[dlvorg] Homework, holidays, opening, Charles, hotels, etc. ...

In this mailing:

Org List
Homework for the holidays
JoAnn Sez
Time to vote
Opening complication
Significance of Charles
Welcome Celebration, etc.
Hotel discussion
Administrivia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Org List:

This is the DLV 2012 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg_at_geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Homework for the holidays:

Unless something unforeseen and time-sensitive occurs between now
and the end of December, the only other ORG mailing we're planning
betwen now and the first of the year will be the report on our hotel
selection vote. (see below)

In the meantime, we would like to ask all of you to be thinking of
a number of things and acting on them if you feel so inclined.
Here are some of the items which will be needing attention.

1. Opening celebration. See Cynthia's notes below. Even though we
are fortunate to have Cynthia, Marisa, and others who can do some
of the local legwork, selecting a site for the opener (and the
closer) is everyone's job. We need thoughts and ideas please. Don't
be afraid to think outside the box, but please keep in mind our
1 1/2 decades of lessons learned regarding what works and what does
not work.

2. Hotels. We've mentioned having a "Secondary List" of hotels for
DLVers and we would like to use the hotels on our Big List as the
basis of such a list. If you're unfamiliar with this, you can view
this on line here:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/vendors/

There are two categories for hotels, Casino-Hotels and Non-Gaming
Hotels.

Please look this over.

If your pet hotel is not listed, please submit it so it can be
considered by others. Use this link:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/vendors/addvendor.html

If you notice any errors, inaccuracies, anachronisms, etc., please
let us know. If you've recently stayed in any of the hotels, or
patronized any of the listed vendors, please enter ratings and
comments to let others know of your experiences.

3. Smaller activities. Please be thinking of the things you want
to coordinate or assist with. This (smaller daytime and evening
activities) will be the bulk of our "work" as we do the actual
programming and scheduling. Old favorites, variations of the old
favorites, new activities and out-in-left-field activities will
all be appropriate.

That's about it. Hope everyone has a happy holiday season!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JoAnn Sez:

As we ramp-up to our activity program. .... I want to share my feelings
about how much I appreciate the efforts _and the outcomes _I observe
when volunteers plan a fun afternoon or evening activity for a "small
group" of our attendees. It let's us share as "sisters" an experience
with others where we come to understand and accept our "other self"
through an activity. _This translates into needing volunteers _who will
coordinate their energies for a smaller activities which really are the
core of DIVA Week and make a significant contribution to our Gathering.

It is the details.... in our dress, our make-up, our kind words of
appreciation to each other, and the activities we offer. This best
happens at smaller activities and those activities have been my greatest
 joy over the years. So keep in mind how important this experience is
for others. I look forward to the creative and fun suggestions from all
 of you and encourage you all to continue to step up and coordinate
those activities for Diva 2012.

Annie and I wish to share special hugs and wishes to you all for the
December Holidays. JoAnn
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time to vote:

Those of voting status can expect a special ballot mailing very
shortly for an up-down vote on our proposed slate of suggested
hotels for DLV 2012 which includes:

1. Imperial Palace.
2. Artisan.
3. Paris.

If you're of voting status and you don't receive this by Thursday
at the latest, please write in and inquire about it.

One particular note, in contrast with previous years, this will
be ONE UP OR DOWN VOTE on the ENTIRE slate as a whole,
and not a selection of one out of three or a vote on individual
hotels.

Polls will remain open until no votes are received for a 48 hour
timespan. Vote early, vote often. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opening complication:

Cynthia writes:

Hi Diva's

Well, I'm full of Thanksgiving turkey and all set to throw you
a curve ball, so here it comes:

As I mentioned earlier, Artisan has changed management and all
arrangements of group events now have to be made at their corporate
level.

I no longer have the benefit of dealing with in-house staff like I
was able to do last year, they are no longer there.

So, after meeting with "Group Sales Manager, Conrad" and "Event
Arrangement Manager, Amberly" it was decided that we would be
granted group rates and a Monday, April 23 Opener, same as last
year.

