View source for FebMeet 2010

==Who are the organisers of Febmeet 2010 and what's the best way to get in touch with them?==

The Organisers are Llylia and Almarna. Llylia is on Facebook as Vicky Ross. Almarna can be contacted via mudmail or with an email to almarna.tiaam@googlemail.com, Dweezz (Andreas Hoerzig on Facebook) will also redirect any questions to Almarna.

The email I use for Facebook is fluffeeder@hotmail.com and it's easier to use that to find me than my name, which is sadly common. :(

There's a discussion about plans and arrangements for Febmeet on Facebook on the [https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/topic.php?uid=2232821724&topic=11899 Discworld Mud group discussion boards].  If you have want to join in the discussion or have a question about Febmeet you're welcome to join us there.

==When is Febmeet? Is it starting on a Thursday or a Friday?==

Febmeet is from 19th to 21st of February, as far as I know the hotel arrangements are only from Friday to Sunday, but you have to ask details of Llylia about this. I (Almarna) was only the local pub, restaurant and Things To Do scout so far.

Right now, I only had thought about the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If people want to do Thursday, I can be in Birmingham for the night but would most likely be heading back home to Leicester. That said, if people want to come up and don't mind couches and floors and want a Leicester Thursday, I can accomodate that. (I was more concerned about hotel costs for people.)

Over the Christmas break I will venture into Birmingham to check out said pubs and restaurants and will confirm details.

==Why has Febmeet moved this year, and why was Birmingham chosen?==

No one seemed to bother with organising in Feltham, and no one objected Birmingham. And it's kind of central and easier to reach for those who come from the northern parts. It has an airport and a major train station as well.

A lot of people brought the discussion up on the boards and many voted for Birmingham. Llylia finalised this then by phoning a hotel and haggling for a good price, that the bar stays open and that we get a conference room.

==What hotels can I book at? What room types are available at each? What are the costs of each? How do I book a room?==

There are several hotels in the area, but the two that are being recommended for Febmeet are the '''Nitenite Birmingham''' and the '''Premier Inn (Broad St Canal Side)'''.

The '''Nitenite''' is the official Febmeet hotel.  Llylia has arranged for a conference room and for the bar stay open as long as we want it to, so it's likely to be the place we hang out in during the evenings once the pubs have shut.  She's also arranged a discount, which you can only get by calling them and quoting the booking reference (see below).  It's only a short walk from Broad St, which is where most of the nearby pubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment can be found.  There are double and single rooms available from £39.95 per room per night.

The '''Premier Inn''' is directly over the road from the Nitenite hotel.  We haven't made any arrangements for late opening bars or conference rooms, but the Nitenite hotel staff have said that even those who aren't guests of the Nitenite hotel can join the rest in the bar and conference room, so you won't miss out on anything by staying here instead.  The advantage it has over the Nitenite is that the rooms are much larger and they offer twin rooms in addition to double and single rooms, but obviously the disadvantage is that you have to stumble across the road to go to bed rather than just collapse in the lift.  Rooms are from £39.00 per room per night.

There are several other hotels in the area, including another Premier Inn (listed as "Birmingham Brd St (Brindley Pl)") and a Travelodge (listed as "Birmingham Central"), but these are about a mile from the Nitenite so it won't be quite as easy to get back there late at night.

===Nitenite===

'''Address:'''<br />
nitenite™ Birmingham<br />
18 Holliday Street<br />
Birmingham<br />
B1 1TB

(See the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map])

'''Tel:''' 08458 90 90 99<br />
'''Fax:''' 0121 634 3236<br />
'''Email:''' [mailto:book@nitenite.com book@nitenite.com]

{| style="width:100%; text-align:left; border:1px solid teal; background:whitesmoke;" cellpadding="10"
 |-
 | Thank you for booking with us. I can confirm I have on hold for you 80 rooms on 19/02/10.

The room rate is £39.95 room only per room per night

The rate is a prepaid rate which means payment is required at the time of booking and is non refundable once booked.

To make a booking please call 0121 631 5550 and quote VR190210. This rate will be available until 22/01/10 after this date any rooms not used will be released without charge, guests will still be able to book at the rate of the day

Breakfast is available between 8am and 1pm at £5.95 for a continental buffet

If you require any further information or require any help planning your evening please don’t hesitate to contact me
''
 |-
 |}

* Reception: 24hrs
* Check in: from 3pm onwards
* Check out: before 12 noon
* Complimentary WiFi access throughout the hotel
* Complimentary blockbuster movies
* Complimentary bottled water
* Guest PCs on upper lobby
* Restaurant serving food 7 days a week (until 10pm Mon-Sat / 1pm Sunday)
* Licensed Bar open 7 days a week (until 11pm Mon-Fri / midnight Saturday), featuring Wii Console available for customer use on 42”plasma screen TV
* Plasma TVs: free view channels and radio stations plus selection of pay-per-view movies
* Extras: additional pillows, towels and milk cartons available on request
* Hairdryers: available on request
* Dental and Shaving kits: available at a cost of £1.50 each
* Ironing rooms: located on each floor
* Fax/Photocopy facilities: available on request
* Vending machines: located throughout
* ATM machine: located in Reception
* Public Telephone: located in Reception
* Laundry / Dry Cleaning service: available at cost
* Parking: several Car Parking options available nearby. Closest is Britannia (opposite hotel) at approximately £14 for 24hrs or the Mailbox at approximately £17 for 24 hours. There is also metred on-road parking outside the hotel that is free from 6pm until 8am daily (free all day on Sundays).

