Plans for the Party Unconference

Thanks to the hard work of Rob Howson, we are in a position to share some plans for the party’s unconference.  It is an unconference, not a conference, because we are that kind of party – unconventional, undaunted, and, erm... un-ique.  Now all we need is some feedback to say if the plans are on the right lines.

The planned date is Saturday January 16th.  January is a good month because we need to avoid the Christmas season but we want to hold it before the general election.  Holding the unconference in January also allows us to use the unconference as an opportunity to hold hustings for the internal elections taking place at that time, as well as meeting and cross-examining the people who want to stand as prospective candidates in the general election.  The goal is hence to have every would-be parliamentary candidate and every would-be officer in attendance so they all get to know the team of people they will be working with in the general election.

Sheffield was picked as the location.  The city is relatively equidistant for people travelling from the North or South.  The planned venue is the Showroom: http://www.showroom.org.uk/ which is conveniently located very near to the train station.  Rob has pulled together a really useful map highlighting places to stay, car parks etc nearby: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=111239977294925887619.0004790d3e4722fd47d79

The conference itself would last one day, to avoid the cost of overnight stays.  It would run from 10.30am to 6pm, giving most of the country a fair chance to get there in the morning, attend the whole event, and return home that evening.  For those interested, there would be a social event on the Saturday evening.

The planned cost is to charge a flat fee of £20 to every member who wants to attend.  The venue can accommodate up to 60 people, which is approximately 1 for every 10 current members.  Tickets would be sold on a strict first come, first served basis.  The fee includes both entry to the unconference, lunch and refreshments during the day.  It does not cover other costs like an evening meal, travel, parking or hotel.  With a fee of £20, the party could break-even without selling out the event, but a sell-out would mean we made a small profit that would go towards the funds needed to fight the election.  If the initial response is really strong, we will of course look at moving the event to a larger venue.

The likely agenda for the day would be an informal ‘meet and greet’ for anyone arriving before the scheduled start, a series of reports on progress and the party’s status from the exec committee, hustings for internal elections and hustings for individuals interested in being prospective parliamentary candidates, and finally, depending on time, a completely open session where any member is entitled to speak on any topic.  Although this is the party’s version of a conference, no decisions will be made to avoid excluding anyone who cannot attend.  Online member votes will still be used to make all decisions.  However, by getting people discussing key elements of how the party is managed, and having an opportunity for formal and informal Q&A, we hope that we will make it easier for the party to organize its election campaign and to build consensus and encourage teamwork.

You can give some feedback by commenting here, but the most useful feedback would to respond to the forum poll on whether you would attend the unconference as planned.  Knowing likely numbers is vital, so we can manage the costs correctly whilst ensuring we hold the biggest event possible.  Follow this link to the forum poll: http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1083