CONFERENCE VENUE
The 56th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE 2023) will be held at the Modern Greek Language Teaching Centre (ΔΙΔΑΣΚΑΛΕΙΟ ΝΕΑΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΑΣ) and the School of Philosophy (ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΚΗ ΣΧΟΛΗ) of the Νational and Kapodistrian University of Athens, located at the University Campus (Πανεπιστημιούπολη – Panepistimiupoli), situated at the intersection of the districts of Zografou, Ilissia and Kaisariani.
Map 1 below shows the location of the campus (designated as “Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon”) relative to the city centre, with the entrances and the School of Philosophy, as well as the Evangelismos and Panepistimio Metro stations and the nearby stops of buses (see below) marked in red and indicated by black arrows.
Map 2 shows the area of the School of Philosophy, with markups indicating the precise location of the Teaching Centre and the Library, the restaurant, the parking lots and the relevant bus stops of each bus mentioned in the next paragraphs.
ACCESS & LOCAL TRANSPORTATION
Shuttle Service
Shuttle buses will be available at fixed times every day for the transportation of participants from the recommended hotels to the university campus.
Shuttle timetable
| Day | Date | Hotels to Campus | Campus to Hotels | ||
| Departure | Arrival | Departure | Arrival | ||
| Tuesday | 29/8 | To be announced at the hotel | 08.00 (4 coaches) 12.45 (2 coaches) | 14.15 (2 coaches) 18.15 (4 coaches) | Depending on the hotel location |
| Wednesday | 30/8 | 08.45 (4 coaches) 12.15 (2 coaches) | 13.15 (2 coaches) 18.45 (4 coaches) | ||
| Thursday | 31/8 | 08.45 (4 coaches) 12.45 (2 coaches) | 14.15 (2 coaches) 17.15 (2 coaches) 19.15 (2 coaches) | ||
| Friday | 1/9 | 09.15 (5 coaches) | 15.30 (5 coaches) | ||
Public Transport
The basic information on travelling to and around Athens can be found on This is Athens, the official website of the city of Athens. You can find detailed information on public transport routes here: (https://www.oasa.gr/en/).
You can find a list of the bus lines serving the University Campus here.
For more details, route maps etc., you can install the app Oasa telematics real-time information (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.att.android.tfa&hl=el&gl=US), or moovit.
Tickets for all public city transport (metro, buses, trolley buses and tram) are available at all metro stations, including the airport station, and at most central kiosks. They come in the form of rectangular paper cards, which are validated electronically upon entrance. They can be recharged at all selling points.
There is a flat fare of € 1.20 for all public city transport (valid for one-way travel, excluding travel from and to the airport) and there are several types of discount tickets (e.g. 3- or 5-day tickets, which may or may not include travel to and from the airport).
At most bus stops of the city centre a screen displays the time of arrival of the next buses. In order to stop, buses need to be hailed by prospective passengers (and in order to have them halt at stops, you need to press one of the buttons available at frequent intervals inside the bus).
Taxis are relatively inexpensive in Athens. Fares from the city centre to the School of Philosophy range between €7-13, depending on the exact distance. The fare from the airport to the city centre starts at around € 33 depending on distance and traffic conditions.
Taxis can be hailed in the street or they can be ordered by phone or online. There is no extra charge for radio taxis, unless they are booked in advance.
The Greek Language Teaching Centre and the School of Philosophy are surrounded by parking lots for those of you using cars.
PROGRAMME
All information concerning the programme can be found here. You will receive a printed copy of the short schedule with your conference pack at the Reception Desk. You can also use our app, available on-line in August. The extended schedule can be downloaded from our website (two weeks before the conference) and will be available in print on demand only.
REGISTRATION
The Registration Desk is situated at the Greek Language Teaching Centre, which stands right opposite the School of Philosophy and the Library of the School of Philosophy.
The opening hours of the Registration Desk are as follows:
Monday (28 August): 16:00-20:00;
Tuesday through Thursday (29 – 31 August): 8:00-19:00;
Friday (1 September): 8:30-14:00.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Oral presentations are allocated 25 minutes. The actual presentation should be 20 minutes, leaving 5 minutes for questions. A further 5 minutes are reserved for room changes.
Computers and projectors
All rooms are equipped with a computer and projector. We recommend that you bring your presentation as a PDF or Power Point file on a memory stick and that you copy it onto the desktop of the computer in your session room in advance, during the preceding coffee or lunch break, at least 10 minutes before the whole session starts. There will be student assistants who will help you if necessary.
If you prefer to use your own computer, it would be advisable to have a VGA connection for the projector and, more importantly, if you are using an Apple computer, the necessary adaptor, as only a limited number of these will be available on demand. If you do not have one, please notify the student assistants in advance.
Wi-fi
Wireless Internet is available in the venue (Modern School Language Teaching Centera and AULA of the School of Philosophy). You will find the username-password in your conference pack.
Handouts
We expect around 550 participants distributed over up to 15 parallel sessions. If you use handouts, therefore, it would be advisable to have around 20 copies available for presentations in the general session; in workshops, count the number of workshop participants + 20%. We recommend that you print them before you come to Athens. It will not be possible to print out handouts at the conference office, but there are printing points in the vicinity of the venue (the area of Zografou and city center). Please notice that a lot of shops close for August in Greece.
