In this mailing:
Org List
DLV goings-on
Seeding the schedule
Thoughts on returning
Transportation comments
Golf and TopGolf
Voice coaching
Hotel update
Various comments
Working schedule
Administrivia
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Org List:
This is the DLV 2017 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.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DLV goings-on:
All items received by Monday evening are in this mailing. Items received
after will appear next mailing.
. . . . .
First a note on scheduling and timing.
We're actually ahead of schedule on our hotel items. No objections were
heard to using last year's slate of suggested hotels (Flamingo, Paris,
Four Queens) so an updated hotel item will be placed on the web site
shortly and a general mailing will be made either as soon as details are
solid on the offer, or just prior to the holidays, whichever is sooner.
We're also on schedule or a bit ahead as far as starting to put the
daily schedule together. The embryonic version appears below with most
current items being place-holders.
A number of decisions need to be made regarding our daily schedule
strategy so feedback is important as of this time!
Around the first of December, we'll be shaking down the registration
system by sending out re-registration emails to volunteers who are on
this list. Please consider this "for real" and register when you can and
please report any issues.
This year we're going to tweak the timing of some of the items which are
related to registration, mainly holding off sending out the big batch of
re-registration emails until the first of the year. This is mainly to
avoid people missing these or spacing them off due to the attention they
are paying to the holidays.
The timing of activity sign-up (early March) worked well last year so
let's plan on March 1 as the drop-dead date for activities which need to
be part of the activity sign-up process.
. . . . .
Golfers! Please see below. We need some input on this please!
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Seeding the schedule:
Annie writes:
This is the very very first hyper-preliminary schedule, the result of
seeding the schedule with the major items which are solid as of this
date and those which are planned as daily recurring items.
This assumes we do KKK, LWG, LND, and the experimental on-site check-in
on each day, which may change.
As you'll see, Monday is the only day for which there is any substance
other than place-holders.
Let's do the first day to day schedule review ...
+Sunday, March 26:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Sunday is totally wide open, and even some of these daily recurring
items may not happen on Sunday.
One Sunday strategy which has worked well in previous years was to do a
downtown-centered multi-track thing. That's one workable option for this
year as well if we choose to do it.
. . . . .
+Monday, March 27:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 5:00pm: New Attendee Welcome and Orientation (Bahama Breeze) - mv
+ 6:00pm: Happy Hour (Bahama Breeze) - mv
+ 7:00pm: Welcome Dinner (Bahama Breeze) - mv
+ 8:30pm: Meet And Greet (Bahama Breeze) - mv
+ 9:00pm: Official Group Photo (Bahama Breeze) - mv
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Monday is our only solid evening as of this time. The daytime needs to
be filled in, of course, and some of the titling and timing may need to
be tweaked depending on if we want to do a more formalized new attendee
thing at the BB.
If we move ahead with on-site check-in at the Flamingo, I expect that
Monday will be the most busy day, and I also expect that it will greatly
reduce the check-in load at BB that evening, should we try the on-site
check-in.
. . . . .
Let's cover Tuesday and Wednesday in one shot here ...
+Tuesday, March 28:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
+Wednesday, March 29:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
I think the big decision here is which evening (Tuesday or Wednesday) to
designate as our main multi-track evening (Eating Out Night, etc.) and
which is to be used for a mid-scale "anchor" activity.
If anyone has any input here (as in something that has to happen Tuesday
or has to happen Wednesday) please say so.
. . . . .
Also, let's cover Thursday and Friday in one shot as well.
+Thursday, March 30:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
+Friday, March 31:
+ 8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
+ 12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
+ 3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
+ 10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
I think the key decision here is which evening (Thursday or Friday) will
be used for our second major gathering. We can then designate the other
as an "anchor" activity evening.
Any schedule thoughts?
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Thoughts on returning:
Katie writes:
On the subject of people returning at a mere 49% rate.
I have always thought that our header DLV. A Vacation, Not a convention,
was not enough and it is old and tired. If you don't believe me read the
questions over the years, Even though they Must have read it they didn't
believe us. They always ask where the check in desk will be located and
expect someone to sit there all day long on the off chance that 1 or
even 2 will need it. and they expect a final gala event on site too!
