Words From Nick - October 2007
In September, Atlanta held a 'first of its kind' Regional Gathering headed by Jason Hoffman. This was more of an upscale gathering. The event was held at The W hotel. Room rates were a bit high; however, I have never stayed at a hotel with flat panel TVs and beds that you would not mind dieing on. Did you know The W has a night club atmosphere? I didn't know such places existed.
Anyhow, there were three a-la-cart activities that required an extra fee: wine tasting, a murder mystery dinner, and an engineering challenge. I have to be honest, I predicted that the wine tasting would do well and the other events would flop. I was wrong. As it turns out, all three events went over very well.
I think there is a lesson to learned from Atlanta. It may be that having high end events and charging extra for them is a great way to provide a benefit to those that are interested without penalizing those that aren't. It could also indicate a fundamental change in the general thinking about RGs. This was by far the most expensive gathering that I have ever been to. The attendance also rivaled the greatest head count I have ever seen at a gathering that did not have an AMC meeting. Maybe this means that people want to pay more to receive a better event? I think both of these fundamental ideas need to be explored.
The M-Friends group of Memphis also held an Un Gathering in September. If memory serves attendance was around 30. However, it was not an official gathering and hence was not heavily advertised. This was my first "small gathering" and I must say that I defiantly see some appeal to keeping the head count down. It was fun spending a lot more time with individuals than is normally possible. The hotel was very inexpensive, and it did show. However, that was more than made up for by the management letting us do pretty much anything that we wanted to.
So there you have it, two polar opposite gatherings, both very enjoyable, and both coming with lessons that are worth listening too. Which one did I like the best you ask? Well, all that I'm going to say is that I will be at both of them next year.
Your homework for now is to ask yourself what you would rather have: A relaxing $300 weekend with friends at a motel, a $400 weekend at a run of the mill hotel with a pair of exciting events, or a $500 weekend at a high end hotel with half a dozen exciting events. Would you be willing to add $50 to that last one for even more excitement?
Nick Sanford
RVC5@us.mensa.org
Anyhow, there were three a-la-cart activities that required an extra fee: wine tasting, a murder mystery dinner, and an engineering challenge. I have to be honest, I predicted that the wine tasting would do well and the other events would flop. I was wrong. As it turns out, all three events went over very well.
I think there is a lesson to learned from Atlanta. It may be that having high end events and charging extra for them is a great way to provide a benefit to those that are interested without penalizing those that aren't. It could also indicate a fundamental change in the general thinking about RGs. This was by far the most expensive gathering that I have ever been to. The attendance also rivaled the greatest head count I have ever seen at a gathering that did not have an AMC meeting. Maybe this means that people want to pay more to receive a better event? I think both of these fundamental ideas need to be explored.
The M-Friends group of Memphis also held an Un Gathering in September. If memory serves attendance was around 30. However, it was not an official gathering and hence was not heavily advertised. This was my first "small gathering" and I must say that I defiantly see some appeal to keeping the head count down. It was fun spending a lot more time with individuals than is normally possible. The hotel was very inexpensive, and it did show. However, that was more than made up for by the management letting us do pretty much anything that we wanted to.
So there you have it, two polar opposite gatherings, both very enjoyable, and both coming with lessons that are worth listening too. Which one did I like the best you ask? Well, all that I'm going to say is that I will be at both of them next year.
Your homework for now is to ask yourself what you would rather have: A relaxing $300 weekend with friends at a motel, a $400 weekend at a run of the mill hotel with a pair of exciting events, or a $500 weekend at a high end hotel with half a dozen exciting events. Would you be willing to add $50 to that last one for even more excitement?
Nick Sanford
RVC5@us.mensa.org
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