Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Does Birmingham lack hotels with conference facilities?

Youngian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:02 pm Does Birmingham lack hotels with conference facilities?

I think McCluskey’s “logic” was that Unite would save loads of money by staging its own conferences and accommodating delegates at its own hotel (with all unionised staff). Which was bollocks. The reality is it cannot compete with the numerous facilities already available in Birmingham and the wider region.

We’ll all be fascinated as to where the £70m has gone. Hope the fraud squad are.

Youngian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:02 pm Does Birmingham lack hotels with conference facilities?

Yes. For big conferences, apart from the NEC there wasn't much when I was doing them.

15 - 20 years ago I used to go to teaching conferences/training events in a hotel a very agreeable ten minutes walk from New Street station, I wish I could remember the name of it.

For party conferences and the big international conferences we were organising, you need a huge venue, hundreds of guest rooms (plus a number of other large hotels nearby for the overspill), huge halls and many breakout rooms. Available in London, Blackpool, Brighton etc., the places you see the political parties go back to year on year. There wasn't such a venue in Brum back in the 2000s, don't know if any have been built since.

I did speak at a conference in Birmingham and I ended up in a Wetherspoons hotel...

My hotel at spring conference was in the arse end of nowhere, in theory it makes some sense. In practice you are basically forcing every event to one location.

That’s not good for any national body like a political party or a union.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ente ... 03961.html

People hated Magic Grandad because of Operant Conditioning by centrist melts and the rabid righter side of the fourth estate, apparently.

Oblomov wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 1:05 pm

People hated Magic Grandad because of Operant Conditioning

You mean they trained pigeons to peck him?

Sounds fair.

McCarthyist pigeons.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:58 pm For party conferences and the big international conferences we were organising, you need a huge venue, hundreds of guest rooms (plus a number of other large hotels nearby for the overspill), huge halls and many breakout rooms. Available in London, Blackpool, Brighton etc., the places you see the political parties go back to year on year. There wasn't such a venue in Brum back in the 2000s, don't know if any have been built since.

Well, there is the massive International Convention Centre - open since 1991. The Tories have held their conference there nearly every year for the past decade or so. How did you miss that?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Birmingham

We didn't. I'm not sure why we thought it wasn't suitable, but I remember spending a weekend there in about 2002. It could have been a dates problem.

Maybe Sharon Graham could offer mates rates to hold the Labour conference at Hotel Unite. No point in leaving it empty.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:49 pm We didn't. I'm not sure why we thought it wasn't suitable, but I remember spending a weekend there in about 2002. It could have been a dates problem.

Wait - we did have a conference there, national not international. I remember now - a head teacher in London tried to claim 25p a mile travel expenses (we allowed 11p as I recall) and a couple of nice lady teachers tried to claim £35 for wine with their 'afternoon tea'.
Breakfasts OK, Hiltons were better, also did good fish & chips.

Starmer hates Coventry is this week’s big take from the Comrades. Is he channeling Jon Gaunt?

Abernathy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:17 pm

Youngian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:02 pm Does Birmingham lack hotels with conference facilities?

I think McCluskey’s “logic” was that Unite would save loads of money by staging its own conferences and accommodating delegates at its own hotel (with all unionised staff). Which was bollocks. The reality is it cannot compete with the numerous facilities already available in Birmingham and the wider region.

Yeah, could be that. Mix of wanting to set an example as goodbosses, and Jay off the Inbetweeners "How hard can hotels be, my Dad used to drink with Rocco Forte!"

This overrun is just on the building, isn't it?

Youngian wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:48 am Starmer hates Coventry is this week’s big take from the Comrades. Is he channeling Jon Gaunt?

Oh god the replies and QTs basically ranging from he's a sabotuer to he hates working class people and this is a plot to oust Sultana.

Starmer's intonation etc there isn't very positive, but to believe this you'd have to buy a whole lot else about Starmer that I see no evidence of... ah, yes, sorry, he's a neoliberal fascist, sorry, I forgot.

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:53 pm Oh god the replies and QTs basically ranging from he's a sabotuer to he hates working class people and this is a plot to oust Sultana.

A man who has more right to call himself working class than Saint bloody Jeremy...

I’m sure Jez would be only too happy to do a speaking tour of Russian gulags to explain to these Russian citizens why the real enemy is the US and why he’s the real victim here because people dared to suggest he wasn’t the best thing ever.