Unconvention contact numbers:

BC organiser's mobiles:  07913 398372

                  07913 091876

                  07913 063663

Holiday Inn Express (Lionel St Location): 0121 200 1900

Apres Bar: 0121 212 1661

People are arriving at widely dispersed intervals over the weekend so we've tried to keep everything as flexible as possible. In addition we will never be far from the hotel, Apres bar, or city centre so late arrivals have a good chance of catching up.

Friday

Early arrivers check in at hotel anytime from 2pm onwards. (There is a spare room available for storing luggage if anyone arrives before normal check-in time. Ask at reception) The names of all those on the group booking are held on a Rooming List at reception and therefore reservation codes aren't required. It's important that you say you're with the BookCrossing party so that the hotel people know to give you the correct type of room. I'll be in in the hotel lounge anyway in case of mix-ups

3:00pm onwards. An informal meet-up will take place at Hudson's Coffee Lounge on Colmore Row (This is Lyzzybee and Brumbie's OBCZ, and a lovely location)  There is a map to the location showing Lionel St and Colmore Row here:

http://tinyurl.com/atxsh

7:00pm Releasing walk. From Summerrow to Brindley Place via Symphony Hall and Centenary Square, including the International Convention Centre Plaza.  There will be plenty of opportunities for releasing as our Unconvention is on at the same time as the Birmingham International Jazz Festival and you may get catches from international visitors.

Dinner at one of the many restaurants at the Mailbox or Brindley Place, or the curry houses an Broad St. / Fiveways / Hagley Road. We're not going to try a group booking this year as it turned out to be so problematical last time.

Later the youngsters will leave to raid Broad Street I expect. Walkabout is open 'til 2:00am, Hard Rock Cafe 'til 4:00am. The rest return to hotel for wind-down chat. Either location within 300 mtrs.

Saturday

Buffet breakfast available at hotel 'til 9:30.  Apres is also open for breakfast from 9:00am (Extra charge, obviously) Then congregate in breakfast area.

10:30am Either free morning for shopping, go straight to Apres and get stuck in to the books, or releasing walk through city centre including all the historical and architectural features and oddities which are Birmingham. This will include the Central Library complex the steps to which may make a good 'flash-mob' release area a la the Australian Convention. With a coffee break this should complete at 12:30, which is just right to allow a leisurely amble back to Summerrow for

1:00pm THE MEET. The upstairs area of the Apres restaurant / bar is ours all afternoon. There *will* be a quiz, and prizes, and a charity raffle so bring money! IThe menu is available from the link on the left hand side of this page but it is broadly as outlined in msg 10410 on the BCUK Yahoo group. The main points being that the Meal Deal (£15 for two pizza or pasta dishes with salads and a bottle of house wine or 4 pint pitcher of beer) is available to us as a special deal. The four-hour Happy Hour is also being offered from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.

This year we have the pleasure of the company of Kate Harrison who has agreed to come and speak to us on Saturday afternoon.  She is the author of two books, “Old School Ties” which was published last year, and “The Starter Marriage” which is due out in April 2005.  She is currently in the process of writing her third novel, the trials and tribulations of which she is documenting in a weblog (http://chicklitworkinprogress.blogspot.com/).  Kate has also kindly agreed to run a small workshop for budding writers on the specifics of writing a novel and getting published.  The numbers for this workshop are limited, and participants will be allocated on a “name out of the hat” basis.  If you would like to be put into the draw for the workshop please do let us know.  In addition, if there is anything in particular you would like Kate to cover about the writing process, or any questions you may have for her, please also e-mail us and we’ll see what we can do

Saturday evening options.

Dinner: as arranged by individuals. Many restaurants and bars in Bennet's Hill / Colmore Row areas but remember not to leave it too late! It *will* be busy on a Saturday night and the budget-price locations often finish serving at 9:30pm. Of course 5* restaurants will take your money at pretty much anytime!

Or: Stay at the Apres Bar, where there is a DJ and dancing from 9:00pm; Move to another location on Broad Street where you can dance all night if required; Return to hotel and flake out in the lounge; or join in the lunacy which is Cranium! The best fun you can have with your clothes on, allegedly.

Sunday

Artery-hardening English breakfast available at the Apres from 9:00am onwards.
Buffet breakfast available at hotel 'til 10:30.

10:30am walk through the Jewellery Quarter, with more opportunities for wild releases, and jewellery buying! Finishing at 12:00 with a visit to the Pen Room which is a marvellous little museum with everything to do with writing one can imagine. You can try your hand at calligraphy, or a stenograph machine, or simply realise that for years Birmingham was the centre of the pen industry for the world.

1:00-1:30pm Lunch, either in the Jewellery Quarter or if fine at one of the canalside locations towards Brindley Place and the Gas Street Basin.