# When is MREXCEL coming to England?



## Gettingbetter (Jul 25, 2007)

Like many others, I always check on Upcoming Seminars with the hope that MrExcel will be coming to a town near me. However living in Manchester in rainy England its more wishful thinking than anything else.

You can tell by the flags that there are loads of Brits (or limeys as I believe you refer to us) on the board and im sure you would easily sell out any you book.

Come on Bill, get yourself across the pond and do a Seminar over here!


----------



## Darren Bartrup (Jul 25, 2007)

I second that, but can you come to the south east please (I hear Suffolk's nice).

You wouldn't want to go as far north as Manchester.  
It's cold and wet up there


----------



## Thorin (Jul 25, 2007)

Its cold and wet everywhere in England at the moment !!


----------



## SydneyGeek (Jul 25, 2007)

Yeah ... anyone got their snorkels and flippers out? It's not looking pretty from here.

Denis


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 25, 2007)

Hey gang,

I would LOVE to come to England for a couple of seminars.

My secret here in the United States is to find a local chapter of the accountancy society to sponsor the visit. They do the advertising to their members and arrange for a conference room. Here in the U.S., the chartered accountants have to have 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years to keep their licensure, and another role of the local accountancy group is that they have the authority to issue the continuing education certificates for the seminar.

So - do any of you know if there is a group similar to the Institute of Managerial Accountants or the Institute of Internal Auditors with local chapters in the large cities? By any chance, are any of you members of one of these?

Bill


----------



## Thorin (Jul 25, 2007)

There are a number of accountancy bodies in the UK, and they are all pushing CPD (Continuous Professional Development) which accountants are expected to keep up to date.

As I said there are quite a few of them, but these are the most popular ones :-

http://www.cipfa.org.uk/
http://www.cimaglobal.com/cps/rde/xchg/live/root.xsl/index.htm
http://www.accaglobal.com/
http://www.aat.co.uk/

They do run various courses/seminars to help with the development.


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 26, 2007)

I'd be up for this, definitely if it comes off

Would have to travel down from Yorkshire tho


----------



## Domski (Jul 26, 2007)

Does that mean you've got to be an accountant to attend then? Rules me out.

Dom


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 26, 2007)

You definitely don't have to be an accountant. Everyone who uses Excel would love the seminar.

Help me out with geography. If I were try to book 3 seminars, back-to-back-to-back. Say that I would fly from Cleveland to London Gatwick on a Monday. Do a seminar in London on Tuesday. Which other cities could I consider for Wednesday and Thursday that would be a short airline flight? 

Edit: I just thought to check Google Analytics. They say that in the UK, the most traffic at MrExcel comes from:
London 33.1%
Birmingham 4.5%
Manchester 4.3%
Thames Ditton 3.5%
Brentford 3.3%
Edinburgh 2.1%
Poplar 2.0%
Milton Keynes 1.6%
Reading 1.4%
Bletchley 1.2%
Sheffield 1.1%
Cambridge 0.9%
Watford 0.8%
Swindon 0.8%
Leeds 0.8%
Bristol 0.7%
Gloucester 0.6%
Glasgow 0.6%
Croydon 0.6%
The list goes on for another 400 cities...


Bill


----------



## Richard Schollar (Jul 26, 2007)

Bill

Birmingham and Manchester are your best bets - they are both major metropolitan areas with significant economic activity to generate the required interest in the seminar.  However, I suspect you may well end up being best advised to hold two seminars in London itself.  It dwarfs the rest of the country in terms of both GDP generation and Financial Services business concentration (who will make great use of Excel).  It's bigger than both Birmingham (the UK's second city) and Manchester put together.  I would then go with Manchester for your third seminar (it's further away than Birmingham and yet accessible from Liverpool, Leeds and other metropolitan areas).


----------



## njimack (Jul 26, 2007)

That list of 'cities' looks a bit suspect - Poplar is an area of East London, Croydon is South-East London, and I've never heard of Thames Ditton!


----------



## Norie (Jul 26, 2007)

Neil

You've never heard of the pleasure-seeker's paradise that is Thames Ditton?


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 26, 2007)

Some of those cities through me for a loop as well, until I realized that they were villages outside of London.

So maybe London -- Manchester -- Birmingham -- London in one week would be an interesting set of dates. 

How about dates? In the US. the fourth week of November is bad, because everyone gets Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving. How is November 19-23?

Then, December is mostly wide open, since no one wants to compete with holiday parties. 

The seminars tend to track a lot of accountants. The first weeks of January are bad because the corporate accountants are closing the books. After than, the chartered accountants are in tax season and won't come out from February 1 through April 15.

Our spring holiday in March 23-March 28. This is deep in the heart of tax season here, and half of the attendees would be out of town.

What is the situation with date in England? 

Bill


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 27, 2007)

You could possibly add Leeds into the list of cities too?

60 miles between Leeds & Manchester ?


