I've been doing some research into possible dinner venues. There are lots of options, I've tried to restrict it those which are fairly close to the Informatics Forum and are also likely to be affordable.
Here's a few thoughts of venues:
The Hub - http://www.thehub-edinburgh.com/ Royal Society - https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/ Dovecot Studios - https://dovecotstudios.com/ Surgeons Hall - http://www.surgeonshall.com/ - likely to be very expensive Playfair Library - part of the university so cheaper but probably restricted to uni caterers
I've contacted all of these for prices and menus and will visit the best.
Kimball has previously visited The Hub and Doveot Studios when we looked for venues for the 2012 FLOSSUK conference. I think we liked them both at the time. In the end we chose The Caves - http://unusualvenuesedinburgh.com/ - which is incredible but the minimum required number is 60 which is likely to be too high for us.
There are also a couple of restaurants which come highly recommended by other people in my school who have hosted conferences. The Cellar Door - http://www.thecellardooredinburgh.com/ - and Howies - http://www.howies.uk.com/waterloo-place-edinburgh/ - both do good Scottish food.
I'll followup when I get more details.
Stephen
On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 03:23:48PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
I've been doing some research into possible dinner venues. There are lots of options, I've tried to restrict it those which are fairly close to the Informatics Forum and are also likely to be affordable.
Here's a few thoughts of venues:
The Hub - http://www.thehub-edinburgh.com/ Royal Society - https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/ Dovecot Studios - https://dovecotstudios.com/ Surgeons Hall - http://www.surgeonshall.com/ - likely to be very expensive Playfair Library - part of the university so cheaper but probably restricted to uni caterers
Here's what I've found. At some level this choice could come down to how much we think we can spend. The venues are all impressive and are likely to all be good. If we need to spend less then the Cellar Door restaurant will do excellent food.
The Hub =======
Details attached. I'm going to see this venue this afternoon. Details are:
Dinner Package @ £55.00 + VAT per person, based on minimum numbers of 40 guests, to include: Use of Dunard Library from 7pm till midnight. 1 x glass of sparkling wine on arrival, 3 course dinner + tea/coffee, ½ bottle house wine with dinner
Royal Society =============
Not available for our dates.
Surgeons Hall =============
Details attached. Note that it mentions 12th October which was a mistake, they are available for our dates. Main details are: £400 venue hire, dinner from £35 per person, wine from £17 a bottle.
Dovecot Studios ===============
Details attached. There is a choice of caterers, I've not contacted any of them yet. The venue hire would be £800.
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 10:18:08AM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Here's what I've found. At some level this choice could come down to how much we think we can spend. The venues are all impressive and are likely to all be good. If we need to spend less then the Cellar Door restaurant will do excellent food.
OK - I am assuming about 77 people for dinner at £55+VAT per head as a starting point for the budget. i.e. about £5000
The Hub
Details attached. I'm going to see this venue this afternoon. Details are:
Dinner Package @ £55.00 + VAT per person, based on minimum numbers of 40 guests, to include: Use of Dunard Library from 7pm till midnight. 1 x glass of sparkling wine on arrival, 3 course dinner + tea/coffee, ½ bottle house wine with dinner
Looks good, and they have a good menu selection including valid vegitarian options. We may have too many people for the Dunard Library, but they have other spaces - may need to check what is available if we need more space.
Surgeons Hall
Details attached. Note that it mentions 12th October which was a mistake, they are available for our dates. Main details are: £400 venue hire, dinner from £35 per person, wine from £17 a bottle.
Possible, though no vegitarian options mentioned.
Dovecot Studios
Details attached. There is a choice of caterers, I've not contacted any of them yet. The venue hire would be £800.
Not too clear which space we would use here. Overall cost depends on caterer.
Andrew
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:16:00PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 10:18:08AM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Here's what I've found. At some level this choice could come down to how much we think we can spend. The venues are all impressive and are likely to all be good. If we need to spend less then the Cellar Door restaurant will do excellent food.
OK - I am assuming about 77 people for dinner at £55+VAT per head as a starting point for the budget. i.e. about £5000
The Hub
Details attached. I'm going to see this venue this afternoon. Details are:
Dinner Package @ £55.00 + VAT per person, based on minimum numbers of 40 guests, to include: Use of Dunard Library from 7pm till midnight. 1 x glass of sparkling wine on arrival, 3 course dinner + tea/coffee, ½ bottle house wine with dinner
Looks good, and they have a good menu selection including valid vegitarian options. We may have too many people for the Dunard Library, but they have other spaces - may need to check what is available if we need more space.
