How can we find a good venue for WDfests?

[Greg.]

I want to be tactful here because I know how much hard work Steve puts into making the Eggfests work and I also acknowledge the big effort Martin and his wife Sam put in to make last wekkends Shoot-out run so smoothly.

Having attended all these events in the past I'm very conscious that we all arrive with great expectations, pile our individual kit into the melting pot and regardless of the suitability of the listening room, expect to get some sound synergy. Invariably this doesn't happen immediately and we spend the rest of the day swapping this that and the other to get it to happen. Just as we are ready to pack up, some sort of quality sound is starting to be achieved. Peter has posted elsewhere about this type of issue. We spend most of our valuable time getting it all to work instead of sitting back and just listening and assessing.

Now you may think I'm being a little idealistic (that's an unfortunate personal trait) but it would be so good if we could find a meeting venue where the room(s) available is good for listening from the outset. That would have half the battle won and give us good time to get the systems right. I'm talking about no large room/hall, no large window glass area, no large hard and unbroken wall surfaces etc.

If we did this in Bristol, I can think of a number of venues that could be used. The overall cost might be a bit higher than we are used to, but would IMHO be worth it. However, we really need a location central within the country to be in good striking distance of the majority and Bristol in this respect is too far south.

Is there anyone situated approximately just north of Leicester, Nottingham etc who would be willing to take on the task of hunting down a suitable venue for future meets? It really would make such a difference if we could start off with a good listening environment. What do you think? I'd do it if I could but I can't, so anyone willing to give it a go?

Best wishes,

Greg