In this mailing:
Org List
Thanks to all
JoAnn Sez
Annie Sez
Lunch turn-out thoughts
PF Chang and Macy's
Metro, Glamour, Dig
Neon, Arts, EHM
Discussion of activities
Administrivia
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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.
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Thanks to all:
Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, this will be the last of the
DLV 2012 ORG mailings.
Over the next couple of weeks we'll be resetting things, adjusting
the mailing lists to include the new volunteers, and starting the
2013 mailings.
Our surveys will close tomorrow and we'll be publishing the results
over the next few days. Last chance if you have not taken them.
Attendee survey: http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/2012survey.html
Non-attendee survey: http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/2012nasur.html
If there are any items that need to be addressed by the 2012 ORG
group, please get them in ASAP. Thanks again! :)
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JoAnn Sez:
As always the 20% who volunteered delivered the fun and variety of
activity for the other 80% to enjoy. I thank both the 20% for
organizing and the 80% who attended and collectively you made Diva
Gathering-2012--- a reality.
We needed you all for the Diva Gathering 2012 to be its success!
Let us see how we can "lift the bar" and make 2013 even better......
Thanks to all. Hugs, thanks, and yes!, you did make it happen !
Please bring along some of those who helped this year to be the
originators of their very own activity in 2013.
We are all Blessed to have each and every one of you VOLUNTEERS.
JoAnn Segrue
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Annie Sez:
I would like to personally thank all who worked on DLV 2012 for
giving us our 16th. very successful event.
Although our headcount numbers were down somewhat this year, we did
have a very rewarding event which was enjoyed by those who were in
attendance.
. . . . .
In particular, I would like to call attention to three "teams" who
went above and beyond the call of duty this year.
Ya know, when I single anybody or any group out for extra recognition,
in a way I feel like I'm being unfair to those not mentioned, since
everyone did their part and did it very well this year. Please, anyone
who is not mentioned in the next few paragraphs, I do appreciate and
value your efforts and contributions as well!
These particular groups are the ones who have done more than their
fair share, and have done the "heavy lifting", which many of us do
not wish to do, in order that we may have an event of the quality
we expect to have!
First is the Welcome Celebration crew, led by Cami. Although much
of this was off line, this group did an exceptional job in making
sure that we had a well-attended and successful opening night.
This group did a bang-up job, working at short notice and aiming at
a moving target, to deal with various uncertainties and contingencies,
and to arrange for plans for multiple workable back-ups in the event
things did not work out as planned.
Next is Alanna, assisted by Beverly, who coordinated our closing
evening at Bahama Breeze. This was our third consecutive "strong
ending", all of which were centered around the Bahama Breeze.
For those who do not know this, Alanna will be taking some time
off as a DLV volunteer. I wish to again thank Alanna for all of
her efforts over the past several years!
Last but not least are those on the EHM crew, led by Sarah.
Not only did they coordinate our third-most-attended activity this
year, they produced a very impressive addition to the museum which
was on display for our attendees and the general public.
I might state something contrary to what Sarah has said, and that I
consider this exhibit to most definitely be of exhibition quality
and right up there with the other exhibits in their collection.
"It's a BOY!" :)
It includes such things as full-size "action figures" and various
historical references.
I really hope that the Museum staff will consider adding this to
their permanent or rotating collection.
For those who missed it, a view of the exhibit can be seen here:
http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/misc/dmrd120037.jpg
There are some other views in the "Stage 1" staging area, as well
as some scattered about, which will appear in the permanent DLV
2012 follow-up pages.
Thanks again to all who did their part in making DLV 2012 all it
could be! :)
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Lunch turn-out thoughts:
Rosada writes:
> For example, out of over 100 in-town attendees on Friday, why did
> we have only 4 for Lunch With Ginger? Were the other 100-some just
> not interested? Not hungry? Not awake yet? Any ideas? Comments?
In regards to this, I wouldn't say its anything Ginger did or didn't do,
but rather the location in general. I do not like maneuvering through
the maze known as the LV Strip. If I can avoid it, I will. Perhaps lunch
at a different venue off the Strip might yield better turnout numbers
for her.
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
Thanks, Rosada.
All, do we have any other thoughts regarding this specific idea (the
location) or any others?
The one comment I heard off line was along the line of "The regulars
are now confident enough to eat on their own and the newcomers are
still scared sh*tless to join us."
This year we had three LWG/A locations which are considered to be
"on the Strip" and two which were off-Strip. Let's examine the
numbers and see if that appears to be a factor.
Sunday Lunch With Alanna (Harrah's - ON Strip): 3
Monday Lunch With Ginger (Stratosphere - ON Strip): 10
Tuesday Lunch With Alanna (LVH - OFF Strip): 8
Thursday Lunch With Ginger (Paris - ON Strip): 4
Friday Lunch With Ginger (Gold Coast - OFF Strip): 4
The ON-Strip LWG/A sessions had an average of 5.67 people in
attendance and the OFF-Strip sessions had an average of 6.0, or
about .3 person difference between the ON and OFF Strip locations.