----------



## Richard Schollar (Jul 27, 2007)

Bill

Dates wise November is a good time - focusing on situations with accountants, many companies have 31st December year ends hence any time from January thru to March is probably out of the question.  The tax year end is 5th April so April is out too (many companies also have 31st March year ends).  Personal tax deadline is 31st January so many  small business/personal accountants will be thoroughly busy in January additionally.

All said and done, November 19-23 is a relatively quiet time and doesn't interfere with, say, month end reporting.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 27, 2007)

Er, how about Leeds?


----------



## Lewiy (Jul 27, 2007)

Nothing in the South/South West then??  Everyone always forgets us down here!  How about Bournemouth or Southampton?


----------



## Domski (Jul 27, 2007)

> How about Bournemouth or Southampton?



Bournemouth gets my vote if Leeds is off the cards, any excuse for a weekend away.


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 27, 2007)

Let me see if I can find if one of those accounting groups would like to sponsor the seminars.

Does anyone watching this happen to belong to one of the organizations listed in the earlier post?


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 27, 2007)

OK - let me show my complete lack of knowledge about England.

There are inexpensive flights to London landing on Sunday November 18, returning Friday November 23. They are inexpensive enough that I could bring my wife and 2 boys along for the trip.

Is there some rational "driving tour" where I could do a seminar each morning, then get in a car and drive to the next city. How long of a drive from London to Manchester or Leeds? Manchester or Leeds to Birmingham? Birmingham to Southhampton? Southhampton back to London?  Or maybe on Sunday I would fly to Manchester, then drive to Birmingham Monday afternoon, drive to Southhampton Tuesday afternoon, then to London. Let me know what makes sense...

Bill


----------



## Lewiy (Jul 27, 2007)

London to Manchester would take 3.5-4.5 hours to drive, particular location and traffic depending.  Birmingham would be on the way.  Might then be sensible to fly back down to Southampton which is then 1.5 hours drive back to London.


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 27, 2007)

I just checked out the courses offered by CIPFA and CimaGlobal. Wow. They seem really expensive. GBP 350 for one day. 

Here, people usually pay $75 to $125 for a morning seminar.

What is your opinion? If I were to simply try to rent a conference room and offer a 3 hour seminar each morning, what would be a fair price? This assumes you don't get a book nor CPE credits. If I could assume four cities x 20 people per city, it would not take a lot to cover airfare, car and hotel.


----------



## Thorin (Jul 27, 2007)

Remember the exchange rate is approx £1 - $2, so your upper price of $125 = £250.

Having googled a few courses £250 looks a little expensive, the usual prices seem to range from £150 - £190. Not too far off the mark from your US prices.


----------



## Lewiy (Jul 27, 2007)

Thorin, you’ve gone the wrong way, $125.00 would be approx. £62.50


----------



## starl (Jul 27, 2007)

http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi
Lewiy is right.

doggone, Bill, I was hoping you'd take me along!!! 

oh well, someone's gotta keep an eye on things here I suppose


----------



## Richard Schollar (Jul 27, 2007)

Bill

If you stop overnight in Southampton you and your family would be welcome to stay with me & my family - we only live 3 miles from Southampton Airport.   Hopefully that would make the trip more affordable for you since then you won't get hit with a night's hotel bill.

I'm a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) one of the governing bodies of accountants in the UK.  I have had almost nothing to do with them in the past (apart from paying their membership fees annually, of course!), but if you would like I don't mind approaching them on your behalf.  Please let me know if interested.

From the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) angle, I'm not sure that you necessarily need sponsorship/accreditation (by my Institute certainly) for it to account - this is something else I will try and look in to.

Richard


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 27, 2007)

Interestingly, if I would fly USA to Manchester, then return from London to USA, the flights are even less expensive.

So, this would seem to point to something like:
Manchester on Monday 19-Nov
Birmingham on Tuesday
Long drive to Southhampton for Wednesday
London on Thursday
Fly home on Friday

Richard - thanks for the generous offer of lodging.

My QUE books are published by Pearson. They are headquartered in the U.K. My contacts there are checking on the continuing education credits. Richard - if you find out anything on these, please let me know. 

If Pearson gets involved, then my guess is we would include the pivot table book from Pearson and shoot for the GBP 65-70 range.

How about weather? Any worries of snowfall or blizzards up north in late November?

And...for the family. Any suggestions on sightseeing in Manchester, Birmingham, Southhampton? I have an older athletic teen who loves rock and roll and a younger teen who is a Harry Potter fan. Any ManU matches in November?


----------



## Gettingbetter (Jul 29, 2007)

Hi Bill,

When I started this post I didn't think you would be willing to come across, I am so glad you are.

Im in India at the moment on holiday, so havent had a chance to reply.

