There are also a side event pre-conference activity on August 15 at the Google Asia Pacific Office in Pasir Panjang, Singapore.
Our closing party will take place at Gardens by the Bay.
Venue for the post-conference will be the National Library of Singapore. A separate registration is required.
Entry to Singapore
Please see the e-Visas section for further information on entry requirements to Singapore.
Personal Medications
Please use the the online service to check the status of any medications may need to bring. Some medications may need you to apply for pre-approval at least 10 days before arrival, other could be banned. see: Medication check tool
Check each medication by its compound/generic name ie Paracetamol rather than its retail name Panadol/Panamax, you may be asked for the capsule or table measure 500mg for this example. As you go through each medication the page keeps a track of the searches and produces a PDF you can keep that list each with those that are pre-approved and those that you require approval for.
Medication requiring specific approval
If you have a medication that requires specific approval you go to this page https://www.hsa.gov.sg/personal-medication/apply-approval here you fill in a series of forms that needs your travel details it does ask for a passport number, arrival details, and length of stay. It will generate an application PDF, and you are required to provide a photograph of either the script from your doctor or the pharmists/chemist label that shows your dosage and name.
The page asks you to allow 10 days for a response please do this about 14–21 days before departure to allow for processing, my application took 3 days. If its rejected talk to your doctor and see if there's an alternative they will accept.
When its approved you will receive an email which you must produce when passing through Customs in Singapore.
About Singapore
Wikivoyage has a detailed travel guide about Singapore. For deeper understanding about the country, you may refer to this article in Wikipedia.
| Demonym | Singaporean |
| Time zone | UTC+8 |
| Sunrise / sunset | 07:00 / 19:15 (during conference) |
| Official languages | |
| Dominant religions | |
| Currency | Singapore Dollar (SGD / $)
US$ 1.00 = SGD$ 1.35 as of 12 August 2023 (check latest exchange rates) |
| Climate |
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| Plug type | Type G (British)
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| Driving orientation | Drives on the left |
| Country code | +65 |
| Airports |
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| Population | 5,637,000 (2022 estimates)
Density: 7,804/km2 (2022) |
| Total land area | 733.1 km2 |
| Ride hailing / rideshare | Gojek, Grab, Ryde, Tada, Zig |
| Dominant mobile / internet |
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| Emergency dial numbers |
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Attire to wear
It is sunny and humid year-round, with temperatures from 30-32 C (86-90 F) during the day. Casual wear for hot weather is widely accepted – shorts, skirts, short-sleeve shirts and flip-flops are common. Rain in August is common, so bringing light clothing and an umbrella are recommended. You will probably want to wear some form of sunblock for your face or arms. Movement from hot, humid outdoors to cold air-conditioned indoor spaces can be jarring, so bringing a shawl or sweater is not uncommon. Certain venues, such as clubs or fine dining, may have dress codes such as long pants.
SIM cards
A traveller can purchase SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) cards at Singapore Changi Airport, Suntec City Mall and various 24/7 convenience stores in Singapore. They must present a passport for registration. Telcos include Singtel, Starhub, M1, Simba (formerly TPG).
Currency exchange
A traveller can exchange bank notes at Singapore Changi Airport, Suntec City Mall and several money exchange centres such as the one at The Arcade Mall, Collyer Quay (Postal code 049317). Common acceptable bank notes include:
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Canadian Dollar (CAD)
- Chinese Renminbi (CNH)
- Danish Kroner (DKK)
- Euro (EUR)
- Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
- Indian Rupee (INR)
- Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
- Japanese Yen (JPY)
- Korean Won (KRW)
- Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)
- New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)
- New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
- Norwegian Kroner (NOK)
- Philippine Peso (PHP)
- Qatar Riyal (QAR)
- Saudi Arabia Riyal (SAR)
- Swedish Kroner (SEK)
- Swiss Franc (CHF)
- Thai Baht (THB)
- UAE Dirham (AED)
- UK Pound Sterling (GBP)
- US Dollar (USD)
- Vietnamese Dong (VND)
