My 2p

Should women talks be open to men?
- I can understand that for some women having men present would be embarassing, but equally some men will be interested in the talks either for their own information or possibly for their partners. We used to be embarassed about talking about condoms once but now it's OK - the barriers only get broken by talking about 'it'. Someone suggested that in the main these should be women only, but have at least one session which is open to men.

Should the inidividual tent pitches be marked out beforehand?
No - a nightmare to do, it simply wouldn't work. I think the best solution is for the 'meet and greet' volunteers to mention to people as they arrive the need to keep exit routes clear.

Should the showers be open earlier?
- Much as it would be nice, my understanding of this is that the pub dictate this not HU. They work hard enough and stay open late so I think it's unreasonable for them to also open early. We just need to respect their position on this.

Pets: Stay at home, add to roadkill cookout, tolerated?
- I think it should be made clear to pet owners before they register that pets are allowed but it's strictly 'one complaint and you're out'

Early morning drunken shinanigans. Just some fun or public nuisance!
- It can very quickly go from one to the other. If people are being loud and drunken, why not just ask them politely to be quiet? I think a 'quiet' area is a good idea.

Should scratch patch be donation free?
- yes, and no. There should be no obligation to donate, but a tin should be available for those who wish to do so. I know I'd feel bad about taking off the table if I had nothing to contribute to it, and I'd happily put something into a charity tin as an altruistic gesture in keeping with the ethos of the scratch table.

Should alternative catering be available eg massive BBQ?
- again, I think we need to respect the fact that the pub is serving food. They need that trade in order to make it worth their while hosting the event. I feel that the roadkill cookout already does plenty enough without adding a massive BBQ. Leave as is.


My own suggestions:

Many people found the timetable of events were too thinly spread out. The venue doesn't really allow many other places where these could be placed, so how about having an A4 photocopy available from some of the traders - or maybe left on the scratch table? I put my own name forward for arranging, artworking and financing this.

Assuming bad weather: I have access to a large number of pallets, but not to a van. If someone can pick these up from Cambridge we could use them to keep access ways and traders stands mud-free and they can be chucked on the bonfire at the end of the meeting.

Stand-pipe.
I felt this was hard for people to find and the access was not brilliant. The floor was constantly wet and I'm amazed the washing machine didn't get short-circuited given the amount of water poured on it. I'd suggest that a longer piece of pipe and perhaps a sign "water point in here" is all that would be needed.