You should definatly do Manchester (London is obviously a given), when I get back in three weeks, if you haven't been able to sort a place out here I can do it for you (the people from Leeds im sure would be happy to do the 50 min drive, since your doing the 5 hour flight  )

I don't work for an accountancy but I have worked for a few Stockbrokers in and around Mancehester and there big on CPD and I know they would jump all over this.


----------



## Lewiy (Jul 30, 2007)

Manchester United Premier League fixtures in November:
Nov 3rd: Away at Arsenal (London)
Nov 10th: Home to Blackburn
Nov 24th: Away at Bolton


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 30, 2007)

> > How about Bournemouth or Southampton?
> 
> 
> 
> Bournemouth gets my vote if Leeds is off the cards, any excuse for a weekend away.



Dom, we could get the train down to Kings Cross & poss travel with a few others from our neck of the woods?


----------



## Domski (Jul 30, 2007)

> Dom, we could get the train down to Kings Cross & poss travel with a few others from our neck of the woods?



Sounds like a reasonable plan. All depends on whether work would pay for it, in which case I'd probably have to go to Manchester.


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 30, 2007)

> You should definatly do Manchester (London is obviously a given), when I get back in three weeks, if you haven't been able to sort a place out here I can do it for you (the people from Leeds im sure would be happy to do the 50 min drive, since your doing the 5 hour flight  )



I have a friend who lives in Poynton (Stockport) - I'm sure i could extend my stay with them for an extra day & attend the Manchester Seminar

Will be keeping my eyes on this thread


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 30, 2007)

> > Dom, we could get the train down to Kings Cross & poss travel with a few others from our neck of the woods?
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like a reasonable plan. All depends on whether work would pay for it, in which case I'd probably have to go to Manchester.



Dom - see my post below, i'm sure my friend wouldn't mind putting an extra person up for the weekend

They run a pub by the way........


----------



## Domski (Jul 30, 2007)

> They run a pub by the way........



It just gets better!!!!!


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 30, 2007)

> > They run a pub by the way........
> 
> 
> 
> It just gets better!!!!!


----------



## MrExcel (Jul 31, 2007)

As an update, we are all pretty stoked about coming to England for a week. 

I checked with some folks at Pearson in the U.S. and they said I should hear from someone at Pearson in the U.K. straightaway about helping to organize the trip. (Pearson is the parent company of QUE, publisher of the Pivot Table Data Crunching, VBA & Macros, and other books). I should get some details in a couple of days. If this falls through, then I'll probably enlist GettingBetter and anyone else in each city who can recommend a venue - perhaps a hotel with a conference room where we can stay and have the seminar.

RichardSchollar - we'll have a big crew with us, so thanks for the offer of a place to stay, but we'll probably get a couple of hotel rooms at each point along the way. 

I've penciled these dates in:
19 November - Manchester
20 November - Birmingham
21 November - Southampton
22 November - London
I'm thinking about a seminar from 8:30 AM to around noon. We could then join the MrExcel members for lunch, and drive to the next city where we could perhaps meet up at the pub the evening before.

How about car rental in the U.K.? I am looking for a 7-passenger van for a week. I usually go with Budget Car Rental, but they are saying no vans from Manchester to London. After bouncing around on Google, I found a company 1st-ukkcarrentals.com that seems to be an agent for EuropCar who has a van for the week. Have you heard of this company? Are they reputable?


----------



## Gettingbetter (Jul 31, 2007)

Hi Bill,
Not sure if this picture will show (pasted bmp), but I have just got a quote for a 7 seater minibus.

The site is
http://1stforminibushire.com/vendor.html
Is this the site you mean by 1st Uk if so, I have used these before with no issues.

quotes
Ford Galaxy or similar, 5 days, 7 seater, $786.60
or
Toyota Previa Automatic or similar, 5 days, 7 seater, $878.67 

This was done for pickup Manchester Airport Sun 18th, drop off London Heathrow Airport Friday the 23rd.

If you do have problems with QUE, I will definatly be able to arrange Manchester and London, but will probably need some help with Birmingham and Southhampton, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

Cheers
Paul (gettingbetter)


----------



## Darren Bartrup (Jul 31, 2007)

8:30am????  8:30am!!!!

Think I heard about that time once.  I always thought it was a myth made up by my boss to scare me though.  So you mean it really exists????  Oh my god!

You just gotta love flexible working hours


----------



## MarkAndrews (Jul 31, 2007)

What are the costs going to be with this?

As i'll mention it to the boss & test the water, to see if the company are willing to pay, if not i'm not bothered, i'll shell out for it


----------



## jocko (Aug 1, 2007)

Hi all

Sorry, I know I'm probably a bit late for this, but surely there should be at least one seminar in beautiful Scotland.


----------



## Lewiy (Aug 1, 2007)

> What are the costs going to be with this?
> 
> As i'll mention it to the boss & test the water, to see if the company are willing to pay, if not i'm not bothered, i'll shell out for it



I'll second this request.  My boss seems rather excited by this, but the first question is "How much will it cost?".

