Playful Learning 24 Venue

Playful Learning 2024 will take place on 3-5 July 2024 at the University of Sussex in Brighton.

The conference itself will be in the University of Sussex building, Bramber House (Falmer, Brighton BN1 9BJ) in the conference suite on the third floor. See the campus map, Bramber is in square C6.

Travel

🚂 If travelling by train, book for Falmer train station, which is adjacent to campus. There are trains to Falmer from Brighton station roughly every 15 minutes throughout the day and it takes 9 minutes to get there. (It is a long, uphill walk from Brighton, so we suggest you take the train to Falmer or a bus!)

✈️ Gatwick airport is around 30 minutes away.

🚗 If you are driving to the conference, free parking is available for conference delegates but you will need to email us for a parking permit to print and display in your car. If not, parking is charged at £2.50 per 3 hours in this car park, and there is no long-stay option. If you are driving to the conference the nearest carparks are Car Parks 7 (nearer the venue) and 6 (nearer the accommodation) on the campus map.

Accommodation

For attendees who book an “including accommodation” package, bed and breakfast will be provided on the nights of 3rd and 4th July. The night of Tuesday 2nd can also be booked for those who want to arrive early. These are all in our on-campus, University of Sussex halls of residence.

The rooms are all en-suite, with towels, bedding and toiletries provided. Rooms are in the Lullington blocks on the East Slope (flats 77 – 96). The reception block (follow the signs) is nearby where you can check in and pick up your room key.
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/accommodation/on-campus/student-village

Receptions are open 24hr for check in/out. You can check in from 2pm on your day of arrival. Please check out by 9:30am on your day of departure. Bags can be safely stored at the conference venue in Bramber.

A ‘grab and go’ breakfast will be available from 7:30-11am in the nearby Arts Piazza Cafe.

If you need anything during your stay there are a number of useful facilities on campus including shops, cafes and bars. Click here to see the full list. There is a Co-Op supermarket close to the conference venue in the Bramber building. IDS bar is open till 9pm and Falmer Bar is open till 10pm during the conference.

If you are arriving on the Tuesday, check in after 2pm and then there is an optional social activity – make your way into Brighton and meet at Shelter Hall from 6pm. You are responsible for arranging your own travel and purchasing your own food and drink on Tuesday. Look for us in our Playful Learning t-shirts! On Wednesday, grab your breakfast in the Arts Piazza cafe and join us in the Bramber Building from 10:30.

For those arriving on Wednesday, come straight to Bramber from 10:30. We can store your bags securely until the end of the day when you can check-in to your rooms before dinner. Welcome tea/coffee and biscuits will be available on arrival.

Free visitor WiFi is available and provided by O2.

The postcode for the Halls of Residence is BN1 9RJ and the conference will take place in the nearby Bramber building.

Presenters

At Playful Learning we trust our presenters to set up and run your own session (we’re all adults, after all), so there are no ‘chairs’ at Playful Learning. Therefore, you can start when you’re ready, and finish any time you like before the formal end of the session. If there are two 30 minute sessions in one slot, be fair to each other and don’t encroach on each other’s time. Also, feel free to use the room as you need to – just be kind and return it to café style at the end of your session ready for the next one.

The three main spaces, Gallery 1, Gallery 2 and the Terrace all have PCs provided you can use or you can connect your own laptop. To use the computers in the room, bring your presentation on a USB stick or put it somewhere you can access easily online. Speak to one of the conference team (wearing Playful Learning tshirts) if you need any help. There is a 15 minute gap before nearly all sessions so you can get yourself set up in advance.

Exclusive Extended Accommodation Offer

To celebrate our move to Brighton we’ve teamed up with VisitBrighton to offer reduced rates at local accommodation to conference delegates for those who want to extend their stay at the seaside. Whilst we can’t provide extended accommodation at the conference venue over the weekend, you can follow this link to see what the city has to offer.

We also have a range of special offers for delegates with discounts on popular attractions, so if you fancy a bagel or an Escape Room while you are here, check out our special offers!

The Election

We will be running our planned programme on Thursday evening and Friday morning as normal for those who want to avoid following the election; but we know that some will want to follow events more closely, so we will be providing a dedicated space (Bramber room 243, one floor down from the conference) where you can dip in or out of the coverage with others who are interested.

The Playful Learning Conference Code of Conduct is here. Please take a look before taking part in the Conference.