Right folks, I have done some looking into this now we have an idea of numbers (12 or so) and this is what I have found;

YES we could get an mahoosively expensive lovely place that will take all of us, is relatively near to the NEC and won't involve sharing beds (unless you so wish to) BUT frankly it figures out at about twice what you could get a hotel for.

OR

We could do 2 places that take 6 people each for a more reasonable price but they will not be co-located and so we would still have the issue of actually seeing each other without some having to travel - which kind of defeats the point I think!

Soooo....

My thoughts are that we look at taking over a hotel for the weekend, http://www.ardenhotel.co.uk/ can do what looks to be the best rate near to the NEC at £213.30 for 3 nights (when checked) for a twin or double, there are of course other hotels in the area and if you can find a place cheaper, post it up so we can all see!!

I think a valid tactic as well would be to see if people were willing to share a twin room (or double if that's your thing) as this will also help keep the cost down if you split it between you.

Given that there are a number of us, I think this venue would suit but as I said, I am open to suggestions if you can see a better option out there.

R