From: Diva Las Vegas organizers (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Date: Wed Sep 08 2004 - 08:02:31 CDT
In this mailing:
Org List
This mailing
Mainstream and upscale
Event Hotel comments
Ballroom notes
Pins, golf, schedule
Summary schedule of activities
Administrivia
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Org List:
This is the DLV 2005 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
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Ongoing activity database appears on the web at:
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This mailing:
As to the pin project, is pin9c the one we want to go with. Final
comments?
. . . . .
There's quite a bit of good conversation about hotels and the "Event
Hotel" proposal over in the Discussion Forum. See additional hotel
notes below.
However, as of this time only one hotel has been nominated for
consideration for our suggested hotels this year, that being the Sahara.
If you want to see others considered, please nominate them by sending in
a brief note to that effect here. (Just reply to this mailing.)
. . . . .
An interesting tidbit has turned up last week regarding the San Remo and
some of their marketing efforts back in the 1980's. It appears that at
one time during the 80's, the San Remo did target their marketing
efforts toward the GLBT community, attempting to be *the* GLBT
destination in Las Vegas. The effort apparently was not very successful
and did not last long.
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Mainstream and upscale:
Can we tawk? ... :)
To refresh everybody's memory, this is a sampling of comments that came
in with the DLV 2004 survey:
+Eliminate the Las vegas Lounge and spotlight. replace these with more
+mainstream activcities. ...
. . .
+Schedule more of the group social time at Casino and mainstream bars
+rather than neighborhood gay bars.
. . .
+I find the two bars, Flex and Goodtimes to be too dark and too loud.
. . .
+higher class bars, or even better class gay or lesbian bars.
. . . . .
This was a recurring theme in the survey.
The topic has been brought up several times since the new ORG list was
started.
However, to this day, no significant discussion on this topic has
occurred.
I have the impression that some of those who wish to see our bar
activities go more mainstream and upscale are on the list here.
Once again, I want to encourage those of you who are in the "more
upscale and more mainstream" camp to get your ideas out on the table
during the current slack phase in our planning year. Now is the time to
do this, while we are still formulating our strategies for DLV 2005, and
not when we are up against deadlines, juggling schedules, and fighting
fires.
Hooters (I guess it will kinda be San Hooters during DLV) :) keeps
coming to my mind. It's encouraging to hear the report last week.
However, the exact state of the property for next April is still a big
unknown and probably will be for the months to come.
Another idea might be to offer two options for some kind of a bar
get-together. For example, on Monday evening we could offer something
like the Tropicana lounge or San Hooters for those who wish to be more
mainstream, and something like Flex for those who want to do Karaoke
with Eric or want a more secure environment. (Was it somebody here who
mentioned that Eric may have moved to a different night at Flex?)
As for higher-class GLBT bars, there's word buzzing about several clubs
and bars coming Real Soon Now, some which may and some which may not
materialize before DLV, if at all, and some which may or may not last
until DLV. (I remember the "Wet" bar sure didn't last very long.) :)
I've heard nothing definitive on any of these, and those who claim to
know aren't saying much. There are even some familiar names being
dropped as to who is behind one or more of these.
Some of these may be the same, this is just what I'm hearing ...
1. A FI theme club downtown in the vicinity of 3rd. and Carson/Bridger.
Supposedly this venture was denied a lease in Neonopolis due to the
theme of the club.
2. An "Alternative" nightclub in the (Aladdin/Planet Hollywood) and
Desert Passage complex, to open during the transition to the Planet
Hollywood format. "This is for real" was a report I received last week.
3. A new large GLBT-theme bar/club/restaurant in Commercial Center.
4. An upscale "well-financed" "somewhere between downtown and the Strip"
club. This could actually be another report of 1 or 3 above.
5. (But wait, there's more! This just in.) The opening/reopening of a
new club in the Triangle district. Maybe a new Sasha's/Tramps?
If anybody does know anything definite about any of these, please
let us know.
As of this time I see the evolving of a number of bar-related
activities, including:
* Daily happy hour (most days).
* Sunday Welcome Celebration.
* Tuesday NSD-alternate get-together.
* Wednesday postprandial EON max-turnout get-together.
* Charles Bar late-nite.
* Friday Annual Mixer.
Comments (on any of the above items)?
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Event Hotel comments:
Some excerpts from the Discussion Forum regarding hotels, and some
comments about it.
I started out by quoting quite a bit of the threads and adding a few
notes here and there, but the thread went on, most of it meaningful, so
I removed much of the quoting here that was not necessary to establish
context. If you're at all interested in this topic, please review the
originals if you have not already.
Sorry if this is a bit fragmented.
