Weekend at the Asylum 2010

[TimeTinker]

What is magical about the Asylum is that from Friday to Sunday that area is our place and it is the normals who seem out of place.  I am sure you will enjoy it and I look forward to seeing you there.  Full details are at http://steampunk.synthasite.com but ask the folks who went last year for an honest appraisal.  This year we have lots more fun planned including some secrets I hope to unveil after a meeting tommorrow!!!

[Major Wolfram Quicksilver]

Celestial Temple, I stayed in a B+B called The Old Rectory a couple of weeks ago, £40 for a double per night.  Cheap and cheerful, and 200 yards (if that) from The Bailgate in Lincoln, where everything seems to be happening that weekend.

[Celestial Temple]

Good morning Major, thank you! I will check that one out toute suite!

[Rt Hon Septabarius Cogge]

If there's a group of 6-8 out there looking for accommodation, then Norbory House, http://www.selfcatering-directory.co.uk/uploads/estate/selfcatering/self-catering-23828.htm, is available. There are pictures on http://www.lincolntourism.co.uk/AccommodationTourism/List.aspx?CategoryID=1&SubCategoryID=3&LocationID=0

I'm mentioning it here because I had to cancel my own booking for the weekend, and as they were so helpful in making the booking, I felt that I'd let them down somewhat.

[darkshines]

Cowperthwaite and I will be looking for a two bed/double bed room, cheap as chips and preferably at the top of the hill but not essential (must have parking though). We stayed at the Aaron Whisby lst year and loved it, but fancy something different

[Major Wolfram Quicksilver]

Hi Darkshines,  

Like I said to Celestial Temple, I stayed here recently:

http://www.theoldrectorylincoln.co.uk/

It's at the top of the hill, has parking, and I got a double en-suite for £40 per night.  Might be worth you going through http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/ .  They can get you a place cheaper than places offer rooms themselves.

[Matthias Gladstone]

Sadly, as i'm starting uni in september, I won't be able to attend this year. But I hope to be back, en force, 2011.
Have a great time all of you,
-Matt

[Gazongola]

Sadly, as i'm starting uni in september, I won't be able to attend this year. But I hope to be back, en force, 2011.
Have a great time all of you,
-Matt

University never stopped me  

Such a shame you won't be joining us.

[Celestial Temple]

Thanks for the link Major! I am quite impressed with your suggestion, lovely building and the prices look fine. Hopefully we will be organised soonish...

[Major Wolfram Quicksilver]

My pleasure, Celestial.

[MechanicalMouse]

Tickets paid for, and I'm now rubbing my hands with glee.

Very much looking forward to see you all.

I've been reading through all the posts.

I will have to pop into the Whiskey shop, They owe me 2 hours of my memory from 1994

[TimeTinker]

Gaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

I now need to have a little rant.  As you know we have had trouble engaging with the City of Lincoln tourism even though local businesses etc are desperate to have us there.

We had a meeting with the Traders Guild a couple of weeks ago that went well and they asked us what they could do to help us.  We said - a map of the area we could give away would be nice especially if it had cashpoints marked on and we would like supportive businesses to put up a logo in their window showing they welcomed steampunks.   We were promised a map and traders asked us to send them a logo.  Great we thought.

Today I get an email from the guy who works for tourism who acts as a facilitator for the Traders Guild.  "I have got some maps for you, they are our normal tear off ones. Do you want to collect them."

Great! Thinks I and asks "Do they have cashpoints marked on?"

I get a message back - no they have everything else marked on but not cashpoints.  Never mind thinks I, a map is a map and we can put signs up about cashpoints.

I then get another email.  "I have spoken to the boss and we will add cashpoints to the map for you.  We will charge you £150 for this service and you will have to pay for the maps to be reprinted."

Now I have no problem with paying for things if we want them.  I have no problem with drawing up maps as I did last year and sending them out.  I do have a problem with organisations who are paid by local ratepayers etc to encourage tourism to the city and have the trust of the local Traders to do so but then think they can just act like stupid bureaucrats and spend our money for us.  Their job is to market the city and encourage visitors not turn them away.

I am seriously thinking about moving the event to another City (NOT THIS YEAR I HASTEN TO ADD!!!!!).  As it happens I have had contacts from both Warwickshire and Yorkshire tourism boards seeing if we want to run steampunk festivals in their counties.  That is a totally different attitude.  We will be investigating possibilities for 2011

It's nice to be made to feel welcome.

[TimeTinker]

Well to make things easier to book tickets and following advice and a quick field test we will have an automated ticket portal up and running soon.