Where did 77 people come from? I thought we were expecting 50 at most? The Dunard library would definitely be out. I think the Main Hall is very nice but it might be far too large for that number. I wasn't so keen on the cafe area (it really does feel like a cafe...).
I note that The Cellar Door restaurant (which I was quite favouring) is also ruled out by that number, it can only take up to 60.
Surgeons Hall
Details attached. Note that it mentions 12th October which was a mistake, they are available for our dates. Main details are: £400 venue hire, dinner from £35 per person, wine from £17 a bottle.
Possible, though no vegitarian options mentioned.
I doubt menu choices are a problem, this is a fairly prestigious venue which could handle anything we need.
For a larger number I will need to contact them again as we were quoted for the Fellows library which is limited to 55. The Playfair Hall can take up to 175.
Dovecot Studios
Details attached. There is a choice of caterers, I've not contacted any of them yet. The venue hire would be £800.
Not too clear which space we would use here. Overall cost depends on caterer.
They quoted us for "The Ladies Baths" and the "public sector" rate. That room can take up to 96 people.
Stephen
Stephen Quinney wrote:
Where did 77 people come from? I thought we were expecting 50 at most?
I think number of visitors plus speakers were always 70-80 people for LDAPcon 2007 (Cologne), 2011 (Heidelberg), 2013 (Paris).
I don't have the number for LDAPcon 2009 which was IIRC lower.
Ciao, Michael.
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 01:37:54PM +0200, Michael Ströder wrote:
Stephen Quinney wrote:
Where did 77 people come from? I thought we were expecting 50 at most?
I think number of visitors plus speakers were always 70-80 people for LDAPcon 2007 (Cologne), 2011 (Heidelberg), 2013 (Paris).
I don't have the number for LDAPcon 2009 which was IIRC lower.
If we're confident we can get 60 or more then The Caves becomes an option. That's a great venue and about the right size. I've contacted them to ask for availability and prices.
Stephen
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:30:34PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Where did 77 people come from? I thought we were expecting 50 at most?
That is the number from the 2013 conference. It is what we are using in the budget spreadsheet.
The Dunard library would definitely be out. I think the Main Hall is very nice but it might be far too large for that number. I wasn't so keen on the cafe area (it really does feel like a cafe...).
Yes - a shame really, as the pictures of the main hall are quite spectacular. We don't want to rattle around in an over-large space though.
I note that The Cellar Door restaurant (which I was quite favouring) is also ruled out by that number, it can only take up to 60.
I think we have to allow for expansion to at least 80, and I hope that 50 would be the absolute minimum.
Surgeons Hall
I doubt menu choices are a problem, this is a fairly prestigious venue which could handle anything we need.
Good
For a larger number I will need to contact them again as we were quoted for the Fellows library which is limited to 55. The Playfair Hall can take up to 175.
That sounds a bit large (similar to the Hub??)
Dovecot Studios
Details attached. There is a choice of caterers, I've not contacted any of them yet. The venue hire would be £800.
Not too clear which space we would use here. Overall cost depends on caterer.
They quoted us for "The Ladies Baths" and the "public sector" rate. That room can take up to 96 people.
Numbers about right there, but I am not sure which room that is: their interactive tour is very nice but it does not have labels! The main weaving floor looks fantastic, but the other rooms I could find feel like classrooms.
Andrew
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:59:30PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:30:34PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Dovecot Studios
Details attached. There is a choice of caterers, I've not contacted any of them yet. The venue hire would be £800.
Not too clear which space we would use here. Overall cost depends on caterer.
They quoted us for "The Ladies Baths" and the "public sector" rate. That room can take up to 96 people.
Numbers about right there, but I am not sure which room that is: their interactive tour is very nice but it does not have labels! The main weaving floor looks fantastic, but the other rooms I could find feel like classrooms.
Attached is an image of the Ladies Baths. Looking at that I'm not overwhelmed.
Stephen
Stephen Quinney wrote:
Attached is an image of the Ladies Baths. Looking at that I'm not overwhelmed.
We don't have to be overwhelmed.
Important points: - Affordable price for lower admission fee - Enough room for the attendees - Decent food - Vegetarian/vegan food
The important point is to make a decision now so that potential attendees can do their travel arrangements soon! Otherwise fewer people will come to the conference. At the moment it's my personal impression that this aspect is very much underrated.
Ciao, Michael.
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 03:41:11PM +0200, Michael Ströder wrote:
Stephen Quinney wrote:
Attached is an image of the Ladies Baths. Looking at that I'm not overwhelmed.
We don't have to be overwhelmed.
