| Author | Message | ||
     Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
So it seems that the BFS FantasyCon for 2011 (yes, 14 months from now) is in Brighton, probably in the Royal Albion Hotel (although one point in the listing on Facebook has it named the "Royal Albert Hotel"). What do we think of this? | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.14.129 |
Neither here nor there to me, although I did get a chuckle out of the person from Cardiff who commented on how difficult it is to get from there to Brighton: it's a four hour journey, and he'll have to change trains. The horror, the horror. | ||
| Paul_finch (Paul_finch) Username: Paul_finch Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 92.1.137.120 |
I suppose it really boils down to what you really think you'll get from Fantasycon. For me, it's a full day's travel there and a full day back, so that's the Friday and the Sunday pretty well wiped out (unless I want to spend significantly more on my hotel booking). I know some folk come from much further afield, but it's a long way to go, and a lot of money, if it's just for a booze-up with buddies. That said, I'd be disappointed to miss my first F'Con since 1995. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
It's a little more inconvenient for us coming from Bristol too but not really that big a deal. In a way these are the events we live for (F-Con and WHC), so wherever they are, that's where we'll be. Orkney? Isle of Wight? Aberystwyth? Sure - bring it on! We'll manage. A longer road trip just means packing a few more horror film soundtracks and Mars Planets.  | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
How strange. I made a post here about half an hour ago and now it's gone! Is there some vortex that's slurping up those who don't complain about Brighton?  | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Oh no, there it is. It wasn't there before! How weird.....  | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
Brighton? Too far for me. Barbara, should we hold FCon in Canada in 2012?  | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
It takes me three hours to get to York from Whitby. Brighton by public transport would take me about 10 hours. You could fly from somewhere across the Atlantic in that time, with a few hours spare for a drink. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.178.86.142 |
How about Brighton by car, Gary? Suits me (he said selfishly) - Brighton is about an hour's drive for me, which for Barbara is the equivalent of walking to the end of the garden and back... | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 86.16.9.12 |
Gary, at the Walsall FCon Mark Samuels and I got caught up in train delays on the way home and we had a nightmarish journey in which I made the same trans-Atlantic flight comment that you made in your post. Particularly fun spending that amount of time stuck in train stations when two of your party are smokers. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
By car, Mick, I'm looking at an eight hour drive (provided the A1 doesn't get snarled up, which it always does: if that happens, it could 11 hours). I flew to Canada in seven hours. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
I could always drive to Newcastle Airport (60 miles = 90 minutes), get a flight to Gatwick (40 minutes plus waiting time = 2 hours), then a train to Brighton (30 minutes + waiting time = 1 hour): journey time = 5 hours. Cost = forget about it. And where am I supposed to put all the GFP books I hope to sell - in a backpack?! | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
Actually, Barbara, for me, FCon in Canada isn't such a bad idea! | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
We like the idea, Jenny and I. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
'Like' isn't really an option for me. Geography is against me. I guess it's my own fault for moving into this barren realm . . .  | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Aww, that's a shame, Gary. Yes, you are rather cut off out there on that windswept headland. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
It probably rules it out for me too. One of the reasons I didn't make it to WHC this year was because I wasn't up to the travel because of my health problems. I hope to be able to manage a trip down the M1 to Nottingham, but Brighton would have to be done by public transport as I can't drive that far, and it would take hours to do the trip. Still, it does mean it's even more important for me to try to get to this year's FCon, as it might be the last one I'll be able to get to if they're moving to Brighton permanently. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.178.86.142 |
Only my opinion, but I'd be surprised if it was moved to the south coast permanently. Up 'til now, from the first FCons I went to in the early 'eighties, it's always been held somewhere around the middle of the country, so it's no farther than it has to be from anyone. Be nice if it moved around the country a bit, to be honest. Must admit I prefer Brighton to Nottingham, and distance has nothing to do with it! | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.158.238.131 |
It doesn't make that much odds to me, though a change from the truly horrific Britannia is most welcome! To ne fair to all travellers, the Midlands does seem to be the ideal location really... gcw | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.14.129 |