Bottom line is that we're probably going to have to agree to disagree
on the Sahara, Boardwalk, and San (Hooters) Remo as the ideal Event
Hotel for DLV.
Original threads are on line at:
http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/dlvdisc/
+I like the idea of a 'preferred or recommended' hotel -
+I've only stayed at three places in Las Vegas, but I think the Sahara
+fits the bill nicely...
+Downside: IMO, the buffet is not as good as it used to be. The coffee
+shop is fine.
. . . . .
+I guess food is an eye of the beholder kind of thing, but last spring I
+found the Sahara coffee shop late night service to be slow,
+indifferent, and with at least one waiter who insisted on referring to
+me as "sir."
. . . . .
+Tell us how you really feel?" The Sahara is a dump.
+The first two years I stayed at the Sahara so I speak from some
+experience. Last year I stayed at the Boardwalk. The rooms were nice,
+the people were nice and I loved the convenience of being close to all
+the big casinos. Buffet ? OMG ! Try the buffet at HARRAH'S,
. . . . . . .
As I've said, I've been reasonably happy with the Sahara over the past
few years, but I'm not gonna try to force it as "The Event Hotel" if
we do choose to have such a thing.
If there is to be a "The Event Hotel", I'm trying to think of what the
various desiderata should be:
1. Reasonably priced? Yes, that's a definite. If we choose "The Event
Hotel" as one which is expensive, our people will avoid it.
IMAO, the Sahara is one of the best bargains in Las Vegas. At $42 for
the weekdays on the Strip, I don't think any other place comes close. If
you want turn-down service with a mint on your pillow, go someplace
else. However, at DLV, I use the room for sleeping, getting ready,
taking an occasional nap, so the Sahara fits the bill fine, for me,
anyway.
San Remo appeared to be in more or less the same price range, but from
what I heard there is a HUGE difference between the quality of the rooms
in the two towers.
2. T-friendly, or at least t-oblivious? Gotta be! No-brainer! In 2001
and 2002 at the Sahara I clearly remember gaggles of kids and Junior
Johnson wannabes with a whole crowd of jockish types on the weekend in
2002. In 2003 and 2004 I clearly noticed a decrease in both kids and
jocks.
San Remo has always been outwardly friendly to us, but there have been
restroom issues and reports of an attitude with security.
Ditto at the Boardwalk.
3. Location? I dunno. There's no such thing as a central location for
DLV. Our model is highly dependent on local transportation and always
will be. Yes, having other casinos and attractions in walking distance
is a plus, but not a make or break. Ditto on the Monorail. Nice to have
it nearby, if it's actually running next April, but not a deal breaker,
IMAO.
4. Food? Is it important for our Event Hotel to have good food? As was
mentioned above, this is highly subjective.
Sahara Buffet is not haute cuisine, never has been, never will be, but
definitely slipped a few (more) notches between 2003 and 2004. However,
it's there, now, and cheap, and, IMAO, quite tolerable for brunch. Yes,
the selection of fruit and salads (and desserts) :) is much better than
most of the buffets of the same price.
Now as for the coffee shop, I ate there more times than I ate at the
buffet last year, both solo and with others, and {blush} in various
states of lucidity. :) I don't ever remember bad food or slow or bad
service last year. If anything, the night crew deserves a medal for
putting up with some of us. :)
. . . . .
+and last year stayed at the BOARDWALK,,I
+LIKED IT ! ( It's right in the heart of the strip and you can go either
+I guess ??? What we need to do is for interested girls to rally
+together and suggest a decent place that would fulfill our needs in the
+many ways that we have chatted about. The Boardwalk is one to consider.
If you (or anybody) wants to see the Boardwalk (or any other hotel)
considered for DLV 2005, please send in your nomination to this list.
You can simply hit reply and say so if you want.
. . . . .
+I vote to keep things the way they have been! If it ain't broke,
+etc.....!
Actually, this comment echoes my feelings about DLV hotels quite
closely.
. . . . .
Now as to the principle ...
+A smaller property where a group of T* girls would have an obvious
+economic impact to the management.
If so, that kinda leaves Sahara out. A group of our size (even with the
most optimistic and exaggerated expectations would be no larger than 75
rooms or so at absolute most) probably would not have the leverage to
coax them out of any meaningful discount from their published rates,
which are already close to the lowest (if not *THE* lowest) of any major
Strip property. Ditto with the Imperial Palace, about the same size
room-wise but with slightly higher street prices.
San Hooters is the big unknown. I think it's safe to say that once the
makeover and transition are complete, the rates will be astronomical
compared to what they are now. However, they are relatively small
(700-some rooms) and will not be fully transitioned by DLV 2005, so
that may be an option should somebody want to do some legwork.
