Stopping for breath

The price of having to do half a day's worth of my "day job" (something boring and technical in financial services) and having to go to the dentist (even though I haven't lived in Hove since 2000, my dentist is still here!) meant that, since arriving at 2.30pm, I've had to:

• Set up the laptop
• Check I can access the wi-fi (everyone can - it's free for guests!)
• Track down a paper copy of the cider list (thanks Jackie!)
• Find out I can have a soft copy of the cider list after all (thanks again Jackie, and John!)
• Update the cider list with missing ciders
• Spend over an hour pinning up the QR code posters (next year, I'm asking for it to go on the programme cover!)
• Sprinkle some flyers around (thanks to Jo and the other bar staff who helped out)
• Run around getting details of the beers that didn't make the cut (only two so far) or aren't yet ready (thanks to Mark for covering the Sussex Bar)
• Run around again - once the cellarmen (Byron and Kim) had done their 5pm check - to get the beers that really aren't ready
• Update the 'live' beer list (and changes page) - http://sussexbeerfestival.co.uk/qr_beerchanges.htm
• Try and upload the photos (thanks Helen)
• Find out the photos are too blurred to use
• Respond to some tweets

Now, things have calmed down a bit and I'm stuck in a quiet corner of the staff room (aka kitchen) whilst the lights (on a motion sensor) have gone out...

Where the magic happens:

Up and running

So, here's the first post live from Hove Town Hall.  The wi-fi works, the Cider list has been added and I'm just about to go and pin up the QR barcodes to allow smartphone users to access the live beer lists.  This is a good thing, as my "office" is a quiet corner of a metal kitchen workbench and is a little lonely... :-(

On the plus side, there's already a buzz about the place as the Trade Session is in full swing - this is a non-public session for licencees to try a few different ales and meet some of our local brewers.

Blog updates live from the Festival

Well, the big day is here again!

In a new feature for the 2013 Festival, we hope to keep you updated with some behind-the-scenes chat to give you an idea of what the committee and the volunteers (all unpaid, apart from the odd beer here and there...) get up to in order to bring you a (hopefully) smooth running Festival.

Think of it like a swan - graceful and poised on the surface, but with big leathery webbed feet going like the clappers under the surface! ;-)

More later...