Locations and Venues

[andypike]

Hi all,

First of all thanks for all the positive feedback and interest so far.
Based on that feedback I think the best location is Guildford in terms
of transport links and average distance to the people that have
contacted me so far. Also Guildford is pretty close to the centre of
Surrey so makes sense.

So the next thing is to find a suitable venue. Ideally I'd like a pub
that serves food, that is close to the station (within a 10 min walk)
and has a room we can take over. Another suggestion is the YMCA which
is close to the station but costs money.

The idea of a pub is that we might be able to get a deal where the
room is free if we buy food and drink. This is how it works for a .NET
user group that I attend.

So any suggestions for venues in Guildford?

[andypike]

Just to keep you updated, I've started phoning around the various
venues in Guildford. I'll get a short list drawn up and posted here
soon where I would like to hear what you think. I'm trying to get one
as close to the station as possible but I think a little walk might be
required (5-10 mins). Do you guys think that's acceptable? I'm trying
to make the group as accessible as possible.

Andy

[markembling]

From my point of view, having adequate (free) parking would be important too, as I will always end up driving there. Guildford is a little further than I'd have liked if I'm honest, but I fully understand the need to pick a location which strikes the best compromise between everyone's actual location. And hopefully not too close to the centre of Guildford, as I've never managed to successfully navigate that town even once without ending up somewhere unexpected, like a dual carriageway heading towards London... :S

[John Beynon]

shouldn't be too much of a problem in Guildford - most parking changes to £1 per visit after 6pm and restrictions on side streets typically go free

John.

[Jon Wood]

I'm in agreement with Guildford being further then is ideal - would it be possible to move about, rather then having a single location we use every time? It's the best part of a 3 hour round trip to Guildford for me, which I'm ok with doing occasionally, but given I can get to the London Ruby group in half that, I can't see myself doing it every month.
-- 
Jon Wood
Blank Pad Development

[andypike]

The problem with moving around is that I need to constantly find new
venues which isn't easy. Where are you based Jon? The other location
I'm still thinking about is Woking. It has good transport links and is
relatively close to Guildford. Is that any better for you guys?

Also, when it comes to location, I'm not going to be able to please
everyone so we just need to pick the best all round location for most
people.

Andy

[markembling]

Personally for me, I'd prefer Woking. That said, whether it's Woking or Guildford, I plan on attending where possible, as either location is going to be possible as long as there is somewhere to park. :)

[Julian Simpson]

On 9 February 2011 14:29, andypike <andy.pi...@gmail.com> wrote:

The problem with moving around is that I need to constantly find new
venues which isn't easy. Where are you based Jon? The other location
I'm still thinking about is Woking. It has good transport links and is
relatively close to Guildford. Is that any better for you guys?

I won't complain about Woking as it I live a short walk away.  The one question about Woking is the venue.  I might be able to get the boardroom at my office in central Woking, or perhaps try and find another Ruby-friendly company in Woking to support it (I can think of one company in Guildford who might host).  Otherwise we might be able to find a pub in Woking with a back room.  Goodness knows there's enough.  

Also, when it comes to location, I'm not going to be able to please
everyone so we just need to pick the best all round location for most
people.

I'm happy to do a vote - Surrey is 642 square miles[1] and we won't find a venue that suits everyone.

J. 

[1] according to Wikpedia 

Andy

On Feb 9, 1:22 pm, Jon Wood <j...@blankpad.net> wrote:
> I'm in agreement with Guildford being further then is ideal - would it be possible to move about, rather then having a single location we use every time? It's the best part of a 3 hour round trip to Guildford for me, which I'm ok with doing occasionally, but given I can get to the London Ruby group in half that, I can't see myself doing it every month.
> --
> Jon Wood
> Blank Pad Development
>
> On Wednesday, 9 February 2011 at 12:58, markembling wrote:
> > From my point of view, having adequate (free) parking would be important too, as I will always end up driving there. Guildford is a little further than I'd have liked if I'm honest, but I fully understand the need to pick a location which strikes the best compromise between everyone's actual location. And hopefully not too close to the centre of Guildford, as I've never managed to successfully navigate that town even once without ending up somewhere unexpected, like a dual carriageway heading towards London... :S

