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Roderick Hellyer
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« Reply #50 on: November 09, 2008, 06:37:21 am » |
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Out of the fog, from across the pond
If you put it on... we will come...
ahem...
well, at least I will...try.. my damnedest to attend
Sincerely
R. Hellyer
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As for the future, your task is not to foresee but to enable it -
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
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lady sakara
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« Reply #51 on: November 09, 2008, 05:07:09 pm » |
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Id recommend Brighton simply because it is the Victorian playground.
There are hundreds of hotels in varying range in prices, hotels that specialise in conventions, a fast train service from London.
Intercity airport travel via Gatwick (which can often be cheaper than train in booked in advance) and if done during the summer months..for real cheapness...theres the university which oftens allows hiring off its property when closed to students during the summer.
to see theres the Brighton Aquarium - they have a model of the Nautilus and half of the place is made to look like a victorianesq submarine!
The Pavillion - started in edwardian era, became a playground for the young Victoria
The pier - standard parading thing for all victorians to do
the south Lanes - tiny old lanes stuffed with antique shops
everywhere you look, grand victorian architecture.
There is parking available around the town...Or park outside brighton and train in.
Id suggest keeping the event small......start small...less expenses. Have a con hotel rate available for long distance travellers, but also give info on other hotels in area available for all prices.
Usually if you can set an amount that will go, and tell hotel that, ask them for special rates...block book a floor, or corridor depending on numbers. use the offer of bar being drunk in alot..that often worked with Scifi conventions lol.
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ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE!!!!!...... if you have already abandoned hope, please disregard this notice.  |
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Captain_Sadeian
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« Reply #52 on: November 09, 2008, 05:57:38 pm » |
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Lady Sakara you are a gem, I was about to list my reasons and you have done it for me. Blessings upon you from a tired captain.
With sincere thanks,
Sydeian
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Join the coalitions fight against enemies from the Aether! A free online steampunk adventure! www.sadeian.org |
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lady sakara
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« Reply #53 on: November 09, 2008, 06:02:34 pm » |
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Lady Sakara you are a gem, I was about to list my reasons and you have done it for me. Blessings upon you from a tired captain.
With sincere thanks,
Sydeian
hehe no probs, i go to Brighton alot and every time say aloud its perfect for an Sp Con! |
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Mr Peter Harrow, Esq
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« Reply #54 on: November 09, 2008, 10:26:16 pm » |
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What hotel?, what function space? Is it affordable? Listing the benefits of a particular town or city are relatively easy, you are looking at holding a convention in 10 months time at the end of the holiday season, in one of the busiest seaside resort towns in the UK. A lot of places at a lot of times in the UK are ruled out from being used for Conventions because they have insufficient function space/hotel rooms, are already booked for something or are requesting too much money for function space or hotel.
Wanting it in Brighton is understandable, being able to deliver this is a problem. Split sites do not work for function space, people end up staying on one of the sites all the time. A lot of people will not stay on University campuses, and would you be willing to run free transport between the different accomodation venues?
A lot of larger Cons such as Eastercon or Redemption or Discworld have a two year run in period to deal with this, and there are only a limited number venues in the UK capable of dealing with them, which are happy to have a convention and which are affordable.
First get your venue.
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Proudly giving the entire Asylum The Finger!
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lady sakara
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« Reply #55 on: November 09, 2008, 10:54:11 pm » |
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Ive been to a few cons run in University campuses to great success. Ive also been to successful conventions where people were all over the place in different hotels, where a 'con' hotel became the social front...even though people stayed elsewhere.
I doubt the first SP con would be a big one...like Eastercon etc... Id recommend a small one max 200 attendees. (ive attended and worked at cons ranging from 150 attendees to one over 2000 attendees, so see how each can work)
I see the first event being more of a small gathering.
I believe its probably better to start small with demand being great, than thinking big and losing big.
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« Last Edit: November 09, 2008, 10:55:58 pm by lady sakara »
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Outa_Spaceman
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« Reply #57 on: November 10, 2008, 04:21:23 am » |
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How about Bognor Regis....? Then I don't have to travel very far from my lab... OSM (I dare anyone to type "that" quote...  ) |
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Outa_Spaceman
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« Reply #58 on: November 10, 2008, 07:26:06 pm » |
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I'd love to see a convention at the British Engineerium... Sadly it's been closed for sometime now... The message on their site about being 'secure' has been there of quite a while... OSM |
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Sir Nikolas Vendigroth
Captain Spice
Immortal
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« Reply #59 on: November 10, 2008, 07:42:07 pm » |
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Both London and Brighton are too far to be practical to me, at the moment  Liverpool would be ideal for me. Manchester, fine. Wales, as long as it's in the north, or relatively near it, not impossible. Nor is Chester. |
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HE WRESTLES BEARS, HE DRINKS HIS ALE, HE LOVES HIS AUTUNITE! ON WEDNESDAYS HE GOES SHOPPING, THIS SONG IS UTTER SHI-
PM me about adding a thread to the OT archive! _|¯¯|_ r[]_[] |
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lady sakara
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« Reply #60 on: November 10, 2008, 08:14:29 pm » |
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i think no matter where a convention/gathering is held, some people will not be able to attend. That is life. I believe that the con should be held in a place with the most steampunk ambience...not just a place where its 'easy' to get to.
