React Finland

The conference will be held at Paasitorni, a historic building in Siltasaari, near the center of Helsinki. Paasitorni is a gorgeous Art Noveue building that in past served as Worker's House. From 12th to 14th, several meeting rooms will be used for the workshops. On 15th and 16th, the big congress hall will be the main conference location.

What Corona measures do you take?#

We follow the government guidance and Paasitorni guidelines.

How to get to Helsinki, Finland?#

Geographically Finland is a bit like an island and it's separated from most of the Europe by a sea. That said, there are a few ways to reach Helsinki, Finland:

• If you come from within the country, public transport (bus, train) is a good and affordable option. Expect to spend tens of euros on a trip.
• If you come from Estonia or Sweden, consider using a ferry (about 2h).
• If you come from Germany, there's a Finnlines ferry from Travemünde to Helsinki (about 29h). It's possible to get an affordable flight especially from Berlin to Helsinki.
• If you come from any other location, a detour from any of the places above or direct options (usually a flight) are available. Helsinki is easy to reach by flying as it's the capital city of Finland and the best connected part of the country.

Where to stay?#

• Scandic Paasi, Scandic Hakaniemi - Roughly 160€ per night. Use this link for a 10% discount.
• Hotel F6 - Roughly 160€ per night.
• Omena Hotels - Roughly 60-80€ per night. Minimal service. Two separate hotels.
• Kongressikoti Hotel - Roughly 60€ per night.
• Hostel Diana Park - Roughly 30€ per night.

I am from a country that requires a visa for Finland. How can I get one?#

The way it works is that you'll need a letter of recommendation from us. It serves a dual purpose - it will help you to get the visa and it will help you to get across the border as you can show the document when you enter the country.

In order for us to procure this document for you, please send us email (info <at> react-finland.fi) including the following information:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Passport number
• Arrival date
• Leaving date

In response, we'll send you a signed pdf you can then present to your authorities and to ours at the border. You should apply for visitor visa.

How to get to the venue? What kind of transport options exist?#

There's a direct train from the airport to Helsinki center. HSL operates the local public transport system. You can find a city bike system as well. From city center, take a tram or metro to Hakaniemi.

To get to the center for airport, you can use train, Finnair buses or taxi. It seems that nowadays there might be some fake taxis, so use reliable taxi services like TaksiHelsinki, Lahitaksi, Kovanen or FixuTaxi. Note that taxis are very expensive in Helsinki.

What kind of food is available?#

We'll provide coffee and snacks during the longer breaks. During the lunch break we use the two restaurants available within the venue. You'll have buffet style food awaiting you and we accommodate to your special needs (vegetarian, vegan, glucose free, etc.) based on your preferences. All the food is included to the price of the conference ticket.

If you take both a morning and evening workshop, we'll make sure there's lunch for you. The same goes for full day workshops.

What to take with you?#

Assuming you want to sauna and swim, bring a swimming suit and optionally a towel (often you can borrow one). Personal laptop might go in handy, especially if you participate in the workshops!

How to follow the conference program?#

1. Use the site schedule.
2. Subscribe to the conference calendar. You can import it to your Google Calendar for example.

How to prepare for the workshops?#

To start your workshop as quick and as smooth as possible, it's a good idea to spend some time beforehand. Make sure to install at least the following software to your laptop:

• Git 2.0, or newer
• Node.js 10.0, or newer
• npm 6.0, or newer. Consider using either n or nvm for managing the version.

Run git --version, node --version, and npm --version to check versions you have installed.

You should check your workshop requirements for any further requirements. Usually a workshop has a Git repository related to it. Check the workshop description for a link. If there's one, make sure you set it up while you perform the work above.

When and how can I register?#

Registration is possible in any of the conference days. The desk will be close to the entrance of the venue.

It is extremely important that when you register you show your ticket generated by the Fienta ticketing system. To make the process simple, show the QR code within the ticket to the scanner at registration. The person will then give you a badge and let you within the venue.

What should I know about Finland?#

• We speak Finnish, English, and Swedish (poorly most often). Check out our brief guide to Finnish in order to surprise the locals.
• We use euro as our currency.
• Our electricity network standard voltage is 230 V (50 Hz). The socket style is type F (Schuko) (symmetrical and looks like a pig snout). It accepts plug C and E too.
• Finland is generally considered a safe country. Do not try to go past people in the grill queue, through, as that's a common way to find yourself in a trouble.
• Finland has around 5.5 million residents. To give you a comparison point, that's about 1.5 times the population of Berlin spread around the area of whole Finland (roughly the size of Germany).
• When you visit a Finnish household, remember to remove your shoes at the anteroom. It's a common habit and we prefer not to wear shoes inside apart from public spaces.