WordCamp Lancaster UK 2013 venue bids

On this page:

Selection of venue

The following are responses to the invitation to propose the venue and related social activities for the follow-up to WordCamp Edinburgh UK 2012, to be held Saturday and Sunday 13-14 July 2013.

Discussion will be on the WPUK mailing list (registration required), working to the deadline of 21 September 2012.

Lancaster

Contact

Name and email contact for bid? (email address redacted): Mark Wilkinson
If others are involved in the bid list names and email addresses (email addresses redacted): Fiona Battersby

Venue

Name and postal address of venue? Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, United Kingdom LA1 4YW
Does the venue have easy access to public transport facilities with national and international links? Yes
Are the following in walking distance from the venue?

reasonably priced accommodation for attendees? Yes
bars, food, pubs etc? Yes
reasonably priced/free car parking? Yes

Is there access for all areas during the following times?

Saturday 13 July 2013 0800-1830? Yes
Sunday 14 July 2013 0900-1900? Yes

Do all rooms and areas have:

wifi internet access of sufficient capacity to accomodate 200 attendees, some using multiple devices? Yes
mains socket distribution and extensions for the charging of portable devices and general use? Yes

Will supplementary signs be required so attendees can easily get from room to room during the event? No
Any additional notes on the venue questions above? The venue is based in one building of the University, with all the rooms based off a central foyer area which will contain tables and chairs etc. and would be used for registration. Therefore signs may be needed to get to this building but once there is should be obvious where to go. The Campus is around 2 miles away from the City Centre although there is an excellent bus service from the University to the City with buses at least every half hour including late buses back to Campus. There are also direct trains from Manchester Airport to Lancaster station. The venue contains 2 bars open all through the off season and several food outlets on the campus.
Will any information need to gathered during ticket sales, such as names for wifi access? WiFi access and parking passes would need to given out during registration but the venue assures me that they can be done on the day and this is not something that needs to be done in advance and therefore at ticket sale.
Plans of all rooms and areas for planning purposes are available at the following publicly accessible URL(s): Will add these later, waiting for them to be emailed over.

Venue catering

Is venue in house catering available? Yes
If yes provide details, along with costs: The following would need to be booked when the conference facilities are booked: 2 course hot and cold buffet lunch – £13 (+VAT) per person. Tea, Coffee, Orange Juice and biscuits – £1.40 (+VAT) per person
Can this be provided on an individual cash basis (ie attendees pay directly to venue for catering)? No
If yes provide details, along with costs: N/A
Will the venue allow WPUK to provide its own catering? No
If yes provide details, along with costs: The venue only allows catering provided by the venue itself.

Room 1

Room 1: minimum audience capacity 200 – what is the actual capacity? 350
Room 1 room style: Lecture Theatre Style
Room 1: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 1: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? 1152×864
Room 1: any additional notes: The room is a lecture theatre style room with 2 screens. It can hold up to 350 although I was informed seats could be removed if we did not require this number to make the room look a little more full. The room has video recording facilities to linked to the presenters mic and therefore recording of the presentations could be done this way. I was informed that the recording was included in the cost of the room.

Room 2

Room 2: minimum audience capacity 100 – what is the actual capacity? 100
Room 2 room style: Flexible
Room 2: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? No
blackboard or whiteboard? No

Room 2: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? 1152×864
Room 2: any additional notes: Rooms two is actually two rooms that can be either seperate or combined together. The tables and chairs in these rooms, when viewed where laid out in rooms, however they are very flexible and can be put together in a more conference or classroom style if needed.

Room 3

Room 3: minimum audience capacity 50 – what is the actual capacity? 100
Room 3 room style: Flexible
Room 3: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? No
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 3: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? 1152×864
Room 3: any additional notes: Rooms three is actually two rooms that can be either seperate or combined together. The tables and chairs in these rooms, when viewed where laid out in rooms, however they are very flexible and can be put together in a more conference or classroom style if needed.

