From: Diva Las Vegas organizers (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Date: Thu Aug 13 2009 - 08:41:45 CDT
In this mailing:
Org List
This mailing
Congratulations Kimberly
St Tropez and Imperial Palace
Various comments
All kinds of things
Various items
Name Tags disc
Name tags and such
Administrivia
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Org List:
This is the DLV 2010 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
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This mailing:
This is being sent out earlier than expected, since we
are on a roll and I do want to see this continue. We're
covering just about every topic that's been brought up
recently, except maybe golf.
Golfers?
We have a lot of very good discussion below. Please feel
free to chime in and add to it! All ideas are welcome.
Two Big Burning Questions at the very end, please!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Congratulations Kimberly:
Please join us in welcoming Kimberly Kael to the Admin.
Committee. Kimberly assumes the "odd year" at-large seat
which will expire in 2011. Kimberly joins me (Annie),
Gina, Ginger, and Nora on the Committee.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St Tropez and Imperial Palace:
Britney writes:
>Regarding the attendee who was accosted and heckled in front
>of the St Tropez:
>I have stayed there the past two years and I have now given
>up. There are just too many (forgive me) Rednecks over there
>at that corner. The streets and sidewalks are always torn up
>on Harmon at night. Singles or small groups of rough looking
>men frequent that sidewalk, or worse, cut through the STrop
>parking lot, especially at night and the hotel doesn't do
>anything about it; they'd make me nervous in drab, too, and
>I wouldn't want my GG family and friends exposed to it.
>IMHO: Here's the thing: groups of ONLY men are more likely to
>get all macho and feel threatened by a CD (ironic, huh?) and
>feel all brave and urge each other on to hassle a made CD.
>We all know it. However, by and large men behave better when
>they have a GG in their midst. But any group drinking out at
>night, feeling lowered inhibitions, is likely to get brave
>and macho. Sad but true.
>I felt safe enough inside the lobby and the desk staff were
>polite but I won't be going back there.
Boys will be boys! :( :(
(It can be said that "men behaving badly" is redundant!) :)
IIRC there's a strip club in the Harmon/Paradise vicinity,
east across Paradise from the Hard Rock. We did have some
comments about this back a few years when it opened, and
the particular crowd that it would bring to the area.
Also, the St. Tropez was rated poorly in the survey:
+St Tropez:
+Definitely satisfied: 0
+Mostly satisfied: 0
+Neutral: 0
+Not really: 1
+Definitely not: 3
In fact I think it's the lowest we've ever seen a suggested
hotel rate in our history! Granted, only four respondees,
but nothing at all positive, even neutral! :(
>Having just stayed at Imperial Palace on a short summer
>vacation with my son (yes, in drab), I was pleasantly
>surprised that it was a decent low budget hotel, we had
>a freshly painted room, and it is conveniently located.
>They also have uniformed security all over the casino.
Imperial Palace ain't the Bellagio by any means, but it's
clean and comfortable. I've stayed there for two DLVs and
several times on business. (It's cheap, our corporate
travel department loves it.)
My only complaint about the IP is slow elevator service! :(
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Various comments:
Norma writes:
>Some comments on the latest mailing, in no particular order:
Inappropriate makeup:
>I understand that many DLV attendees are "part-timers" (no
>negativity implied there) and not particularly skilled at
>public persona. I would suggest getting some professional
>advice before attending. Being a girl is hard work, and there
>is more to it than just slapping on some poorly-thought-out
>war paint.
>Buy yourself a session in the makeup department of an upscale
>store, for instance Nordstrom's, or any upscale salon, and pay
>attention. Another good idea is to ask your Avon lady, or Mary
>Kay rep, for a private tutoring session. And pay attention.
>Don't pay too much attention to the advertising in publications
>like "Glamour" magazine, though their ads can be useful for
>learning what is available.
>I've been full time for years now, and I still find professional
>makeup session to be a delight. And I always learn something.
>Similar remarks apply to clothing, too.
Thanks, Norma.
