I guess in manchester next year we might be able to find a few places we could appropriate which would give use the space and sound levels really needed. Maybe the conference committee could think about networking spaces, and perhaps some could be found which are condusive to ad-hoc meetings and fringe events. Otherwise we may find ourselves passing round the hat (or busking in picadilly;-) to meet the cost. Alternative venues are good in many ways, they give a clear fringe message, and may not be subject to the extortionate fees which conference venue people are prone to charging. That said, if we are in the manchester conference centre, my memory is that they have some very good public spaces.

I totally agree with the comment “There are plenty of formats other than the stand and tell – or stand and powerpoint – followed by three or four questions. ”

The formats were enjoyable, different, fresh and I liked the fact that they did not follow a traditional conference format.

For me it was a Web 2.0 approach to conferencing.

Who is the conference for? The conference organisers or the delegates?

To this end conference organisers should be providing spaces for F-ALT kind of events, networking, show and tell, etc….