I know I have mentioned this before and don't want to appear monotonous
but either change the header to something that will grab the eye more
effectively or........ Start the written description of the event with
something along these lines. [ This is The Very First thing that the
reader must see,]
"Diva Las Vegas Is NOT a convention or a Conference". This means there
will be No single hotel where each and every attendee will be staying
and There will be no all day long sign in desk and a final ball will not
be held on site. This is primarily a Vacation for you to enjoy and Not a
closed circuit event! (This is meant as an example so don't shoot the
messenger) make one of your own up if you don't like this one But for
gosh sakes do it! Way too many people do not get it as of now!
I tried very hard to let new attendees know via MyDLV discussion column
that the coffee gathering is officially the first happening of the week
(Monday Morning) and they could get info there about the where and who
and the why. It worked this past year better than it had previously and
I handed out 3 schedules on Monday and 2 on Tuesday and answered a heap
of questions which hopefully made someones vacation easier to manage.
People who are used to conventions expect they can get this kind of info
at The desk anytime 24/6 and consequently after DLV is all over they
write wishing they had been there Several said they wished they had
known we went for a walk every day after KKK and would have joined us if
they had known. Jeez Show up in the mornings and Smell the coffee as
they say!
I promise not to mention this ever again. Ha! Until the next time...
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
Thanks, Katie.
No, I'm not going to shoot the messenger. Comments are appreciated and
no topic relevant to the event is out of line.
You (and most other returning people) probably are not aware of this,
but for 2015 and 2016 we've added a few preliminary screens to the new
attendee sign-up section to cover many of these raised points of
misunderstanding. Each screen requires a "Yes, I understand" checkbox
to proceed.
You can review these screens here:
http://www.geekbabe.com/cgi-bin/dlv/dlvreg1.cgi?MAM436
(Please don't register any new attendee "for real" using this now, as we
will be wiping and restarting the yearly data around the first of
December.)
This year we may actually have something resembling "the desk", at least
at times, so in a way you might say we've caved to pressure to go in
this direction. I do not, however, envision this as the top of a slppery
slope toward becoming the SCC replacement. :)
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Transportation comments:
Michelle (NV) writes:
With regards to Uber (and I don't know anything about Lyft) ......
A group to which I belong recently had a soiree here in Las Vegas, and
many of the girls used Uber. They were very happy! Hardly had to wait 2
minutes for a pickup. Very reliable.
This is a relatively new transportation concept, but it really works
around Las Vegas.
. . . . .
Sherry writes:
RE: Lunches: One of the hassles in Vegas is having to drive everywhere.
Obviously an issue as u mentioned. However, if venue(s) were chosen that
we could walk to near the Flamingo, maybe more folks would attend. I
certainly would.
On that same point, I think venues for other events that we could walk
to mite be popular. At Wild Side this year they arranged a number of
events within walking distance, in the hotel, or bus pickup from the
hotel. I really appreciated that since the Tropicana is kinda out there
compared to the Flamingo. All those events were well attended!
. . . . .
Aleta writes:
> Question to you and to all, would it be practical to do some kind of a
> more organized group transportation thing using Uber/Lyft?
The good thing about Uber/Lyft is that it's scaleable and doesn't
require any advance arrangement. It really is up to the people involved
to coordinate sharing and payment. Otherwise you have a bunch of people
requesting cars just for themselves, nothing inherently wrong with that
but you save money by sharing. It would be best for a group to meet in a
clearly stated place and decide who rides with whom.
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
Thanks, ladies.
Here's the Big Burning Question:
How can we leverage, as in the practical steps to making transportation
to our activities more convenient for the attendees?
Do we simply recommend using Uber and/or Lyft? Or do we adopt a more
organized Uber/Lyft sharing arrangement?
Comments, please.
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Golf and TopGolf:
Cami writes:
I went to top golf over the weekend as I was in Vegas. What great venue.
Lots of opportunities for banquets it's cetera. A golf outing there
would be a lot of fun but we need to have 25 to 30 people to really make
it work. It isn't cheap and people would have to spend probably close to
$100 between food and beverage and golf. She is sending me a bid.
I also played golf with Jamie Norman and we talked about the tournament.
She is willing to possibly run it. You may not know but last year the
attendance was way down and it might be time to change things up and or
to just drop it and go with the top golf outing.
People who do not golf do not have to be concerned as the way it's set
up is meant for any level of golf.
Let me see what she comes back with and I will keep you in the loop. I
will also probably do a daytime Red Rock Tour as well as an evening
dining and show.
