In this mailing:
Org List
Continuing with DLV strategy
EHM and KOH affair
Voice coach
Expanding the scope of our activities
Illness prevention at DLV
Name tags
Ear piercing
Administrivia
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Org List:
This is the DLV 2015 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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Continuing with DLV strategy:
Several items of interest this week. Please continue to discuss.
We have a couple of items regarding some activities which (continue to)
expand the scope of our program. Comments, in general, or in particular,
regarding these will be appreciated.
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EHM and KOH affair:
Dionne writes:
Here are some initial comments from Dr.Victoria about our discussions.
(From conversations)
> Sara writes: I'm glad to see EHM is back up & running and more
> importantly, it seems to be a very enthusiastic part of our 2015
> schedule.
Dr. Victoria writes:
Love it!
> Sherry writes: The blurb about lunch with Dr. Victoria at the
> EHM kind of jumped out at me. The nite at EHM was an anchor
> event until last year when it was closed. Possibly the EHM lunch
> could be combined with another EHM event that nite? Then, lunch
> attendees could pay an entrance fee then and return that nite on
> the same ticket? And, those that skip lunch can pay the fee that
> evening if they attend the EHM nite as usual. Whoever wants to
> host an EHM nite may want to research this?
Dr. Victoria writes:
We can do two events for sure. The fee for each depends on whether or
not the EHM provides the food. If we provide food we would need to
charge to at least cover our costs for food and staff. We could do a
ticket for all events for the day that would cover both plus food if
held on the same day. For those who simply attend the evening event it
would be the usual $10.00. What do you think?
Dionne writes: To be clear on this, no one gets in for free, minimum
$10, more cost depends on the goodies we request.
Annie writes:
> There's momentum toward making Wednesday kind of an all-day
> "anchor"affair centered around the revamped EHM and the Kings Of
> Hustler with a supporting mid-scale evening meal.
Dr. V. writes:
Kings of Hustler should be no problem, I am not the GM any longer but
have a very close relationship with the GM there now.
Thanks Much, looking forward to creating more memories!
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JoAnn responds:
This might be a day that one purchases the Program "Exotic Ticket" [an
adult Disneyland admission], or EHM Lunch Program ticket only, or EHM
Evening Program ticket. Plus there is a dinner venue(s) package.
Packaging and Pricing for discussion purposes--
1) Program Exotic Ticket [includes Lunch program w/ lunch plus evening
program w/ 2 drinks]
(2) EHM Lunch Ticket [includes program, admission, & box lunch]
(3) EHM Evening Ticket [includes evening program only w/ two(2) drink
tickets].
Dinner meal is additional as order at one of the 1-3 dinner venues.
So one pays for what they get and the Exotic Package is a discount.
As an example:
Program Exotic Ticket $40.00
EHM Lunch Ticket $35.00
EHM Evening Ticket $25.00
Just a thought to open the conversation.
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Voice coach:
Sue writes:
I am talking with Kathe Perez about her coming out to DLV.
If you don't know Kathe, she is a leading voice therapist and does a lot
of work with the TG community.
I suspect this has come up before, so I wanted to see if you feel this
is a worthwhile venture. I talked with her briefly and told her I would
suspect that if we did an afternoon session, we would be in the 30
attendee range. Do you agree?
Has this been shot down before?
I am kind of throwing it her way also to see if she feels she would get
value. I would hate to drag someone out and it is a total flop.
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Annie responds:
For a voice coach, actually no, I don't believe that it has been brought
up before, not that I can remember. It's been suggested in feedback but
it's never happened.
Personally, I like the idea, but let's hear what the gang here thinks. I
think the demand and response would be very good, since this is a
profession which is not very visible in Las Vegas and one that many in
our community know they need.
I would say that 30 participants is in the ballpark. IIRC we had about
that many at the wig seminar this year.
One burning question: Would this be a free or a paid session? Obviously
a free session would garner more bodies in attendance.
One suggestion I might make which I think would work is to have her do a
freebee session to a group (I suggest an informal thing such as we had
for the wig shop last year at Spotlight Lounge), and then offer
individual or group paid appointments later in the week, perhaps in a
hotel room.
In any case, I highly doubt that it would be a total flop!
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JoAnn responds:
Having done this I can say that the key is to having smaller groups.
