CalConnect XLV in Bedford, United Kingdom, hosted by Youcanbook.me (YCBM)

Monday, June 03, 2019 to Friday, June 07, 2019

Subscribe to the CalConnect Week Calendar.

Recent Changes:

24 May 2019 Schedule changes, including new sessions scheduled.

23 May 2019 Wednesday conference dinner restaurant changed.

15 May 2019 downloadable event calendar .ics file available - see above.

15 May 2019 Joint public working session with IETF calext WG scheduled at 16:00-17:30 Tuesday. Minor schedule changes to accommodate this.

02 May 2019 Document/Specification links added to descriptions in schedule.

26 April 2019 Minor corrections and updates to schedule.

23 April 2019 Sessions and Schedule reviewed and updated.

17 April 2019 Sessiona and Schedule added. This is the first draft and will be updated as planning continues.

CalConnect XLV will be held in Bedford, United Kingdom, the week of June 3-7 2019, hosted by You Can Book Me. In addition to our regular conference Monday-Thursday, we will have an open format working day on Friday at a different location.

The conference will be Monday-Thursday June 3-6 at the event venue (Bedford Centre Hotel). This event will be organized in our new conference format and brings together, as a single event and with a single fee, our traditional conference and technical sessions. CalConnect XLV is open to members, and to non-members as observers. You must register in advance and pay the registration fee for the conference. Please register for the conference at Event Registration.

Interoperability Testing at CalConnect XLV: We will contact all those who register for CalConnect XLV as to their testing interests. There will be time scheduled Monday morning to initiate testing plans and agree on partners.

International Visitors

At this time (late March 2019) Citizens of the United States, European Union nations, or most Commonwealth nations do not require a visa to visit the United Kingdom. If you are unsure, the following link provides detailed information for visitors to the United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

HOWEVER the situation with the U.K. regarding international travel is currently fluid due to the possibility of "Brexit" which may take place prior to our event. We will provide more current information as soon as possible after any event affecting international travel and will announce it on this web page and to the CalConnect membership.

Conference Details

We will begin each day at 0830 with coffee and tea.. The first session will be at 0900. The default end for each day is now 1730.

Morning coffee and tea will be accompanied by fruit or rolls; however, you should plan to have your real breakfast earlier if you wish a more substantial repast.

Registration is now open for CalConnect XLV; please see Event Registration to register. There is only one registration and one payment per person for the entire event.

CalConnect XLV will take place June 3-7 2019 at the Bedford Centre Hotel, 2 St. Mary’s lane, Bedford, United Kingdom. Signs to the meeting room will be posted at the hotel.

Airport Information: The most convenient airport to Bedford is London Luton Airport. London Luton serves European and U.K. destinations, and is recommended for European travelers arriving by air.

For those arriving from more distant locations, you would probably fly into either London Heathrow or London Gatwick. Arriving at LHR is probably the most convenient for ground transit.

Ground Transportation:

Rental Cars and Taxis: All three airports have rental car facilities and taxis available.

From London Luton: Direct public transportation is available from London Luton via train and bus. A shuttle bus service operates to and from Luton Airport Parkway Station, this is normally a 10 minute trip from the airport terminal building. There is a direct train service from Luton Airport Parkway Station to Bedford that takes approximately 25 minutes and costs about $15. Estimated transfer time about 45 minutes

From London Gatwick: You can take the First Capitol Connect train directly to Bedford from London Gatwick (South Terminal) via St. Pancras International station. Note: This is NOT the Gatwick Express! NOTE: If you are buying train tickets online (http://www.thetrainline.com/), please select Bedford (BDM) as the destination. Estimated transfer time about 2 hours 15 minutes.

From London Heathrow: The best option is to book a long distance taxi hire such as http://www.abbeycarsbedford.com/ to transfer you. It take sabout 1-1/4 hours and costs about $90. There is no direct train service from Heathrow. If you wish public transportation take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, transfer to St. Pancras Station, and take the train north to Bedford. The Heathrow Express is $35 single/$55 return; the trains run every 15 minutes and the trip takes about 15 minutes. Book tickets online https://www.heathrowexpress.com. You can transfer to St. Pancras Station via the Underground (Circle line) or by Taxi. Alternatively you can take the Underground from Heathrow to St. Pancras station; it will cost less than the Heathrow Express, but take considerably longer.

From London St. Pancras Station to Bedford: Trains from St. Pancras run very regularly and journey times are 40 minutes to an hour. A one way ticket is about $35. The fast service is operated by East Midlands (upper concourse), the slower service is operated by First Capital Connect (lower concourse).

Eurostar: If you are coming into London with Eurostar, you will arrive into London St Pancras International. Please see details above.

Within Bedford: It is approximately 1 mile from the Bedford Train Station to the venue. Taxis are available at the station at a cost of approxiamtely $10.

The conference hotel for CalConnect XLV is the Bedford Centre Hotel, located at 2 St. Mary’s Lane, Bedford, which is also our event venue. The hotel is in central Bedford on the Great Ouse river, next to the A6, and is directly across the river from our 2015 Bedford venue. See: https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/bedfordmoathouse.en-gb.html for ore about the hotel.

The Bedford Centre Hotel is offering us a CalConnect rate of £85 per night inclusive of breakfast and all taxes. To obtain the CalConnect rate you must e-mail Nick Grobler at The Bedford Centre Hotel: HB541-SB@accor.com. Please specify the following:

The booking is for the Youcanbook.me CalConnect Event
Your name
Address
Date of Arrival and number of nights
Telephone number
E-Mail address

In order to secure your booking you must supply a credit card number and expiry date. Alternatively you may telephone Nick directly with credit card information at +44 (0)1234 799933.

Your card will not be charged; it is just to guarantee your booking. Cancellation is free up to 2 p.m. date of arrival.

(Note: Nick will confirm your booking by return e-mail. You may also receive a confirmation e-mail from the hotel booking system, which you should ignore as it will have the wrong amounts.)

Alternative hotels nearby are the Swan Hotel and the Premier Inn Riverside. Both are with a 5-10 minute walk of the venue.