The tram station closest to the conference site is called ETH/Universitätsspital. It is served by tram lines #9, #10, and #6.
From Zürich Airport. Tram #10 takes you directly from Zürich Airport to ETH (CAB/ML) in about 36 minutes. Just follow the signs to the tram station (which is different from the train station).
From Zürich HB. Tram #10 takes you directly from Zürich HB to ETH (CAB/ML). If you arrive at Zürich HB, go to the station hall and turn towards the large ad-board, following the signs towards Löwenstrasse/Bahnhofstrasse.
Downstairs, you see straight ahead a sign directing you up-left to Haltestelle Bahnhofplatz Tram #3,#10,#14, directions Klusplatz, Oerlikon/Seebach. Go up there and take Tram#10 heading to Oerlikon.
In case you come from Zurich airport by train, your ticket is also valid for the tram trip. Otherwise, your train ticket is most likely not valid for public transport within Zurich and you have to buy a ticket at one of the blue ticket machines.
For this particular trip, a Kurzstrecken-Billet ("short-trip ticket") is sufficient. Such a ticket costs CHF 2.60 (~ €2.00) and is valid for one single trip (no change of train) within the next 30 minutes. You can obtain it by pressing the yellow button on the ticket machine.
Leave Tram #10 at the third stop, named ETH/Universitätsspital. The trip from Zürich HB to ETH/Universitätsspital should take about 6 minutes. After getting out of the tram, turn left. The ML building is located on your left hand side across the street.
CAB is the next building on your right hand side.
From other places. If you start from some stop other than Bahnhofplatz, you should check that ETH/Universitätsspital is listed as part of the range for Kurzstrecken-Billets from that particular station. The stations within this range are listed below the yellow button on ticket machines. If ETH/Universitätsspital is not listed there, you have to buy a normal ticket. These tickets are valid for all public transport within Zürich (Zone 10), let it be train, tram, bus, or boat.
Valid here means that you can make as many trips as you like within the given timespan.
There also exist multiple-journey and multiple-day tickets, which combine six tickets for a reduction of about 10% in price. However, these tickets cannot be bought at all ticket-machines but only at the new models or at one of the sales offices: There is a VBZ-Ticketeria at the main station and another one at Central. A complete list can be found here.
If you do not mind to climb a few stairs, then you can simply walk from Zürich HB to ETH/CAB. Depending on your speed, this should take somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes. From the station hall, follow the signs directing you downward towards Track 21-24 and Landesmuseum.
Downstairs turn right and follow the signs towards Bus #46.
Once you reach daylight, the situation should look roughly as shown below.
Cross the river and go straight through the portal (it is called Walchetor) in the large building ahead. Cross the street and turn left on the other side. After some 15 meters, behind Hotel Arlette, there is on your right hand side a stairs called Leonhards-Treppe that you should go up.
Upstairs proceed straight ahead, cross the large road with tram tracks and climb the slope/stairs to the left of the "Pizza, Pasta, Ciao"-restaurant. Proceed further straight ahead, crossing the road/tram tracks a second time you will find another stairs labeled Weinberg-Fussweg. Go up straight, passing the church on your left hand side, until you reach a street called Clausiusstrasse. Turn right into Clausiusstrasse and after some 15 meters you will find yet another stairs (the third and final one on this trip), labeled Clausius-Steig. At its lower end, there is a fountain, in case you need some refreshment now. Go up Clausius-Steig, and turn right into the street ahead (Sonneggstrasse). On the right hand side you pass Hotel Sunnehus.
The ML building is now ahead of you, just pass the construction site and find it on the right hand side where Sonneggstrasse meets Universitätsstrasse. (See photo above.)
To get to the CAB building, turn left into a small path directly before the pink-ish house and proceed to the other side of the house.
On the other side of the street you face you find your destination, the CAB building.
From Zürich Central you can also go up to ETH by Polybahn. This is a small cablecar that connects Central with the so-called Polyterasse below the ETH main building. Tickets for public transport (in Zone 10) are also valid for Polybahn, but there are also special tickets that cost CHF 1.00 and are valid for a trip with Polybahn only.
From the exit Polyterasse you just proceed straight ahead along the ETH main building and follow the tram tracks of #10 that turn left into Universitätsstrasse.
For this trip there is not much difference in convenience compared to using the tram. If nevertheless you want to take a taxi, direct it towards ETH/CAB, Universitätsstrasse 6.
