Re: COMMON Spouses Program -- MIDRANGE-L

Hank,

How about Un-Common ?

Chuck

HankHeath@aol.com wrote:

> 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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