Also, when are we likely to have confirmation of the dates and ability to book?


----------



## The Horse (Aug 8, 2007)

Just to add that if you're thinking of coming to "english-speaking" Europe Bill, I think you'd find a number of us in Ireland would be very interested in a seminar - Dublin of course !


----------



## GorD (Aug 10, 2007)

Is this going ahead - when does it become official. I'd probably be prepared to travel ( and I can't see my working paying)


----------



## MarkAndrews (Aug 16, 2007)

Is there an update for this?

My boss is keen on the idea.......  

Thanks


----------



## Jimmy_L (Aug 16, 2007)

This sounds amazing, would love to join the london seminar....
Any news on whether this is definate/how to book?
Thanks


----------



## MrExcel (Aug 16, 2007)

For the four cities, I am looking for a suggestion about a venue. Typically, a hotel with a conference room that can hold 50-75 people would be fine. Perhaps smaller in Southampton, larger in London.  For Manchester, if we could suggest something on the Leeds side of the city, that would help people who might be coming in from Leeds.


----------



## Jimmy_L (Aug 16, 2007)

London - http://www.conferences-uk.org.uk/conference_venues_uk.asp?venue=Novotel London Euston - good versatile venue with great access for travel by train (nearly everyone coming in to London by train will come to euston or kings cross - both within walking distance!!)


----------



## Richard Schollar (Aug 16, 2007)

Bill

Southampton wise:

http://www.hilton.co.uk/southampton

Meeting rooms for 2-200.

or at the more expensive end:

http://www.devere.co.uk/heritage/Grand-Harbour/

rooms up to 500 people.


----------



## MrExcel (Aug 16, 2007)

Alright then, enquiries have been sent to the Novotel in London and the Hilton in Southampton.


----------



## Norie (Aug 16, 2007)

What about Scotland?

If you are going as far north as Leeds it should only be a quick journey to Edinburgh/Glasgow.

And you'd probably get quite a few takers for this sort of course - currently some of Scotland's biggest industries are finance and customer service.

Both of which use Excel extensively.

PS How about Ireland/Wales?

Heck, why not make it a world tour?


----------



## MrExcel (Aug 17, 2007)

Hi Norie,

I think that Scotland and Ireland are going to have to wait until 2008. Flying in on Sunday, doing 4 seminars and then flying out on Friday is already a fairly busy schedule.

For reference, though: how long is the drive from Manchester to Edinburgh or Glasgow? And for Dublin, is the common route to take a ferry from Holyhead?

Bill


----------



## Lewiy (Aug 17, 2007)

Manchester to either Edinburgh or Glasgow will take you about 4 hours to drive (they're about the same distance from Manchester).

Edinburgh & Glasgow themselves are roughly an hour apart.


----------



## MarkAndrews (Aug 17, 2007)

Hi Bill

Is there any early indication of cost for this? or will you know better once a venue has been selected for Manchester?

Thanks


----------



## MrExcel (Aug 17, 2007)

My goal is to keep it under 50 quid for the seminar and a book.

I still don't have quotes from the two hotels that I checked. I also have not figured out how or who can offer Continuing Education credit hours. One thing that seems strange is the higher price of seminars with CEU hours in the U.K. Here in Ohio, we just sign up with the state CPA and start printing certificates so it is basically free, other than the potential cost of record keeping. If there is actually a fee in the UK to have the hours issued, then that would muddy the waters a bit.

Novotel in London has no availability. Checking others.


----------



## The Horse (Aug 17, 2007)

Bill - flying to Dublin from most major cities in Britain is easy and cheap (especially using Ryanair).


----------



## Richard Schollar (Aug 17, 2007)

> I also have not figured out how or who can offer Continuing Education credit hours. One thing that seems strange is the higher price of seminars with CEU hours in the U.K. Here in Ohio, we just sign up with the state CPA and start printing certificates so it is basically free, other than the potential cost of record keeping. If there is actually a fee in the UK to have the hours issued, then that would muddy the waters a bit.



Bill

In respect of the accounting body to which I belong, the CPD is relatively informal - you don't get issued with certificates detailing points earned, you simply make a declaration each year confirming essentially that you have complied with the CPD requirements (ie completed a certain number of hours of training during the year).  What exact format this training takes is not specified (ie there is an awful lot of scope as to what can qualify).

More details on this here:

http://cpd.icaew.co.uk/employers/

Therefore, when i come to make my declaration for this year, I would be able to claim quite correctly to have completed a proportion of my training by attending your seminar.

I will admit I have no idea if this applies to the other accounting bodies, but I would think a goodly proportion of your attendees will be from the ICAEW.

Richard


----------



## Neilya (Aug 19, 2007)

Bill,

when you come to Engalnd how will it be advertised and when can we book as I believe that this will be over-subscribed instantly.
PS Southampton will be good for me

Neilya


----------



## MrExcel (Aug 21, 2007)

I'll probably have registrations in the online shopping cart here at the site.

