News

BiCon Sessions – tell us your ideas

Workshop sessions at Bicon are usually nearly all run by volunteer participants, so we don’t know yet what goodies will be on offer this time. But topics usually include aspects of bisexuality (no surprise there), bi/queer politics, polyamory, BDSM and gender, plus things like massage, juggling, flirting, games and body-painting.

Anyone can offer to run something, although it’s generally considered preferable if you’ve been to Bicon before so you know the kind of flavour it has.

We’ve written a web interface here where you can input your session-running offers direct to a database, and view a list of what other people have offered so far.

There will also be a section for making requests of workshops you’d like to go to but don’t want to run.

Now is the time to get thinking about what you might like to run, or what you might like to go to.

(Picnics, socials etc. can also be offered as part of this system. But this won’t be the page for offering ents such as DJ-ing or performance. For that, please just email the team.)

Sessions database now live!

Another entry to the menu on the top-left – ‘sessions’ – an online database where you can put in your ideas for sessions you would like to run – or just to throw a suggestion into the mix for someone else to pickup. We’ll try to highlight some of the interesting ones on the front page in the run up to the event – just three months and counting now!

That’s not all that is new – you’ll probably have spotted the changed front page a couple of days ago, as well as more information about the venue, for those that are new to Bicon, how to get there and a little local information. If there’s anything you’d like to add, drop me a line – email deleted.

Prices reduced

With more time comes more opportunity for planning – and a better understanding of what we can do to make a great – and affordable – Bicon 2005. The great news is though, that after looking at the numbers again, we've found the opportunity to reduce the costs for attending the weekend by some quite significant amounts.

Some examples:
Before

Income Ticket Accommodation Total
Unwaged £35 £79 £114
up to 12K £45 £80 £125
12k-17k £55 £85 £140

Now

Income Ticket Accommodation Total
Unwaged £35 £60 £95
up to 12K £40 £70 £110
12k-17k £45 £70 £115

… and also reductions in the higher income bands as well.

If you’ve already paid for your tickets, don’t worry – you’ll be getting a refund (and if you’ve not got it within a couple of weeks, do let us know).

Updated booking forms – with new prices

Bicon 2005 booking form (143K MS word doc) also as .rtf (62K) and .PDF (144K)

If you’ve already sent in your form, there’s no need to resend it – and you will get a refund if you’ve previously paid the higher price.

Update Booking form

Bicon 2005 booking form (90K MS word doc) also as .rtf (63K) and .PDF (144K)

This version has a couple of minor updates to clarify some items, such as 'Early Bird' registration prices and sharing with friends. If you’ve already sent off your registration, there is no need to resend this.

The 'Monitoring Form' to allow BiCon to get a snapshot of attendees demographics, will be put back online here seperately, soon.

The Venue

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve chosen University College Worcester as the venue for Bicon 2005.

campus

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The city of Worcester is located approximately 25 miles south west of Birmingham, with University College being situated on a single, compact site 1 mile to the north west of the city centre.

Getting There.

UK National grid ref: SO835555

Road – M5/J7 4 miles.
Ample parking spaces on site, with designated disabled parking bays provided in several key locations.

Rail – Worcester has direct trains to Birmingham, Oxford & London Paddington.
Further info: National Rail

National Express – Coach terminus: WORCESTER (Crown Gate Bus Station)
Direct routes to Birmingham, London
Further info: National Express

About the Venue

An abundance of of "green spaces" between the buildings gives the site a pleasant atmosphere, with accessible pathways and drop-kerbs provided throughout.

We have arranged for bicon reception, together with all meeting rooms, to be situated within the central admin building. Level floors & lifts provide full access throughout.

Social space for evening ents is located in the Students’ Union building, 2 mins walk.

All overnight accommodation is in student residences, located 2-3 mins walk from meeting rooms & social space. These comprise self contained flats with 6 bedrooms sharing shower, wc, bath (3 separate rooms). Bedlinen & towels are provided. The kitchen is equipped with fridge/freezer, cooker, cutlery & crockery. A limited number of ground floor and fully wheelchair accessible rooms are available.

As usual at BiCon, only self catering facilities are provided as part of the inclusive price. However, we are currently negotiating with the venue for breakfasts & other meals to be available on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Bicon attendees are eligible to purchase a short-term membership to the well equiped gym. Basketball hall & table tennis facilities are also available in the sports centre.

Local facilities

The University campus is located in the suburb of St Johns which has two co-op supermarkets, one of which is quite large, a chip shop & some other local shops 5-10 minutes walk from the campus. There is a Tesco superstore a little further afield. Worcester city centre is approx 1 mile from the campus and walkable in daylight via the river path. The city is reputed to be a safe, lively place at night.

Further info

Location map:
600k pdf file

links:
University College Worcester

Team Diary

Welcome to the Bicon2005 website, I’m Topbit, and I’ll be your captain for the next year or so on the adventure that we call the internet, and in particular the little corner called bicon2005.org.uk 2005.bicon.org.uk.

A quick note about this team diary section first – it’s about keeping you up to date with what is happening with the organising group, and to let you know what we are doing to bring you all together for the event which is being planned for the last weekend in August (25-29th).

I know that things may appear to be moving at sometimes glacial speeds, but rest assured, we like to think that it’s actually more like a duck. We may look calm and serene on the surface, but just out of sight, we’re paddling furiously.