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Engineer
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« Reply #61 on: November 10, 2008, 09:26:59 pm » |
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Subject to the dates not conflicting with RL commitmnents, I would certainly be up for a convention in the southern half of the country. Living outside Poole it takes a couple of hours longer than everyone else to get to anywhere because it takes that time to get to any main road routes - 2 hours to M25, 2 hours to the M4, 2 hours to the M5, 2 hours plus to the M40 .....  Seriously though, I agree with lady Sakura's comments about keeping the event size low-ish for the first time and also that it would be nice to find a location with Victorian links and attractions. Brighton seems to be an ideal location. being on the south coast we might even see some sunshine! Dave |
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Outa_Spaceman
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« Reply #62 on: November 11, 2008, 01:18:04 am » |
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i think no matter where a convention/gathering is held, some people will not be able to attend. That is life. I believe that the con should be held in a place with the most steampunk ambience...not just a place where its 'easy' to get to.
I agree with the ambience bit but (as much as it's any of my business)... Brighton is a large city where events can easily become 'diffused' among London to Brighton Hopping races, Stamp Collectors Karaoke Competitions and at least 300 Hen/Stag nights... Although I've never been to a 'Goth' style event there, towns like Whitby seem to be the perfect size for conventions... If you want ambience how about my old home town of Harrogate...? Center of operations could be the Royal Halls then there's the Valley Gardens, Betty's Tea Rooms, The Pump Room Museum, The Turkish Baths, Hales Bar (still gas lit), more B&B's than you can shake a stick at and good transport links (Rail and close to Leeds/Bradford airport)... O.S.M. |
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lady sakara
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« Reply #63 on: November 11, 2008, 01:33:14 am » |
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i think no matter where a convention/gathering is held, some people will not be able to attend. That is life. I believe that the con should be held in a place with the most steampunk ambience...not just a place where its 'easy' to get to.
I agree with the ambience bit but (as much as it's any of my business)... Brighton is a large city where events can easily become 'diffused' among London to Brighton Hopping races, Stamp Collectors Karaoke Competitions and at least 300 Hen/Stag nights... Although I've never been to a 'Goth' style event there, towns like Whitby seem to be the perfect size for conventions... If you want ambience how about my old home town of Harrogate...? Center of operations could be the Royal Halls then there's the Valley Gardens, Betty's Tea Rooms, The Pump Room Museum, The Turkish Baths, Hales Bar (still gas lit), more B&B's than you can shake a stick at and good transport links (Rail and close to Leeds/Bradford airport)... O.S.M. Same would be true of any large city....all have many things going on, none of which would interest me if i was attending a specific event. Ive attended conventions in Blackpool *shudder* but never been distracted by the armies of hen-dos or stag-nights lol Whitby is a VERY small town , which is VERY hard to get to if you dont drive, with few trains running there. Plus during the summer months is full of old people on their coach excursions and families on holiday. The WGW takes up the remainder times during spring, autumn and new year. You would be clashing with those events...and such a turnout wouldnt be as big as im sure many would be saving for WGW over any other event near to them. I know i would for example only afford one big event during those times of the year, but summer is left usually empty of any events to attend. Where as a holiday town such as Brighton is very easy to get to no matter where you live in the country (costs permitting) and if held during the summer would have the entire uni campus at a disposal. I cant say much for Harrogate as ive never had reason to visit there...yet. Im from Cardiff, which is a great friendly city and also easy to travel to, though many think it isnt due to it being in Wales but Its actually direct on the M4 motorway. Cardiff has a history of victorian, although slightly more in the industrial / coal industry vien, rather than any other...although we do have a fine victorian castle folly right in the center of town built by the richest man in the world at that time - Lord Bute. |
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« Last Edit: November 11, 2008, 02:07:40 am by lady sakara »
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AndiiV
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« Reply #64 on: November 11, 2008, 02:04:23 am » |
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I'd be up for a Cardiff location. I have a friend there with a veeeeeery big house.
