* DATE AND VENUE * ACTIVITIES * NON-QL-ERS *
* BY CAR * PUBLIC TRANSPORT * AIR TRAVEL * SEA TRAVEL *
* HOTEL BOOKINGS * ORGANISERS * INFORMATION *
QL is 21 Five years after our last major international event Quanta returns to Portsmouth for a celebration of the QL's and our own 21 st anniversary.
QL is 21 is a two day Quanta sponsored show that will be held in the Ibis Portsmouth Centre, Winston Churchill Avenue, PO1 2LX, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
Saturday 29th October is the main show day, starting at 10.00 and finishing at 17.00. The main traders have indicated they will be present, and we hope to have an activity programme throughout the day. We are also planning a programme for non-QL-ing partners.
In the evening there will be a Show Dinner in the hotel.
Sunday 30th October will be a shorter day. We shall again start at 10.00 and aim to finish the formal activities at about 13.00. The rooms will remain open until about 15.00 for informal contacts.
The halls are well provided with electrical sockets, so you can bring your own systems. We are investigating the possibility of an internet connection and the use of a projector for lectures and demonstrations.
Quanta has a wide range of membership from simple black box and Quill users to highly skilled experts in the latest technologies and developments. Our challenge is to provide an activity programme for all levels of QL-use. While there will be some activities for more specialised users, the emphasis must be on simple explanations of the latest QL developments.
We shall be looking for presenters who can explain these, and describe their importance for the future of the QL. Obvious topics are internet and email access; the printer problem and the use of the new colours. For the members more interested in hardware we would like some Q60 related activity and news of any expansion cards.
For the programmers in our midst workshops on sprites and the recent EasyPtr improvements would be welcome.
We would also like to hear from people who are using QLs to run a business, or who have an unusual use for their QLs.
Finally there must be a place for Quanta itself. Perhaps we shall have news on changes to the magazine, plans for a renewed website and the follow up to the membership survey.
As the activity programme takes shape we shall be updating this section. Keep watching for the latest developments. Please remember without volunteers to present the activities, this ambitious programme cannot be realised.
If you wish to bring someone to Portsmouth who has little interest in the QL, then he or she is still welcome at QL is 21. Portsmouth is an old naval town and there is plenty of interest for non-QL-ers whether their preference is for a day out, a day's shopping or learning about the city's history.
If there is sufficient demand, Quanta will organise activities for non-QL-ers. Please let Quanta know about their wishes and interests.
You can contact Sarah Gilpin, the organiser of this programme, using the contact information in the Quanta Magazine or via the email link on this webpage.
The Portsmouth Ibis Hotel has 144 rooms and a weekend price of £42.95 per room per night. An extended continental buffet breakfast is £4.95. We are therefore recommending the hotel for all visitors to QL is 21 who require overnight accommodation.
Quanta has negotiated a special bookings procedure with the Ibis Hotel. Please use this procedure when booking accommodation.
Book by telephone and not by other means. The telephone number is +44(0)2392 - 640000. When making your booking state that you will be attending the "QL is 21 Computer Conference" on 29th and 30th October.
When you have made your booking, please inform Roy Brereton of this. You can do this directly or by using the email link on this webpage.
Quanta is also planning a show dinner on the Saturday evening. Final details have not yet been fixed, but they will almost certainly require advance booking with a deposit. Please watch this website for the latest information.
This is the map the Ibis hotel uses to help motorists find the hotel.
From the M27 turn off at junction 12 onto the M275. Follow the signs to the city centre, sea front and then Guild Hall. Located on Winston Churchill Avenue, the hotel is 5 minutes walk from the city centre, 10 minutes walk from the seafront, museums and Gunwharf Quay.
Please note you cannot turn right into the hotel from Winston Churchill Avenue. You should continue driving past the hotel to the first roundabout and then return on the other carriageway.
The Ibis Hotel has its own secure parking facilities for residents and free parking for day visitors to QL is 21 subject to availability.
The nearest railway station to the show venue is Portsmouth and Southsea (thus not Portsmouth Harbour). There are at least two trains an hour from London Waterloo and the fastest journey time, in modern and comfortable rolling stock, is about 90 minutes.
Portsmouth and Southsea station also has direct trains to Cardiff, Bristol, Bath Spa and Brighton.
For train times and prices go to www.nationalrail.co.uk
There are regular coach services to Portsmouth from London Victoria Coach Station with a journey time of about 2 and a half hours. The coach terminal is at the Harbour Interchange, which is less convenient for the show venue than the railway station.
For coach times and prices go to www.nationalexpress.com
Portsmouth and Southsea railway station is a 5 - 10 minute walk from the show venue. The station is currently being refurbished and you leave the platforms via a side entrance in Station Street and not via the ticket hall. Turn left on leaving the station and then left again into Commercial Road. Go past the ticket office and under the railway bridge. Shortly after this turn left into Isambard Brunel Road. Go under a block of flats over this road and past St. Luke's school. Walk to the roundabout at the junction with Winston Churchill Avenue and turn right along this road. You should see the Ibis Hotel in the distance on the left hand side. There is a pedestrian crossing just before the hotel.
Just a word of caution. Road traffic in Portsmouth is much faster than in many other cities. Please take care when crossing roads.
London Heathrow: There is no direct rail service between London Heathrow and Portsmouth. Instead you should take the Railair bus to Woking. This bus calls at each of the 4 Heathrow terminals every half hour and the journey time to Woking is between 40 and 70 minutes depending on the terminal. At Woking there are regular trains to Portsmouth and Southsea with a fastest journey time of 70 minutes.
London Gatwick: There is a direct rail service between London Gatwick and Portsmouth once an hour. The journey time is 1 hour and forty minutes.
Southampton: There is a regional airport at Southampton which is 20 miles from Portsmouth. Southampton has flights to numerous destinations in the UK and the continent. For a full list go to www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/southampton, and then click on the destinations link. The tourist office recommends air travellers without their own transport to use the train to Portsmouth. The railway station is part of the airport complex and you should take a train to Southampton. Here you should change trains for the Portsmouth service. Alight at Portsmouth and Southsea station and follow the instructions given in the previous section to walk to the show venue. There are at least 2 trains per hour and the total journey time is just over 1 hour.
Portsmouth is a busy sea port with car and passenger ferry services to the continent.
Brittany Ferries run services to Caen, St. Malo and Cherbourg. To Caen there are up to three services a day with a journey time of 3 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes. To Cherbourg there are also up to three sailings a day with a journey time of 3 hours to 4hours 45 minutes. There is only one ferry a day to St. Malo with a journey time of 10 hours 45 minutes.
For full details go to www.brittany-ferries.co.uk
P&O Ferries sail to Le Havre and Bilbao. There are 3 sailings a day to Le Havre and 3 sailings a week to Bilbao.
For full details go to www.poferries.com
The continental ferry terminal is located near the point where the M275 becomes the A3. Follow the travel directions to the hotel given in the map above.
Portsmouth has two tourist offices:
The Hard, Portsmouth (by the Historic Dockyard)
Clarence Esplanade, Southsea (next to Blue Reef Aquarium)
Tel: 023 9282 6722
Fax: 023 9282 7519
General Organiser - Roy Brereton
Activity Programme - Geoff Wicks
Non-QL-ers Programme - Sarah Gilpin
You can contact any of the above using the contact details on the inside front cover of the Quanta Magazine or by using the email contact below.
©2005 Geoff Wicks.
