Three spectacular and quite unique locations were selected to host this year’s social events: Manuc’s Inn (Ro: Hanu’ lui Manuc) will host the Early Bird reception; NORD Events Center by Globalworth will host the Welcome Reception; and the Palace of the Parliament will host the Gala Dinner and Party.
Early Bird Reception Venue – Manuc’s Inn (Hanu’ lui Manuc)
Today one of Europe’s last remaining caravanserai, currently laying in Old Town across the street from the ruins of the Old Princely Court of Vlad III, Manuc’s Inn was built in 1804 by the wealthy Armenian trader, better known under his Turkish name, Manuc-bei. Recognized, rewarded and pursued by all the empires fighting for influence over the Romanian Principalities at that time, Manuc-bei was, all at once, merchant, “banker“, entrepreneur, adventurer and secret agent. With 15 wholesalers, 23 retail stores, 107 rooms for offices or living, two receiving rooms and a pub, the inn was a favorite meeting place for tradesmen, craftsmen and travelers from all over the world.
The inn was the site of the preliminary talks for the Treaty of Bucharest, which put an end to the 1806-1812 Russian-Turkish war. Along time, Hanu’ lui Manuc housed Bucharest’s town hall, a theatre, and was the site of the first Romanian operetta recital.
Manuc’s Inn is easily reachable by foot, being located in Bucharest’s Old Town. It is located approximately 2 km (1.3 miles) from the Radisson Blu and the InterContinental Athenee Palace Hotels (the congress venues). The location is also easily reachable via public transportation, as well as via taxis and ride-sharing apps.
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Welcome Reception – NORD Events Center by Globalworth
NORD Events Center by Globalworth is the most technologized venue in Bucharest. It offers generous, modern, and ideal spaces for all types of remarkable events. A great hall, a spacious reception area, two fully-equipped meeting rooms, a green terrace, and limitless potential – all gathered in the perfect stand-out location.
NORD Events Center by Globalworth is easily reachable via the M2 metro line from Piata Romana (4 stops to the Pipera stop, direction Pipera), as well as other public transportation means.
Gala Dinner and Party – The Palace of the Parliament
About the Gala Party
Getting there
The Palace of the Parliament is easily reachable by foot or public transportation, being located in the Civic Center of Bucharest, in close proximity to the Old Town. It is located approximately 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the Radisson Blu and the InterContinental Athenee Palace Hotels (the congress venues). The location is also easily reached via public transportation (3 stops from Romana Square to the Izvor stop, by metro lines M2/M3, change at Unirii stop, or bus 100 then metro M3 from Unirii stop), as well as via taxis and ride-sharing apps.
Delegates access the Palace via the C1 Gate, located at the intersection of Bulevardul Libertatii and Bulevardul Natiunile Unite (Libertatii and Natiunile Unite Boulevards). Mind that there are multiple entries to the Palace, and this is not the usual entrance for visitors who take the tourist tours of the Palace, so please instruct the drivers (if you use a car service) to bring you to the C1 entrance (the navigation systems pick up this entrance), or choose Bulevardul Natiunile Unite 8 as destination in your ridesharing apps (close to the National Institute for Statistics). Walking around the Palace covers approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), so be careful where you come. We will have EAA 2024 signage at the C1 gate, so if you do not see any signage or members of the local organizing committee there, you are not in the right place.
There is a pretty steep ramp from the street entrance to the entrance to the Palace, which is only accessible with some difficulty in gala attire. Ride-shares and taxis are allowed to go up the ramp to the entrance, but you must show your congress badge at the gate.
Access is permitted for the delegates between 18.30 and 19.45; given the large number of delegates, make sure that you come relatively close to the starting time, and certainly before 20.00, when it is the official start of the dinner. Access is not allowed to the building after 20.00.
Access and security checks
Security screening will be conducted upon entrance at the Palace of the Parliament, similar to airport security checks, so you must avoid carrying heavy luggage and any piece of potentially dangerous items. There will be unsupervised cloak space available at the entrance.
Access will only be permitted to delegates who have their congress badge in their possession at the entrance to the event. The list of delegates or the registration proof from EIASM, or any other similar documentation, will not be used as proof of registration and will not grant you access to the premises, in the absence of your congress badge. The Local organizers have no leverage over the security checks at the Palace. Please avoid putting us in difficult circumstances, as we will not be able to assist you. You must wear your badge all the time.
Delegates must stay in the congress designated area all the time. Only 3 rooms and a gallery are available to us (see below). Wandering and exploring the Palace on your own is not permitted.
Rooms
We will use the gallery and 3 rooms in the Palace of Parliament. The gallery and the ramp up to the C1 entrance are ideal for pictures. The first room after the gallery, called Bratianu, provides for more standing networking opportunities. The next room, called Ionescu, is smaller (approximately 150 seats) and is intended for delegates who want to sit around the dinner table enjoying a little quiet time. There will be no music played in this room. The third room, called Unirii (photo on the right from below), is the main banquet space, allowing for about 800 seats. It is here that we will play some music at the end of the dinner (after 22.00), while the rooms Bratianu and Ionescu will still be available for delegates who prefer to continue their pleasant conversations over drinks.
Departure
Buses will be available to return to the city center (congress venue) starting 22.30 (the gala party will continue until 1am, and buses will depart every 30 min.). Other return options are, of course, possible (walking, car service). Please note that the party will end at 1am (as an official building this cannot be negotiated), and the last buses will depart at 1am.
About the Palace of Parliament
The Palace of Parliament, built at the special request of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the leader of Romania’s Communist Party, is a colossal construction meant to gather together all administrative bodies and protect the leaders in case of devastating earthquake and nuclear attack. Formerly known as the “People’s House” (Romanian: Casa Poporului), it is the world’s second largest administrative building after the U.S. Pentagon, the largest civil administrative building, and the heaviest and most expensive building in the world. The impressive construction incorporates 1,000,000 cubic meters of marble (about 5,305,491,057 pounds), 3,500 tons of crystal, 220,000 carpets and 2,800 chandeliers. Currently, about half of the total 1,100 rooms are finished and used.
The construction is the result of the effort of about 700 architects and more than 100,000 workers and 12,000 soldiers. Overall, more than 20,000 persons worked 24 hour three shifts per day in peak times. The main constructions took place over a period of 13 years (1984-1997). The works required the demolition of a fifth of Bucharest’s area (4.5 km in length and 2 km in width), the equivalent of a few Parisian districts and the total surface of Venice. This part of Bucharest was already significantly damaged by the devastating earthquake of 1977, felt throughout the Balkans. Although the initial project needed 80,000 sq.m, the final building occupies a surface 5 times bigger. Catherine Lalumiere, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, described it as “the palace of a megalomaniac man, but also a masterpiece of the Romanian people”.
Nowadays, the building hosts several Romanian public institutions: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate (the two houses of the Parliament of Romania), the Legislative Council and the Constitutional Court of Romania. In 2008, the Palace hosted the 20th summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to some urban legends and myths, the impressive 2,226 sq.m. (23,961 sq.ft.) Gala Dinner Unirii Hall was first designed to open so that the presidential helicopter could land inside the hall. Moreover, same say that the carpet in this Hall was made from a single piece and was brought in the hall using a crane, through the ceiling.
You must wear the EAA 2024 congress badge at all times during the events, and leave the location at the end of the events.
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