Another way of looking at it would be to compare the beginning of
the week with the end of the week. If we use Wednesday (when we
did not have LWG/A) as the dividing line, the beginning of the
week lunches had an average of 7 people, and the end of the week
sessions had an average of 4.
The one comment I heard in person during DLV was that the price of
the daily lunch is now higher than it has been in previous years.
We had two lunches with a price of over $15 per person and three
with a price under $15. If we compare turnout with price, we get
an average of 3.5 in attendance at the lunches costing over $15
and 7.333 in attendance for those priced under $15.
So, in comparing three factors, location, price, and time of the
week, it appears to me that price is the most significant, time
of week follows closely as second, and location, in and of itself,
appears to be a minor factor. I do realize that when we're dealing
with lower numbers, there is a lot of "noise" in the stream here.
There is one other item to consider, and that is the lunch on the
day we did not have our usual LWG/A, and that was Wednesday, the
Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.
Wednesday Volunteer Recognition Luncheon (Artisan): 26
That was our best-attended lunch this year. It did have a definite
purpose, other than mere sustenance, so that alone can account for
some of the additional turnout.
. . . . . . . . . .
Any further thoughts on the daily lunch?
Would you be more likely to attend our daily lunch at an off-Strip
location? Is the cost of the lunch a significant factor for you,
when deciding to attend or not attend our daily lunch? Would you
be more likely to attend a daily lunch if it were at a regular
sit-down restaurant than at a buffet?
Comments?
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PF Chang and Macy's:
Sara writes:
I have been woefully late in providing the "reports" on the events for
which I was the hostess. Better late than never, I guess!
PF Chang's - Sign-ups mirrored last year's total, 50 or so. But where
last year about 40-ish showed up, I think we only pulled in about 32
(sorry, I don't have a precise headcount).
All in all, the event pretty much went as expected. Booking an earlier
time slot allowed many of us to take advantage of happy hour drink
pricing and having a full bar adjacent to our tables helped a lot.
The food was better than ever, probably the best meal I've ever had
there and of course the company was wonderful.
The only negative was that we technically only have the tables for two
hours and there was at least one person who was pretty darned miffed
when the server advised of this when we had about 45 minutes to go.
When all was said and done though, we were not booted at the two-hour
mark and should I do this event again, I will be sure to advertise that
we have a two hour window, that guests should plan on being on time.
Also, I think it was a good call to schedule on the early side given the
popularity of EHM which took place later that evening.
. . . . .
Macy's Makeover Experience - Year two of this event as well and it
greatly exceeded my expectations. Last year, 12 signed up and we had 6
actually show up. This year, we had over 20 sign up and at one point, I
counted at least 15 of us around and about the participating makeup
counters.
It is important to note that we had 100% return from the previous year.
All 6 who participated in 2011 showed up again in 2012!
So imagine how surreal it was for me to walk up to the counters and
seeing so many of us there. For being such a mainstream environment,
everyone looked at ease and the artists were all just terrific. Of
course the department manager made it clear to me that we are more than
welcome to put this together again next year. Sounds like a plan to
me!!!
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Annie responds:
One very successful series of activities which have been going
on over the past three DLVs is that of mainstream makeovers and
cosmetic counter type of activities. They have turned out to be
very popular with our group and, of course, worthwhile for the
vendors.
I know that Ginger is planning to expand her offerings next year
with an additional location, an additional vendor, and a "make a
day of it" type of makeover/lunch type of thing.
I'm hoping that yours will be repeated or expanded as well. :)
Thanks again for taking this on! :)
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Metro, Glamour, Dig:
Holly writes:
The headcounts and reports for the activities I coordinated for DLV 2012
are below.
Tuesday
7:00pm: Metro Pizza option: 10
Our group was nicely attended to at Metro Pizza. Service was fast,
professional and courteous. Oh, and the food was outstanding!
. . . . .
Wednesday
11:00am: Just You/Glamour Boutique Open House: 30-35
Amy and her crew had a very nice spread... breakfast pastries in the
morning and sandwiches, chips, vegetable trays in the afternoon and lots
of other goodies as well. Discounts for store merchandise was available
to all who attended. Bravo to Just You for a job well done (as usual).
12:00pm: Dig This: 2
A shame no one else decided to join us. My wife and I had so much fun
digging, shoving, stacking, and even played a little excavator
basketball. We even made out own little amusement ride by driving the
equipment on the side of a small hill and spinning the cab around just
like a tilt-a-whirl at the fair! We were able to communicate with one
another and our trainer via two-way radio. The staff was amazing simply
the best. We never had so much fun playing in the dirt!
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
Dig This has to be one of the most unusual out-of-the-box activities
we've had in our history.
I must also say that the concept of Dig This is a very innovative
way of getting some income on what would otherwise be totally idle
heavy equipment.
My personal opinion is that price, more than anything, discouraged
a higher turnout. Yes, we had a very significant discount from the
list price, but it was still a very expensive activity.
One comment I heard in person, and I forget the exact quote, but
it was along the line of "If I'm gonna operate that stuff, they are
going to be paying ME to do it, not the other way around!"