Communal area(s)

Communal area(s) (for registration, the sponsor exhibition and the Happiness Bar) – facilities:

tables and chairs? Yes
display boards for sponsors and community notices? Yes

Communal area(s) – additional notes: Display boards are at a cost of £10 per day for each board. The communal area is in the centre of all the rooms, each room is off the central communal area. The communal area is where tea, coffee would be served etc.

Other venue areas

Does the venue have:

an office for the use of the Core Group and for general admin? Yes
a secure area for the storage of luggage, laptops, valuables, etc? Yes

Any notes about the office and secure area: An office/room for luggage can be provided at £100/day in the building opposite. However the hiring of the conference facilities means all rooms in the conference building would be hired out. This includes additional session rooms and therefore maybe one of these could be used to admin and luggage.

Socials

Address and details for the informal social at 1900 on Friday 12 July 2013: Campus Bar. There are two bars open throughout the off season during the summer. Same address as venue.
Address and details for the main official social on the evening of Saturday 13 July 2013: The university will open a bar for our exclusive use for the event which would be a good place to hold the social. This would be at no extra cost and the location of the bar in in the complex where accommodation is located.
Address and details for the informal post event social on the evening of Sunday 14 July 2013: Campus Bar. There are two bars open throughout the off season during the summer. Same address as venue.

Budget

Cost of WordCamp venue (excluding venue catering)? £1000 per day (no VAT payable)
Does the venue require a deposit? Yes
Any notes on venue cost: Deposit required is a 10% deposit of the final bill upon confirmation of the booking
Any costs relating to Saturday social (eg room booking): No
Any notes on the Saturday social cost: No

Any finally

Any suggestions for sessions or other activities during the weekend? Not that are not on the Wiki.
Any overnight accomodation associated with this bid? Overnight accommodation is available at £42 per night inclusive of VAT and including Breakfast. Parking is £5 per day. WiFi is also available in all of the rooms. The Lancaster house Hotel is also next to the Campus should any attendees require hotel accommodation.
Any potential sponsors connected with this bid? Not at this stage.
Local media contacts for publicising the event: Possibility of promoting this on the University website and the local newspaper could be contacted.
Any other general notes on your bid: Still waiting on some venue photos which I will add to the Wiki later.

Windsor

Contact

Name and email contact for bid? (email address redacted): Gavin Pearce
If others are involved in the bid list names and email addresses (email addresses redacted): N/A

Venue

Name and postal address of venue? Royal Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5JJ
Does the venue have easy access to public transport facilities with national and international links? Yes
Are the following in walking distance from the venue?

reasonably priced accommodation for attendees? Yes
bars, food, pubs etc? Yes
reasonably priced/free car parking? Yes

is there access for all areas during the following times?

Saturday 13 July 2013 0800-1830? Yes
Sunday 14 July 2013 0900-1900? Yes

Do all rooms and areas have:

wifi internet access of sufficient capacity to accomodate 200 attendees, some using multiple devices? Yes
mains socket distribution and extensions for the charging of portable devices and general use? Yes

Will supplementary signs be required so attendees can easily get from room to room during the event? No
Any additional notes on the venue questions above? Car parking is free and on site. The following motorways are all within 5 – 15 minutes: M4, M3, M25, M40. Windsor has two train stations: Central (serving London Paddington, Reading, Swansea, Birmingham, Manchester and the north); Riverside (serving London Waterloo, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton and Weymouth etc). Bar and food available in the venue, light lunch included in the price.
Will any information need to gathered during ticket sales, such as names for wifi access? No
Plans of all rooms and areas for planning purposes are available at the following publicly accessible URL(s): http://gavinpearce.com/wordcamp2013/Royal-Windsor-CE-Brochure.pdf