Important points:
- Affordable price for lower admission fee
- Enough room for the attendees
- Decent food
- Vegetarian/vegan food
The important point is to make a decision now so that potential attendees can do their travel arrangements soon! Otherwise fewer people will come to the conference. At the moment it's my personal impression that this aspect is very much underrated.
Personally I have found that conference attendees do appreciate a good dinner venue. To me the Dovecot studios looks a bit too like a bunch of tables in a classroom. You're correct about getting the admission fee set at the right level though, I'm already ignoring a lot of the more expensive venues.
Stephen
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 03:23:02PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Personally I have found that conference attendees do appreciate a good dinner venue. To me the Dovecot studios looks a bit too like a bunch of tables in a classroom.
Agreed to both!
You're correct about getting the admission fee set at the right level though, I'm already ignoring a lot of the more expensive venues.
Assuming we can attract a similar level of sponsorship to the 2013 event I think we are on track to offer a very good value conference. For people paying the full rate admission fee it will still probably cost much less than their travel+hotel costs.
I am also very aware that we need to get prices and booking details advertised rapidly, but we are constrained by the number of people actively working on this.
Andrew
I've been in touch with The Caves, attached are various bits of information.
Outline is (prices do NOT include VAT):
£650 hire charge Menus are £33.10, £36.95 or £44.30 "House" wine is £15.15 per bottle
Working on 77 people and 40 bottles of wine (standard seems to be 1/2 per person ).
That comes to between £3805 and £4670 (not including VAT).
Those actually seem quite reasonable prices compared with The Hub. It's an amazing venue and would be a better size for us.
Stephen
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 04:11:46PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 03:23:02PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Personally I have found that conference attendees do appreciate a good dinner venue. To me the Dovecot studios looks a bit too like a bunch of tables in a classroom.
Agreed to both!
You're correct about getting the admission fee set at the right level though, I'm already ignoring a lot of the more expensive venues.
Assuming we can attract a similar level of sponsorship to the 2013 event I think we are on track to offer a very good value conference. For people paying the full rate admission fee it will still probably cost much less than their travel+hotel costs.
I am also very aware that we need to get prices and booking details advertised rapidly, but we are constrained by the number of people actively working on this.
Andrew
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On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 04:19:56PM +0100, Stephen Quinney wrote:
Outline is (prices do NOT include VAT):
£650 hire charge Menus are £33.10, £36.95 or £44.30 "House" wine is £15.15 per bottle
Working on 77 people and 40 bottles of wine (standard seems to be 1/2 per person ).
That comes to between £3805 and £4670 (not including VAT).
Those actually seem quite reasonable prices compared with The Hub. It's an amazing venue and would be a better size for us.
Works for me! Under 10 mins walk from the conference venue too. The range of prices is useful, as we can presumably decide on the menu details a bit later in the year when we know how the budget is flowing.
I would hope for a distinctly Scottish menu with appropriate vegitarian and vegan options.
It looks as if we get the whole venue even if we are not using the whole capacity. I assume they run a cash bar to keep people lubricated after the meal...
I think we should book this. Any thoughts from others?
Andrew
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 04:51:28PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
[The Caves] I think we should book this. Any thoughts from others?
Deafening silence, though Kimball says it is almost worth travelling to Edinburgh just to have dinner there...
If you are happy with the details, please book this for us (Thursday 12th November).
We could also do with an informal meeting venue for the Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. A pub-with-food sort of thing, without excessive background noise. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Andrew
Andrew Findlay wrote:
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 04:51:28PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
[The Caves] I think we should book this. Any thoughts from others?
Deafening silence, though Kimball says it is almost worth travelling to Edinburgh just to have dinner there...
Sounds good to me.
If you are happy with the details, please book this for us (Thursday 12th November).
We could also do with an informal meeting venue for the Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. A pub-with-food sort of thing, without excessive background noise. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Andrew
On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 04:51:28PM +0100, Andrew Findlay wrote:
Works for me! Under 10 mins walk from the conference venue too. The range of prices is useful, as we can presumably decide on the menu details a bit later in the year when we know how the budget is flowing.
Yes, I was thinking we could start by budgeting for the lowest price menu and 2 glasses of wine per person. We could then increase that if we get sufficient sponsorship.
I would hope for a distinctly Scottish menu with appropriate vegitarian and vegan options.
It looks as if we get the whole venue even if we are not using the whole capacity. I assume they run a cash bar to keep people lubricated after the meal...
That's correct. People can buy drinks from the bar all the way through the evening and they will stay open until late so we can use the space after the meal. It's a really nice self-contained venue in that respect.
Stephen
Teilnehmer (4)
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Andrew Findlay -
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Michael Ströder -
Stephen Quinney