Again, I like Annie introduction idea followed with "breakout smaller
groups".
The pricing:
Intro session is $10.00/ person for 45 minutes for the group up to 10
persons in each "Intro Session".
Then people can sign-up for Group Sessions having no more than 6 in
each session for a one(1) hour period at $25 a person.
Or some similar format .....
Believe we could have a sign-up of 30. And there is a price set for
the "intro" and the group sessions.
If people want individual sessions the person can do those, too.
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Expanding the scope of our activities:
Ginger writes:
DLV attendance has been steady, but not increasing. Many of the
hotel-based-rubber-chicken-banquet conferences like SCC are having
attendance problems or have closed like BeAll and Fall Harvest. Maybe
we need to be more proactive in finding ways to appeal to potential
attendees.
Would having vendors and presentations by doctors and others be
attractive for potential attendees?
Where would the presentations be made? In hotel suites rented by the
presenters, in other places we identified at no cost to us, such as
clubs?
Would renting space in the LGBT Center be attractive for vendors and
presenters? How would we cover the cost?
Maybe we could solicit donations from doctors who wanted to present and
other sponsors and charge vendors for the spaces. What would be the cost
of alienating the local vendors. Having funds to deal with will present
problems and complications and maybe create liabilities not worth the
reward.
Is there a need for this or is something like this even appropriate for
typical DLV attendees? I'm not sure I'd even be for it myself, but it is
something to consider.
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Annie responds:
Our event is continuously evolving.
Despite the one-off remark in feedback, I don't think we're getting too
commercial.
The precedent for vendors and commercial activities has been set. Many
times, actually. The latest go-round was the Creative Wigs Seminar which
came off very well.
It was a win-win-win. Spotlight got a lot of bar business on an
otherwise slow afternoon, Creative Wigs sold products and got new
customers, and the DLVers got a very enjoyable activity. (4.8)
Wheels seem to be turning toward getting a voice coach next year, and I
think that will come off equally well.
The Center would be a good venue if the presenter needed anything like
a marker board, overhead, video screen, etc. This would be better than,
IMAO, the archetypal Moapa Room down the hall in {fill in any hotel name
here} convention center.
However (comma) ... The problem with The Center is that it's off the
beaten path and not that easy to get to for those without a vehicle.
IIRC it was about a $12-$15 taxi ride for me from Bally's down there
for the Carla's Boutique thing in 2013.
My feeling is that a place like Spotlight, which is better known and
easier to get to, works better, particularly if the presenter does not
need any AV stuff. It's most likely available in exchange for the bar
business.
One thing I want to avoid at all costs (pun intended) is the
establishment of a treasury or common pool of funds. I think that would
shift our attention from planning activities to making the numbers work.
If we're to venture more into seminars, vendor sessions, etc., which
incur real-dollar costs, I would suggest we keep our current model and
have those activities, just like all other activities, be independent
and self-supporting.
Let's hear what the others think about this. Comments please.
And {tongue in cheek} if anyone is unfamiliar with the stereotypical
"RCB", surf here: :)
http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/mydlv/wiki/index.php/RCB
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JoAnn responds:
While the LGBT is north of town it has good facilities and a
"non-commercial venue".
The vendor/ service provider should directly contact the LGBT Center to
rent a space and they pay for it.
This is a venue whereby we can help the LGBT Center and start a
"relationship" with them on a positive note.
It also introduces a LGBT "set of services" for our people to advocate
for where they reside.
We should not let a taxi fare be a barrier given the "potentials"...
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Illness prevention at DLV:
Dionne writes:
I think we could investigate how the flu bug got propagated along
throughout the group, so quickly. Did we share the food at Carmine's and
pass it along that way? Or was there something else we did?
Since we will be meeting earlier next year, this isn't about scheduling
as it is about being better prepared for flu season. This should be a
consideration for event planning in DLV2015.
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Annie responds:
I believe we had multiple infectious agents this past year, none of
which appeared to be true influenza (flu).
We had reports of the common cold at the beginning of the week and
toward the end. Michelle J. caught this and it quickly responded to
zinc compounds, as recommended by one of our resident RNs.
What I (and others) had was clearly some kind of enterovirus, possibly
the norovirus which was reported at several resorts around that time.