Venue catering

Is venue in house catering available? Yes
If yes provide details, along with costs: Included in delegate rate: Two servings of tea coffee and biscuits, sandwich lunch with fruit and crisps, jugs of water
Can this be provided on an individual cash basis (ie attendees pay directly to venue for catering)? Yes
If yes provide details, along with costs: Costs to be defined. Individual’s will be able to use the on-site bars and cafe to order extra or hot food if required.
Will the venue allow WPUK to provide its own catering? No
If yes provide details, along with costs: N/A

Room 1

Room 1: minimum audience capacity 200 – what is the actual capacity? 300
Room 1 room style: Lecture Theatre
Room 1: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 1: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Establish nearer the date (equipment likely to be updated between then and now)
Room 1: any additional notes: The Castle Suite. Situated on the first floor, this air-conditioned room with panoramic views over the Racecourse offers a modern facility for large presentations and banquets. With over 500m2 of pillar-free space, both The Royal Suite and The Castle Suite are the ideal choice for exhibitions that require the benefits of a permanent, indoor facility yet wish to take advantage of superb Racecourse views.

Room 2

Room 2: minimum audience capacity 100 – what is the actual capacity? 100
Room 2 room style: Lecture
Room 2: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 2: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Establish nearer the date (equipment likely to be updated between then and now)
Room 2: any additional notes: The Royal Suite. Situated on the top floor of the Royal Windsor Grandstand, the Royal Suite has a covered balcony area with panoramic views over the Racecourse. The suite can also be partitioned to create six individual syndicate areas with a maximum capacity, boardroom style, of 24 each. A full black-out facility is available. All 6 individual suites can also be opened up to provide over 400m2 of pillar free space

Room 3

Room 3: minimum audience capacity 50 – what is the actual capacity? 100
Room 3 room style: Lecture theatre
Room 3: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? Yes
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? Yes
sound system with line out facility for external recording? Yes
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 3: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Establish nearer the date (equipment likely to be updated between then and now)
Room 3: any additional notes: The Club Restaurant. A Victorian style chandeliered room with its own private adjacent conservatory and bar, the Club Restaurant will hold 100 guests theatre style and is our most popular suite for private dinners. The Club Restaurant is steeped in history and sits within the original 130 year old listed Windsor Grandstand.

Communal area(s)

Communal area(s) (for registration, the sponsor exhibition and the Happiness Bar) – facilities:

tables and chairs? Yes
display boards for sponsors and community notices? Yes

Communal area(s) – additional notes: Entrance area to main grandstand – or additional room if required. Plenty of communal areas.

Other venue areas

Does the venue have:

an office for the use of the Core Group and for general admin? Yes
a secure area for the storage of luggage, laptops, valuables, etc? Yes

Any notes about the office and secure area: N/A

Socials

Address and details for the informal social at 1900 on Friday 12 July 2013: Windsor & Eton Brewery, Duke Street, Windsor SL4 1SE
Address and details for the main official social on the evening of Saturday 13 July 2013: Royal Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5JJ
Address and details for the informal post event social on the evening of Sunday 14 July 2013: The Carpenters Arms, Market Street, Windsor SL4 1PB

Budget

Cost of WordCamp venue (excluding venue catering)? £25 per delegate
Does the venue require a deposit? Yes
Any notes on venue cost: The £25 per delegate rate includes a light lunch, and teas/coffees/water.
Any costs relating to Saturday social (eg room booking): Possibly
Any notes on the Saturday social cost: Venues not 100% confirmed. Am in conversations with a number of different venues, the local brewery sounds a great location, with a great team! Am very open to suggestions if people have visited before.