I do know we had one on our volunteer list who signed up but
cancelled prior to the activity. Maybe this individual can give
us more insight.
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Neon, Arts, EHM:
Sarah writes:
I need to provide the summary for the activities I hostessed.
First was the Neon Museum Tour. Last year we had a good turnout and
there were some requests during the off season to do it again for folks
who missed it.
The museum is expanding and remodeling the La Concha motel office to be
the basis for their visitor center.
Another change, and probably the one that had the worst impact on
attendance was the requirement to use a credit card over the Internet to
pay in advance for the tour.
I spent the morning getting my car to the dealer to get warranty work
done and then taking the longest shuttle ride in modern history back to
my hotel where I got ready and waited for Sue to pick me up for the
tour. We got there on time to find we are the only Diva members there as
the tour begins. During the introductory remarks I see JoAnn arrive, and
it's just the three of us along with the guide and about 15 civilians as
we take the long way around the construction to the side entrance of the
boneyard.
The guide sends me through the gate first and instructs the others to
follow 'the gentleman'. Gee Thanks. I realized a long time ago that no
one will mistake me for female and occasionally this kind of thing will
happen, but it still put a burr under my bra strap.
Nothing else bad happened other than we began to melt in the sun and
were in competition with everyone else for the limited shade in the
area.
The tour was wonderfully informative and very interesting. I'd recommend
everyone interested in the history of Las Vegas take it one of these
days, but wait until they have finished building their on-site welcome
center and museum, probably in the fall or winter of 2012.
Later Sue sent a nice note to the museum discussing the comment of the
guide and she was much nicer than I would have been, so thanks Sue for
leaving them with a much better impression than I would have.
. . . . .
The second activity was the Art Tour of the Monet exhibit at the
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts, a favorite location with world class
exhibits.
Prior to the tour is the volunteer luncheon at the Artisan. Great spot
with wonderful ambiance, tasty food and reeeaaaaallllllyyyyy
sssllllloooooooooowwwwww food service. By the time we were getting our
meals it was time to start the tour. Annie sent out a chirp saying to
start without us (I never got it on my T-Mobile phone). If you were
there on time and went through the exhibit, please give us a shout so we
can adjust the attendance numbers to reflect your participation.
By the time we arrived it was the same three who made it to the Neon
Museum.
This exhibit was a delight and I recommend you go and go often. The
paintings are amazing and the recorded information on the little
personal audio guides complemented the exhibit and helped put everything
context.
. . . . .
The final activity was the Erotic Heritage Museum and I think everyone
who attended enjoyed the activity, tour and our little exhibit on
crossdressing. Our exhibit wasn't nearly as professional as the rest of
the materials at the museum, but it seems there was quite a bit of
positive feedback from other visitors and the materials remained in
place for quite a while following our visit.
A total of 55 Diva's were there and the EHM staff treated us well.
The raffle was a success and the proceeds of that along with tips at the
bar all contributed to a nice donation to the museum. A few took
advantage of the invitation to wear something a little too much, or was
that too little, for the rest of Las Vegas. Marisa and Laura turned the
heat up and we enjoyed some tasty drinks at the cash bar the EHM opened
for the evening.
. . . . . . . . . .
It's unfortunate that the tour guide made such a faux-pas! :(
I would hope to think that it's only inexperience with TG guests and
not an intentional affront. Please let us know if you receive any
follow-up from the Neon Museum staff.
The Artisan-Bellagio thing was probably our worst chain-reaction
time-crunch this year. It's unfortunate, but it did happen, and I
really think we handled it about as well as we could have. Lesson
learned in timing!
Please see my notes about the EHM above.
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Discussion of activities:
Katie writes:
I am wondering if it would serve us well to have an individual response
Topic in our discussion pages at My DLV to gather thoughts and opinions
on the events we attended?
As I only hostessed one event in reality and our turnout was quite low
at Katie's Koffee Korner then it would be futile to use this as an
example. But I loved Chapalas and I was in attendance at The Glam'
Boutique even though I didn't sign up for it. (Thanks Bev for
encouraging me to go there! I even bought new hairstyle there that I
love which is something I really didn't intend to do while I was in
town=A0). I think it would be nice to have opinions on each event like
this to see who liked or disliked the particular place or the group.
We obviously need to direct the general group of attendees to comment
there too as they don't get to read our discussions here.. and it seems
that not many new faces actually go there to read the discussion
columns. I have directed one of our new girls already to the My DLV
discussion pages so she can keep up with things there.
What do you think girls, is this something we should do?
. . . . . . . . . .
You really don't need any specific permission to start a thread on
the Discussion Forum for re-cap of any specific activity.
If you think any activities warrant particular discussion, please
feel free to create a thread to do just that.
We'll most likely get some discussion on some of the activities as
soon as the survey comments are posted, and if appropriate, those
can be spun off into such threads.
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Administrivia:
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This mailing was addressed to: annie_at_annie.net
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Diva Las Vegas 2012
April 22 - 27, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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