--

Julian Simpson

The Build Doctor Ltd.

http://www.build-doctor.com

jul...@build-doctor.com

(+44) 207 183 0323

[Chris Parsons]

Woking would definitely suit us Hampshire Rubyists in Winchester who'd like to gatecrash :) as it's only a 30m train ride from us, as opposed to an hour in the car.

Rgds

Chris

--

Chris Parsons

Principal, Eden Development

ch...@edendevelopment.co.uk

http://twitter.com/chrismdp

http://edendevelopment.co.uk

[Jon Wood]

I'm in Egham, which puts me on the edge of Surrey, so a little awkward for most places. Woking would be a better option for me, but if Guildford works better for most people then I don't expect you all to go out of your way!

I think Julian's idea of having a vote probably makes sense.

-- 
Jon Wood
Blank Pad Development

[Gavin Heavyside]

I work on the Research Park in Guildford, but it is out of town so would still involve a drive to Guildford town centre. Woking would also suit me well.

Thanks,

Gavin

[Siebert Lubbe]

+1 for Woking but happy with Guildford if that works for the majority. 

Siebert

[Andy Pike]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Woking sounds like a good fit for most then. I'll see what I can do :o)

Sent from my iPad

[andypike]

Just an update to keep you guys in the loop. I think I have a venue
sorted. Just spoke to the manager of The Bridge Barn in Woking and she
sounded very happy with the idea. They have a large car park and are
walking distance from the station. Here is their site: http://www.thebridgebarn.com.

They have a room with a projector and screen already so we don't need
to worry about that. They have also agreed to give us the room for
free as long as we buy some food and drink (which we probably will as
it's in the evening).

I'm going to visit the venue tomorrow to make sure it's suitable for
us, so fingers crossed.

From the conversion, sounds like it will probably be on a Tuesday
night as that is a quiet night for them, which will also suit us. So
I'm going to aim for the last Tuesday of the month as a general rule.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Andy

On Feb 9, 7:46 pm, Andy Pike <andy.pike.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks everyone for your feedback. Woking sounds like a good fit for most then. I'll see what I can do :o)
>
> Sent from my iPad
>

> On 9 Feb 2011, at 18:42, Siebert Lubbe <siebertlu...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> > +1 for Woking but happy with Guildford if that works for the majority.
>
> > Siebert
>
> > On 9 Feb 2011, at 15:04, Gavin Heavyside <ga...@heavyside.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >> I work on the Research Park in Guildford, but it is out of town so would still involve a drive to Guildford town centre. Woking would also suit me well.
>
> >> Thanks,
>
> >> Gavin
>
> >> On 9 February 2011 14:43, Chris Parsons <ch...@edendevelopment.co.uk> wrote:
> >> Woking would definitely suit us Hampshire Rubyists in Winchester who'd like to gatecrash :) as it's only a 30m train ride from us, as opposed to an hour in the car.
>
> >> Rgds
> >> Chris
>
> >> --
> >> Chris Parsons
> >> Principal, Eden Development
> >> ch...@edendevelopment.co.uk
> >>http://twitter.com/chrismdp
> >>http://edendevelopment.co.uk
>

> >> On 9 Feb 2011, at 14:41, Julian Simpson <simpsonjul...@gmail.com> wrote:

[andypike]

I went to see the bridge barn today, looks really good. I've booked
the venue for the last Tuesday evening of every month starting from
March 29th which will be the first meet. The venue seats a maximum of
32 which I think will be fine to start with.

Now on to confirm speakers for the first meet, then I'll announce it
on the website with all the details.

Wish me luck!