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Lord Ivor Rubidium
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« Reply #65 on: November 11, 2008, 10:52:58 am » |
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Dear AndiiV,
That would be a pleasant idea, as it is close to my abode. May we discuss this further in the meeting topic entiled Wales? Several of our steampunkian friends have already discusses a meet at themuseum and for drinks afterwards
LIR
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Emmeline X
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« Reply #66 on: November 11, 2008, 11:55:02 am » |
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Brighton is an absolute nightmare to get to from Exeter...3 train changes and a 5 hour journey... (I have to go sideways, up, then down!), and it's expensive. It's actually cheaper and nearer for me to get to Cardiff!
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Captain_Sadeian
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« Reply #67 on: November 11, 2008, 01:59:55 pm » |
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It would appear that no one is happy with the suggested location.
Can I suggest that one person invents a unified field theory so that we may find the centre of all causality. Allowing us to locate the convention equidistant to everyone.
I go to Whitby every year and set up the steampunk meet. I receive no thanks for this nor for the wonderous numbers of phonecalls, forum posts and e-mails that have allowed it to continue and build from being three people sitting in a cafe to fifty people as it was this year.
I do however get people complaining when incompetent staff at venues give away tables needed by people who have apprently been planning to come to the meet for months after seeing it listed. Though they didn't reply when I very clearly asked for a reply in order to get an idea of numbers.
For me to travel to Whitby takes a bus journey followed by three trains, a total of ten hours travelling.
Intriguingly, national rail tell me that you can get from Exeter to Brighton in 4 hours with one change.
Food for thought?
At the end of the day as Lady Sakara said, everywhere is far from somewhere and its been proven in previous posts that Brighton has excellent transport links for the majority. Brighton is not a final absolute venue for every year hereafter. Other places may prove to be better but if we sit and argue location someone will always be unhappy with it. Location is flexible and sensible ideas will always be welcome, but I will admit that constant bickering is wearing down my patience.
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« Last Edit: November 11, 2008, 02:39:04 pm by Captain_Sadeian »
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Lord Ivor Rubidium
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« Reply #68 on: November 11, 2008, 02:39:57 pm » |
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Captain,
I agree with the idea of locating a midpoint in the areas available to us. However, by finding a direct midpoint, you are forgetting about such factors as population and facilities. To counter this I suggest a democratic approach to choosing a venue.
All that agree say Aye
All thay appose say nay
LIR
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Captain_Sadeian
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« Reply #69 on: November 11, 2008, 02:50:35 pm » |
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I must admit Ivor that my comment about choosing a midpoint was sarcasm.
I was trying to point out that choosing a central location would be fruitless. As we could end up in some rural village with no accomodation or a place of questionable sobriety where a gaggle of neo-Victorians would be hassled.
Democracy though while a lovely idea would tell us where people would like to have a convention. Without people taking into account facilities, etc.
This is why conventions are organised by a small group of people. Democracy works only when guided. For example who votes for no taxes? Great everyone votes we have no tax. A month later we also have no police, fire service, healthcare, etc.
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AndiiV
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« Reply #70 on: November 11, 2008, 03:25:13 pm » |
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May I suggest Aberdeen...  |
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Captain_Sadeian
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« Reply #71 on: November 11, 2008, 03:37:03 pm » |
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May I suggest that (further part opf post deleted by Captain Sadeian's patented gentlemanly conduct in heated discussions system) |
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AndiiV
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« Reply #72 on: November 11, 2008, 03:41:03 pm » |
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My apologies if I caused offence or annoyance. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Clearly misjudged and mis-timed.
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lady sakara
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« Reply #73 on: November 11, 2008, 04:07:51 pm » |
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My comments have mearly been trying to explain my experience in attending and working many types of conventions. I hope none of them were taken the wrong way.
There are sooo many areas to take into account when organising an event, location being just one of them!
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Sir Ninian Marsh
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« Reply #74 on: November 11, 2008, 04:29:40 pm » |
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Britain is not that large and we should be thankful that we live on a relatively small island with good transport links.
Pity the poor Americans who have to travel hunderds, if not thousand of miles to get to their cons.
Capt Sadeian, rest assured that wherever the convention is held myself and my good lady wife will endeavour to attend. If we were to put it to vote then mine would be for Brighton. Although I have never been to the place and it is almost at the other end of the country from myself ( I reside in York) I trust others judgement and it does sound like an ideal location.
But, as you have already summised, the decision is that of the 'few' organising said event.
You have my thanks
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« Last Edit: November 11, 2008, 04:32:16 pm by Sir Ninian Marsh »
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