I'm wondering, do we want to look in to some kind of program
or activity where we would have small groups, maybe even
pairs, such as BS/LS, visit something like Dillards at the
FSM? Or, maybe the other place that Ginger spoke of? More
on this below.
I know that Mindy has taken LS's to places like this in
the past, but in taking a trip to the real world, most of
those in our group, particularly the newer ones and those
who need it the most, would be scared sh*tless and much too
shy to ever walk up to a department store cosmetic counter.
The reason I mentioned HNS was that it has a degree of
comfort, is reasonably priced, and I think that Paula
could probably be talked in to cooperating on some kind
of a demo session.
. . .
Rocky Horror:
>I would be delighted if this was on the DLV schedule. It
>is so much fun!
As for Rocky Horror, RHPS casts and shows tend to be very
transient in nature, and it's difficult to predict if the
show will indeed be happening next April. If they are still
doing it on the same schedule, that would put a performance
at midnight the morning of the first day of DLV, and it
could indeed be the very first activity on our schedule! :)
. . .
Name tags:
>They are a pain in the ass. And they cost you money.
>If the intent is to show the bearer to be a "bona fide dues
>payer", then a small token that can be carried in one's purse
>would suffice. How about a simple pin with a colored ball
>showing? It wouldn't have to be big.
I've been thinking quite a bit about the name tags over
the past several days, reading the various remarks here and
going back and reviewing quite a bit of the discussion
regarding them in past years.
Name tags, particularly those pre-printed with the attendee
name and the DLV logo serve several purposes.
1. They identify the individual, on sight, as a member of
our group.
2. They tell or remind everyone of the name the individual
wishes to be known by.
3. They add a certain degree of class and character to
the group as a whole.
4. They can indicate to a merchant or vendor that a DLV
discount or other perk is appropriate.
5. They can serve as a momento or souvenir of the event,
or as a record of attendance.
The more I think about it, the more I think that name tags,
the way we've been doing them, are a Good Thing<tm>, or at
least a necessary evil.
>If the intent is to proclaim one's name, then those peel-off
>sticky labels and a colored marker will do just fine. Cheap!
Somebody (not me) brought some sticky tags to DLV 2001, which
was the first year we had any sort of tags. The problem with
the sticky tags is that people use them once and and throw
them in the trash. Sticky tags don't stick well to some
fabrics, and some individuals do not wish to stick them
on what they are wearing for a variety of reasons.
. . .
Maps:
>I really appreciate the maps provided at DLV, with our spots
>indicated.
>I always bring my own car to DLV. I find that to be a great
>convenience.
>If you do this too, just go to your local AAA and pick up a
>Las Vegas street map. It will always be handy to have one.
>Note: LV street maps are found as inserts in advertising
>circulars, and at the notions counter of any casino. But
>I've always found those to be really inferior to a good
>AAA map.
I think the combined schedule/map is another necessary evil
for the smooth functioning of the event as a whole. The
Teeming Millions cannot be depended upon to print/bring
their own copies and therefore get confused, lost, and miss
out on things. By doing this we're helping the turnout at
all activities and adding to the overall satisfaction of
the event.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
All kinds of things:
Ginger writes:
>>The last mailing asked, is it absolutely imperative that we
>>have our first large gathering on the first evening?
>I think this would be a good idea.
>I am involved with a major TG conference that happens soon
>in the deep south.
>Although the first official group gathering happens on
>Tuesday night, the opening rubber chicken dinner is not
>until Thursday evening.
>I think we would do better by holding an informal reception
>on the first night with some possible follow-up activity
>rather than having the Blue Ox type reception followed by
>dinner.
>I could even see a reception in a bar, dinner on your own,
>and a later bar gathering. That would even tend to eliminate
>the problem with the late arrivals because each activity
>would be a fresh start. Maybe the opening reception could
>be at a casino hotel offering different food choices and
>the later reception could be in a gay bar more suitable to
>those who are reluctant to appear in a main-stream place?