We also had one report of a urinary tract infection. There may have been
more afflicted but only one report.
It will be very difficult this long after the fact to get any clear
conclusion on exactly who, if anyone, was "patient zero" or how the
various infections were passed.
With 150+ attendees, there will be hundreds of thousands of
opportunities for an infection to pass from person to person.
What I think would be the most effective use of our thoughts and
resources is to discuss how we can prevent the spread of infectious
diseases at the 2015 and future events, rather than to try to
concentrate on a lost horse which has already escaped from the unlocked
barn. :)
For some reason, people seem to want to blame Carmine's for this. I was
feeling symptoms prior to Carmine's and I know some others skipped
Carmine's due to feeling ill. I'm sure that both (all?) infections were
passed around continuously throughout the week.
I think our best approach is to emphasize the importance of hygiene and
sanitation to our attendees prior to and during the event.
In one year of a well-publicized flu outbreak, we did ask people who
were feeling flu symptoms to please consider others and not attend. We
can do this again as a more general request.
Handwashing can help prevent spread of infection and I think if we
encourage this it can help. Yes, many of our people want to spend as
little time in the restroom as possible, but the 30 seconds or so it
takes to wash hands is well worth it. (One of our long-time volunteers
used to actually discourage the use of the basin/vanity area in public
ladies rooms.)
Another suggestion which was brought up off line was to get boxes of
sanitizer wipes and liberally pass them around. I think this is a step
in the right direction.
I think the best thing to do, however, is to raise everyone's awareness
regarding how easy it is to take a few simple steps to prevent the
transmission of communicable diseases.
I'm going to pass this on to the ORG list, and open up discussion to see
if anyone has other ideas on how to help prevent things like this from
occurring.
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Name tags:
Ginger writes:
> We need to circle back and finalize our strategy for name tags
> for the 2015 event before we get caught up in the programming
> aspects of our event.
I'll be happy to provide the clip style plastic holders as provided the
past two years; these are far superior to the pin-on holders that can
damage clothing. Does anyone one know how many holders are left over and
who has them?
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Annie responds:
Thanks again for the offer Ginger! :)
IIRC, Vera and Dennis have the stash of tag holders. Vera? Dennis? Got
yer ears on? :)
I also seem to recall that there should be enough of them still in stock
for one more year without a need for replenishment.
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Ear piercing:
Ginger writes:
I've had my ears pierced for several years now and love them. As the
price of gold has risen I have learned my earrings do not have to be
solid gold. Some of the ones I have, which are supposed to be 12 or 14K
gold may not be, who knows?
Every day in my unisex way I usually wear very small diamond gold studs
that are really cubic zirconia and often a light real gold chain with a
cubic zirconia pendent, but who can tell the difference. What
substantial real gold jewelry I have is safely tucked away; it's too
expensive to take risks.
I've had good success ordering peals, both necklaces and earrings from
China and/or Hong Kong off e-Bay. Most of the pieces were advertised as
having real gold settings, but who knows and the prices have not been
much, if any, more than costume jewelry sold at full price retail
stores. I've only been disappointed in the quality once, however it does
seem that good deals are getting harder to find as the economy improves.
If you try this carefully read the description of the merchandise you
are about to buy!
When I first had my ears pierced some of my professional colleagues at
the time "snorted" their disapproval, but they were people who snorted
disapproved of most fun things and I enjoyed seeing them snort! When
asked why I did it, my standard response has been when everyone else my
age was having their ears pierces I was in the Army and couldn't. Now I
can do what I want and I'm making up for lost time, which I probably am!
I hardly ever get any reaction anymore, but sometime a young server at a
restaurant or other such person will say something like, "Man, I like
the studs" probably because you don't see too many people my age and
race with pierced ears. When I'm going out looking nice I'm becoming
more partial to the large dangley earrings found at discount stores like
SteinMart. Having a nice assortment to select from is part of the fun!
When I am doing professional work, which is not often since I retired, I
just take them out and no one notices. When I forget I secretly laugh at
what others might be thinking and go on! Life is too short not to enjoy
it and unlike shoes, all earrings seem to fit!
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Received on Wed Sep 17 2014 - 08:50:18 CDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Wed Jun 03 2015 - 07:09:18 CDT