I don't somehow think that a Fantasycon in Canada would fly (no pun intended). It's about 250 miles by road from Whitby to Brighton (I think), and if the drive takes eight hours then that's just - bad. It's 460 miles from Ashcroft to Calgary, and that takes ten hours to drive. Yes, it's the Trans-Canada highway, but a lot of it is single lane in each direction, and as it goes through four major mountain ranges (the Monashees, Purcells, Selkirks, and Rockies), there are a lot of stretches where you can't really put your foot down (well, you can if you want, but you'll likely find yourself making the news next day for the wrong reasons, like the six people killed overnight in an accident on the Trans-Canada near Golden, BC, about five hours east of here). I know Brits moan a lot about the train system there, and I'm sure it's a long way from perfect; but at least you have a train system. Apart from one or two independent commuter services (such as the West Coast Express down the Fraser Valley to Vancouver), and regular passenger service in the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor, passenger rail service in Canada is non-existent (I'm not counting the sightseeing tours through the Rockies or the three-day cross-Canada service from VIA Rail). I can't, for example, hop a train from here to Vancouver, or even from here to Kamloops (55 miles away), although both the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National main lines run right through town. There simply is no passenger service as such here. I wish it was an option. . . . And to get back to the topic in hand: I enjoyed WHC in Brighton in March, but can't help thinking that if the BFS was dissatisfied with Nottingham for whatever reason, they could have found another, better location that was more centrally located, not at one extreme of the country. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
It's 320 miles. Eight hours, without question. Almost certainly more. And as for the train, how would I get my stock on it? And this is the thing about the train anyway: if I chose that option, I'd have to go north first in order to get a connection. It's insane. The North York Moors sounds a lot like Canada. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
It wasn't so much that we were dissatisfied with Nottingham (I wasn't, anyway), it was more that the team who volunteered to run the event had been involved with the WHC in Brighton and had liked that venue. I'm really chuffed. No one else had expressed any interest in organising it, and there was just no way I could have done it. I really didn't want to be the BFS chair who had to say, No FantasyCon next year then... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
Fair enough, but even so, there's a lot of us from up north, and it is a long trek. Might have been worth having a forum discussion about it, mebbe . . . Just a thought. As a BFS member, I'm kind of excluded now. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
Several things to add here. Canada (width of): Gary's comment about flying to Canada in 7 hours got me thinking "yes, but which part did you fly to? It's wide, you know!" Thinking more about it reminded me that I fly from Vancouver to London (any of the 87 airports which bear the name) in about nine hours, so it's not that much of a matter to say "from England to Canada". However, remember this (even you American people, because the continental US isn't nearly as large, trust me): if you laid Canada down on Europe, the westernmost point would be at County Cork and the easternmost point would be somewhere in Pakistan. Yes, that's a big country. Still, it's what you do with it that counts... don't hold your breath waiting, though... ANYWAY: Gary's thought about flying to Canada (any part of it, nearly) plus drinks is fair, as it turns out. Canada's Trains (and lack thereof): Barbara, when I was very very tiny, my parents and I travelled from Ashcroft to Vancouver on the Canadian Pacific Railroad's passenger service. Oh yes! That was, however, in the neolithic age when the Trans-Canada Highway was but a dream, the canyon wasn't paved at all (gravel), and there were still long stretches that were single lanes [which for those of you in the UK means literally that: a "single lane, barely wide enough for one vehicle"]. My mother got some driving training in that condition... with a manual transmission... in a VW Beetle... Oh yes... ANYWAY: to have an actual rail service all over the place that didn't cost three or four times the price of air travel would be grand! Brighton (and its distance from anywhere): I suggest that someone go back in time to the early 1960s, locate that twit of a Lord who decided to "rationalise" British Rail by shutting all the east/west lines, and club him to death. As much as one comprehends that public transport must fund itself somehow, it's easier to find a way to do that than to change people's attitudes to where they want to go. Central UK (and acceptable locations): the thought about "where, but for Nottingham, could the event be held?" has been pondered by me for some time and the answer is, essentially, nowhere. The alternatives are: * Birmingham, which is impossible to book later than 18 months out from your event due to it being do blasted popular due to its central location (although seemingly that's the greatest of its attractions) * Wolverhampton, which is possibly also a frequent location due to being so damned close to Birmingham (and therefore see previous comment about what that city has going for it) * Darby / Stoke-on-Trent, which I've lumped together becuase they're both off the major motorways and aren't probably set-up for events of this size in terms of large conference centres and so on so they hardly work do they? An Hour's Drive (and how far it gets you): I can drive for an hour and haven't left Metro Vancouver. That's not including nasty snarls, traffic lights not co-operating, and so on. Mick, you going to an entirely different county in that time is inconceivable to me. Granted, I got from King's Cross Station to Brighton in that time, so think nothing of the accomplishment on one level. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
We should have FCon in Stratford-Upon-Avon. QED. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
I'm not sure where in S-u-A one could find enough accommodation or a big enough set of rooms for panels, otherwise one would suggest that. ...except then I'd become involved involved in a road accident on the A439 about 15 minutes east of town. Don't want to do that again. | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.14.129 |
Ian: I don't remember the Canyon when the TCH was still a dream and long stretches were single-lane gravel, but my mom does: she and her family used to drive from Vancouver to the Shuswap, where they rented a cabin, and it was a full two-day drive, in part because a lot of the drive up the Canyon was spent reversing to a pull-out when you met someone coming the other way. They'd overnight around Spences Bridge. Nowadays you can drive from Vancouver to the Shuswap in five hours up the Coquihalla. An Hour's Drive will get me from Ashcroft to Kamloops, 55 miles away. The days of it taking me that long to get from Richmond to downtown Vancouver (all of what, 15 miles?) seem very far away. Don't know if Chester would make sense as a con location. It certainly has the facilities. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.23.27.152 |
Yeah, somewhere nice. Chester would be good. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
I do appreciate the problem, Gary, and it'll be even worse for our Scottish members, but in the end the venue and location were an integral part of the bid. The only discussion could have been about whether to accept the bid or not, and I think accepting it would have been the only possible conclusion of any discussion. I think it's fair to say that the BFS would be keen on any bids to organise a 2012 or 2013 FantasyCon in the Midlands or further north. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
Now that I think about it, Stratford-upon-Avon's only real "fairness" as a location would be that everyone would find it a right arse to get to, even those living in Lemington Spa! Anyone attempting to get their by train would likely have to go via London as well, even if they were travelling from Rugby. Daft. Barbara: the canyon highway was finally widened to a minimum of two lanes (UK translation: "single carriage way") in 1967 or so as part of the Centennial Project that W.A.C. Bennett approved of (it involved long stretches of horizontal concrete). I remember nothing of the train journey, as I was less than a year old. Stephen: I'm all for this location, especially if it gets the event moving around a bit. The idea should be (in my mind) to experience a bit of other's areas in addition to experiencing other's thoughts and views. Locale plays a role in that. Perhaps Merseyside some year? | ||
| John Forth (John) Username: John Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 82.24.1.217 |
I can only speak for myself, but since this is right on my doorstep I couldn't more delighted. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.27 |
I don't think it'd be so bad if the venue was in London, but the south coast makes it beyond reach for me, I'm afraid. I liked the venue when I attended WHC, but I took the train as the distance meant that driving from South Yorkshire was out of the question. The change in London was an absolute ordeal though, so I think I'll have to give it a miss until it returns to at least the Midlands. I used to drive to Nottingham, as the boot of my car was ideal for stashing the half-ton of books I bought. I'm still recovering from the weight of the case that I lugged back from Brighton... | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
If humanly possible, I'll be there, but it'll be a bastard of a journey. Nottingham was fairly centrally placed, so while most folk had to travel, no-one was having to head to the opposite end of the country. Bleedin' southerners... | ||
| Matthew_fell (Matthew_fell) Username: Matthew_fell Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.14.129 |
Given that most folk see little except the inside of the Con hotel, why not look at somewhere like Manchester? Surely that would be pretty easy even for the most reluctant of travellers?? Good rail service, good air service. Anybody ever thought of Edinburgh or Glasgow to spread it around a bit? Just thoughts. Christopher | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.14.129 |
