Do we need more ABug meets? If so, where should they be?

[Elminster]

Ignoring the fact they need people to organise them, do we need more events, and if we did where would they be?

Currently. Have a north, sourth, midlands and Cambridge (and Canada), and the Risco OS events.

Or do we have the right amount?

[1024MAK]

Ignoring the fact they need people to organise them, do we need more events, and if we did where would they be?

Currently. Have a north, sourth, midlands and Cambridge (and Canada), and the Risco OS events.

Or do we have the right amount?

Duncan, this would be better in it's own thread. Then you can have a poll

Mark

[Elminster]

Not falling for that, before you know I would be the national organisation coordinator of events.

[flibble]

I would be the national organisation coordinator of events.

Seconded!

[tricky]

I was just trying to decide which category to vote for our new national organisation coordinator of events, then I noticed that we don't have to choose, we can vote for all four
Three cheers for our new national organisation coordinator of events

[Elminster]

Hmmm. What is the compensation package. £250k a year with free travel and a pension?

[JudgeBeeb]

Hmmm. What is the compensation package. £250k a year with free travel and a pension?

Sadly not. But, based on my experience, you do get all the Frazzles you can eat.

[Elminster]

Hmmm. What is the compensation package. £250k a year with free travel and a pension?

Sadly not. But, based on my experience, you do get all the Frazzles you can eat.

I always wondered, where do the frazzles come from? They just seem to appear. Is there a frazzled fairy?

I could do a North Essex ABUG but I suspect now T.Banana has moved I would be the only one there. Lots of caravan sites here.

[danielj]

Jaywick?

[Elminster]

Jaywick?

Now there is an idea.

http://www.jaywickmartellotower.org/Hire/

[jbnbeeb]

These are the Acorn events this yr I know of off top of my head (I think there a couple of RISC OS events in South West I'm missing)

Jan ABUG Manchester
Apr Wakefield RISCOS show (1 day event)
Jun ABUG Camberley
Sep ABUG Cambridge
Oct London RISCOS show (1 day event)
Nov ABUG Leicester

I guess it's the ABUGs that garner most interest on Stardot as they're more oriented to working on projects rather than being a show.

I think previously we have had 5 or 6 ABUGs in a year, whereas this year the total will have been 4. I think if we try for 6 next yr, likely using a couple of venues twice across the yr, that ought to better meet demand...

Edit: LOL re the voting options

[davidb]

Now there is an idea.

http://www.jaywickmartellotower.org/Hire/

Or, for more exclusive events: Fort Clonque.

[daveejhitchins]

Hmmm. What is the compensation package. £250k a year with free travel and a pension?

No . . . No . . . No . . . You get that warm feeling for doing something for your fellow Star-Dotters - worth far more than money

Dave H

[Elminster]

Hmmm. What is the compensation package. £250k a year with free travel and a pension?

No . . . No . . . No . . . You get that warm feeling for doing something for your fellow Star-Dotters - worth far more than money

Dave H

Does the mortgage coming except feelings as repayment these days I may have missed that memo

[CMcDougall]

We need something further up (saves me travelling 5hrs at 90mph!)
I stay near Edinburgh, so Newcastle is okay too, which will make it easy for Simon, & also DaveH as he stays not that far away from there either.

& if only us 3 turn up, then I can confirm Simons tea is very good (no offence beebMaster, your cups ARE better ).

[sydney]

Yeah. Somewhere near Newcastle would be great. I'm not volunteering. Yet.

[danielj]

Howsabout York?

[sydney]

I could probably do York as it's only about an hour away.I could miss the Friday, work early Saturday morning, drive down for the day, stay somewhere cheap and return in time for a Sunday evening shift.

[Elminster]

No more votes for jaywick then.

Perhaps we could create our own commune and live together in retro harmony, everyday an ABUG day.

[danielj]

I'd fear for the fidelity of the power supply...

[1024MAK]

I'd fear for the fidelity of the power supply...

Never mind that, imagine the scene in summer: the place stacked out with warm Beebs and other retro gear, everywhere rather toasty with the heat. Hence the air conditioning going at full pelt. Then a Rifa capacitor lets go... Followed by a mass stampede as ABUGers flee the stinky smoke. As they rush out into the bright sunlight, they all cry with pain as their eyes take a while to adjust after being indoors for far too long...

Mark

[Kazzie]

Looking at where ABug meets have been held in the past (and speaking as one who hasn't attended one yet), I feel the parts of GB that are less well covered are Wales, Scotland and the South West of England. But perhaps there aren't any held there because there aren't enough members in those areas, which is fair enough.

ABug North meets are currently the nearest neighbour for North Wales and Scotland. For North Wales, Manchester (or anywhere in Lancashire/Cheshire) is reasonably close, but I feel Halifax would be pushing it a bit. But on the other hand, I'd hazard a guess that Halifax could be more convenient for Scotland; it surely is for the North-East of England. I'll let others who live further north than I do to speak further on that (as they already seem to be doing).

People in South Wales and the South West of England might be tempted by a meet in the Cardiff/Bristol/Gloucester/Bath area, while still being central enough for existing attendees to feel they aren't marching too far out of their way.

[Elminster]

It just takes someone to organise it. Preferably who lives in that part of the country. I am sure Bristol would be quite a good one, plenty of people around there. But I am only volunteering to organise them near me, and no one wants to come here, so I am off the hook.

[JudgeBeeb]

The date for ABUG South in Hampshire is now fixed for 18 to January 2019. See this post: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=15668#p215010.

As for meets in the North and/or around Bristol, as Elminster says, they need someone to organise them. Having organised one successful meet, I am happy to provide some informal support to anyone who wants to take either of these on. I am sure there are others, more experienced than, me who would be happy to do that too.

However, again as Elminster says, the actual organising does need to be taken on by someone who lives near the venue.

[helpful]

It just takes someone to organise it. Preferably who lives in that part of the country. I am sure Bristol would be quite a good one, plenty of people around there.

The SW Show is moving to a new venue next year, The Arnos Manor Hotel, which is closer to the centre of Bristol. From my brief visit there I think it would make a good ABUG venue too. Maybe try contacting the Bristol users group to see if they want to get involved in setting up an event?

Bryan.

[trixster]

Howsabout York?

York gets my vote

[jgharston]

We've had people for whom Leicester is too far south, just as we had people in Hampshire last weekend for whom Lecister was too far north. So finding a Northern location would be useful. Chatting with Dave H we thought somewhere in County Durham would be the furthest north that was practical.

[1024MAK]

It also depends on public transport. I’ve been to Aberdeen for a retro computer meet-up before. A trip by road or rail looked rather inconvenient in terms of time compared to flying up on an internal U.K. flight. So I went by air

Mark

[jgharston]

Yes, when I was staying in mid-Aberdeenshire and driving between there and Sheffield it was an eight hour journey with two breaks, and I was shattered at the best of times.

[northernbob]

IF its helpful, I can prob get some free space at one of the unis in York.

However, this would have to be a general retro meet, which means rubbing shoulders with speccy fans.....you might get infected with something!

IF you want me to pursue this, then drop me a pm.