I found a service in the U.K. who works booking conference rooms at various hotels. They are working on finding venues with availability in the four cities now.

More details as I get them...


----------



## WillR (Aug 29, 2007)

*Birmingham*

Yep,

Whether I come to the seminar or not, I'll certainly be around for a "night before" few beers. Richie Sills is still around in Birmingham too (Richie(UK)) - we can rustle a few people up for sure.

Funny thing is me and Rich used to post here & Oz without realising for ages that we worked around 100yds from eachother  Now we have a beer or 2 every now & then...

Look forward to it.

When you get the hotel list, run it past this thread as we can give you the low down on if the suggested hotels are any good. I have stayed in prety much all the central Birmingham ones over the years - some are way better than others, but if anyone mentions the Brittannia, ignore them as it sucks big time


----------



## MrExcel (Sep 5, 2007)

OK. I must be completely naive.

The first hotel came back, offering a room, plus unlimited tea and lunch.... for GBP 45 per person!  This seems very high.

Then, I checked with Regus.com and they want USD 1000 for a room for 3.5 hours, and the room only seats 20. That works out to $50 per person - about GBP 30 each. 

Any ideas on out-of-the-ordinary locations? Do you know of any computer user groups that meet in a library or anything?


----------



## WillR (Sep 6, 2007)

Bill,

Try the Universities - they are usually more reasonable - there are 2 in Birmingham, of which Aston is probably better located being nearer the city centre... 

some links

http://www.aston.ac.uk/lis/aboutlibrary/iss/isshirecharges.jsp
http://www.abs.aston.ac.uk/newweb/research/amirs/doc.asp?iPage=97&Marker=on
http://www.britinfo.net/T/1124702.htm


----------



## Domski (Sep 6, 2007)

Hi,

The exchange rate at the moment is always going to be harsh for you guys coming this way over the big pond.

You could also try the local councils. I know Leeds City Council offer some pretty good conference facilities so am sure the others must provide a similar service. Whether they'd be any more reasonable I'm not sure.

Edit:

Full day rate is about £55 from what I gather typically including:

Main meeting room hire with complimentary use of equipment, unlimited tea/coffee servings, including Fair Trade, available throughout the day with energizer snacks, 2-course carvery lunch, fruit cordials, mineral water and mints, complimentary flipchart, pad, pens and pencils, group syndicate room (1 room per 10 delegates), support of Professional Business Centre.

Looks like what you've been quoted is about standard.

Dom


----------



## MarkAndrews (Sep 13, 2007)

Any further updates on this?


----------



## Domski (Sep 19, 2007)

It has gone rather quiet.


----------



## goldenvision (Sep 25, 2007)

I take it this idea is dead in the water now


----------



## starl (Sep 25, 2007)

Bill's *really* busy right now - take a look at his schedule on the main site page and you'll see he's training like there's no tomorrow. I've sent him a little note - if he has time, i'm sure he'll come update you guys.


----------



## MarkAndrews (Sep 26, 2007)

> Bill's *really* busy right now - take a look at his schedule on the main site page and you'll see he's training like there's no tomorrow. I've sent him a little note - if he has time, i'm sure he'll come update you guys.


----------



## goldenvision (Sep 27, 2007)

Good Stuff.  At least he knows he's not going to have a problem filling places!!
 :wink:


----------



## arclite (Oct 6, 2007)

*Seminar in Manchester -We are definately ready!*

The brand new Manchester Hilton hotel -see all of Manchester more vividly than by Google Earth (tm).

Manchester's international airport, geographically central to the UK with high speed tech friendly trains to the North (Carlisle) and South (London) and beyond; see where the need for Excel originated!!! 

You are in the heart of the original industrial revolution; the first ever railway station (now a living museum); the birthplace of standardised metal fixings; the discovery of the atom (and for the first time a technically verifiable calculation of the age of the Earth); the first programmable computer with memory; the first computer bug (with 6 legs)! 

In earnest, your visit will be most welcome, your stay most memorable.


----------



## MrExcel (Oct 11, 2007)

Here is what I've found... the folks at Pearson UK have found venues in Manchester and Southampton that are fairly reasonable.

In Manchester, these are about 250-300 quid for a half day:
1) Novotel Manchester West - 25 minutes from Manchester - seats up to 65
2) Menzies Pinewood Hotel - 4.5 miles from Manchester; seats 80
3) University of Manchester - 15 minutes from Manchester; seats up to 200

In Southampton, Botleigh Grange Hotel and Conference Centre - seats 90.

The only venue they found in Birmingham is 1200 quid and the London venues are all incredibly expensive. Further, I understand that Damon Longworth and most of the British MVP's will be in Oxford the week following my dates. I can't join up with Damon, since I am booked in the US that next week.