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
As for (regular) golf, it's really up to the golfers as to if it
continues as a yearly activity. I was unaware that participation was
down, but one thing I sure noticed this year was that the golf photos
were very few. Usually we get more than enough to do a full page on that
activity.
TopGolf actually might be good for some kind of an "anchor" evening
activity with a meal, indoor golf, and other things. I think it's worth
pursuing as a fresh medium-scale activity.
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Voice coaching:
Vera writes:
Can I assume that voice coaching for those that would like it is to
learn how to speak in a more feminine voice?
. . . . .
Aleta writes:
> What I would like to do is to pose the question to the Teeming
> Millions in the Discussion Forum in order to try to gauge the
> demand for such a thing.
Voice training is not something learned in a day, it often takes years.
I have a friend who's been doing this for months though the Veterans
Administration.
. . . . . . . . . .
Vera, yes, that is exactly the purpose and we've had a moderate amount
of discussion over there on the Discussion Forum.
The only items of concern that have been raised are along the line of
that if we do it, we should be using a bona fide subject matter expert
and not one of the self-produced and promoted "Youtube Girls" and that
everyone should limit their expectations and not expect a meaningful
change from an introductory session.
Both the lady mentioned a few years ago and the current local lead are
indeed professionally-trained speech pathologists who work in the field
and I think it's universally agreed that's the way we should go on this,
if indeed we travel down this path.
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Hotel update:
Just a quick update to let everyone know that wheels are turning ...
Cami writes (from a conversation):
So I have signed the contract for the Flamingo and made a deposit. I
will forward to you the rate structure but it is what I had sent
earlier.
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
Thanks for all of the effort!
I'll hold the general mailing for a week so we can get the hotel details
sorted out and included. That way we can do it all in one general
mailing before the holidays.
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Various comments:
Aleta writes:
> Anyone in business will tell you that it's better for the bottom line to
> keep an existing customer than it is to seek a new one. I believe much
> of this is true for our event as well. The majority of new attendees in
I think we need to be mindful of where things are trending. I think
sometimes we do things using older and perhaps in my opinion outdated
methods. The millennial generation seems to be more tech aware.
> +I have been "out in public" on a few occasions but my reasons for
> +attendance would be to meet and socialize with new friends. Staying
> +at various hotels and having no central meeting place makes me
> +curious as to how one will connect up with the other girls.
Perhaps we should make greater use of texting, and maps, for those who
don't want to give out their own phone numbers, there's always "burner"
phones. We need to practice communication in real time. Simply saying
"meet me at the Flamingo Hotel" isn't going to work.
> We've tried doing such things as reserving spaces at tables for
> newbees, which really was not effective, IMAO.
I'm concerned that making special spaces could lead people to think
they're bring called out.
> In the room this was held, a fairly formal receiving line was in place
> at the entrance. (Yeah, shades of Junior Cotillion!) This consisted of
> the officers of the club, the President of the affiliated corporation,
> and some of the volunteers who put the event together.
Sounds kind of complicated.
> Now the big burning question is: Would something like this (a more
> formalized new attendee reception) be workable for our event?
I'm not keen on this, sounds like compartmentalization to me. We should
all just be on the same sheet of music.
> Our name tags facilitate familiarity and, although they are a pain to
> produce and distribute, I think they do a good job.
True but I never use them.
> One thing I've looked into are electronic name tags. Some events use
> these and in some cases they become quite the conversation piece. The
> simpler ones are static, kind of like the electronic price tags that
> some shops are now using. (If you don't really pay attention, you don't
I think that's overkill.
> very obvious that the pre-printed ones look nicer, are easier to read,
> and offer more effective name recognition.
I agree.
> If anyone can think of any other way to accomplish this level of name
> recognition without the paper tag, please let it be known.
Ask me my name.
> One thing that has worked reasonably well is to have the QR codes
> on the back of the tags. This gives an easy one-click to the Attendee
Consider this.
> I think that Vera and Dennis have done a bang-up job producing the tags
> for the last few years! I hope they are willing to produce them this
> year as well. What I do think we need to do is to give them some relief
> in the way of helping them distribute them and not require them to
> schlep them all over the place! They need to be able to enjoy the event
> as well! :)
I agree, perhaps there should be an option to determine in advance
whether a person wants a name tag, that makes less work. I admit I never
use mine. While we're not requiring strict access control, perhaps the
QR code in electronic form could lighten their load.
>> +Please keep the lunch down in price and central locations.
> A central location is important, we need to keep the options open.
