World Horror Convention 2010: Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Situated near the marina on Old Steine Road, the Royal Albion Hotel stands directly opposite Brighton's iconic Palace Pier with its bright arcades, funfair and ghost train, and overlooking the English Channel. It offers economical accommodation in architectural surroundings that are redolent of the Regency and Edwardian eras.

The World Horror Convention has put a block on most of the 185 rooms in the hotel. The average room rate per night includes a buffet breakfast.

There is an on-site dining room, Jenny's Restaurant, which serves traditional English dishes, while the modern Pavilion Bar features views of Brighton's Victorian Promenade and offers light snacks and a wide selection of drinks at very reasonable prices.

Elevator, Internet access, currency exchange, room service and a 24-hour front desk are all available. All major credit cards are accepted.

The World Horror Convention will use all of the hotel's seven meeting rooms and will have its own private bar area situated at the hub of the downstairs conference room layout.

The Lounge, with its panoramic window views of the seafront and the illuminated Palace Pier will be the location of a candelabra-lit Banquet on the Saturday night. The Registration Desks will be situated in the hotel's main lobby, and an attached night-club, Bar Rogue, will be used as both a convention suite and as a venue for sponsored parties.

For those who want more luxurious accommodation or are attending on a limited budget, there are plenty of alternatives in the immediate surroundings, ranging from luxury boutique hotels like The Grand , The Metropole and the Hotel du Vin , to simple Bed & Breakfast services. The Thistle , Holiday Inn and the Radisson Blu Hotel hotels are only a few minutes' walk away.

Brighton is filled with restaurants, wine bars and pubs catering for every taste and budget, so there is no problem eating out every night: a selection of a few great restaurants is available here . Theatres, cinemas, The Lanes shopping district and the Sea Life Centre are also all within easy walking distance.

A few minutes from the hotel is The Royal Pavilion , the spectacular Indo-Saracenic styled seaside home of the extravagant Prince Regent, George IV (1762-1830), where he entertained the rich and the powerful on an opulent and lavish scale. Originally constructed in 1787, the present Indian structure was redesigned by John Nash and rebuilt between 1815-22. In the grounds of the Royal Pavilion is The Brighton Museum. It houses an eclectic mix of items, from Art Deco pottery and furniture to Brighton fashions from the past century, and is free to enter.

With direct train links to Gatwick International Airport (16 minutes) and London (1 hour), Brighton is the ideal location to hold a British World Horror Convention. Coaches from London (with fares often starting around £1.00 [$1.50] for a single journey) arrive immediately outside the back of the Royal Albion Hotel.

We will present a rich and varied programme, covering all aspects of the horror writing and publishing business, film-making and illustration. We will cater for the world-wide horror industry and will be drawing attendees from the US, Canada, Australia and, especially, mainland Europe, which already has a large and flourishing publishing community and is within relatively easy travelling distance of Brighton.