'I think it's fair to say that the BFS would be keen on any bids to organise a 2012 or 2013 FantasyCon in the Midlands or further north.' This is a good point, Stephen, and one that it's easy for people to overlook. You can only consider the bids that are put in, and if Brighton was the only, or best, bid for Fantasycon 2011, then clearly that had to be the choice. There was some moaning last year at World Fantasy in San Jose, when it was announced that WFC 2011 would be in San Diego. Okay, two visits to California (with Columbus, Ohio in between) in three years isn't ideal, but if San Diego was the only credible bid for 2011, or the best bid, then the board had no option but to go for it. If people in the northeastern or southeastern United States want a WFC closer to home, then someone's going to have to get a bid together and go to work. Same with Fantasycon. If enough people want it in Chester, or Manchester, or Harrogate, or Leeds, or Coventry, or Stratford, or Milton Keynes, or wherever, then form a committee and put a bid together. Yeah, it's a lot of work - I speak from experience here - but it's the only way to get what you want. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
I'm happy to go just about anywhere for a con EXCEPT London. It's zooey and hectic and overpriced enough without adding the nightmare of dragging around all the books we'll inevitably buy. I'd rather drive from Bristol to Glasgow than take the 1 1/2 hour train to London. But yeah, Manchester. We went to the Festival of Fantastic Films last October (and will be there again this year) and they're a lot better set up for such things, IMHO. Vegas seems the most obvious place for any sort of con in the States. Comparatively cheap re: travel, lodging and food (cos they want you to lose your money in the casinos, not hotels and restaurants) and they're set up to house far bigger cons than our little horror community could ever hope to organise. I'm no fan of Vegas but if I'm there for a con I can just stick to that little world and it's easy enough to avoid the casinos. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
Manchester... hey, now there's a thought. Great restaurants, and the Deansgate branch of Waterstone's has possibly THE best horror section in the UK. Of course, the fact that I live only six miles from the city centre is pure coincidence. I think they looked at Manchester a few years ago, but if memory serves the cost of venues exceeded the pain threshold. Still, it could be worth looking into; there's a few of us who live in the area. (Fuck- what am I saying?!) | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 213.81.119.55 |
I think Nottingham is a good venue. Relatively easy to get to, lots of shops, restaurants and historical sites to visit. People who complain about it either weren't around for the horrendous FantasyCons at Stafford and Walsall or else have forgotten how fucking terrible they were. At Stafford the hotel was not only located in the middle of nowhere but was surrounded by a mist so thick that I'm surprised that Thomas Jane didn't come stumbling out of it and at Walsall the local tourist attraction was a phonebox. People complain about the hotel used at FantasyCon when it's at Nottingham but if you're that bothered there's a very simple solution for that -- stay at one of the many other hotels in the area. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
at Walsall the local tourist attraction was a phonebox.  That's true, although if you'd gone a little further Stu you'd have encountered the 6 year old girl pimping her mother (even I blushed a bit at what she was saying). Walsall really was soulless and awful. Nottingham is a really good venue for FantasyCon, partly because it's easy to get to, partly because it's not such a bad part of the world, and partly because it's not that expensive in terms of hotels and restaurants, & while we don't mind going to Brighton I feel sorry for the people for whom the location immediately makes FantasyCon an impossibility. I'm actually quite surprised to hear people complained about Nottingham - they must either lead richly opulent lives or they don't get out much. | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 88.104.135.32 |
Yes. Manchester would very good for the many people who live in the north. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
I like the Britannia too - huge bar area, good selection of rooms, and a good price. And our contact there has been incredibly patient with my bumbling. The two big things it lacks from my point of view are croissants for breakfast and online room booking for conference attendees. | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 88.104.135.32 |
I'll try that again... Yes. Manchester would be very good for the many people who live in the north. And yes if people don't like the con hotel in Nottingham there are always others around. All cities have their problems. It is just part and parcel of cheap and easy to get to hotels. So much work goes into organizing these events that I doubt there were many bids and probably this was the only one. Good on Marie and Paul for voluteering to do it. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