If I'm hearing you right, you're suggesting unbundling the
opening reception from a meal activity.
>Or we could have the first reception in gay bar and followed
>by dinner on your own and a later evening gathering at a
>casino hotel bar for those who wanted a more mainstream
>gathering.
>Early in the week I'd think they would like to have our
>business and the chance of crowds should be minimal.
The one thing about a disjoint single-track evening is that
we have discontinuities, one or more of those dreaded "moves"
which generated complaints during our earlier years and
always resulted in fall-out, meaning not everybody who
departed X showed up at Y.
I also think we need to be very cautious about having any
very large (80-100 or more) gathering in any casino or
casino bar. That size group is bound to generate a LOT of
attention and yes, restroom complaints from intolerant
civilians.
>At each event newcomers should be encouraged to wear name
>tags and a make themselves known to the organizers and
>official hosts or hostesses.....more on this below.
. . .
Bob wrote:
>>I'm also planning on hosting a hike, for those interested
>>in a little excersize.
>I have tried having a walk after lunch, but very few if any
>wanted to walk. One year we had one walker and after that we
>gave it up. Maybe a one time thing would work and I'd like to
>see it!
. . .
>>Is the personalized pre-printed name tag something we want
>>to continue?
>Why don't we encourage people to make their own name tags and
>bring them with them? Regardless, I think it is essential that
>the organizers and hosts wear a name tag and maybe one with
>line of some kind encouraging the newcomers especially to
>say hi!
>I know I write each newcomer to the mailing list a personal
>welcome and always ask them to say "Hi" to me in LasVegas
>and no one ever has that I can remember!
>I would like to reemphasize this in the final mailings to
>help the new comers know that we really want them to say
>hi and make themselves known at each event rather than
>that we are just being kind, but insincere with our
>initial contact.
. . .
Map and schedule:
>I have mixed feelings on this. Today most people who drive
>have GPS devices and I often take mine with me when taking
>public transportation in large cities. However, I do think
>the bus/train/taxi directions are great for the newcomers.
>In the final mailing we could give the suggestion that those
>insecure in finding a location "Map Google" it before coming.
The map itself is not that difficult to produce. It's the
effort to duplicate it, expense, the effort need to schlep
the stack around and hand them out that's the issue.
If the attendees could be depended upon to print out the
schedule and map at home, things would be peachy, but as
we know, they won't do it, and then get miffed that there
are no printed ones. In years past, even though we tried
to emphasize that they would get no paperwork and such at
check-in, we still had people showing up expecting to get
a schedule and map in hardcopy.
Now that we >>DID<< hand it out this past year, I think
it will be expected. That particular snake is out of the
box! Catching it and stuffing it back into the box will
be quite difficult.
Now I'm not intending the next remark as a put-down, but as
a statement of what happens in the real world.
I don't think we can depend on the attendees, new or
returning, to do ANYTHING that requires printing, busy
work, on-line research, effort, or even reading! They
will not, consistently, do it! QED!
. . .
Group photos:
>>Are the large group photos really a priority for the rank
>>and file attendees?
>They are a pain, but a little bit of a tradition and I'd hate
>to see them end. Why not do them before the limo tour again
>this year. I thought that worked out well!
Yes, they are a pain! However, the group photos are some of
the most "hit on" items on our web site.
Have we identified another necessary evil here? :)
The group photos which I think are the most attractive are
the ones taken outside of Elvis' in 2007. There are only 40
some individuals in those shots, but I do think they are the
best example of what we could do. These are really the only
group photos where the body language is saying that they are
enjoying the photo session.
I would like to duplicate something like this if possible.
. . .
Hospitality:
>I think each host/hostess and each organizer should wear a
>nametag and new comers should be encouraged to wear name tags
>and introduce themselves at each event. That would help us get
>to know each other better. I don't think I am alone in being at
>the place in my life where I meet new people daily that I have
>met previously and certainly every day I see people I know whose
>names I can't recall!
>Newcomers have a responsibility to get to be known as well as
>the returning veterans having a responsibility to reach out to
>newcomers.
