On Fri, 2011-07-15 at 17:25 -0400, Steve Litt wrote: > I might have read wrong, and if so please disregard, but it seems like > JaxLUG's meetings are sponsored, complete with food. > > Bad idea.
Maybe, that was my idea, and let me justify it somewhat. It came about because of experiences, not some grand idea out of no where. However the JaxJUG picked up the same format, and there is also corporate sponsored food at the meetings. Same company who sponsors the venue, Availity. The JaxLUG has also been doing that for 3+ years now I believe. FYI I got that idea from the San Francisco LUG, SF-LUG. Who would meet at a Chinese restaurant, since changed. Everyone sitting down to eat at first. With a set rate everyone pays for the food and meeting. Then after the meal they go upstairs to the meeting room in the Chinese restaurant. Its where I got the idea from initially. Just one example of how I was trying to bring what works out west to the east coast. In the past on list we discussed membership fees, having people pitch in for the food, etc. Its really best for one entity to cover it. That way people that are broke or students, feel just as welcome as those with money :) > First, for the cost of feeding 10 people at each of two meetings, you > could buy a year's worth of web hosting, email hosting, and heaven > knows what else. Hardly, I spend on avg less than $35 per meeting. Covers 4-5 pizzas, and most times there is some left over. Though as of late, thats not really been the case due to attendance. > But worse than that, fed meetings deny a LUG the opportunity of the > meeting after the meeting, and the meeting after the meeting after the > meeting. Problem with meeting after the meeting, is now we are taking up an entire evening. Meetings themselves are ~2hrs. Slap on another 1-2 hours of socialization. Plus if you just came from work, and your hungry. You have to wait till after the meeting to eat. > Most LUGs meet at a restaurant after their their official meeting. Of > course, not everyone goes to the restaurant. Some don't have it in the > budget, and some need to get up at the crack of dawn, but my > experiences is about half the official meeting attendees go to the > restaurant. The restaurant is called "The meeting after the meeting." We did that as well. Problem there is some order food and stuff, others don't. Sometimes because they lack the funds or otherwise. It makes it really odd, and then there is the whole who gets the check. Waiter/waitress having to deal with a bunch of individual checks. > At the restaurant the conversation is much more free-ranging. There > are often several simultaneous conversations. Friendships are built > and cemented. I can tell you that at GoLUG, several people like the > meeting after the meeting more than the meeting itself. There are > often laughter, one-liners, retorts and laughter. This has all been combined, and those free ranging convos take place before and after. Just less any beer :) > When everyone finishes their food, they go out in the parking lot. > You'd think they'd just go home, but noooooooooo. The parking lot > meeting is called "The meeting after the meeting after the meeting", > and is where the hardcore people further cement relationships and > often discuss the future course of the LUG. Remember in another post I > said it's best to have a small group of people who really love your > LUG, and they can generate the necessary enthusiasm? The meeting after > the meeting after the meeting is one of the best places to find such > people. How many hours do you all spend meeting? Some people can barely stay for more than 1hr at a meeting. Much less if the meeting consumes 2hrs. Then having time for a LUSH after. Really a LUSH should be held on another night. That way those coming purely for technical benefit of meeting can be in and out. Those that want to socialize, have a night all to themselves. But our meetings, with combined food and meeting, allows for lots of socialization. Which does carry out into the parking lot after. > > In summary, I believe food at meetings to be counterproductive, > because it eliminates the meeting after the meeting and the meeting > after the meeting after the meeting, and because it costs a half > year's web and email hosting. Valid argument, but I can show you how it has been productive, and not just for the JaxLUG but also the JaxJUG. Also companies can write off food expenses like that, individuals cannot expense meals like that easily if at all. -- William L. Thomson Jr. Obsidian-Studios, Inc. http://www.obsidian-studios.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive http://marc.info/?l=jaxlug-list&r=1&w=2 RSS Feed http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml Unsubscribe [email protected]