So - it would still be cool to come across for a few days to do Manchester and Southampton. Any feedback on the Manchester locations?


----------



## MarkAndrews (Oct 12, 2007)

> Here is what I've found... the folks at Pearson UK have found venues in Manchester and Southampton that are fairly reasonable.
> 
> In Manchester, these are about 250-300 quid for a half day:
> 1) Novotel Manchester West - 25 minutes from Manchester - seats up to 65
> ...



Any of the manchester venue's are OK for me, Manchester is approx 60 miles in the car, however I have friends who live 10 miles from the centre so i can crash with them

What dates are you thinking about?


----------



## MrExcel (Oct 12, 2007)

Monday 19 November in Manchester
Wednesday 21 November in Southampton.

As soon as Pearson secures the rooms, I will buy airline tickets. Then, I can start advertising and selling seminar registrations at the shopping cart.

I hope to hear from Pearson early next week.


----------



## MrExcel (Oct 16, 2007)

We are on! I have booked airline tickets and Pearson has reserved the venues:

Monday, 19 November 2007 in Manchester:
http://www.mrexcel.com/manchester.html

Wednesday 21 November 2007 in Southampton:
http://www.mrexcel.com/southampton.html

Thanks for suggesting the trip!


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 16, 2007)

That's great news Bill - I've just signed up for the Southampton seminar!  I look forward to seeing you


----------



## Patience (Oct 17, 2007)

I am seriously planning on going to. Would love to... Will be at Southampton if I can! Yay!!!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm in


----------



## goldenvision (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm in for manchester


----------



## Russ At Index (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi Guys,

Have booked Southampton   

As i am travelling from Northamptonshire , i am
looking to stay overnight in the Southampton area
on the Tuesday night.....................

Anyone recommend a decent (ish) hotel ?

See you in November 

Russ


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 17, 2007)

Russ

The Botley Grange itself is OK - be very easy commute for you in the morning to (ie all of about 20 yards!).


----------



## Mel Smith (Oct 17, 2007)

Bill, 

I was delighted to see that you're coming over and I look forward to seeing you in Southampton.  As Richard said previously, London, Birmingham and Manchester would probably the best bets.  How did Southampton get in....

Mel


----------



## MrExcel (Oct 17, 2007)

Right now, Southampton has the most registrations so it seems to be a good choice!

I wanted to get to Birmingham and London, but I could not find an available hotel conference room that didn't cost a fortune.

I have some show posters printed up to advertise various seminars. Since most of my U.S. seminars are sponsored by the local accounting group, they display a poster at the meeting, at the local university's accounting department, and then in the break room of the 2 or 3 big companies in town. If you have a break room where you could hang a poster for Southampton or Manchester, drop Lora a note (Lora at MrExcel.com) and we can ship you a poster or two next week.


----------



## Russ At Index (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi 

If you are travelling , like myself , here are a few ideas for
overnighting on the 20th.

Botleigh Grange can do £95B&B for night of 20th November.

Botley Park (Macdonalds Hotel) nearby cheapest I can get is £82B&B through Superbreaks.

Express by Holiday Inn Southampton again near Junction 7 of M27 £59

Personally i think i will go with the Botleigh option, i know it a bit
pricey, but at least you can be guarenteed a stress free commute
to the seminar ! As Richard says in his earlier post, it is at least
20yds from the seminar !

Trust you find the info of use

Russ


----------



## Lewiy (Oct 17, 2007)

> ~Lewiy
> Nothing in the South/South West then?? Everyone always forgets us down here! How about Bournemouth or Southampton?





> ~Bill
> Right now, Southampton has the most registrations so it seems to be a good choice!



You are quite welcome Bill!  

I’m still trying to coerce the boss into paying for me so I have my fingers crossed rather tightly right now!!


----------



## Domski (Oct 17, 2007)

Work have agreed to pay for 3 of us to attend Manchester. Can't book until Friday but will keep fingers crossed there's still places left.

Laters,

Dom


----------



## Derek Brown (Oct 17, 2007)

I think that Hedge End is a good choice of location in the Southampton area but, be warned, if you are travelling on the day allow for traffic delays.
There can easily be delays on the M27 East bound route from Junction 1 to Junction 9 (Hedge End is Junction 7) but the M27 West bound route (from Junction 9 to Junction 4 (M3)) is usually much worse - most days it looks just like a "car park".
I will be travelling the M3/M27 from Basingstoke and will be allowing around 90 minutes for my journey instead of my 'best time' to work (2 junctions further down the M27) of 40 minutes!


----------



## Patience (Oct 18, 2007)

MrExcel - are places filling really fast for Southampton? I was going to book yesterday but my boss says now work might pay, which is great, but it has to 'go to the board' for the final decision. Am I likely to be ok if I book early next week? I will be so mad if I miss out!