===Premier Inn (Broad St Canal Side)===

'''Address:'''<br />
Premier Inn<br />
Birmingham Broad St Canal Side<br />
20 Bridge Street, Birmingham,<br />
West Midlands B1 2JR, United Kingdom

(See the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map])

'''Tel:''' 08701 977031<br />
'''Fax:''' 0121 6334779<br />
'''Web:''' http://www.premierinn.com

Prices are from £39.00 per room per night for a single, double or twin room.  There is no group booking arranged, so rooms should be booked on an individual basis by telephone or through the website.  '''Note that there are two Premier Inns on Broad St''', when booking make sure you choose the one listed as "Canal Side".

There's a restaurant/bar at the hotel, and you can get a buffet breakfast for either £5.25 for continental only or £7.75 for a full cooked breakfast. It's available from 6.30 to 9.30 on weekdays and 8.00 to 11.00 at the weekend. The bar is open until 11pm on weekdays and Saturday, and to 10.30pm on Sunday.

The Premier Inn is on Bridge St, directly opposite the Nitenite hotel which is on the corner of Bridge St and Holliday St, so the two are as close together as it's possible to be. I've also checked with the Nitenite staff and they say there's no problem with people who aren't staying at the hotel coming to the bar (since the Nitenite bar is open later than the Premier Lodge one), so regardless of which hotel people stay at we can still hang out in the same place.

==How do we get to the hotels? What's the nearest train station, and is it walking distance from the hotels or will people need to get a taxi? If a taxi is needed, how much is that likely to cost?==

Birmingham New Street Station is the closest train station. It's a 15 or 20 minutes walk from the hotels, and many buslines from New Street or Cathedral Square go to Broad St. More details from Almarna soonish.

For all who turn up on Newstreet station: Don't take the main exit, take the side exit to Navigation Road and it's only a 5 minute walk to the hotels. 5 minutes further to the pub and >1 Minute further to the Bombay Mix.

===Station -> Hotels===

Take the stairs to the bridge at the West end of the platforms, then follow exit signs on the bridge to Navigation Street. Turn left, follow for 250 metres under Queensway, then turn right and walk alongside Queensway for 60 metres to Holliday Street, turn left and follow Holliday street for 150 Metres to NiteNite. For Premier, continue into Bridge Street opposite NiteNite, then left into Bridge Street (Bridge Street has three ends!) and follow Bridge Street round to left, Premier is on Right after about 80 metres.

(See the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map])

==Is there a page where I can see who has already booked for Febmeet, and where I can sign up to show that I'm going too?==

Finally there is a signup page! Thanks dear lady :)

https://discworld.starturtle.net/lpc/~ruadh/secure/febmeet2010.c

==Which is the main pub we're going to be gathering at, and how do I get to it from the hotel? What are the opening times? Does it do food, and if so what sort of food do they serve and what are the serving times?==

Broad Street is a major centre for pubs, bars and restaurants and there are plenty of places to eat and drink within easy walking distance of the hotels.

The main gathering place will be the "Figure Of Eight" Wetherspoons pub, which should be big enough to hold us all and does decent food at a reasonable price.  It's open from 9am to 1am and will serve food for most of that time.  Oh, and they have free WiFi.

Also nearby is a Revolution vodka bar which does great cocktails and food, and you can get good deals on both if you have a Revolution discount card.  They're open from 11.30am to 3am, but if you go along late bear in mind there is a "smart casual, no sportswear" dress code after 8pm or so.

(See the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map])

Once they close the manager of the Nitenite hotel basically said they will keep the bar open as long as we are drinking there so we figured we could end the night there.  They also promised we could run a quiz there too. :D

==Is there a curry night planned, and if so where do I sign up for it?==

Curry at Bombay Mix on 218 Broad Street. It's about 100 metres down from the pub (Figure of Eight) on the same side of the road.  (See the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map])

Reservation for 25 on the term 'Discworld'.

Friday, Feb 19th, 8:00PM

It's no problem when more or latecomers turn up.

Main dishes from 5 - 9Pounds, Starters from 2,50 upwards.

It's probably a good idea to use the signup page (see above) to say whether you're joining in for the curry or not.

==What is there to do near the hotels/pub? What other plans are there for Febmeet? Is there an amusement arcade, bowling alley or cinema like there was in Feltham? Are any bowling or cinema trips planned?==

Broad Street has loads of pubs, restaurants, a big cinema, a bowling alley and amusement places of all kinds.  The nearest cinema is Cineworld, and the nearest bowling alley/amusement arcade is Bowlplex Bowling.  Both are within half a mile of the hotels.  You can see the locations on the [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?source=s_q&msa=0&msid=101123338648925208913.00047aea00782b6999bd6&ll=52.477501,-1.912136&spn=0.01916,0.038581&z=15 Febmeet Google Map].

There are no bowling or cinema trips planned at the moment, but given how close the places are there's no reason they couldn't be organised if people are interested.

===Thyngs to do===

As for Things To Do and sightseeing, there is LOTS.

For the culturaly inclined there is:
* The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in the City Center
* The Back to Backs, a small but nice step back into the early 1900s
* Cathedrals and Churches
* The Barber Institute
* Selly Manor
* Lots of other big and interesting manors that are a bit further away

For the fun loving people there is:
* Cadbury World
* Sealife Center
* Canal Tours
* The Think Tank, science museum
* Alton Towers is not too far away and reachable by train
* Drayton Manor (also a theme park, maybe a bit more difficult to get to)

For fans and admirers of J.R.R. Tolkien there is a lot about his past to discover in and around Brum. You can travel around to discover places and buildings that inspired.

For those who don't mind doing a bit longer day trips there is:
* Warwick, a nice town with a big castle and vast grounds
* Stratford with everything you ever wanted to know about Shakespeare
* The Black Country with lots of interesting bits an pieces about the industrial revolution

And of course there are theatres, shopping centres, the wonderful crazy rag market and the even crazyier Sunday market, the Jewellery Quarter and and and...

[[Category:Events]]