This is a good point. The responsibility for hospitality lies
not only on the organizers and hostesses, but upon all, which
includes newcomers.
"Newcomers have a responsibility to get to be known." I like
that quote. Along that line, we need to encourage them to
actively circulate. (As well as returnees, and, in particular,
the volunteers.)
>The question is can we reasonably expect newcomers to bring a
>name tag?
(LOL!)
Can we reasonably expect ANYONE, newcomer or not, to bring a
name tag?
Is the Pope Jewish?
Does a bear sh*t in the sea?
LOL, enough said on that one! :)
. . .
Unfortunate incident:
>Having a thick skin and learning to protect yourself
>physically and psychologically is a constant part of
>being in this community.
True.
In our 13 year history we've only seen one incident of
physical assault that I am aware of. This was when one
of our people had a disagreement with some adult
entertainment providers.
Incidents of taunts and verbal assault have happened at
times and there's probably nothing we can do about it.
Boys will be boys and @$$holes will be @$$holes!
Physical assaults are rare, and I think they are very
unlikely to happen unless someone in our group does
something to provoke or escalate the situation.
Speaking of which ...
Our local TG group is in the middle of a three-part
series, taught by a local martial arts school staff, on
personal protection. We've covered things such as purse
snatches, assault from the front and rear, breaking a
choke-hold, carjacking, etc. I'm making it a priority
to go to these!
Las Vegas used to be the safest place there was in the US
WRT muggings, assault, etc. Back in the Bad Old Days, like
when the Mob Ran Vegas<tm>, the would-be perps knew that
if they tried anything like that, the casino bosses would
have Tony The Ant and the boys hunt them down and have a
"chat" with them!
It's no secret that since the 1980s, crimes against persons
have been on the rise in the Las Vegas area.
I don't think we can do anything more to help along this
line other than to remind our people to be aware of their
surroundings.
. . .
Bitching:
>You mean people really do that -- gosh! Who the hell cares
>unless there is a real basis for it!
Now Ginger! If you're gonna bitch about something, do it right!
First, pick a subject to bitch about, the stupider the better,
like, well, bitching! Then bitch about it! :)
If it's done right then somebody else will bitch about your
bitching!
Then somebody will bitch about the Moderator letting the
bitching go on!
Then, of course, someone else will bitch about the Moderator
not allowing them to bitch as much as they want!
:)
. . .
Expense:
>>Are we pricing ourselves out of reach of the average
>>attendee or would-be attendee?
>Shows in Las Vegas are as expensive as shows in New York.
>They are probably cheaper in London.
>If you are careful most other things in Las Vegas are
>great bargins including lodging and food and drink. However,
>we need to continue to have a mixture of events for those
>with fat budgets and those with thin budgets.
>Lodging is a bargain especially if you stay on the northern
>part of the strip.
>Even fine dining appears to be a bargain in Las Vegas when
>compared with other cities. Although I had a rental car, I
>rode the public bus to most day events for convenience
>purposes and that really is a bargain. In times past riding
>the bus has been very slow, but with the reduced number of
>tourists it operated very fast last year! Compared to other
>TG events DLV is a great bargain, but I suspect those
>complaining have little to compare it with.
As I look back over the years, I do think the DLV organizers
have been considerate of those who are on a tight budget.
We've always had at least one reasonably-priced hotel on
our list. We've coordinated things such as room sharing and
ride sharing. We've even had some activities (such as the
Pity Party) designed intentionally to be a low-cost option.
. . .
Dress and appearance:
>I like the idea of a makeup demonstration session before
>lunch on the first day with the opportunity to conveniently
>schedule makeovers for those wanting and needing help.
>Did I mention an artist at Bare Eccentuals in the Fashion
>Show Mall wants to do a session for us at her store?
Yes, you did. :)
>I think we could even have multiple sessions for this
>depending on people's taste and budgets or maybe one in
>the morning and one in the evening on the first and
>second days.
