FebMeet 2011

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Who are the organisers of Febmeet 2011 and what's the best way to get in touch with them?

I'm not sure who is organising Febmeet 2011, but it seems some mudders have arranged transport to and / or hotel rooms in Birmingham for the weekend of 18th to 20th February 2011.

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

Febmeet is from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th of February 2011. Some mudders may be arriving in Birmingham on Thursday 17th February.

Why was Birmingham chosen?

Because we were in Birmingham last year, and no-one seems to have organised anywhere different.

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 was the official Febmeet hotel last year. However, they didn't give us a booking code this year, and some people preferred the Premier Inn instead.

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.

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:
nitenite™ Birmingham
18 Holliday Street
Birmingham
B1 1TB

(See the Febmeet Google Map)

Tel: 08458 90 90 99
Fax: 0121 634 3236
Email: book@nitenite.com
Web: http://www.nitenite.com/

  • 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:
Premier Inn
Birmingham Broad St Canal Side
20 Bridge Street, Birmingham,
West Midlands B1 2JR, United Kingdom

(See the Febmeet Google Map)

Tel: 08701 977031
Fax: 0121 6334779
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 (Note - some erroneous directions I created last year said to turn right on leaving the station - they are wrong!), follow for 250 metres under Queensway, then turn right and walk uphill on paved area 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 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?

Gaelen is awesome sauce! https://discworld.starturtle.net/lpc/~gaelen/secure/febmeet2011.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 Febmeet Google Map)

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

Someone may organize a Friday Night 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 Febmeet Google Map)

Main dishes from £5.00 - £9.00, 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 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...