WikiConference UK 2013/Venue Shortlist

Wikimedia UK's 2013 conference is being organised by the Conference Committee; it will be a one or two day event, outside London, for UK Wikipedians. It will also incorporate the Wikimedia UK 2013 AGM.

In the last few months the committee requested quotes for potential conference venues. These were discussed and a shortlist drawn up featuring Lincoln and Manchester. After site visits we now have two options, one in each city, to choose from. Details of the cities, venues, volunteer teams and other information is set out below.

Note that certain information (such as prices) cannot be published. However, for reference, The Lowry is the more expensive of the locations (by approximately a factor of three, factoring in quotes for catering). Full information is available to ConfCom members, WMUK trustees and WMUK staff on the WMUK internal wiki.

We now need to make a decision, to recommend to the board in their Nov 17th meeting a venue for the conference to be held. Each of the cities has its own appeal and drawbacks, and the conference committee unfortunately has numerous conflicts of interest in relation to both "bids". Via a community !vote we hope to decide (by 16th Nov) on the venue for the conference.

(n.b. please do not vote yet, this page is being redrafted)

Conference specification

WikiConference UK is Wikimedia UK's annual conference for volunteers and members; it incorporates talks of interest the community and the Annual General Meeting of the charity. In 2013 it is being organised by the conference committee, a volunteer committee tasked with liaising over the WikiConference UK and the Wikimania 2014 bid.

This year we want to build on the success of last years conference, without going over the top, to provide a fun and interesting event for UK Wikimedians.

The current, draft, programme includes:

• A one day conference, including the AGM for up to 100 attendees
• Potentially a second day of activities such as a photography contest, editathon, tours etc.
• Build links with cultural institutions & similar entities

Venues

The committee considered a number of quotes and venues, with the only fixed requirement being that it was not located in London. After a short deliberation Lincoln and Manchester were chosen as possible host cities. The committee organised visits to venues in both locations: Hasina, a WMUK intern, visited Manchester and KTC, Tom Morton and Harry Mitchell visited Lincoln.

After reviewing the venues and firming up the quotes two, one in each city, were selected as potential venues for the 2013 conference.

Lincoln

Historic Castle square

Location: Lincoln is an historic cathedral city in Lincolnshire, East Midlands.

Feel: Old world charm, historic buildings

Local Volunteers: KTC, Tom Morton

City

As a host city Lincoln offers the charm of a cathedral city with the buzz of a modern metropolitan area. The proposed venue is the Dean Sport & Leisure facility, a brand new building and part of Lincoln College. The city sits on the edge of an escarpment, Lincoln Cliff; the historic castle and cathedral area at the top of the hill is linked to the "hip" Brayford area (home to the university, restaurants and bars) by "Steep Hill" (aptly named!) and the pedestrian high street. The college venue is located just a few minutes from the shopping area, almost halfway between the two centres.

Venue

Deans Sport & Leisure building; the proposed conference venue

The main conference hall

One of the breakout rooms

Deans Sport & Leisure is a brand new complex, part of Lincoln college. The venue is both a sports centre and conference/classroom complex. The area is quiet and "studenty", with a large plaza in front of the venue.

Inside it is modern and clean, and the conference area seems quiet and secluded. The conference room itself is HUGE. The venue says it will accomodate 81 people (80 seated and one speaker :)) but there is ample space to move around and several small (quiet) sessions could take place in the room itself (around the odd semi-circular tables..). The room has massive picture windows down one side which look out over the city - unfortunately not the picturesque parts, but still light and airy. Break out rooms take the form of classrooms, up to three, with a capacity of around 25.

The venue has a duty manager as the on-site point of contact & first aider who will be available all day. The venue itself will be available until 20:00, and possibly later if required (we would need to organise this in advance).

Room hire is charged by the hour (catering charged per delegate) at reasonable rates: projected overall cost for venue + catering would be ~£1000-1200

Refreshments

Catering is provided by the college catering service and will be served in the main room - which has lots of space for clustering about.

Catering consists of tea/coffee (with optional biscuits) at intervals, plus either a hot or cold lunch.

Details

Factor	Result
Accomodates	Conference Suite: 81 max in theatre-style layout, Classrooms: ~25/room
Break Out Rooms	Multiple classrooms in the same building
Wifi	Yes, brand new and "brilliant"
Tech	SMART boards, 10 plug sockets in the main room
Decor	Light, spacious, picture windows (not the best view, but across the city)
Transport	10-15 min walk from Lincoln Central Station & Bus terminals, some parking on-site & cheap NCP parking nearby
Location	5 minutes walk from city centre, 15 minutes walk from historic centre
Times	Available till 20:00
Hotels	Massive Premier Inn being built around the corner, other hotels around the city at various price points
Booking
Cancellation	Up to 2 weeks before

Manchester

Salford Quays

Location: Salford Quays is located in Manchester, North West England.

Feel: Modern regeneration, culture and exploration

Local volunteers: (TBC, Mike Peel)

City

Located on the former site of Manchester Docks, Salford Quays has been a huge urban regeneration project for the North West. Featuring arts and cultural establishments (alongside the Lowry is the northern arm of the Imperial War Museum), creative industry and trendy living. The area also has extensive water sports facilities.

Links with the city centre are by tram, a 15 minute journey, and from the M602 motorway.

Venue

The Lowry complex

The Lowry foyer

Conference theatre

Opened in 2000, The Lowry is the centrepiece of Salford Quay's regeneration. A major arts venue, featuring theatres and gallery space, it is one of Manchester's most visited attractions. The Conference Theatre is a fixed "lecture hall" style theatre with natural daylight, air conditioning and seating for up to 100. Directly opposite is the West Room, seating a further 50 in theatre style, again with natural daylight and air conditioning, and is ideal for breakout sessions. The areas a linked by a large foyer which will serve for registration and refreshments.

A dedicated event manager will be provided who will be able to help with any technical queries. For an actual technicians there is an extra additional cost, however, the event manager will be very familiar with most issues.

Venue is charged at a daily rate, refreshments per delegate. Approximate budget for this venue would be ~£4000-4500

Refreshments

Tea/Coffee/Biscuits available at intervals. Lunch is a finger buffet. Large bottles of water available for reasonable cost.

Details

Factor	Result
Accommodates	Conference Theatre: 100 in theatre layout, West Room: 50 theatre style (minimum number of delegates ~50-80)
Break Out Rooms	West Room
Wifi	Robust wireless internet access, wifi in the whole area and can get wide connection for a additional cost
Tech	Lots of power sockets available to attendees. Digital projectors and reasonably-sized display screens Either in-house AV facilities, or no objections to us bringing in our own AV/webstreaming. Can get wireless microphones at an additional cost
Decor	The venue has a professional feel and fits all the requirements.
Transport	The distance to the main train station is reasonable as the tram stops right outside the venue and it is about 10-15 ride, which runs every 12 minutes. Same time with taxi as well. Parking spaces will be available at the outlet mall, reduced amount to £7 per car from £13 for 12 hours.
Location	At the hub of Salford Quays, 15 minutes tram/taxi journey from the city centre.
Times	7am - 18:00
Hotels	The Holiday Inn Media City UK , Express Ramada and Lowry hotel are are within 15 minutes of the conference centre. The are no deals but the hotels are very close.
Booking	End of November
Cancellation	10-12 weeks 75% , less than 10 weeks notice will be 90%.