Re: COMMON Spouses Program

It has been years since I've been a regular COMMON attendee. However, I
remember my wife attending one with me, and gushing about how wonderful it
was. This was in the late 80's. I suspect she might not be as impressed today.

Which brings me to my current suggestion: why don't we form a national users
group that has periodic conferences with rules against commercial misuse of
the proceedings? You know, presentations of the technology without sales talk.
A friendly atmosphere. With programs for guests and spouses. 

I'm just at a loss as to what to call it.

Hank Heath
Project Manager
Salt Lake City
Home office: 801-733-9716
E-mail: HLHeath@ibm.net

In a message dated 98-08-26 00:07:10 EDT, leo@tug.on.ca (Leo Lefebvre) wrote:

<< Subj:         Re: COMMON Spouses Program
 Date:  98-08-26 00:07:10 EDT
 From:  leo@tug.on.ca (Leo Lefebvre)
 Sender:        owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
 Reply-to:      MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
 To:    MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com (MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com), COMMON@COMMON.ORG
(Diana DelPonte)
 
 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 >>
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