Re: COMMON Spouses Program

David (and everybody else)

I do not know if you're right or wrong about the guest program, but let's not
make a federal case out of it.

I will not be in Anaheim this fall but here what I think about the 'Spouse/Guest
Program' at COMMON.

Since Toronto in 1988 I have attended 12 COMMON conferences. Each and every time
my wife came with me (and WILL CONTINUE TO COME regardless of the outcome of the
so called 'Spouses' program). Each and every time I registered her to the the
program, so I know what it is like.

During the first years, the program cost less than half of today's cost (I
beleived that in the early '80 it was only $25 -- today it goes from $100 for
early bird to $120 for on-site registration) In those days, the program was run
(like anything else at COMMON) by volunteers and those volunteers had NO 
INTEREST
in the content of the conferences. These volunteers were great, they were 
helping
each other, they WERE VISIBLE and brought a lot to the conference atmosphere.
They were the ones who were selling the COMMON souvenirs in a make-shift store 
in
a highly visible location in the main hotel (every conference I was buying
souvenirs from the store - since they turned it over to a 'concession' -about 
six
years ago- I bought absolutely NOTHING from the souvenir shop). That was only 
one
aspect to the work the 'Guest/Spouse' volunteers were doing. Organising tours 
and
hosting 'properly' the 'Hospitality Suite' were other functions these volunteers
were excellent at.

Year after year, the program looses its shine, is less attractive and is more
expensive. What do spouses/guests get today for $100/$120:
1) On Day-1, in the morning, a few minutes presentation about the city they are
visiting, offers to join tours (at costs that exceed the price they would pay 
for
similar tours offered by tour companies with offices in the hotels, AND ON THE
DAY THEY SELECTED)
 2) From Day-1 (8:00AM to 5:00PM) to Day-5 (morning only) a hospitality suite
were they can grab a danish and coffee or soft drink and 'relax' for a while 
----
BUT NO regular attendee is allowed in that room
 3) Admission to CUDS, fine, but now you have to pay for your drinks, where is
the benefits.

Frankly, the program is going down the drain anyway, the boat is sinking, let it
go! unless you have MUCH BETTER ideas.
Keep your money. For $100, for 5 days, your spouse/guest can get good breakfasts
AND lunches. For CUDS? do something else, hit the town, stay a bit longer in the
restaurant where you're having dinner, enjoy your time with your closest
friend(s).

If the program goes, my wife and I won't shed a tear. If will just give us the
'push' we needed to stop paying that $100 for less and less, conference after
conference, something we had thought about for the last couple conferences.

I would, thought, appreciate it, if COMMON keep a 'Badge System' for
spouses/guests so that I can visit EXPO (with her) in the afternoon of Day-0,
without leaving her on her own on a Sunday afternoon. If not, I will NOT visit
the Expo on Sunday afternoon leaving me much less time to visit the exhibits.


Leo



David Dunfield wrote:

> FYI COMMON has eliminated the Guest program for the COMMON Anaheim
> Conference. COMMON does not know if guests will be admitted to CUDS.
>
> More slippage at COMMON. My wife has attended many of the Conferences and I
> observed that in New Orleans the guest program was well received. Why was
> this eliminated and how will guests be accommodated at CUDS, EXPO and ETC.?
>
> Contact COMMON@COMMON.ORG Attn: Diana DelPonte and the COMMON board of
> directors.

--

Leo Lefebvre
leo@tug.on.ca
Ph: (416) 606-5960   ---   Fx: (416) 495-0100


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