----------



## MarkAndrews (Oct 19, 2007)

> Work have agreed to pay for 3 of us to attend Manchester. Can't book until Friday but will keep fingers crossed there's still places left.
> 
> Laters,
> 
> Dom



My company wont pay for it, nor let me have the time off

However, I think i'll book the day off and pay for it myself, too good an opportunity to miss!


----------



## Domski (Oct 19, 2007)

> it has to 'go to the board' for the final decision



Things must move slow in your company if it goes to the board for a decision on whether to spend £50 or not!!!


----------



## Gettingbetter (Oct 22, 2007)

Hi All,

Just got my ticket for Manchester, I will be emailing a few of the companies I have worked for in Manchester who have been asking me for ages to find a good Excel course, so hopefully Manchester will fill up fairly quickly (No posters needed Bill).

But down to the important part, if anyone fancies a pint on the Sunday night, I suggeset 'The Shambles', its two very old pubs right in Manchester town centre, my preferred fave is the Oyster Bar but both are good, (see email link below).
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/mancunian/expats/s/87/87111_the_great_survivors_.html
Theres alot of History in these pubs (and the beer is nice to :wink: )

Cheers
GB


----------



## DiscoPistol (Oct 25, 2007)

This might be a long shot but is anyone travelling to Southampton from Devon on the 20th?

I could do with someone to share the cost and keep feeding me caffeine.......  

DP


----------



## MrExcel (Oct 26, 2007)

Just an update - there are still plenty of spots left in both Manchester and Southampton. I actually don't expect that we would sell out - either room accomodates 70 people and a typical seminar has 30-50 people.

If I see it is getting close,  I will be sure to post a "last call" here. 

For Manchester on Sunday, I would definitely be interested in getting together for a pint. Same for Southampton on Tuesday night.

Cheers,


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 26, 2007)

I'm definitely up for a meet Tuesday night in Southampton - Bill if you're staying at Botley Grange then it is actually quite a bit outside of Southampton, but it is near to a couple of good pubs.  I'm pretty sure Jon von der Heyden would be up for a drink as well.  If you fancy a curry, I know a good Indian close to the Grange?


----------



## Patience (Oct 29, 2007)

Thanks for the update!

I would be up for that too, Richard. Now just to prise the credit card from the clutches of our accounts dept! I preety much will be going, its just a case of chivying up the people that pay!


----------



## MrExcel (Nov 17, 2007)

It is Saturday morning here and we will leave for Manchester this afternoon, arriving Sunday morning. 

Is anyone planning on meeting up at the Oyster House on Sunday night in Manchester? How does 8PM sound?

Richard - can you suggest a pub near the Botleigh Grange in Southampton for Tuesday night? We are driving in from Gloucester on Tuesday, so again, would perhaps 8PM work?


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 17, 2007)

OK pub near Botleigh Grange:

The Brewery Bar in Botley - it's about a mile from Botleigh Grange Hotel.  Full address is (to facilitate GoogleMaps search:

10 Winchester Street
Botley
Southampton
SO30 2AA

It has a decent amount of parking.  8pm sounds ideal to me.  I know Patience, RussAtIndex and Jon von der Heyden are all coming along for a drink, let's hope a few more do too!


----------



## Russ At Index (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi,Bill,Richard, Patience & John.

Welcome to England Bill & family, i trust our world famous
weather has not dampened your spirits !

8pm Brewery Bar it is then , Richard, do we need to book at the Indian ?

If anyone fancies a beer before 8 at Botleigh Grange plse let
me know !

Enjoy the rest of the weekend

Russ


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 18, 2007)

Russ

I'm assuming that since it is a Tuesday we won't need to book, however, since we will be rolling along at approx 9pm, I'm thinking I will go ahead and book a table (if I book one for 4 I think that will be OK - as long as they know a few customers will be turning up at that late hour, I dont think it will matter if it turns out there are a few more than 4).  I would have turned up earlier but I am collecting Patience from the train station at 7:35.  I will be driving so I'm happy to pick you up if required (eg from your hotel)?


----------



## Gettingbetter (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi Bill,

Welcome to England,

Hope your enjoying the Christmas Markets (Manchester is full of them   )

See you in the Oyster Bar at Eight,


----------



## MrExcel (Nov 18, 2007)

We are having a great time seeing the sights. 

Sunday night - Oyster Bar - 8PM
Tuesday night - Indian - 8PM
Sounds excellent!

Bill


----------



## Gettingbetter (Nov 18, 2007)

Oyster bar has shut at 7:30 for some unknown reason. O   ops

If you get this I think we should meet downstairs in 'Waxy O'Connors' which is in the Pintworks (around the corner from the pub).

Sorry everyone


----------



## Patience (Nov 19, 2007)

I look forward to meeting you all tomorrow night!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Nov 19, 2007)

Me toooo!    

This is gonna be fun!!!


----------



## Russ At Index (Nov 19, 2007)

Me too too !  

