2008/7/28 Peter Cohen <peterc(a)cix.compulink.co.uk>uk>:
In-Reply-To:
<a4359dff0807281452y4c39a617ua92a135098ffc775(a)mail.gmail.com>
Is there
a reason that people are going for university facilities
and not
hotels? Science Fiction Conventions tend to be hotel based.
Do Sci Fi conventions generally have talks aimed at groups of 500
people? I don't think hotels can accommodate such large
conferences.
This year's Easter Science Fiction convention was at the Radisson
Edwardian Heathrow which has two conference suites that could be built to
that size.
http://www.radissonedwardian.com/rad/edw/PDFs/c&bbrochure08.pdf
Next years is at the Cedar Court Bradford
http://www.cedarcourthotels.co.uk/page.asp?pageID=46. Then it's back to
the Radisson.
Recent Easter SF cons have been at hotels in Chester, Hinckley, Glasgow,
Liverpool (but shall I say that I was not surprised that one of the MOD
missing computers was stolen from a room in the Liverpool Adelphi). The
Brighton Metropole had a big conferencing area in the rear, but the
management and the SF community fell out in the late 80s and we haven't
been back since.
There's an association of conferencing facilities (or there was in the
1980s who you could write to with your specs and they would put your
details in a circular to members.)
Cheap dig at Liverpool there :(.
But back to the point, I think there could be some merit in
investigating non-University approaches. During the Summer Hols, they
really are out to make as much money as they can with conferencing.
We may be able to find something a little cheaper by thinking outside
this box - I'm slightly amazed that the Alexandria team got all that
they did for free, though I do suspect that with some effort we may be
able to get close...
That said, I personally lack ideas at the moment... It is worth
keeping our eyes and minds open though.