Announcing the Euro 2011 Bid Request!

[Sonea Ilandred]

Firstly a quick Thank You to you all for being so patient with us!

As we all know 2011 is a big year for the Tower and we want to take the time to celebrate it properly in as many places as we can, not just with Tenth Anni. Therefore it has been agreed that rather than having a Summer and a Winter Euro we will have one large event in 2011.

I just want to take the opportunity to add some background and answer a few questions ahead of time.

Q1. Will the event be in the UK?
A. Not necessarily. We want bids from all over Europe as this is neither a Britain and Ireland event nor a Continental Europe one and the best venue that meets our criteria will be chosen. The biggest things we have to consider are transport links and venue, those will decide where it happens to be.

Q2. Will it be expensive?
A. We will be following the new pricing model previously announced by Serinia which may mean that there is an increase on previous events, however we’re not going to be adding costs for the sake of it. We want this event to be bigger and better than normal Euro’s and that will come with a price tag.

Q3. Does this mean that there won’t be any other Euro events?
A. As always you are more than welcome to arrange your own Local Events. Officially this event will be managed by the local European Mistress of Revels and assisted by ‘the other one’, but if either of us chooses to assist in planning anything else, that is purely our choice and unofficial.

So now I would like to officially declare the Euro Party 2011 bidding season open!

Everyone can submit a proposal for the site of the party, but please note that you will need to act as local liaison (or find someone who is willing to act as such) if you do so. Further information can be found in our membership manual together with information on your role when submitting a proposal. Please bear in mind that this will be a bigger event than usual and therefore more demanding to run, if you can get a couple of you together and submit a bid it may make your lives easier!

Please send your submissions to: bievents@tarvalon.net , euroevents@tarvalon.net , events@tarvalon.net ,and officers@tarvalon.net .

Bid proposals for the location will be due by 31st October 31 2010 allowing you plenty of time to pull it all together.

Basic Requirements:
-We are looking to hold this event late Summer, early Autumn. This should hopefully allow the student members and those that work in schools to attend without catching the middle of summer holiday season. Therefore if you can check availability in advance with your venue we would greatly appreciate it. If it has to be earlier or later in the season then we will give this due consideration.
- What does the venue offer us i.e. a large grass area for welly throwing and sword battles or a private marquee to hold our official events in?
-We will need accommodation for a minimum of two nights (Fri - Sun), but if there’s a great deal going Thursday – Sunday we’ll be happy to consider it. How flexible are they with numbers – can we add and or retract rooms as required or is it one set number?
- How are we feeding people? Will we have brought in catering or are we looking after ourselves? Are there decent cooking facilities provided or will the venue manage that for us?
- How would payments be required, do we pay in advance, a few days before and how is this affected by our catering requirements?
-We need to consider in advance what we would be able to do in the area – are there historic sites to visit, is there a karting track on site etc? Not all of these things will be activities we actually arrange, but they can be offered to people as additional things to do if they choose to.

Please include the following information in your bid and aim to use the following headings:

Name, rank and organisation of submitter(s)

Overview
Location and availability
Transport links (both nationally and locally)
Personal experience with the area
Why you think the location would be our best option

Location
City/region/area overview & details
Activities (to be included in the program or as optional extras)
Lodging Information (including max and min numbers and flexibility)
Resort/Campground/ Accommodations details & contact information
Facility layout (how many per room, number rooms available, etc.)
URL & Phone number
Cost of venue (explaining catering options and therefore their effect on costs), activity costs and a rough estimate on committee costs
Options or Alternatives (different hotels at different prices? Etc.)

Support
Point of Contact - Who would serve as local liaison for the event?
Other – additional Tower volunteers who will help facilitate event

Please let us know, if you have any questions!

 

[Guest]

Aldus wants to suggest Kathmandu, but finds that his globe disqualifies it from being in Europe

Well, damn. I guess I should leave it to the Europeans!

 

[Lenore Carvoe]

Please, define late summer/early autumn.

 

[Sonea Ilandred]

We intentionally decided not to put an exact date range on it. Personally I'm thinking anywhere between August and end of October.

 

[Ivien Tarkand]

I think July would be way better option cause there are Universities that start in late August and I know here we have exams in September and it all starts in October. From what I know Universities usually start from late August till mid October. So from a student(and late HS) point of view July/early August is much more likely to suit everyone.