You, me, and Norma all appear to be converging on a very
similar theme here.
And yes, I agree that something like this may be an
appropriate "more than once" schedule item.
>The problem is how to reach the people who need help and
>don't know it.
My hunch is that MOST of those who need the help know it
and, if enticed properly, would love to attend such a
makeover session.
Norma made a good point above regarding experience. With
the median frequency of exposure being "monthly or so" (and
I suspect that much of this monthly exposure is such things
as group meetings and safe bars), many attendees just don't
have much experience at it.
I think that gentle persuasion will work best in getting
those who need it to do it. Maybe you can circulate at the
pre-DLV thing and the early activities, zeroing in on the
ones who need some help "Hi, I'm Ginger ... oh, and by the
way, I'm sponsoring ... ..." :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Various items:
Mary Beth writes:
>>Is it absolutely imperative that we have our first large
>>gathering on the first evening? Do we want to adjust things
>>to hold the larger things at more of a peak in our attendance?
>Perhaps something to discuss is instead of having both a big
>opening and closing banquet, having one really huge blow-out
>event mid-week when everybody is available to attend.
That is a different idea I admit.
Attendance has peaked on the third and fourth evenings in
the recent past.
>The Opening and Closing things can then be a bit less
>structured, more a drop-in / drop out type of thing. Quite
>frankly, no matter how many things you go to, you never do
>meet absolutely everyone who is attending.
One idea may be to have a Blue Ox type of thing on the
third evening instead of the first, this being our one
and only one maximum-attendance single-track gathering.
With a start on Sunday, a max-attendance gathering on
Tuesday would come very close to hitting the absolute
peak of our in-town people.
Any thoughts on this? Putting all of our single-track
maximum-attendance eggs in one basket?
Comments, gang?
One thing we do need to be sure of ...
I think we need to be very cautious about killing the Blue
Ox opener or mixer before it is time to kill it. The 2008
and 2009 Welcome Celebrations are two of the most successful
things we've had in our history, in terms of total attendance
and ratings!
If it's "peaked out" and on the downhill side, yes, it may
be time to kill it, but I would hate to throw it out just
because of a few perceived shortcomings. My feeling is that
it has at least one more round of a dynamite turnout before
it will be thought of as "same old same old" by the gang.
I think the Bahama Breeze peaked in its third year (in 2008,
attendance: 90-some), and that attempts to use it for a
maximum-attendance thing in the next couple of years would
result in a diminished turnout, as we've seen with Carluccio's
in years prior.
. . .
>>I have a feeling that if you rolled the Erotic Heritage
>>Museum into the Art Tour, you would get more individuals
>>who would not ordinarily participate, and those people
>>may "stick" for the second part of the tour. A win-win
>>if you can pull it off!
>I wonder how much the museum would charge for a private
>reception? Many museums often host private corporate events
>where a group rents the museum for two or three hours and
>the museum brings in a cash bar beer/wine station. If we
>could get it at a reasonable admission price for say, two
>to three hours on a slow night (e.g. Monday or Tuesday
>from 6-8 pm) and use it as a QST meeting place prior to
>an EON or production show evening, this night attract
>newbies who could get some valuable "out" experience.
Care to check this out, MB? :)
. . .
>>Is the personalized pre-printed name tag something we want
>>to continue? Any ideas on how to more effectively address
>>this issue?
>Idea:? As part of the Large Final Mailing, each registered
>attendee would receive a name tag templatewhich they would
>be responsible for filling in their name, printing out on
>their home PC, and bringing with them.
>When they check in, the person hosting the event could give
>them a tag holder and off you go. As part of the registration
>process, have a check box for people who are going to bring
>their own plastic holder (I know I have a few hanging around
>from work conferences).
The more we discuss name tags, the more it convinces me that
the pre-printed tags, as much of a pain and expense as they
can be, are necessary.
I think that anything that requires action on the part of
the attendee, such as pre-printing a name tag, will be iffy
at best. :(
We tried to ask people to bring along tag holders this past
year and maybe 4-5 did.