I agree with Stu about Nottingham- selfishly Manchester would be nice for me because it's down the road, but the whole point of the Con is that it's for fans of SF/fantasy/horror from up and down the country, so the location should take that into account. As soon as it's too far north or south people become unable to attend. That's bad enough when there's individual people I won't get to meet at the Con, but worse still when, for instance, Gray Friar Press won't be able to have a stall. (Actually, Prof, if we can work out the logistics vis a vis getting the books to the venue I'd be willing to help run a GFP stall on your behalf at Brighton. But other publishers mightn't be so lucky.) Brighton was OK for WHC because it was WORLD Horror. There were writers there you just weren't going to see at Fantasycon, like Dennis Etchison, F. Paul Wilson and Roberta Lannes. But this is FCon. As Paul F said above, the journey there and back from up here in t'north effectively wipes out Friday and Sunday. I'm not sure what the demographic is in terms of attendees hailing from the wilderlands north of Watford but I'm willing to bet it accounts for a big chunk of the usual convention crowd, and I can't help thinking it'll have a big impact on attendances. Of course I could be wrong; we'll just have to wait and see. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 213.81.119.55 |
I'm just hoping that this doesn't lead to the same situation that followed the BFS abandoning Birmingham: a couple of years of really awful locations and a couple of years of one-day FCons held in London -- that'd really give the northeners something to complain about. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 213.81.119.55 |
Simon, yeah, Brighton was great for WHC. Not sure it's such a good idea for FCon. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
Agreed. Oh, fuck London. Can't stand the bloody place. Overpriced, overcrowded, overrated. Yuck. I'm not hauling myself all the way down to the Great Wen for one day... Christ almighty, has no-one ever heard of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it?' Clearly not. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
"and the Deansgate branch of Waterstone's has possibly THE best horror section in the UK" Last time I was in there it had shrunk to half the size. The whole bottom floor almost is now a card shop and they've just shrunk all the genre sections upstairs to make room for the books that they've had to move up. Not good. the drama section has gon from 4 full height units to two half height units but they tried to tell me they still had the same level of stock. Bullshit. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.178.86.142 |
I used to help out with cons in the 'eighties, and from watching the organisers at work, it was a thankless task. Always complaints, never compliments. Whenever someone complained about a venue and said "why can't we have it there instead" they were asked if they wanted to help run the following year's convention. Nobody ever did; it was always the same crew running it, and the same faces complaining but not offering to help. I'm just glad folk are willing to put themselves out so much in organising the cons. Although I'm not going north. Awful place. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 86.25.55.250 |
I'm always glad that there are people willing to organise the cons 'cos I'd be useless at doing it myself. And I really don't understand why some people have complained about Nottingham as the venue. | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
Stu, I think the objection folk made to Nottingham was more about the hotel than the town. We stay across the road at the Park Plaza. The appeal of the Britannia is as a convention space - indeed, the chain has been the venue of quite a few conventions around the country, sf as well as fantasy. | ||
| Stu (Stu) Username: Stu Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 81.100.116.210 |
Personally I didn't think there was anything wrong with the hotel (bar the fact that the lifts seemed to be out of order quite a bit). It's a convention -- the rooms and other factors within the hotel aren't really that important. But if people are bothered then they can stay in different hotels. The rates usually aren't that different anyway. Offhand the only problem I can see there is if no attendees are staying at the Britannia then the charge for the convention space might go up and then so would the BFS registration. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.106.220.19 |
We stayed at the Britannia once, then moved to the Park Plaza. Our room at the Britannia was dirty (and we weren't the only ones with that experience) and the staff surly and quite unhelpful. Plus, breakfast wasn't brilliant. The Park Plaza has clean rooms and charges the same price, maybe slightly less, the staff are very pleasant and helpful and breakfast a delight, in comparison. An added bonus is that Ramsey stays at the Plaza too, and I can spy on him through the little eyepiece in his door, but don't tell him. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.106.220.19 |
I'm actually quite surprised to hear people complained about Nottingham - they must either lead richly opulent lives or they don't get out much. I don't think anyone's complained about siting the convention in Nottingham, Lord P.; more that the hotel could be better. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.77.198 |