 

[Sonea Ilandred]

July and early August are also prime school holiday seasons which means the vast majority of airlines increase their prices over this period.

We are allowing a fairly wide window on this one, much more so than usual, so please understand that we have weighed the pros and cons prior to making the announcement. Furthermore 2011 is a big year for us and we want to give Euro 2011 as much attention as possible without cramming it in too close to Anni, permitting people to finance both trips if they wish.

 

[Lenore Carvoe]

What about having a poll, when the majority of European members is able to attend? And I second, what Lijena said. July and August are much more likely than any month from September on.

 

[Sonea Ilandred]

Please remember that this event is just hosted within Europe - its attendance is not limited just to European members so we have to take that into account. It isn't possible to poll only the European members, nor would it be right to.

 

[Lenore Carvoe]

And setting up a poll for everyone isn't a possibility? Going to plan a party and already knowing that a lot of members won't be able to attend doesn't sound sensible to me.

 

[Nyarin al'Batera]

Basic Requirements:
-We are looking to hold this event late Summer, early Autumn. This should hopefully allow the student members and those that work in schools to attend without catching the middle of summer holiday season. Therefore if you can check availability in advance with your venue we would greatly appreciate it. If it has to be earlier or later in the season then we will give this due consideration.

Then make a bid at a time you think will be good and it will be given due consideration.

 

[Serinia Edoras]

Though the date of the event is a major consideration, it will be worked out in coordination with the rest of the bids received. We don't want to disqualify a location because it is not available at a particular time, just as we do not want to disqualify a location before learning about all the important factors.

We're looking forward to receiving your bids for the 10th Anni event in Europe, and will work through our approved process with those who propose each location to get all the details we need to select our best option. Thanks!

 

[Elin al'Nia]

Can't wait for this! I'm just hoping that the date works out okay for me as I'm planning to visit the States in early autumn and it would be typical if I couldn't make the March event in Charleston (no money) only to find that I was out of the country come Euro 2011. The price of airfares is a good point though, anything which falls in the school summer holidays (July to August in England) will mean expensive travel for anyone not local and likely that venues may cost more too.

 

[Lucas al'Baine]

Lets all just go to Iceland \o/

 

[Idris ab Eynon]

But I do all my shopping at ASDA.

 

[Sonea Ilandred]

Just to help with costings - this is the official information posted on the old boards with regards to our event pricing structure:

All official events will be migrating to a standardized cost model. The model in brief is as follows:

--- Cost model is based on two-night event. In the case that the event is longer or shorter, appropriate percentages will be applied.
--- Ticket cost will approximate the rack rate of one night’s stay in local moderately priced hotel. This will not only standardize expectations across our regions but also help to regulate relative geographical/cost of living expenses, as well as potential currency issues.
--- The funds collected via the ticket payments will be budgeted into the following expenditure categories: 30% Lodging, 25% Food, 20% Committee Budgets (including entertainment, safety, decorations, awards, welcome, errands, etc.), 15% - Insurance, Fundraising, Tower costs, 10% - Facility fees, taxes, misc. All percentages to be kept +/- 5% depending on each event’s needs.


To reflect the magnitude of our Tenth Anniversary event next year, the traditional Winter and Summer Euro official events will be combined into one – “Tenth Anniversary – Europe.” This event will be the first to reflect the standard cost model. The timing of the event is still being determined, but we expect it to take place closer to the fall to promote attendance at both our Tenth Anniversary celebrations in Chaleston and Europe for those who are able.

 

[Tai' Aan'mahdi]

I'm excited! :joy that is all :P

 

[Ilissa al'Nari]

Eeeeeeeeeeeee I am looking forward to this :joy

 

[Alyonne al'Moranne]

exciting times!! :joy

 

[Sonea Ilandred]

I'm just bumping this one back up people's agendas!

It's only a couple of weeks till the closing date and I'd love you all to get as many of your amazing options to us so we can make this Euro the best yet!

 

[Pip al'Dealys]

The Americans aren't trying to move it there are they? Neither are the Scandinavians butting in I hope? How about Rhianna and Bruce, have they offered us their Essex Villa yet? How exciting!