Ticket sales are temporarily suspended whilst we sort the backlog and the automated system will start selling tickets in a little over a week's time.  The portal will also show you how many of each ticket are still available so you will be able to work out if you need to panic and book straight away!

We hope this will be reassuring to people and make the event more accessible.   The downside is that such features do cost money and we have had to raise prices by a fraction to cover this.  I apologise for having to do it but we are a not-for-profit organisation and the budget is pretty finely balanced.  If we were to absorb the ticketing costs ourselves it would mean cutting back on features which obviously we don't want to do.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

[Ulfilias]

Like the look of the portal major. A great idea. Shame 'bout the tourist board. What muppets, then again they probably don't quite realise what potential they have on thier hands.

[Titus Wells]

Hi Tinker,

Sorry to hear about the hassles, nothing ever easy is it? Out of interest and on friend's behalfs, will the new ticket portal completely replace the old system or will people still 'in the queue' be processed prior to the opening of the gateway? Ooh, that sounds gloriously sci-fi!

[TimeTinker]

Thanks for the support guys, it is much appreciated.  I get really wound up because I know from personal contacts that the local people are delighted to have us and value what we are doing for the city.  The council however seems to suffer from a culture which believes the City is there for their benefit and not the other way around. 

When you have another council tourism's department actively seeking our event and looking at what they could offer to encourage us to move there - well it sort of makesyou stop and think doesn't it?

With regards to bookings:   As it says on the event website, if you have already submitted your booking form it will be processed and you will receive your invoice etc in due course.  Your tickets will be safe!   We just need you to relax and wait for them...

ONLY SIX MONTHS TO GO.....ONLY SIX MONTHS TO GO.....ONLY SIX MONTHS TO GO.....ONLY SIX MONTHS TO GO.....

[Titus Wells]

I'm relaxed about the tickets... it's the lack of confirmation contact from the accomodation that's bugging me. They were so good last year! Ah well. Six months you say? I've only just bought my coat and goggles ready for alteration, starting soaking leather,  vac-formed some logos and started on the rebreather... better step it up a notch!

[Major Twangy Rubber]

My vote goes for Yorkshire next year - then I can walk to the event

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Alternatively we create the steampunk party and stand for election.

[greensteam]

No need to set up another party, I am your tame in-house politician.

Just tip me the wink that you would even consider Glasgow and step back when the juggernaut of enthusiasm that is the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau rolls into action to sort it all out.

This is what my city does for events that are considering coming here:

• Prepares the bespoke glossy presentation pack, fully costed and tailored for your event's peculiarities, for you to take the proposal to the organising committee or whoever makes the decision.
  Pays for the in-city expenses - hotels, taxis, visits, meals - for a recce team to come and suss the place out. Including escorted trips all necessary venues and places of interest.
  Pays for printing of pre-event publicity materials - flyers, posters etc
  Does all the liaison with venues and hotels to negotiate suitable places, secure dates and pricing info.
  Big events can even get a subsidy to help with venue costs.
  Fixes up the civic reception with free drinkies at the victorian city chambers, hosted by a local worthy in a gold chain (might even be me ....)

Given all that and the fact that the city is the home of James Watt and Lord Kelvin, why arent we considering coming to Glasgow?

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Is there a suitable venue? Glasgow has hosted Eastercons and Worldcons but this was at the decidely unsteampunk Crowne  Plaza and SECC.

[greensteam]

I would say that either the Fruitmarket  http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/conference/room/101  in the Merchant City, would be a suitable centre. It is particularly good as there are other halls and venues plus millions of restaurants close by. Other possibilities would be the old buildings of the University of Glasgow. Or possibly the Grand Central hotel (Central station hotel) but they are renovating just now and I have no idea how much of the original decor will remain after.

[Gazongola]

Glasgow is like, miles away. But then I guess Lincoln is for you.

[TimeTinker]

Unfortunately Glasgow is a very long distance to travel for the majority of UK steampunks. This "catchment area" issue was one reason we opted for Lincoln and I refer people back to the extensive discussions on the topic of location towards the end of 2008 and the start of 2009.  We will need to consider carefully the potential location (should we finally decide to move) and more central locations will have an advantage but I would be keen to investigate the possibilities of organising a Northern event in Glasgow for 2011 although I will admit to being biased since I do have family in the city.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

one of the original search parameters of the Asylum was that it was to be central to the UK, everybody wanted it located in their backyard, but venues suggested had not been thought through, they were either not costed/available or were inconveniently located for a majority or were both. If the venues pan out both Warwickshire and Yorkshire (providing not coastal) would be central enough.