In-Reply-To: <a5360d2d0807281530o5a852967j91284aa6bd07ef83(a)mail.gmail.com>
> 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.
Cheap dig at Liverpool there :(.
Oh I assure you it is aimed fairly and squarely at the Adelphi. Last
year's Easter SF convention was meant to be there but there was a fair
amount of hostility because of the history of thefts when we have been
there. They assured the committee that they were changing the security
system on the rooms, but failed to come up with documentary evidence of
what they would do by when, so the conference was cancelled.
(
http://community.livejournal.com/uk_sf_events/27785.html) With that type
of record I wouldn't want an event that is likely to have as many laptops
floating around as I expect of WikiMania anywhere near the Adelphi.
The local chamber of commerce were also insisting on security being
updated before Liverpool's turn as European City of Culture, but clearly
nothing has changed if the MoD computer theft is anything to go by.
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.)
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.
http://www.conferences-uk.org.uk/ has a searchable directory in which you
can put numbers. People who are interested in organising things can then
look at facilities local to them.
Peter