POSTER SESSION
The poster session will take place on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August, overlapping with the morning coffee breaks. It will take place in the building of the School of Philosophy, from 10:30 to 11:30a.m. Posters should be vertical and A0 in size (84 x 118 cm). Presenters can bring and pin their posters between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. It will not be possible to print out posters at the conference office, but there are printing points in the vicinity of the venue (the area of Zografou and city center). Please notice that a lot of shops close for August in Greece so you might like to consider printing your materials before arriving in Athens.
SLE PRIZES
Prizes are awarded in the categories of
- best presentation by a PhD student,
- best presentation by a Postdoc
- best poster presentation.
The presentations will be reviewed by the members of the SLE 2023 Programme Committee present at the conference.
RECEIPTS AND CERTIFICATES
Your receipt of payment will be sent electronically on Monday 4 September. If you detect any mistake in the receipt, please let our Treasurer know during the conference. The SLE office will be located in the building of the Modern Greek Language Teaching Centre on the ground floor. Certificates of attendance will be sent after SLE 2023, on Monday 4 September. They will include your name, your affiliation and the title of your presentation. Please notice that the data is extracted from our database and the database of EasyChair. It is up to you to keep it correct and updated.
PUBLISHERS
The conference will be attended by representatives of Brill, Edinburgh University Press, Oxford University Press. There will also be stands for John Benjamins, Cambridge University Press, De Gruyter, Harvard University Press.
WELCOME RECEPTION
(included in the registration fee).
The welcome reception will take place on Tuesday, 29 August at 19:30h, in the central building of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: Panepistimiou 30, 10679 Athens.
LUNCHES
(included in the registration fee).
Buffet lunches (including vegetarian dishes) will be served at the student restaurant of the School of Philosophy, situated opposite the Library entrance (see Map 2).
ON-CAMPUS SNACKS/FINGER FOOD
For those who wish to grab a snack inside the campus, there will be one canteen open in the School of Philosophy: on the ground floor just opposite the stairs of the Library.
OFF-CAMPUS DINING
For those who wish to have lunch outside campus but not too far away from the School of Philosophy, there is a number of options in the area of Kessariani (Καισαριανή), south of the Campus. There is a cluster of restaurants and cafés on the upper part of the main street (Ethnikis Antistaseos) close to the upper Kessariani gate (see map). Another cluster of restaurants and cafés can be found on the central square, a further ten minutes away.
It should be noted that traditional Greek cuisine includes a large number of vegetarian as well as several vegan dishes. Even tavernas dedicated to grilled meat have side-dishes and salads that fall into these two categories.
This map shows the path that leads to Kessariani through the Xylina park to the cafés and restaurants in the area (several of these were marked on the map before we added our own information; they are not the only ones).
CONFERENCE DINNER
The conference dinner will take place on Thursday, 31 August, from 20:00 to 00:00 at “ThisioView” restaurant (Apostolou Pavlou 25, Thissio).
The dinner is only open to pre-registered participants – please bring your dinner ticket with you; food and drinks are served between 20:00 and 22:00. We welcome non-registered participants to join us for a drink and a chat after 22:00.
GUIDED TOURS AND TRIPS
CITY WALK
(included in the conference fee).
The guided city walk will take place on Wednesday, 30 August, from 19:30 to 21:30. The meeting time is 19:30, at the Melina Mercouri Monument (opposite Hadrian’s Arch). Participants attending the final session (the round table) can take the conference shuttle bus; for those using public transport, ‘Acropolis’ is the closest metro station.
EXCURSIONS ON FRIDAY 1/9
Acropolis & Acropolis Museum (16:00-20:00)
Meeting point: the Melina Mercouri Monument (opposite Hadrian’s Arch).
Participants attending the final session can take the conference shuttle bus. Alternatively, one can use public transportation: ‘Acropolis’ is the closest metro station.
Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon (16:00-20:00)
Meeting point 1: Filellinon 4 street, Syntagma Square. Closest metro station: ‘Syntagma’.
Meeting point 2: Outside the conference venue (Modern Greek Teaching Center).
EXCURSIONS ON SATURDAY 2/9
Argolis (Mycenae, Nafplio & Epidaurus) (08:00-18:30)
Bus pickup at central locations. Bus schedule will be announced when it is finalised (based on participation).
Delphi (08:00-18:30)
Bus pickup at central locations. Bus schedule will be announced when it is finalised (based on participation).
Ancient Corinth, Canal Cruise, Swimming & Lunch (08:00-18:30)
Bus pickup at central locations. Bus schedule will be announced when it is finalised (based on participation).
One Day Cruise (Hydra, Poros, Aegina) (08:00-19:40)
Pickup and drop off at participants’ hotels. The times quoted refer to the ship’s departure from and return to the port of Piraeus. Please calculate approximately 1.5h additional time for pickup and drop off. Exact timings will be communicated closer to the date.
Contact persons:
Please contact travel@tourhotel.gr. For any questions and assistance on the spot, please contact Evita Kalfopoulou +306973620960, Nikolaos Lavidas <nlavidas@enl.uoa.gr>