FAS Autumn Convention - National Space Centre in Leicester on Saturday 13 Nov

[AndrewRamsay]

FAS Autumn convention at the National Space Centre in Leicester on Saturday 13 November

OAS Members are urged to book now.  Tickets can be booked through our EventBrite page here:
https://fasautumnconvention.eventbrite.co.uk

The tickets are just £10 for adults. Under-16s (£5) must be accompanied by an adult.
Family tickets are £20. Please write to meetings@fedastro.org.uk regarding family tickets. We will need to know the names of all attendees, and which are children.

These prices are for members of FAS affiliated organisations. Public tickets also available at £15 / £7.50 / £30.

For FAS member societies, here is the Promo Code to enter at the top of the page so that you can obtain tickets at the reduced rate: 2021FASSOCMember

You will need to select the type of ticket, enter the names for each attendee, your society name*, and select a sandwich type if you wish to take up that option.

* So that this can be included on your name badge which will be given to you on arrival.

Doors will open at 9:15am and the event will run from 10:15am to about 4:15pm, giving visitors some time afterwards to view the NSC galleries* (at no extra charge) and visit the NSC shop.

For those able to arrive by 9:30am there will be an FAS exclusive and free planetarium show, which will last about 25 minutes.

Our line-up of speakers includes:
Ann Bonell from Leicester Astronomical Society - "The Astronomers Royal"
Suzie Imber from the University of Leicester - "The BepiColombo Mission to Mercury"
Matt Nicholl from the University of Birmingham - "Gravitational Waves"
Julian Onions from the University of Nottingham - "Dark Matter: Is It Dark and Is It Matter?"

There will also be a raffle, and we will be running a fun quiz during the lunch break.
The ticket price includes a snack lunch, though you can of course bring your own. The aim is to avoid overloading the NSC cafe.
There will also be free parking - normally £3.

We are arranging for displays from professional organisations, and there will also be spaces for societies to have a display to promote their activities.
The society spaces are free and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Tickets must be booked in advance - No tickets will be available on the door.
This is because the event capacity is limited, and to avoid an unknown number of people arriving on the day and then finding we have reached the event limit.



The ticket price includes

Entry to the convention
The planetarium show
An opportunity to visit the NSC galleries and shop after the convention *
A snack lunch
Tea / Coffee
Parking (normally £3)

This will be the first in-person national astronomy event since 2019, so we hope you will join us.
The event will not be live-streamed, so if you are interested, then you need to be there!

To book Family tickets
To reserve a display space for your society
Or if you have any questions
please contact the FAS Meetings Organiser, Jerry Stone : meetings@fedastro.org.uk
Contact Jerry for information about opportunities for

Sponsorship,
Exhibiting,
and Advertising in the convention programme and on the website.
Additional information can be found at https://fedastro.org.uk/fas/convention/convention-2021-november/

* Note that access to the galleries will be dependent on the number of public visitors present on the day. We will be told of this around 10am.

For anyone accompanying you who does not wish to attend the convention, they may like to visit the nearby Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester's Museum of Science and Technology. It's open from 11:00 to 4:30 and admission is free.

See www.abbeypumpingstation.org and do look at their COVID notice.


Important notes regarding COVID-19

The Government stated that from July 19 there is no longer a legal requirement to wear face coverings in indoor settings.
In addition, from July 19 the Government removed restrictions on the number of people who can gather indoors and outdoors in England.

As a result, the NSC has said that they will allow the rooms that comprise the Shuttle Suite to be used at full capacity. That means that social distancing will not be required.

However we prefer that you wear a mask on arrival and when moving around, though you may remove this when seated, as in restaurants.

We also expect that by November, most people will have received their second vaccination, and some may have also had a booster.

In order to maximise everyone's safety, we prefer that adults who have not received any vaccination and who do not have medical exemption do not attend the event.
The card given with your vaccinations or a medical certification of exemption will be sufficient proof.
It also goes without saying that anyone exhibiting any symptoms of potential infectious illness should not attend the event. If such symptoms develop after booking tickets we will refund the ticket cost.

If COVID restrictions should change, or other circumstances outside of our control mean that we are unable to hold the event, a refund will be made for tickets purchased.
Unfortunately we cannot refund travel or accommodation costs.