Also, I think we need to avoid anything that will further
increase the complexity of the registration/check-in
processes.
. . .
>>Are we pricing ourselves out of reach of the average
>>attendee or would-be attendee?
>Pricing is a matter of supply and demand. Vegas has plenty
>of cheap eats, shows, etc., DLV is still cheaper than hotel
>events where there is a registration charge, room rates
>that are over $100 per night, $35 rubber chicken lunches,
>$80 rubber steak banquets, and all sorts of other charges.
>I'm not wealthy but I budget carefully and try to do a couple
>of pricey things, and some cheaper things every year.
>Some people might think $17.95 is pricey for a lunch buffet,
>but that's the going rate. DLV isn't really pricing anything
>out of reach. If people want less expensive options, they
>need to volunteer to co-ordinate them. Otherwise, DLV might
>not be for you. I don't mean to sound snooty here, but I'd
>like to go to Carnival in Rio, but I can't afford to.
>Those are the breaks.
Overall, I think we do a good job in facilitating participation
without breaking the bank. In looking over last year's final
schedule, Friday lunch and arguably Wednesday dinner were the
only times when lower-cost options were not available.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name Tags disc:
Kumiko writes:
>The Name Tags have always been tied to registration.
>If you can produce the name tag, wearing it or in one's
>purse you are registered. So it doesn't have to be
>worn, just put in the purse. Most don't wear it. after
>the first day or so.
>Can we separate the two?
>Use something else to show one has registered...say a
>colored business card with the dlv year on it and name,
>and it can be fancy if desired. On one's own, they can
>bring their own card protector if they want to keep it
>in good shape for the whole DLV.
>Yes, we still can't get away from 3 copies since there isn't
>as single location registration check in, but its to be
>put in one's purse or wallet. The cost saving is no need
>for special that plastic case to wear the name tag/card,
>no problem with ruining ones outfit with pin holes, or how
>ugly one thinks it is with their outfit being worn.
>The card is required to be shown at each event .. which
>leads to the second part.
>When arriving at any activity (since a idea of a hostess
>at each event has been mentioned or if the hostess is
>also the organizer) the attendee finds the hostess/organizer,
>flashes the card with name. This does a secondary to let the
>hostess/organizer know if this person has registered
>and forces this as a check in at the event, and marks the
>attendee as being at the event.
>The hostess has a list of those signed up, and has a
>stack of generic blank 'Hello My Name Is" stickers and
>a sharpie pen.
>The Hostess/organizer will check the name on the list and
>card, or add a name if there is a card but name isn't on the
>list - if its a open event.
>The Hostess will then write the name (that is on the card)
>and the event on the sticker which would make that sticker
>unique to the event with the person's name. They can even
>add the date, so it cannot be re-used at another event.
>The attendee has to wear it at the event, then thown
>away at the end. The sticker can be easily removed, or falls
>off by itself anyway.
>This solves several issues. Everyone checks in at the
>event to the hostess to get a name sticker with the
>event on it to make it unique to the event. The hostess
>then can create a head count and knows who has arrived.
>Everyone attending will have wear this name sticker,
>so everyone will know who is a attendee, and each others name,
>which helps in getting to know other attendees, and help
>in meeting others.
>The list and sticker can also be marked to flag newbies for
>special attention by all attendees, to help newbies feel
>more accepted and not left out, and helps in conversations
>and welcoming new people and friends.
>The sticker is disposed of at the end of the event.
>The extra stickers can be given to other organizers for
>other events, and leftovers can be used the following year.
>I don't know the price for these stickers, but alot of events
>and churches use them all the time.
>Just some ideas....
Will all activity coordinators be willing to do such things
as make markers and tags available? Is this a realistic
expectation?
Just as it's been proven that attendees will not do
certain things, there are limits as to what coordinators
are willing to do. It's really stretching things to say
that all coordinators will follow a certain procedure
at all activities.