Especially now all that white fluffy stuff has disappeared !

It might look great on Xmas cards, and be super fun for the 
11 year old daughter, but not the sort of stuff i need to be driving
in tomorrow !

Russ


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 19, 2007)

Apparently there's an Eat-as-much-as-you-like buffet at the Indian on Tuesday night for £12.95.  I like the sound of that!


----------



## Russ At Index (Nov 19, 2007)

Hi Richard,

All you can eat hey ............... 

And at a bargin price , well done , you deserve a beer !

Did you book a table ?

Russ


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 19, 2007)

Table booked for 9pm!  Buffet here we come!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Nov 19, 2007)

Oh dear, all-you-can-eat!  Rich, you had better allow us a head start!


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 21, 2007)

THANKS BILL!!!!

For the fantastic seminar 

I think it's fair to say we all had an amazingly useful time and that you should schedule your next return trip to England soon!


----------



## Mel Smith (Nov 21, 2007)

Thanks Bill,

What a great (half) day!  Many thanks and here's to the next one!

It was good to put faces to names, too and our couple of pints with Richard, Jon, Bryony and Russ needs to be repeated as well....

Mel Smith


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Nov 21, 2007)

Here here!!!


----------



## Russ At Index (Nov 21, 2007)

Hi Bill,

Where to start ..........

A great seminar, informative & enjoyable, i am  sure all attendees would agree.

Thanks to Botleigh Grange for making us most welcome. 

Thanks to Richard, John, Mel & Bryony for a fun evening on Tuesday.

This must be repeated !

Trust everyone got home safely  

Russ

p.s if you REALLY want to get to know Excel 2007, visit Bill's Excel Store & 
buy a copy of the Advanced 2007 DVD. It is great value for money.

pps, no i am not on a commission !

R


----------



## Derek Brown (Nov 21, 2007)

What an absolutely great day this has been - thanks Bill for coming to the UK and presenting such a fantastic seminar.
I too will be looking forward to a return visit.
(Note: Username changed from d3p2j5b as suggested - even I had difficulty remembering it!)


----------



## SydneyGeek (Nov 21, 2007)

Sounds like a great time was had by all. 

Any chance of switching hemispheres and doing a seminar or two in Oz / NZ?

Denis


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 22, 2007)

Denis

I think Australia is something Bill definitely wants to do - he hinted as much yesterday.  I think he'd probably be guaranteed better weather Down-Under too


----------



## Richard Schollar (Nov 22, 2007)

Derek (Del?) - good to see the name change!  I can pronounce your new handle!


----------



## DiscoPistol (Nov 22, 2007)

I too would like to thank Bill for an excellent Seminar.

One thing though. If you ever come back to the UK for the love of God please come closer to Devon........  

Dave


----------



## Patience (Nov 22, 2007)

I had such a great time - if only for discovering Text to Speech! However it was so much more - the beer and curry evening was lovely, the company was fantastic, AND the seminar was possibly the best use of £50 trining/career development ever!

Thanks Bill.


----------



## Gettingbetter (Nov 23, 2007)

I started this thread all those months ago, so I thought I would finnish it.

Thanks Bill for a great seminar (I also look forward to your return visit   ) Hope your family had a good time in jolly ole England.

On a lighter note, I think you should end your seminars with;


> difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas



Im sure your son can translate it for you  :wink: 

Cheers
Paul
GettingBetter


----------



## MrExcel (Nov 27, 2007)

I want to thank everyone who came to the seminar and those who encouraged me to come over to the UK.

It was excellent meeting a lot of people from MrExcel! It was particularly fascinating, particularly in Manchester of the number of people attending who have never posted at the board but who regularly use the board to find answers. That was a bit surprising to me.

GettingBetter tried to arrange a meet-up on Sunday night, but the pubs closed early. On Tuesday, a great group hosted me for Curry and a pint. I really appreciate your hospitaility.

We arrived home safely on Friday evening. Along the way, we were able to see many cool things, including:
The canals & locks in Manchester
The Roman fort in Manchester
A castle in Wincombe
The Gloucester Cathedral (where they filmed some of Harry Potter)
Stonehenge
Winchester (King Arthur's round table and the cathedral)
From Southhampton, we drove east along the coast and then up to Gatwick.
In London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Double Decker Bus Tour, British National Galleries (amazing collection). Numerous pubs.
The family was duly impressed and had a great time.

I will post some pictures at the photo album page later today.

I also had a chance to meet with folks from Pearson. They are adding three of my books to the Brilliant series - watch for those on December 5th in bookstores throughout the UK. I hope to have some sort of a free gift with purchase of those new additions to the series.

To follow up on some plans that we discussed at the seminars: I plan on upgrading the MrExcel server in 1-2 weeks and also Suat is working on the conversion to VBulletin. This should alleviate some of the slowdowns once the US shows up for work.

Thanks again for the suggestion!

Bill


----------