Any finally

Any suggestions for sessions or other activities during the weekend? Windsor Castle, Legoland (ha!) / Thorpe Park, Windsor Great Park, The Thames / boat tours, Windsor Races (on the Monday after), Open Tour Bus, The Savill Garden, Eton College and Chapel, Royal Windsor Wheel, Dorney Lake (home of the Olympic rowing), horse-drawn carriage tours
Any overnight accomodation associated with this bid? Special discounts at a number of local hotels, including the Mercure Windsor Castle.
Any potential sponsors connected with this bid? Dell, HP, Oracle all have headquarters locally, as well as a number of large agencies / development houses. More info at: http://www.thamesvalley.co.uk
Local media contacts for publicising the event: The Windsor & Eton Observer, The Windsor Express Bracknell News
Any other general notes on your bid: Am very open to venue suggestions if people have visited before. Not a problem to organise in Windsor – plenty of venues and attractions.

Bournemouth

Contact

Name and email contact for bid? (email address redacted): Dominique Betts
If others are involved in the bid list names and email addresses (email addresses redacted): N/A

Venue

Name and postal address of venue? Menzies Carlton Hotel, Menzies Hotels, East Overcliff, Bournemouth BH1 3DN
Does the venue have easy access to public transport facilities with national and international links? Yes
Are the following in walking distance from the venue?

reasonably priced accommodation for attendees? Yes
bars, food, pubs etc? Yes
reasonably priced/free car parking? Yes

is there access for all areas during the following times?

Saturday 13 July 2013 0800-1830? Yes
Sunday 14 July 2013 0900-1900? Yes

Do all rooms and areas have:

wifi internet access of sufficient capacity to accomodate 200 attendees, some using multiple devices? Yes
mains socket distribution and extensions for the charging of portable devices and general use? Yes

Will supplementary signs be required so attendees can easily get from room to room during the event? No
Any additional notes on the venue questions above? The venue is ideally situated on the clifftop, less than 5 minutes drive from Bournemouth Travel Interchange where trains and coaches access much of the UK.
Will any information need to gathered during ticket sales, such as names for wifi access? No this will be collected at the hotel if required.
Plans of all rooms and areas for planning purposes are available at the following publicly accessible URL(s): http://www.menzieshotels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Menzies-Bournemouth-Carlton-Conference-Brochure.pdf

Venue catering

Is venue in house catering available? Yes
If yes provide details, along with costs: £26 DDR to include: Delicious bacon rolls on arrival, Handmade biscuits and healthy option cereal bars in the morning, A fantastic lunch menu to choose from, including BBQ/Buffet, a choice of muffins, scones and chocolate bars during the afternoon, meeting table confectioneries, unlimited tea and coffee throughout the day, unlimited mineral water
Can this be provided on an individual cash basis (ie attendees pay directly to venue for catering)? No
If yes provide details, along with costs: N/A.
Will the venue allow WPUK to provide its own catering? No
If yes provide details, along with costs: N/A

Room 1

Room 1: minimum audience capacity 200 – what is the actual capacity? 250
Room 1 room style: Theatre style
Room 1: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? See below
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with line out facility for external recording? See below
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 1: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Compressed resolution 1280 x 1024
Room 1: any additional notes: All of the above are available if required, the flipcharts, pens and paper are included in the DDR, but there is a £200 fee per item to hire the following: video projector, sound system and a £50 fee for the blackboard or whiteboard hire.

Room 2

Room 2: minimum audience capacity 100 – what is the actual capacity? 120
Room 2 room style: Theatre style
Room 2: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? See below
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with line out facility for external recording? See below
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 2: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Compressed resolution 1280 x 1024
Room 2: any additional notes: All of the above are available if required, the flipcharts, pens and paper are included in the DDR, but there is a £200 fee per item to hire the following: video projector, sound system and a £50 fee for the blackboard or whiteboard hire.

Room 3

Room 3: minimum audience capacity 50 – what is the actual capacity? 80
Room 3 room style: Theatre style
Room 3: facilities

video projector(s) that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with presenter and audience microphone(s)? See below
sound system that can be driven by presenters laptop? See below
sound system with line out facility for external recording? See below
flipcharts, pens and paper? Yes
blackboard or whiteboard? Yes

Room 2: if video projectors are available, what are their resolution? Compressed resolution 1280 x 1024
Room 2: any additional notes: All of the above are available if required, the flipcharts, pens and paper are included in the DDR, but there is a £200 fee per item to hire the following: video projector, sound system and a £50 fee for the blackboard or whiteboard hire.