Do we have a real need to check in and "check ID" at all
activities?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name tags and such:
JoAnn sends this in, from a conversation:
Sarah Charles wrote:
>>JoAnn,
>>Congrats or Consolations on moving into a leader position
>>for DLV. I'm sure you will do well and I will be there to
>>support you where and when I can.
>>I just had a thought on name tags. Can one of our computer
>>wizards find a way to include the name tag as part of the
>>Final Big Mailing?
>>Just print it in the corner of the page with the BDR
>>Rules or Schedule. The Hostess can then just cut it out and
>>check them off.
>>If they don't have the nametag, they get one handwritten.
>>I know that creates problems as well with people potentially
>>doing their own, but with a distinct border on the tag, we
>>could avoid some of that. They would need to see a hostess
>>to get checked in and maybe get the official "stamp" on the
>>corner of the tag to confirm registration.
>>It might cut cost and would eliminate much of the load each
>>of the check-in hostesses need to carry around.
JoAnn responds:
>Sarah--
>Thanks with appreciations and your support.
>I just think that Diva has given so much to me over the
>years to be JoAnn that if I can repay in a small way to
>keep this all going, then I need to step up.
>Your suggestion on name tags has a lot of merit. So maybe
>a little more discussion and 'massage', then I would suggest
>you present it to the Diva Organization.. So here are a
>couple of my thoughts to consider---
>Name tag with final mailing seems a great idea if it had the
>registration # and a unique border or "bar design" would be
>adequate.
>Also have a notation for those events that were pre-paid by
>the attendee. At the events all that would need to be done
>would be a validation stamp and holder for the Badge.
>How many would go to the length of trying to fake such a Badge?
>If you do not pre-register then we have the hostess at
>the event that requires registration and/or payment.
>The BDR Rules and Schedule seem to be too extensive to
>include, I believe.
>Your thoughts?
>See you in April!! We need you to Chair the Museum Tour
>in 2010 !!
The technical part of making a pre-formatted name tag insert,
complete with name, available to the attendees is very easy
to do.
It can be made so simple that even a cave man can do it, one
mouse click to bring it up, another mouse click to print it.
If anyone can show any evidence at all that maybe 90%, even
80% of the attendees will actually do this and bring the
pre-printed name tag along, I am all for it and I'm willing
to do the programming to make it happen.
However, history has shown that a significant number of
attendees fail to print out things such as schedules and
maps. We went to the printed map and schedule this year
because so many just did not print it and bring it along!
It was a minor pain, but worth it, since it was of benefit
to the program as a whole.
It's also been shown that some (several? many?) do not even
read the Large Final Mailing to the degree that they know
a schedule and map are available for them to print!
One thing I think is very important is that we do not add
to the complexity of the name tag process in order to fix
what appears to be broken!
Two thoughts along this line I would like to throw out to
the gang here:
1. Instead of personalized pre-printed tags, multiple copies,
a pre-printed tag insert without the name, filled in at
check-in time by either the attendee or the check-in
hostess. This would reduce a lot of the waste and cut down
on the crunch-time busy work. It would cut down on the bulk
of the check-in kits somewhat. It would also require that
appropriate pens or markers, with allowance for loss and
pilferage, be included in the check-in kits.
These would not be as neat looking as the tags with the
pre-printed name. Appearance and legibility would vary
significantly.
Big Burning Question: Does the "looks" of the pre-printed
name on the tag justify the effort and the waste?
2. A voluntary donation ($1 suggested) at check-in time
to cover the cost of the nicer vinyl tag holders. These
holders run typically between $.40 and $.70 per item
depending on the source, so $1 will make up for those
who choose to not donate. The solicitation can be cut
off when the cost of the tag holders is covered.
In recent past years, I've been either partly or fully
reimbursed for the tag holders when funds from such
activities as NSD and/or the Limo Tour have run "long",
but that is very iffy. I've also received a few very
unexpected (but appreciated) donations to the cause,
but these are even more unpredictable and iffy.
Big Burning Question: Is such a donation appropriate,
realistic, and workable?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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