Then, . . . I recieved the "contract" in the mail along with a
credit card form, and was told all I had to do was sign them and
fire them right back, and we would be in business.

I've refused them both and backed out of any further dealings
with Artisan for group rates or an Opener, and I will be looking
elsewhere for an Opening location.

I am forwarding the contract to you to inspect - all seven
pages; you will need to be fluent in both Chinese and Greek,
and I suggest you throw it straight-away into the trash.

Now, I don't think this precludes any of us from booking rooms
with Artisan during our week, and they made it plain to me that
they had no qualms with our lifestyle and it's purposes, and I
made quite sure they understood the nature of our group and our
purpose for being there. But, we won't be getting any group rates
from them.

Other than that, they seemed most cordial and happy to have us as
guests. So, I encourage any of you who like Artisan to go ahead and
book with them and look forward to good service, but don't expect a
discount. More from me when I know it.
. . . . . . . . . .

Annie responds:

Thanks Cynthia.

It appears to me that you're very comfortable having the Artisan
as a suggested hotel, but that the (new) procedure to arrange any
group affairs is a roadblock which you don't believe is worth to
try crossing or driving around.

All, please be doing some thinking WRT our opening (and closing)
celebration. It's apparent that Artisan (and Rumor) now require
a degree of formality which we may not be able to deal with. (If
anyone else feels like taking another shot at negotiating with
the Artisan or Rumor, no, you're not stepping on any toes.)

Cynthia will be looking at other venues, but if anyone has any
particular venue in mind, please say so, and if you want to do
some preliminary fact-finding please feel free to do so, keeping
in mind to make no commitments on behalf of the group until you
have the "OK" to do so from the gang here.

Thoughts and ideas?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Significance of Charles:

DocRobbySherry writes:

With all due respect, why all concern and efforts for Charles?

This year was my first DLV and I missed the "Charle's bar" excursion.
I don't know who he/she is. Or, his history with DLV.

Can someone please explain his relevance for us newbies?

Thanks
. . . . . . . . . .

Annie responds:

First of all, Charles is a "he", or (LOL) if not, he passes very
well. :)

Here's the story with Charles ...

Not often, but occasionally throughout our years, our attendees
have developed bonds with a few individuals which were indeed
more than that of the usual provider-customer relationship.

Those individuals who come to mind immediately include vocalist
Michael Cagle, comedian Steve "Tiny Bubbles" Daly, and I'd give
an honorable mention to Mike, long-time waiter at the Sahara who
put up with a lot from us over the early-mid years of DLV. :) :)

Charles is one of these, and I daresay that his connection to
DLV and various attendees is the strongest and longest-lived
of those individuals in this category.

As a bartender, Charles is a distinguished professional. Not
only does he make a mean drink he also performs as a friend,
confidant, and unlicensed therapist to those in his charge.

It's very clear that Charles' enthusiasm is not driven by either
self-promotion or promotion of the Bellagio. He's flat-out said
that he doesn't blame anyone who has skipped the Charles Bar
get-togethers because of the prices (which he does not set) or
the hours.

Anyway, when you first meet Charles, you'll understand what all
of the fuss is about. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Welcome Celebration, etc.:

Crystal writes:

Hi everyone.

Sorry for the delay in responding to last week's mailing. I'll combine
my responses to last week's and this week's mailings.

I loved the Welcome Celebration at The Artisan last year. Sure, being
seated for dinner had its challenges, but I really loved the property
and the bar area was perfect for catching up with old friends and
meeting new ones. Although the group I was with was broken up and seated
at two different tables in two different seating areas, it worked out
great. I sat at a table with some DLVers that I had never met before and
really enjoyed their company. Gotta say that the food was pretty good
too.

I'm not opposed to trying something new. Rumor sounds nice. Anything
outdoors relies upon the weather cooperating. If the indoor area is
large enough to accommodate our group, should it rain, then I'm all
for trying something new. I'm okay with waiting for a table and even
sitting with girls that I haven't met. I'm a "go with the flow" kinda
gal in situations like these.