Communal area(s)

Communal area(s) (for registration, the sponsor exhibition and the Happiness Bar) – facilities:

tables and chairs? Yes
display boards for sponsors and community notices? Yes

Communal area(s) – additional notes: The public bar area would be able to be utilised for this event.

Other venue areas

Does the venue have:

an office for the use of the Core Group and for general admin? Yes
a secure area for the storage of luggage, laptops, valuables, etc? Yes

Any notes about the office and secure area: These are available within the hotel and will be included in the DDR. The Montgomery suite will be used.

Socials

Address and details for the informal social at 1900 on Friday 12 July 2013: There are many bars and restaurants available for social activities on all evenings, including: The Green House Hotel, 4 Grove Road Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3AX; Tieen Thai Restaurant, 105 Saint Michael’s Road Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5DU; Norfolk Royal Hotel, Richmond Hill, Bournemouth BH2 6EN
Address and details for the main official social on the evening of Saturday 13 July 2013: Kayla Brasserie, 42 Holdenhurst Road Bournemouth, Dorset BH8 8AD; Slug and Lettuce, Richmond Hill. 4-15 Bourne Avenue Bournemouth, BH2 6DT; Bar So, Exeter Road Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5AG; Aruba Bar, Pier Approach Bournemouth, Dorset BH2 5AA
Address and details for the informal post event social on the evening of Sunday 14 July 2013: Inferno, 38 Holdenhurst Road Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8AD; 1812 Bar and Restaurant, Royal Exeter Hotel Exeter Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH2 5AG

Budget

Cost of WordCamp venue (excluding venue catering)? £26 DDR, plus £200 for the PA system as it is hired in.
Does the venue require a deposit? Yes
Any notes on venue cost: £26 per person, per day includes all catering costs, free onsite car parking, WiFi access, all meeting room hire, unlimited servings of tea/coffee/biscuits/pastries/ices creams, buffet / BBQ lunch, LCD projector, Screen, WiFi, mineral water, meeting room sweets, and VAT @ 20%. This is offered with a discount of £200 per day for the syndicate rooms. Additionally there is a £200 fee per item to hire the Video projector and
Sound system and a £50 fee for the blackboard or whiteboard hire.
Any costs relating to Saturday social (eg room booking): TBC
Any notes on the Saturday social cost: TBC – dependant on venue chosen. Many of the local bars offer free room hire.

Any finally

Any suggestions for sessions or other activities during the weekend? Bournemouth is in a prime location to be able to access the beaches and countryside. There are plenty of activities which are available to delegates and if there is a particular activity of interest, discounts may be able to be arranged. Local attractions include: The Oceanarium, Liberty’s Raptor and Reptile Centre, Russell Cotes Museum, Monkey World, Tank Museum, Swanage Railway, Brownsea Island, Compton Acres, Weymouth Sea Life Centre, Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Sandworld and Bournemouth Eye. Local activities include: Splashdown, Go Ape, Snowtrax, Matchams Go Karting, Paintballing, Bowling, Altitude High Ropes.
Any overnight accomodation associated with this bid? Bournemouth has access to over 1600 bed spaces and over the weekend of the WordCamp event we have arranged preferential rates with a number of hotels, starting from £65, single occupancy, bed and breakfast at the Best Western Hotel Royale, a mere 5 minute walk from the venue.
Any potential sponsors connected with this bid? TBC
Local media contacts for publicising the event: TBC, potentials include the Bournemouth daily Echo.
Any other general notes on your bid: Bournemouth is a great location by the sea, with easy access via rail and road. There are plenty of additional activities to take part in while in the area and the venue is a newly refurbished hotel on the clifftop, with sea views and great access to the town centre, local hotel and amenities.

Last updated 11 March 2014

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