Joining Instructions

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Venue

SPA2005 will take place at The Robinson Centre with all accommodation and conference sessions in this self contained conference centre.

The Robinson Centre,
Great North Road, Wyboston,
St. Neots, Bedfordshire
MK44 3AR

Conference phone line: 0870 760 6863.
Email [email protected]

Travel to the venue

By train:

The nearest railway station is St. Neots on the West Anglian Great Northern line, from London Kings Cross. Trains leave Kings Cross at approximately every hour on Sundays, and twice an hour during the working week. The journey takes 50 minutes. For details of services, please telephone National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or log onto either http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmyjourney or http://www.wagn.co.uk

A taxi service (Anglian Taxis - 01480 475222) is available from St. Neots station to The Robinson Centre (approximately 10 minutes ride), but they usually only have a skeleton service on Sunday morning/early afternoon. If you are planning to arrive by train, please email [email protected] with anticipated time of arrival and we will ask the taxi firm to ensure they have enough drivers to meet the trains.

For local maps and more details, please see The Robinson Centre brochure

By air:

See The Robinson Centre brochure

By road:

See The Robinson Centre brochure

Car Parking

There is ample parking at the venue.

Registration

Registration takes place on Sunday 10th April in the main lounge at The Robinson Centre. The registration area will be clearly signposted from the main entrance. At registration, you will be given your copy of the event documentation and administrative information. Your room key will be available from The Robinson Centre Front Desk.

Registration on Sunday is from 11.00 hrs for those pre-registered to attend Sunday Working Groups. The majority of bedroom keys will not be available until 2pm, but early access to the rooms may be available for those attending Working Groups. Luggage storage facilities are available.

The SPA2005 registration desk closes at 22.00 hrs on Sunday. If you plan to arrive on Sunday after this time, please inform the organisers in advance.

For those participants who are not able to arrive and register on Sunday 10th April, the registration desk will be open from 8:00am on Monday 11th April.

Sunday Working Groups

There is no additional charge for attending Sunday afternoon Working Groups but you must register in advance. If you have not already let us know which session you would like to attend, please email [email protected]. Some of these sessions have a limited number of places. The leaders of Working Group 1 on Intentional Computing have asked that those interested in attending this working group visit /cgi-bin/wiki.pl/?IntentionalComputing and sign up for the group on those pages.

A sandwich lunch will be available from 12 noon for those participants registered for a Working Group.

Reception on Sunday Evening

A drinks reception and evening dinner, open to all delegates will be held on Sunday 10th April at 19.30 hrs in the Robinson Room. This years reception will be sponsored by Ivis Technologies.

Accommodation

Accommodation will be provided for three nights from Sunday 10th April. Extra nights are available if required at a cost of £60 + VAT (Saturday night) £82 + VAT (other nights) for Bed and Breakfast. Dinner may also be booked for an additional £30 + VAT. Please contact the Conference Administrator to reserve the extra night on +44 870 760 6863. The accommodation consists of double en-suite bedrooms for single occupancy. All rooms have a desk, modem point, direct telephone line with voicemail (all calls must be settled directly with the venue prior to departure), and tea/coffee making facilities. The venue caters for the disabled.

Culture

The conference has a friendly and informal culture with a high degree of interactivity and participation. Dress is usually casual.

Sport & Recreation Facilities

There is a Fitness Centre available for the use of delegates in a nearby building incorporating a gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, sauna, spa bath and solarium.

Meals and Refreshments

All meals and refreshments will be provided. Please contact [email protected] with any dietary requirements if you have not already done so, as it is essential that these are pre-arranged.

Bookstall

A Bookstall will be available on Tuesday. This will stock titles authored many of our session leaders and participants as well as a range of books expected to be of interest to participants. A discount of at least 5% will be offered on all purchases and credit cards may be used to make purchases.

Messages

Incoming messages can be left for delegates on 0870 760 6863 (office hours) or 01480 226300 (24 hour). Any messages received will be posted on the conference contact board. Incoming faxes can be sent to delegates on 0870 011 8281.

Insurance

Neither the SPA2005 organisers, the BCS OOPS Specialist Group nor The Robinson Centre can accept any responsibility for the loss of, or damage to participants’ personal possessions while attending the event. We therefore recommend that you make your own insurance arrangements.

Administration Team

The conference administration team will consist of Andy Moorley, Ewan Milne and Hannah Lloyd. They will be contactable via the registration desk throughout the conference to help with any enquiries or problems.

Departure

You will need to check-out of you room by 0900 on Wednesday 13th April. Luggage storage is provided by The Robinson Centre until required for the journey home.


We hope you will enjoy SPA2005 and look forward to meeting you at the conference. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries relating to your participation.