Convention models & accessibility

[mirrorshard]

Something the Bicon accommodation flap (which I don't propose to comment on here) brought to mind is the constellation of assumptions involved and decisions made.

A couple of examples to establish the field, first - all of these are long weekends (Thursday or Friday to Sunday or Monday). The costs are the lowest prebooking prices I can recall or get hold of.

Bicon: university campus. Single rooms with the opportunity for self-catering, £100 or £175 for ensuite.

LRP main event: Scout campsite. Camping with catering vans, shower blocks, and the opportunity for all the self-catering you can do without burning anything down, £60.

Eastercon: Mid-range hotel. Single, double, and twin rooms, all en-suite, no self-catering. £40 a night (based on sharing a twin/double room) for three nights, plus £50 convention membership, makes £170.

Basically, all of these have things about them that are deal-breakers for some people, and organisers always have to choose between them. Well, in principle - in practice they often default to one or another model that they're used to and comfortable with.

In the campus model, it's the combination of small tatty student rooms, possible lack of en-suite bathrooms, and tiny shared kitchens. On the other hand, you've got small-group community and cheapness. This model works well for a relatively young & healthy community, who generally know each other already; less well for older people and positively hostile to families.

Camping is a deal-breaker for a great many people, though I love it. It's something you need to have a fair amount of practice at, and prepare for in advance, and it works better if you do it as a family or an organised group. It can be positively hostile to the disabled, and sometimes to those with food issues.

Hotels are my favourite overall, and it's possible to drive the cost down further. The conference facilities are not always up to what a university can give you, but that varies a lot between hotels. They're generally better at comfort, commodiousness, and responsiveness to needs than university campuses are, but they can also be quite a bit worse in terms of allergens and pathogens. On the other hand, you're limited food-wise to the hotel restaurants (which are generally sub-standard and over-priced unless it's a very, very good hotel, in which case they're just over-priced) or whatever's within any distance you're comfortable staying away from the con for.

I've doubtless left out some factors, so all comments and contributions welcome.

Comments

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

This could well be a stupid suggestion, but are there ever conference facilities (or things that could be used as them) onsite somewhere there are static caravans?

In the past, it's been possible to do such things at Butlins-type holiday camps. e.g. various of the UK Gen Con (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Con) events in the mid 90s were held at Pontin's holiday camp in Camber Sands. Gen Con UK 2004 was at Butlin's in Minehead.

At many such places, you get a mix of static caravans and/or chalets suitable for a reasonable number of people. You might also get hold of ballrooms, discos, restaurants, kids' clubs and the like to run different events and facilities.

However:

• I have no idea how many of these places are still around - people don't holiday in Britain as much anymore, and I imagine many have gone out of business


• to hire a whole place out of season would require a lot of advance planning and many people coming to make it cost effective


• most of these places are in seaside resorts, which aren't necessarily widely accessible for people coming from across the country or abroad


• a seaside resort out of season may not be the most sparkling of places for people who want to duck out from the convention for a bit, for a slap-up meal or whatever, and many not have useful shops nearby.

And you'll get comments/requests/moans from people because something isn't right or available because no place is going to be perfect.

[alextiefling.livejournal.com]

I was at Gen Con 2004. I never want to spend three and a half working days in a draughty marquee again, even if it can be provided without the rain (indoors) and the alternating smells of fuel oil and toilets.

On the other hand, Conception, held annually at Holburne Naish, Highcliffe, Dorset, is more on the scale of BiCon, does accessibility reasonably well (there is at least one wheelchair-enabled chalet, for example; I've stayed in it), and might prove a better model.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, Gen Con have a history of being randomly crap at doing various things (yet still letting people have a good time). I remember one event I helped run at one of the Loughborough Gen Cons where we were shifted to a science lab because the University randomly changed their mind on facilities, and another where the only slot they'd give us was midnight till dawn (and in a tent). Matt, a friend who ran the midnight one, brought along ProPlus.

Use of large tents is usually entirely bad.

[alextiefling.livejournal.com]

Loughborough was its own kind of special. It certainly gave me a feeling for what campus universities are like - not having been to one myself.

At present, though, the most important thing about GenCon is that it clashes with BiCon! :-(

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Perhaps WizardsTSRHasbro hate bisexual people? Or maybe bisexual people hate role-players, card game freaks, and wargamers? Hmm hmm.

If you can work out which, we can organize a protest march. It may not be effective, but we can rest safe in the knowledge that it's been carefully planned on a hex map.

(If a policeman strikes you with a truncheon, do you get an attack of opportunity?)