Not very rock n roll you guys, are you? I stayed in the Peckham Lodge a few months ago: now there's a hotel to moan about. Breakfast was Morrisons bread toasted, or pencil-shaving cornflakes. I was told, the second night I spent there, that the place was used as temporary accommodation for prisoners being released back into the community. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.77.198 |
And it was more expensive than the Brittania, Nottingham. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.77.198 |
I hear what folk are saying about the BFS organisers, and I'm full of admiration for them. They work hard, and voluntarily. I just think this decision might have been made after a consultation, that's all. There is a lot of us from up north. Be interesting to see how many it affects. It's surely not in FCon's interests to exclude a good chunk of its usual crowd through avoidable choices like location. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
I agree that the only problem with Nottingham was/is the hotel itself, and would plan on staying across the road were the event in Nottingham. I also agree very much about organizers getting nothing but grump, and it's a damned shame. Many things can be done correctly, but you skip one little thing and it's a holy terror! By moving the event around there's the advantage of spreading the word about the BFS to a new locale and possibly getting people interested enough to attend as a daily ticket and join the Society. That's the theory, anyway, and depends very much on publicity in the immediate vicinity of the event. This then relies on the interest by local media that can be created by the publicity people, and then we're back to the fact that committee members are volunteering their time, so realistically accomplishments aren't going to be massive in this area. The realistic thing is also that people spend 66% of their convention time inside the panel rooms, and 33% of their time in their own bed room (or someone else's; you never know), so where the hotel happens to be is irrelevant. All that's important is a good set of event facilities. I went to this year's EasterCon at Heathrow and the event was grand! Okay, there was some moaning about food and/or rooms but there's always some who do, innit? | ||
| Paul_finch (Paul_finch) Username: Paul_finch Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 92.20.214.39 |
The one I'm still waiting for is WiganCon. The Oak Hotel is a massive, purpose-built conference hotel, it has a massive, dedicated and secure car park, and is only 5 mins walk from the town's two main railway stations, one of which is on the West Coast mainline (so London, Scotland the south and the Midlands are covered), the other of which has direct links to Manchester, Liverpool and, from there, Wales, western England, eastern England, Yorkshire, NE etc. The only problem is that it's in the middle of Wigan, so if anyone goes outside after 9 on the Friday or Saturday it's head-kicking time. But never mind, as with so many others, if you stay indoors you'll be sound. Big drawback - no decent curry houses or Chineses within reach. There are good ones, but they're all a taxi ride away. Any takers? No ... ahhh well. Brighton, it is. | ||
| Degsy (Degsy) Username: Degsy Registered: 08-2010 Posted From: 86.134.93.9 |
As for a 'consulation' - how productive would that really have been? There are plenty of people with opinions, but precious few actually prepared to put in the organisational donkeywork required. If you want Fantasycon to come to a town near you then I guess the only solution is to form your own commitee and pitch-in! It's also a shame that a significant proportion of people who attend Fantasycon aren't even paid-up members of the BFS. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
That doesn't worry me too much, Degsy - like Radio 4, I judge us by our reach rather than our ratings. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
>>It's also a shame that a significant proportion of people who attend Fantasycon aren't even paid-up members of the BFS.<< Whoops, that's me told off then! I confess I still haven't rejoined the BFS. This year, it was either a case of pay to go to FCon or rejoin the BFS, but not both - I couldn't afford both. I opted for FCon. Sorry. | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 88.104.135.32 |
>>It's also a shame that a significant proportion of people who attend Fantasycon aren't even paid-up members of the BFS.<< Agreed. Or it just disappears. For the membership fee you get £10 off Fantasycon. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.173.83.71 |
>>>As for a 'consulation' - how productive would that really have been? If it really needs explaining: it would have given the organisation an indication as to how many people - many of them regulars - were unable to make it because of the geographical complications. If that number was high, and potentially to the detriment to FCon, it might be have wiser to reconsider. Expressing my disappointment seems to have been taken as: if you're not willing to take over the organisation, keep quiet. So I'd better just leave it here. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
Paul: for a brief, terrifying moment, I though you were waiting for WoganCon, and the prospect of spending an entire week-end devoted to nothing but Sir Terry could very well be the only thing to ensure the entire populace flees the area with all due haste. Granted, that's just the opinion of someone from "Canadia" [sic]. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