I really liked the idea of an Artisan Lunch and Art Tour as a separate
activity. I would definitely attend that if the Welcome Celebration is
held at Rumor. There's just so much to do in Vegas in such a short
amount of time that I really do not want to revisit too many of the same
venues while I'm at DLV. So, for me personally, I would attend only one
activity at The Artisan not two.
. . . . .

The group photo is totally optional for me. I like looking at the photo
so that I can see a large number of attendees gathered together. That's
kind of powerful in its own way. Honestly, if it doesn't happen, I don't
think that I would really miss it.
. . . . .

I really like the Mob Museum idea. Sounds like fun! If Bob needs help
coordinating this, I'm willing to help.
. . . . .

I know that Charles has quite a huge following among the Limo Tour
folks. Sorry to hear that the post Limo Tour Charles Bar activity will
not be happening. Although I have never met Charles, I think that it's a
great idea to invite him to attend the Limo Tour. Because he's been so
good to our group over the years, I'm happy to contribute to his ticket
- count me in.

I agree with Annie; personally I would not attend an event in a hotel
room. I'm more of a mainstream activity type of person. Another thing
that I do not agree with is Joann's 4th proposal to build in a 30 minute
stop on the Limo Tour, for a round of champagne toasts with Charles. It
forces those of us who really have no relationship with Charles to be
held up for 30 minutes. That time could be spent doing something that
might be appealing to the majority of the riders.
. . . . .

I'm still happy to coordinate an EON activity.
. . . . . . . . . .

Annie responds:

Thanks Crystal.

I agree with much of what you've said here.

You touched on one very important facet of what we've always
tried to do at our larger gatherings and that is to get people
to circulate and get to know those with whom they are not already
acquainted.

I think a few of your thoughts would make very good activities
with little effort or formality. A lunch at Artisan followed by
a guided walk-through of the various artwork would work well as
an afternoon activity, or {wheels turning} a later-afternoon "mini
art tour" followed by HH and dinner as an EON option. Mob Museum
would be another excellent "art tour" type of activity.

As for the group photo, we may have to wait and see what happens.
Depending on what we end up using for our major gatherings, it
may or may not work.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hotel discussion:

Sara writes:

Re: Hotels, thanks Annie. I was just putting my experience out
there from 2011 for consideration this time around. No worries
about MGM Grand not being likely to make the final cut in 2012.

I tried it on DLV's recommendation and was thrilled. But I can
certainly endorse a less-is-more approach when it comes to the
main recommendations but having an alternate hotel list is a nice
idea as well.

BTW, regarding the cost of MGM versus Paris, my comments were
based on my 2011 experience. MGM was significantly less at that
time. My personal preference is that perfect combination of cost
and quality which means I will likely give Paris a good look for 2012.

Re: Elton John, might be a pricey ticket but I'll start saving my
pennies now. I cannot think of an event that would be more fun!!!
. . . . . . . . . .

I notice that MGM is not listed in the Big List. Please enter it
(link above) if you want it to appear as a secondary suggestion
this year.

If Elton John is to be on the schedule, somebody is gonna have
to do some checking on schedule, ticket availability, and, of
course, prices. Then there's that perpetual issue of how to get
our people seated together when they want to pay separately.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrivia:

This is the Diva Las Vegas 2012 organizational list.

This mailing was addressed to: annie_at_annie.net

One address for all items regarding this list, additions, removals,
changes, submissions, questions, etc.:

dlvorg_at_geekbabe.com <--- NOTE: all lower case

Diva Las Vegas 2012
April 22 - 27, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Archives of this list appear on the web at:

http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/org11arc/

To unsubscribe: Simply reply to this message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE
in either the Subject: field or the first line of an OTHERWISE BLANK
message body. The word "unsubscribe" (case is insignificant) should be
the only item in the subject field or the first line of the message,
justified to the left.

To send material to this list: Send submission as regular e-mail to
the address: dlvorg_at_geekbabe.com
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Received on Wed Nov 30 2011 - 05:53:13 CST