We recently suggested that we were planning to hold a Funding the Future event.
When we posted polls both here and on YouTube asking how many people might be willing to come to East Anglia for such an event, 550 indicated that they would. I entirely accept this does not mean that all of them would actually book or arrive, but it made us think hard about our plans.
As a consequence of some hard work by James, in the team here, we investigated larger venues than we had initially planned, and also talked through matters with our insurers to find an arrangement that was most likely to meet our needs whilst lowering our insurance risk to the lowest level possible.
As a consequence, we have now booked a room at the Hilton Hotel in central Cambridge on Saturday, 28 February. Taking all factors into account — including all the staffing, income, training and other arrangements that we would have had to put in place if we had used either a university or school venue — this turned out to be the most cost-effective option, and it also happens to probably be the best for access.
Bookings are not open yet because we have not set up all the arrangements. However, the event is likely to run from around 12.30 until 5.30 on the day in question, giving time for travel to and from Cambridge within reasonable hours.
We will be supplying teas and coffees before the event and during the two breaks in it. There will be no food. You cannot imagine the problems that providing biscuits can cause due to potential allergy implications.
We hope the price will be less than our original target of £50. We are also planning reductions for students and young people, as well as for older people on a pension and those on benefits. We will trust people to be honest and to claim such discounts only when it is appropriate and necessary.
Unfortunately, we will not be permitting anyone under 18 to attend unless accompanied by an adult. Again, please blame regulation for this: we do not hold the relevant qualifications in all the safeguarding issues that would arise unless we impose this restriction.
The day will be organised around three sessions.
The first will be a broad-based introduction from me on where I see the economy at present, which will, of course, discuss solutions to the problems that we face. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a tea and coffee break.
The second session will open with a discussion between regular commentator here, Clive Parry, and me about money, how it functions within the economy, and how bond markets work — an issue that I know many people are intrigued, confused and/or fascinated by.
The last session will be an AMA (Ask Me Anything). That said, we will ask people to submit questions in advance, not because we dislike spontaneity, but because we want to ensure a wide variety of questions are asked. Follow-ups will be permitted, of course, subject to time being available.
If this event works, we will look at other events in other parts of the country during the remainder of the year. I do not want to go overboard, but to do one of these every other month or so might be possible. Obvious venues being mentioned at present include London, somewhere in the south-west (with Bristol standing out), and maybe Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, which will take us well into next year. Scotland and Wales might also need a look-in as we get more experienced about making arrangements from a distance.
Right now, I have no further details to provide, so it's not worth asking me more. Nor can we offer reservations in advance at present (unless you happen to be a very regular commentator on this blog, for whom we might make some exceptions). But I wanted to let you know: this is going to happen.
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Buy me a coffee!
Will it be possible to access online either live or post event? Happy to pay an entry fee.
We are not planning to live stream this.
We will film it.
Would be good if it were streamed. Maybe its too complicated.
We are walking before we run. That is why we are not trying it this time. But Thomas will be filming it.
Let me know if the legend known as PSR is going and ill definitely be there!
Thanks for the heads up – I’ll book the previous Friday off.
Wahay!!
I have been to a few events organised by HBinfo in London
The more recent ones have been at specialised ‘events’ venues so there are options other than hotels certainly in London
We tried alternatives. But we could not do so and get insurance at affordable prices.
Brilliant
Can’t wait.
Hi Richard. I have apologised privately to you for questioning your costings and I am forever embarrassed about it which is why I haven’t commented herein since. Well done for getting it to this stage and at what looks like a very reasonable cost outcome. I hadn’t even thought about insurance. I suggest you stick with a round £50 and put any profit towards your fighting fund. I hope you will not exclude me because at the moment I have every intention of attending. Bristol sounds good, too.
Nigel
This time we will be going for £45, I think.
It may be more later on, as costs will be higher elsewhere and we may be VAT registered.
And of course you are welcome.
£45 makes it more attractive. If you actually did get 500 people you would be quids in. I reckon you might well get as many as 100. Best of luck and I applaud you for this initiative. I only wish I still had your vitality. I’ve just done a Google maps check and Cambridge is only about double the distance of Bristol and still doable in a day. Once upon a time I would regularly drive from Calais to Turin in one stint, but no longer!
180 is the likely number
We may be selling tickets tomorrow
Why not Sheffield?
Greens are hoping to get a big incease in our current 14 Councillors (out of 84) in sheffield in May 2026. Membership in the city has tripled since Zack became leader.
Nothing is fixed as yet.
I really want to come to this, and will plan to do so. Apart from content, I also look forward to meeting some of the regular commentators. I get a flavour of personality and concerns from the comments, but meeting in person adds a lot.
If you ever consider speaking in Liverpool, there’s an “Alternative” Bookshop in Bold Street, News From Nowhere.
https://www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk/info/Hours-Location.php
I’m pretty sure they occasionally hold meetings there. It has it’s own cafe too:
https://www.creativetourist.com/venue/food-from-nowhere/
You’re one of the few people I’d bother to get out of bed for to hear speak and answer questions. Cambridge is sadly too far for me to travel to currently. London or Manchester would be doable, or Birmingham, come to that, as we could travel by train. 🙂 First Class, naturally! 😉
(Rather Off Topic: We’ve got tickets for the 1st day of the Chelsea Flower Show, which will entail a 6 day trip to London, (plenty of rest time before and after – the after will be a visit to older daughter :-). So we’ll be travelling 1st for that 😉 )
Let’s see.
I suspect a bookship would be too small.
But again, let’s see.
As a Merseyside myself, I wholly recommend news from nowhere in Liverpool. However, it would probably only take 30 to 40 people – but I do think they have another meeting room beneath the store that holds many.
That being said, Central Library in Liverpool would be a superb venue.
Of course, we are getting ahead of ourselves, but why not!
Noted
Or how about the small auditorium in St George’s Hall? Went to a concert there years ago – so long ago that I can’t remember who it was playing! Prob Folk Music, which I was heavily into in my late teens and early twenties. I ‘m convince that a young man who very occasionally sang at the folk club I went to was Bob Dylan. He was in England at the time, so it is possible! Ah, youth – wish I could go back to it! LOL.
A brilliant and helpful bookshop – I popped in on Saturday to say hello. They might have rooms upstairs, but the shop looked too small to me.
Fabulous idea – I wish I could have been there – but us sons of deceased Welsh mothers have a commitment to place daffodils on their graves on St David’s Day. I wish you all success & look forward to the next one.
I am hoping there will be more.
Don’t know who your insurers are but I have used the following for 3 day annual events
Event Insurance Services Ltd
Event House, 20A Headlands Business Park, Ringwood, Hants, BH24 3PB
01425 470360
info@events-insurance.co.uk
We used our general insurer. But they talked a lot of common sense. We are risk minimising as a result, but that also lets us concentrate on our core activity.
Thanks for the confirmation Richard. I’m tying it in with a sort-of scheduled visit to one of my daughters and family. Charlotte is in Cambridge with three of my six grandchildren. She happens to be 37 on the 28th…lots to celebrate.
Just this morning I booked three nights at a b n b that I use fairly regularly.
Hoping I’m not too slow on the ticket launch!
Looking forward to it.
That should be tomorrow, I think. Keep an eye out. But if it is not then, it will be on Thursday.
What’s the thinking behind hosting this on a Saturday. The two main speakers are over retirement age as far as I know, the proportion of the population on welfare is an all time high, and the trains generally run better on weekdays. I’m confused.
There are a lot of people who work. Was that really so hard to work out?
Date in the diary. Look forward to seeing the tickets.
And maybe meeting some of the regulars!
Excellent. It’s in the diary.