Container Park is a good place for those wanting to be downtown. In most
cases seating is outdoors, so weather can indeed be a factor. Parking in
the area is metered.
http://downtowncontainerpark.com/
. . . . . . . . . .
Annie responds:
A few comments on some of your talking points here:
> I think we need to be mindful of where things are trending. I
> think sometimes we do things using older and perhaps in my
> opinion outdated methods. The millennial generation seems to be
> more tech aware.
Yes, Millenials are the ones we've been somewhat paying attention to in
the various discussions, but remember that boomers are still our base
and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Many boomers are indeed
becoming (if they are not already) tech-savvy, but there are some who do
resist it. Our surveys do show an increasing share of attendees who are
connected to one degree or another during the event.
> Perhaps we should make greater use of texting, and maps,
Yes, I want to promote the group text thing more this coming season,
particularly since it was shown to be so handy at Pinkfest.
> for those who don't want to give out their own phone numbers,
> there's always "burner" phones.
The trend I am noticing is that over the last few years the people are
less shy about things such as giving out cell phone numbers and using
"regular" email addresses. More and more addresses of those joining the
mailing list appear to be business or primary personal email addresses.
One suggestion we did have post-Pinkfest was to make the text content
available via the web as well, and that will happen prior to the event.
>> In the room this was held, a fairly formal receiving line was in
>> place at the entrance. (Yeah, shades of Junior Cotillion!) This
> Sounds kind of complicated.
Yes, it took some effort to do it, but the organizers deemed it
important enough to do it, and those participating deemed it important
enough to spend 1/2 hour or so greeting the newbees instead of
continuing to kibitz with their BFFs at the bar down the hall.
It did impress me as a sincere effort to include new attendees.
>> One thing I've looked into are electronic name tags. Some events
> I think that's overkill.
It's probably not going to happen, strictly from the price point.
>> One thing that has worked reasonably well is to have the QR codes
>> on the back of the tags. This gives an easy one-click to the
> Consider this. https://www.eventbrite.com
I'm well aware of this service and it does appear to work well for those
who use it and swear by it. However, from a system administration
standpoint I'm usually not in favor of "outsourcing" systems functions,
in particular those which cause personally-identifying information to go
out to a third party. We have just about all tools that are out there
available to us if we choose to use them. The issue is more along the
line of deciding which and how many to use.
> I agree, perhaps there should be an option to determine in advance
> whether a person wants a name tag, that makes less work. I admit I
> never use mine.
Let's discuss this.
A checkbox "Do you wish to have a pre-printed DLV name tag?" would be
very easy to add to the existing screens. For those who are never in any
circumstances going to wear one, it could reduce some waste. However, I
do see some concern about this option further reducing the number of
visible name tags at our event, which I do admit are helpful.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working schedule:
Diva Las Vegas 2017 schedule
Tentative and subject to change
All times Pacific Daylight Time
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS AS THE FINAL
AND ACCURATE DIVA LAS VEGAS SCHEDULE.
Sunday, March 26:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Monday, March 27:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
5:00pm: New Attendee Welcome and Orientation (Bahama Breeze) - mv
6:00pm: Happy Hour (Bahama Breeze) - mv
7:00pm: Welcome Dinner (Bahama Breeze) - mv
8:30pm: Meet And Greet (Bahama Breeze) - mv
9:00pm: Official Group Photo (Bahama Breeze) - mv
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Tuesday, March 28:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Wednesday, March 29:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Thursday, March 30:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
Friday, March 31:
8:00am: Katie's Koffee Korner (Flamingo - Club Cappucino) - ms
12:00n: Lunch With Ginger (Flamingo Buffet) - ms
3:00pm: On-site DLV Check-in (Flamingo) - ms
10:30pm: Late Night Dancing (Paris - Le Cabaret) - ms
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrivia:
This is the Diva Las Vegas 2017 organizational list.
One address for all items regarding this list, additions, removals,
changes, submissions, questions, etc.:
dlvorg_at_divalas.vegas <--- NOTE: New address, all lower case
Diva Las Vegas 2017
March 26 - 31, 2017 (tentative)
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Archives of this list appear on the web at:
http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/org17arc/
Org Chat Forum is on line here:
http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/mydlv/mainforum/viewforum.php?f=17
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Received on Thu Nov 10 2016 - 07:24:01 CST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Wed Apr 12 2017 - 05:46:49 CDT