Archived Zorg's Horwood House Meetup for Zed Fest 2012

[La_vida_diver]

I'm booked into the hotel on the Friday and was going to decide on staying over on Saturday on the day (I've got a 70th on the Sunday I've been "told" I can't miss) but there may not be rooms left if there are 2 weddings on, but then again it would not be the first time I've slept in a car lol

Re the bar opening times it's called the residents bar and it never shuts ;-)

Personally assuming the restaurant is available on the Friday night I would go for meals in there on the Friday night (with free wine chucked in ;-) and the hog roast on the Saturday about 9pm.

But as always with these sort of things you will not be able to meet everyone's preferences but try and accommodate the majority. (in the dim and distant past I used to organise national conferences for around 500 accountants and believe me they could all winge lol the best perk though was testing the menus and wine selection a couple of months before :-ss

I live in hope, but somehow I don't think it will happen :-?(mind you what is to say my luck won't change :-j but in this case I am not booking for a mass such as a conference, if you get my drift)

Anyway on the booking front on Wednesday they had 69 rooms booked out of 185 and we had 14 of those we are now somewhere in the low 20's. But I did mention to them what about if we get to 100+ rooms and they said that if that happened they will make "suggestions" to us. Also with a lot of weddings the function rooms get used but not a lot of the hotel rooms and then again many times the hotel is full and the wedding guests go for cheaper B & B. But the main thing is lets get the bookings in and then the wedding guests can :-^ On the Bar; of course I had forgotten the residents bar I was thinking of the one that might be in the Marquee. Good point I wonder if we can get the Marquee near both the residents bar and the cars at the same time? as the ladies I have been talking to say I better get there and chat stuff over with them but I would like to get firmer indications on prices and potential deals first.

 

[La_vida_diver]

Re: Horwood House Meetup for Zed Fest 2012

I think the BBQ option sounds expensive but I like the idea of a hog roast and having Gill wash our Zeds
However it strikes me that we all need feeding on both Fri and Sat nights although the group's composition will change.
Just a thought - are the hotel's function rooms booked for both nights or just the Saturday?
I was wondering whether we could be inside on the Friday (when people will be arriving at relatively random times) and organise a group event for Saturday when presumably we return from Silverstone en masse?

Titan the function rooms are free on the Friday but if the marquee goes up where the hotel decide to hold a hog roast if we do two is likely to be outside anyway I would think. (discussion still to be had) On Friday some people will have been at Silverstone most of the day and will return to the hotel from there so it is best if we try and cater for both "if" we can. It does sort of make one wonder if it is worth people identifying a ETA for the hotel? what do we think.

Personally I think the Saturday is a fairly easy one to time in comparison to Friday for exactly the reasons you identify. Friday traffic for travellers could be a so and so.
But then we could nominate a contact for ETA changes enroute I suppose that could work.

Saturday is just a fact that we need the details of timings from silverstone i.e. what time does Adam Ant finish his gig. When I went to the F1 last year the band was just there to provide something to do to those who did not want to join in the exit melee.

 

[HornelZ3M]

I think Jonttt has a good idea to have a sensible adult meal and a chat on the Friday and all be let loose in a marquee on the Saturday. i would plum for that.

 

[z3cade]

From reading the hotels website it's states the restaurant is only open sunday to Thursday and it's only bar snacks Friday Saturday?

We Wont be getting there till late on the Friday so prob won't need a meal but something for the satuday like hog or summit sounds good..

 

[HornelZ3M]

We have never had SUMMIT in wales liam, what does that taste like. )

 

[badman gee]

I think Jonttt has a good idea to have a sensible adult meal and a chat on the Friday and all be let loose in a marquee on the Saturday. i would plum for that.

whats the difference between an evening meal and a sensible adult meal

 

[HornelZ3M]

Exactly, what is the difference

 

[La_vida_diver]

From reading the hotels website it's states the restaurant is only open sunday to Thursday and it's only bar snacks Friday Saturday?

I suppose that would depend on the definition of "bar snack" but whatever we do negotiate I will make sure it is suitable so that people can arrive up to a "time" and get something suitable. Well spotted and thanks!

In some places chicken in a basket is a bar snack, others it is a meal so I will check out their definition and make sure I include that in the details.

I would just like to add from a newcomer (I moved up from "Newbie" yesterday) my thanks for all the good comments it is all helpful stuff. ^^ and the banters great to )

 

[badman gee]

Exactly, what is the difference

just more beers, it then becomes a silly meal. )

 

[HornelZ3M]

Just been on the hotel website and they say they have 33 meeting rooms and can accommodate 200 people in just one room, so if it is wet we can have one of those, or 2.

 

[La_vida_diver]

Just been on the hotel website and they say they have 33 meeting rooms and can accommodate 200 people in just one room, so if it is wet we can have one of those, or 2.

I am afraid it is not that simple. A number of the meeting rooms become the Function rooms from what I understand. I think this is in part why they want me to Visit. I will try and check out and as you say if we can do it without the Marquee then I will, cheaper for them and hence us too. :-??

 

[z3cade]

What's this about now maybe paying for a marque? :-?

 

[MAURICE THE MARTIAN]

What's this about now maybe paying for a marque? :-?

Marque should be complimentary,if were paying for our Piggy ) ) )

 

[badman gee]

We don't know yet, we might not need the marquee.

 

[hard top]

Exactly, what is the difference

just more beers, it then becomes a silly meal. )

I call that a 'happy meal'......

 

[z3cade]

Some of us will be on a budget... Best sell some more bits off my car

 

[La_vida_diver]

What's this about now maybe paying for a marque? :-?

Marque should be complimentary,if were paying for our Piggy ) ) )

Before anyone gets too worried on this score! that is not what I meant! What I meant was as they have to pay out for the Marquee then it is a cost they have to include in their calculations for how much they charge us for the BBQ/Hogg roast. If they did not have two functions on there would be no question, and less room for me to negotiate! so no we are not going to be paying for the marquee!

They have to do their home work because obviously their normal functions include an overhead cost for the function rooms etc. I am not going to go into all the calculations they have to include, they are a business after all. But we are providing an additional Function that they can put on and as such I am trying to negotiate a good deal for us all. We will not be putting money into something just because they have two weddings on please be assured of that!

 

[La_vida_diver]

Some of us will be on a budget... Best sell some more bits off my car

No don't do that.....mind you those rear lights..... )

 

[Daz3]

Some of us will be on a budget... Best sell some more bits off my car

Schnitzer splitters we need a magpie smiley too )

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

I would just like to add from a newcomer (I moved up from "Newbie" yesterday) my thanks for all the good comments it is all helpful stuff. ^^ and the banters great to )[/quote]

Our thanks to you, Duncan for organizing all this, you are very brave taking it on so early in your forum career. ] you are doing a grand job. We know after organising only ONE cruise with 3 venues, the expectations about all the timing of arrivals and meals at the various places was enough to add 10 years on!!! but the end result will be well worth it. Sounds like everyone is going to have a whale of a time. Looking forward to meeting you. Well done. You are a (*)