VLDB 2002 28th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases   Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel August 20-23, 2002 Hong Kong, China

SOCIAL PROGRAM

| Reception | Banquet | Hong Kong Museum of History |

RECEPTION - TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2002 - 7:00-9:00 p.m.

The conference reception will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel. Delegates will be able to see the Demonstrations and to view the Doctoral Posters while attending the Reception. Sponsored by

BANQUET - THURSDAY, 22 AUGUST 2002 - 6:30-11:00 p.m.

The conference banquet will be held in the Grand Foyer of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Buses will leave the conference hotel starting at 6:30 p.m. The HKCEC opened in November 1988 and was expanded in June 1997 doubling its prime function space. A unique feature of the Centre's extension is the 40,000 sq m (430,400 sq ft) aluminum clad roof, sculptured to portray an image of a seabird soaring into flight. The HKCEC has a spectacular 3,880 sq m (41,748 sq ft) Grand Hall for conventions, meetings, major banquets, exhibitions, and entertainment and special events. The ceiling is sculptured rising to 28 m (90 ft) at the apex.   Copyright owner: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Photographer: Cliff Wallace, Managing Director of HKCEC   The Grand Foyer at the entrance to the Grand Hall is 2,094 sq m (22,531 sq ft) and provides a breathtaking panoramic view of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong Island's Central district and Victoria Peak. The Grand Foyer was the venue for the Hong Kong Handover Ceremony in June 1997. HKCEC Photo Gallery HKCEC Virtual Tours Sponsored by

TOUR - FRIDAY, 23 AUGUST 2002 - 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The Hong Kong Story The Hong Kong Museum of History has kindly offered to provide free guided tours to VLDB 2002 conference delegates of its permanent exhibition "The Hong Kong Story," which showcases the dedicated hard work done by the Museum staff in the past 26 years in collecting, preserving and researching the history and development of Hong Kong. Occupying an area of 7,000 m2, "The Hong Kong Story" comprises 8 galleries located on 2 floors. Through the display of over 3,700 exhibits with the use of 750 graphic panels, many dioramas and multimedia programmes, and supported by special audio-visual and lighting effects, "The Hong Kong Story" outlines the natural environment, folk culture and historical development of Hong Kong in a life-like manner. The exhibition, which is both entertaining and educational, starts from the Devonian Period 400 million years ago and concludes with the return of sovereignty of the territory to China in 1997. The complete guided tour requires approximately 2 hours. However, delegates also can view the exhibit on their own during this time.