iSeries - Ricoh Arena 28-31 Aug

[Anery]

I brought this up on Saturday night and a couple of folks said they might be interested.
If you have attended at Telford then the setup is considerably different, there are several gaming halls but each one appears to be quite small which should make for a calmer atmosphere. Google streetview of the interior available here
There is a hotel on site (same building) that will allow people to crash on the floor so more people can share the cost of a room. Venue looks like a BIG upgrade on Telford, bars look better equipped and the venue itself looks a lot nicer, feedback seems to be less ragey too.

I do know a couple of guys who have been to the new place so I'll ask them and get some first hand reactions.

Dates are 28-31 August, cost per person has gone up quite a bit and is at 97 quid without loyalty bonus. Get in on the early bird bonus and you pay 77 quid. If you want to arrive on the Thursday night (highly recommended) the cost is an additional 15 quid - quite how they justify this I don't know, all staff is on site at that point, probably to pay the Ricoh staff at the bars and stuff.
Looks like the tabeltop/card game areas have been increased, so if I attend I might just bring a few with me. Probably X-Wing and something else, maybe Smash Up. I've not looked into it yet but I'll find out if you are allowed to bring your own booze - Telford was a no, and this place is more than likely the same.
Tournaments and main arena events are pretty good, even games I don't pay attention to like CS are good fun to watch and the Saturday night party seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year. I think they had Zane Lowe there last year.

Tickets won't be on sale until after Spring Lan has finished which is the 6th Apr.

[Dog Pants]

If I can blag a leave pass from the long haired general. Does this mean no Not Bash this year?

[Anery]

Might still not bash, depends if there is interest.

[Joose]

I would be interested in one or the other (maybe both!) depending on stuff.

[ProfHawking]

Interested, sure. But my time off this year is already in high demand and not sure i'll be able to blag another weekend away

[Wiggy]

I went to this place for our Xmas do this past December. I can attest that the venue is very, very good. Not sure I'll be able to go, though.

[Pnut]

As I said over the weekend, My PC really doesn't like being moved so iSeries is a no for me. Not a bash on the other hand should be a big yes.

[Anery]

4 possibles (I include myself as I'm dependant on other folks going - no pressure or anything) still plenty of time to mull it over, like I said tickets not on sale until April.

I'll post about Not Bashing in a seperate post later when I can nail some details down.

[TezzRexx]

I'm interested, but likewise, getting a weekend free might be difficult.

[Anery]

Well, I don't think I will be going back to iSeries for quite some time.
It turns out that the hotel on site is always fully reserved for staff and volunteers and the nearest hotel is 20-30 min walk away or you wait around for a shuttle bus. Which really only leaves camping as a viable option and whilst it does look 100% better than the rugby club (showers are inside the main building, guaranteed hot water) I really can't be arsed doing that again unless I can drum up a large crowd.

So, I'm going to have another long weekend at mine for the same dates. August bank holiday weekend. I'll post that on a different thread.

[Dog Pants]

I wonder if Game buying out Multiplay will have any effect next year. I can't be fucked camping again (I'm too old for that shit), and a 30 min journey to the hotel is a bit too far away from my hardware/shit for me. Insomnia was awesome the year we went though.