Alt.Fiction- the essentials

Hi All,

Busy busy busy here as always...got another freelance event on Wednesday 5th and plenty to tackle in the office too!

I thought it'd just be worth a quick post in light of the enquiries I've been having about Alt.Fiction. It's a bit of a bad habit of mine to glaze over the essential bits of information, so if you're considering attending for the first time, or considering attending for the first time, hopefully this info will be of some use.

The venue- The event takes place at the Darwin Suite of the Assembly Rooms in Derby. You can see a map to the venue at http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GBde1%203ah#t=l&map=52.9239,-1.47607164&loc=GB:52.9239:-1.47607:16de1%203ahDE1%203AH. The Assembly rooms is the large building next to Santanda and opposite the Tourist Information Centre. There is parking at the venue, although you will have to pay to park.

Public transport- the train station in Derby is a bit out of town, around 15 minutes walk to the venue or 5 minutes in a taxi. There are regular buses to Derby from many places including Nottingham (Red Arrow) and Manchester (Transpeak).

Timings- the event begins at 12pm, with doors opening at 11am. The morning sessions run until 4:45pm when the dinner break begins. This runs till 6:15 when the evening sessions begin, with a 9pm finish.

Food- a range of hot and cold food and snacks will be available, will most of the hot food served during the dinner break. However if you would like to head out of the venue for a meal elsewhere you are welcome to do so- just hang onto your badge. The bar will also be open throughout.

Hotels- I'm in discussions with a couple of hotels about discount rates for attendess. However you can view a hotel list at http://www.visitderby.co.uk/WhereStay/ in the mean time.

What to expect- the venue has three rooms: The Darwin Suite, The Reception Suite and the '45 Suite. The Darwin Suite hosts mostly readings/q+a sessions as well as the publishing panel. The Reception Suite holds mostly panel discussion as well as a mass book launch. The '45 Suite will be hosting workshops throughout the morning sessions, offering a total of 21 sessions to choose from on the day.

Tickets/booking- Tickets are available for £20/£16 concessions from the Assembly Rooms Box Office on 01332 255800 (group bookings call 01332 255808) or online at http://www.assemblyrooms-derby.co.uk/WhatsOn/Shows/080426altfictionday.htm

Of course if there's anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to send me a comment here or an email at alex.davis@derby.gov.uk

Thanks a lot!

Alex