The organisers of VATSIM UK Live! are pleased to announce that the next event will take place on 19th and 20th August 2023. The event will take place at Conference Aston, Birmingham. This is the only in-person event of the year for VATSIM UK. We look forward to welcoming all interested members to join us to fly, control and socialise during this weekend. Our event runs from 10am to 10pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

What is VATSIM UK Live!?

This event is an in-person event hosted each year in Birmingham, UK. Members bring their own computers in order to control, fly and socialise with other attendees. This is a unique opportunity to meet members of the Division and control or fly together in the same room. This means communication is easier, you can also watch how other members perform their role on the network - or you can easily have an informal chat with other members. During the weekend, you are able to elect to have lunch, dinner or socialise at the bar with other members. The organisers are mindful to minimise mandatory costs while ensuring members have catering options during the weekend.

Who can join?

A founding principle of our event is that it is open to every VATSIM members. The only requirement is that you pay for a ticket to attend the event. The aim is that the tickets cover the costs of the event. No profit is made from running the event.

Who organises this event?

VATSIM UK Live! has been organised for 10 years by three members of the division - Chris Pawley (current Division Director), Kris Thomson (former Division Director) and Robert Simmons (networking expert). We organise the event as we believe it is an important way to bring together VATSIM UK’s community  and to facilitate ways for members to meet and interact in a productive manner. In addition we attempt to ensure that the weekend consists of a welcome, safe and weekend of controlling and flying on the network for all attendees.

Who pays for this event?

You do! VATSIM UK Live! aims to end the event with the ticket revenue matching the expenses for the event (room hire, insurance, internet connection, equipment costs etc.). All members (incuding the organisers and all staff members etc.) pay the same ticket price. Where we may have a small excess, we generally try to make a small upgrade to the weekend (e.g. providing afternoon cake), and in exceptional circumstances where we have a larger excess, we reduce ticket prices and refund members the difference.

Where can I stay?

You can stay at the venue hosting our event “Conference Aston” - who has their own website to book rooms - http://www.conferenceaston.co.uk/

Recently several other hotels have become available - such as the Aloft Birmingham Eastside, Premier Inn Birmingham City - Aston or Holiday Inn Express Birmingham - Snow Hill. All are within a short walking distance to the venue. 

How to book tickets?

Tickets will be available to book via our website shortly, we will inform all participants as soon as this is possible.

What are the costs of tickets?

While the final prices are yet to be defined, typically the price to attend 1 day is around £20-25 and for the entire weekend £32-38. We have not (yet) seen any substantial increase in our costs based on previous years so ticket prices should remain relatively stable compared to previous years.

On behalf of the organisers,

Chris, Kris and Robert