First Fans Forum of season

[STAR Liaison]

An interesting suggestion but where? The Hilton and the Town Hall can take the numbers but cost more than we currently pay. Serious suggestions would be appreciated but we do periodically check there is nowhere better.

Premier Inn Reading Central?

How many can they take? From memory they do not have a big enough room.

[southbank1871]

What about the Ibis Club in Scours Lane? If anyone within STAR works at the Pru they could probably get it cheaper too.

[STAR Liaison]

What about the Ibis Club in Scours Lane? If anyone within STAR works at the Pru they could probably get it cheaper too.

How many can it take? I wasn't the one to check it last time.

[RoyalBlue]

I wasn't arguing a point, just stating that there would have been a cost that someone would have to cover...and in replying to someone LOLing that STAR had to pay said that the club could have if they'd wanted. Actually agree with you that as it was their event if there were any costs STAR should cover it. (I can't imagine the costs were very high unless they put on food and drink).

I am afraid that it is high, if they put on food and drink it is very high. Not sure the latest rate as we negotiate a fixed fee for several events but when we first asked about 8 years ago it was £800 for the evening.

That is ridiculously expensive for an evening (particularly if they provide a pay bar and make profit from that too). I'm sure there must be much better value venues around than that.

[southbank1871]

What about the Ibis Club in Scours Lane? If anyone within STAR works at the Pru they could probably get it cheaper too.

How many can it take? I wasn't the one to check it last time.

I think around 150-200. How many normally go to the FF?

[TheLawnMowerMan]

An interesting suggestion but where? The Hilton and the Town Hall can take the numbers but cost more than we currently pay. Serious suggestions would be appreciated but we do periodically check there is nowhere better.

How many do you need?
There's always the Oirish club, and plenty of bars have large function rooms that get rarely used. O'Neills has quite a large one I think (in the basement).
To be honest most bars would give you the room for free if they thought it would attract 50+ drinking punters, let alone a much higher number.

How about the After Dark .......

[TheLawnMowerMan]

South Street?
They'd probably charge though.

Personally I'd be happy to stand, but I guess chairs may be an issue.
The University probably has the space and a bar etc.

[STAR Liaison]

What about the Ibis Club in Scours Lane? If anyone within STAR works at the Pru they could probably get it cheaper too.

How many can it take? I wasn't the one to check it last time.

I think around 150-200. How many normally go to the FF?

We had 400 chairs out last Thursday and there weren't that many spaces so I suspect there were about 300 there. There are places taking up to 200 but when you get over that it gets difficult.

[STAR Liaison]

I wasn't arguing a point, just stating that there would have been a cost that someone would have to cover...and in replying to someone LOLing that STAR had to pay said that the club could have if they'd wanted. Actually agree with you that as it was their event if there were any costs STAR should cover it. (I can't imagine the costs were very high unless they put on food and drink).

I am afraid that it is high, if they put on food and drink it is very high. Not sure the latest rate as we negotiate a fixed fee for several events but when we first asked about 8 years ago it was £800 for the evening.

That is ridiculously expensive for an evening (particularly if they provide a pay bar and make profit from that too). I'm sure there must be much better value venues around than that.

It is cheaper than some of the other alternatives we found. It is venues that can cope with over 200 that is the problem, so unless we restrict the numbers attending we are stuck with the expensive venues.

[STAR Liaison]

South Street?
They'd probably charge though.

Personally I'd be happy to stand, but I guess chairs may be an issue.
The University probably has the space and a bar etc.

Standing is not the issue, each venue has a number they can take from all the legalities they have to go through.

[Royal Lady]

I think it's a bloody cheek that they charge £800 for, what 3 hours?

It wouldn't cost them £800 in wages for bar staff, I'm certain of that! And as Royalblue says, it's a pay bar - so they're raking it in anyway. Perhaps that is another issue STAR need to speak to the club about in all honesty.

[Barry the bird boggler]

I think it's a bloody cheek that they charge £800 for, what 3 hours?

It wouldn't cost them £800 in wages for bar staff, I'm certain of that! And as Royalblue says, it's a pay bar - so they're raking it in anyway. Perhaps that is another issue STAR need to speak to the club about in all honesty.

Strikes me as steep too, you'd think for an official supporter's function with members of club staff attending they'd offer a good discounted rate - or is the the discounted price?!

[Green]

TBF I think you're now going a step too far RL.

I never thought I'd find myself sticking up for the hapless volunteers at STAR, but I would say I'm prepared to take them at their word that they have researched venues, and also that £800 is the going rate for hiring such a venue of an evening.

[Green]

I think it's a bloody cheek that they charge £800 for, what 3 hours?

It wouldn't cost them £800 in wages for bar staff, I'm certain of that! And as Royalblue says, it's a pay bar - so they're raking it in anyway. Perhaps that is another issue STAR need to speak to the club about in all honesty.

Strikes me as steep too, you'd think for an official supporter's function with members of club staff attending they'd offer a good discounted rate - or is the the discounted price?!

It's already been said the venue is run by a third party. If that's the r8, then that's the r8.

You could try and negoti8 a discount but I don't imagine you'd get very far.

[Royal Lady]

Compass only run the catering - they don't own the building - therefore, if it costs £800 to hold a Fans Forum for fans of RFC, at which management/staff of RFC attend, I think it's disgusting that Compass are allowed to charge that much. It may well be that STAR can't find anywhere as big or that is cheaper, but that doesn't make it ok that they're charged that much for holding an event within the grounds of the football club imo.

[STAR Liaison]

Compass only run the catering - they don't own the building - therefore, if it costs £800 to hold a Fans Forum for fans of RFC, at which management/staff of RFC attend, I think it's disgusting that Compass are allowed to charge that much. It may well be that STAR can't find anywhere as big or that is cheaper, but that doesn't make it ok that they're charged that much for holding an event within the grounds of the football club imo.

Compass run the Conference Centre, which is where the Princess Suite is, and who owns the building is irrelevant. I think it disgusting too that it costs so much but we have spent time and energy looking for alternatives and it does seem to be in line with others of that size.

[RoyalBlue]

How many can it take? I wasn't the one to check it last time.

I think around 150-200. How many normally go to the FF?

We had 400 chairs out last Thursday and there weren't that many spaces so I suspect there were about 300 there. There are places taking up to 200 but when you get over that it gets difficult.

Doesn't Sir Mad's Academy have a big hall?

Devere Venues might be a possibility. We use them a lot for business (training courses/conferences etc.) and they usually offer very good rates. Wokefield Park has capacity for 400 although I recognise that might rule out people who don't have their own transport. Mind you, savings on room hire might pay for you to run a coach service from the town!

http://www.devere.co.uk/locations/wokefield-park.html

Failing that, maybe STAR should ask the club to lean on Compass and ensure a much better rate. The contract must be up for renewal at some point and Compass could be made aware of the possible consequences of taking the p out of club and supporters in this manner.

[Elm Park]

[quote="RoyalBlue]Devere Venues might be a possibility. We use them a lot for business (training courses/conferences etc.) and they usually offer very good rates. Wokefield Park has capacity for 400 although I recognise that might rule out people who don't have their own transport. Mind you, savings on room hire might pay for you to run a coach service from the town!

http://www.devere.co.uk/locations/wokefield-park.html
[/quote]

Just don't buy a beer there (and people complain about the cost of beer ar the Mad Stad).

Guinness £4.95,
Bitter £4.10
Bottle London Pride £4.95

[AbovetheI]

[SLAMMED]