Gary, I hope I haven't made you feel like that. I'm glad of your comments, and they'll certainly influence me when considering the proposals for 2012 (whether that's still as BFS chair, or more likely just as a committee member). Caroline, don't be sorry! Whether you give your money to FantasyCon or the BFS doesn't matter - it all goes into the same retirement fund in the Cayman Islands...  | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.173.83.71 |
No, Stephen, I wasn't thinking of you. Keep doing sterling work at the BFS. As I say above, I admire any and all involved in that side of things. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
How does one find out if one IS a member? I was last year but don't remember getting any renewal information. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
Helen should be able to help, Kate - email her on secretary@britishfantasysociety.org. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.178.86.142 |
No, Stephen, I wasn't thinking of you. I wasn't having a go either, Prof - just commenting on the way folk were when I was privy to the machinations of the BFS twenty years back. Mind you, you are a bastard, GF. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.230 |
No worries, mate. Though in fairness, if folk pay a fee into a society, they should have the right to speak up about such issues without others suggesting that, if they aren't happy, they should do the job instead. I'm paid up with other societies, too, and I certainly don't think I should have to help out when what I was expecting doesn't prove to be the case. | ||
| Mark West (Mark_west) Username: Mark_west Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.39.177.173 |
Paul - I remember the first WiganCon (first time I met you, in fact and the Busby's) back in 2000 or whenever. Great fun and whenever I mention your name, Alison always says "Mr Finch, he's such a nice man." | ||
| Degsy (Degsy) Username: Degsy Registered: 08-2010 Posted From: 86.134.93.9 |
Sorry Gary - I was a bit grumpy and out of order in my previous comment. I just meant to point out how organising these sorts of events is, in general, a thankless task. I'm sure the Brighton committee will put on a great show. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.230 |
No sweat, mate. And I agree about the organisers. Good guys. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Brighton? I think that counts me out. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
Well if Zed's not going... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
 | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 95.131.110.102 |
I don't know what you're all moaning about - it's less than an hour away! | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.230 |
Here's my petty fantasy: I decide to go to FCon '11, after all, and when I look out my plane's window while coasting over Sussex, I see Mick's car smoking and hissing in the roadside, completely irreparable. Mick's face will of course be close enough to the passing plane for him to see my self-satisfied expression. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Mick would probably just reach out and grab the plane, mangling it in his mighty fist and roaring like Kong... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.230 |
I hope he doesn't also intercept that year's surprise guest of honour, Mr Stephen King. The tragic headline would be: KING KONGED | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
Even my jokes aren't that bad. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.230 |
You're right. I should shoot myself. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
with a nail gun, through each of your toes and then work your way up the body. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.180.45.171 |
I see Mick's car smoking and hissing in the roadside, completely irreparable Car? It's only 50 miles, Gary - I can walk there in an hour! Probably have to knowing my car... | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Want to keep me company on that stroll, Mick? Looks like Lord P and Zed have their own plans.  | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.180.45.171 |
I'm happy, Kate, but you'll have to walk to Surrey to meet me. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 64.180.64.74 |
I'll be flying in from the Western Colonies, don't forget... try doing THAT by walking, Mr. Manly Surrey Man! And Mick's right! It IS only an hour (from London... by train...) | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.180.45.171 |
Ian, that's obviously a jump. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
You mean you can't walk on water, Ian and Mick? | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.106.220.19 |
Only on Sundays, Caroline! | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
I can turn wine into water. Er... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I can turn wine into urine. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 129.11.76.229 |
They sell that at Morrisons. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Zed's urine? What's it called, McMahon's at Morrisons? He'll be flogging his designer look at Primark next. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
Yes, I've set up a small milking farm in my underpants. It's quite a profitable sideline, if one can ignore the incessant chafing. |