Ditto on the Boardwalk. At 600-some rooms a potential of 10% of their
capacity might be more significant. However, in the past we've seen them
be reluctant to be competitive with firm black-and-white rates. I do
understand that is the policy of their GM, who is, ultimately,
responsible for P&L of the property. However, it's not gonna drive our
people there, whether or not we designate it.
Another thing, and I hate to keep bringing this up, but one of our
people is long overdue an apology from them for the way she was treated
back in 2001.
If they really wanted our business, and wanted to mend fences and get
off to a good start for future DLV business, it would be such an
incredibly simple thing for them to do. And if anybody says they don't
have that person's contact info, I'll provide both e-mail and snailmail
addresses if they do indeed want to make amends.
If the Boardwalk (or any other property for that matter) would get the
reputation of wanting our business and offer truly competitive rates,
our people would flock to it whether or not we would designate it.
The Imperial Palace has been haunted by our people ever since 1997 and
does appear to have a niche following with some of our people. However,
it's about the same size as the Sahara and a group of our size would
have little leverage.
More or less the same for the Stratosphere, but I see the location and
the condition of the neighborhood to be a negative factor.
Comments?
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Ballroom notes:
Diane writes:
>This is what I had in mind: The date change is fine with me How about
>you ?....
+What a fun group it must be! And, yes, we would be happy to arrange a
+private group class for your members. Our usual rate is $15 per person
+(min. of 8 people). We can teach you any dance you would like from
+Swing to Salsa and since it would be a private group, you would be able
+to schedule it at a time that would be convenient for you. Keep us in
+mind for your next trip.
+Additionally, you might pass along some information on a dance cruise
+we are organizing in December. Please visit
+www.arthurmurraylasvegas.com/goldcoastcruise.cfm for more info. We
+would be happy to try to pair people up as roommates for the trip.
+Alisa McAffee, Director
+www.ArthurMurrayLasVegas.com
+Dance@arthurmurraylasvegas.com
+702-798-4552 office
+702-798-8170 fax
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Pins, golf, schedule:
Kate writes:
>Pins:
>>My only suggestion is to have the size of the year "2005" reduced to
>>25% of the one inch pin, rather than 33% of its area as shown. This is
>Yes I agree, The large gaudy type pins always look exactly that! The
>smaller 2005 will add to the mystique and keep us in the sophisticated
>zone so to speak.
Ok, gang, any final pin comments? Otherwise I'll be preparing a
production image of pin9c.
. . . . .
>Golf schedule:
>>>>1st the golf.. need some feedback from the golfers as to the day
>>>Last year, getting up early to get ready for golf, then going to the
>>>production show / Pity Party, and then the Limo Tour, really made for
>>>a long day.
>I wholeheartedly agree again here, Unfortunately I had to give the The
>Limo Tour a bye this year as I know my own limitations very well and an
>Early morning tee time+4-5 hours out in the hot Vegas sun, then trying
>to stay up all night doing the Limo thingy in the same day would have
>resulted in the "Falling asleep before the party's over syndrome" for
>Kate I suspect, So please everyone think about the average age group
>here when planning what has been referred to as the Highlight event of
>the DLV week.
Let's see, how do I put this ...
I do think we need to be considerate of everybody when setting
schedules, meaning those who plan activities should look at the
activities that occur prior to and after, and even the next day.
We obviously need to pace the high-interest must-do items so they do
not step on each other and make people miss them.
I do, however, think that the primary burden of setting limits should be
on the individual. I don't want to see any arbitrary rules of how many
and what type of activities can be scheduled when. We are adults, most
of us, anyway, and we are empowered to make our own decisions and
mistakes.
As we grow, we're going to see more and more activities planned,
particularly during the day, and even into the wee hours with such
things as the Charles Bar gathering.
We're all adults, and each of us knows our own limits, or should. :)
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Summary schedule of activities:
Highly tentative, subject to change.
Sunday, April 24:
AM Religious services (Metropolitan Community Church - SV)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Welcome Celebration (Bar, club)
Monday, April 25:
10:00am Death Valley Tour (Death Valley National Park - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
PM Bowling (TBA)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Tuesday, April 26:
10:30am Lake Mead Boat Cruise (Lake Mead - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Night Of The Soiled Doves II (CR - SV)
Wednesday, April 27:
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
2:30pm Ballroom Dance Instruction (Dance studio - MS)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Eating Out Night (Several)
Ev Maximum turnout get-together (TBD)
Thursday, April 28:
10:00am Art Tour (Museum(s) - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Pity Party (TBA)
Ev Limo Tour (Vegas, baby! - MS)
Friday, April 29:
11:00am Shopping trip (Mall(s) - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Annual Mixer (TBD)
Saturday, April 30:
AM-PM Garden Party (TBD)
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Administrivia:
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