[ST] Notes from A '09 Ideas meeting

[Jill Eastlake]

Arisia ’09 ConCom Meeting

[Donald’s notes]
[[Jill’s notes]]
[[NOTE: Where Donald didn’t know the commenter’s name, there appears  
an “X”]]
Topic {Our assessment of the feelings of the group}

Jill: Welcome to first large concom meeting. Donald is taking notes.  
Buzz will run the meeting, pay attention to him. I found that when I  
ran meetings it was hard to pay attention to just what was being  
decided.

Buzz: Hi, I usually sit on the table when I facilitate a meeting. I  
was up until 3am so I’m dependent on caffeinated liquids for this  
meeting. I favor 3 hour or less meetings. SMOFing between people are  
for after the meeting. Are people OK with keeping the meeting on time.  
OK?

All: General agreement.

Buzz: We will be going through a long list today. We’ll be asking  
people’s opinions (yeah, boo, …). Sometimes other people beat you to  
saying what you want to say, you may want to say it yourself. How  
about you use the ASL applause sign? [Most people make the sign.] Of  
course if you think they didn’t say it right, you can still speak, or  
you can speak against them. About The Floor: people should put up  
their hand; I will call on you. You should only speak when I have  
assigned you the floor.

Buzz: Will go through the list by division or major chunk and see what  
people think about different parts of the convention. What do you want  
Jill?

Jill: Mostly want to know if people have strong negative or positive  
feelings.

Buzz: OK. If you want detailed adjustments or changes to any, you  
should bring that up in a different forum. This is for major positive  
positive/negative opinions.

Jill: I’m so happy you are doing this Buzz.

Buzz: Looks like the first part is the chair area.

Chair: Timekeeper {yes}

Jill: I put this in partly so people would know that Conor is the  
timekeeper for the convention and will be the official nudge.

Crystal: Good if we knew what was expected before it got to the nudge  
point.

Conor: I sent out a query to the DH list, but it was the wrong (last  
year’s) div head list.

Jasra: Maybe this should go to Area Heads as well.

Jill: AH for ’09 isn’t set up yet.

Buzz: OK, Conor is meta-nudge.

Pat: When will the time line be available?

Conor: A’08 available now, A’09 needs more input. A ’09 should be  
available in late March.

Mike: So we are throwing out the old?

Jill: You can use the old as a guideline but we are gathering info.

Buzz: Obtaining the floor reminder…

Persis: Has the timeline been sent to the staff?

Jill: It has been sent to DH and any Area Heads who they sent it to  
themselves.

Cris: Suggestion: with a lot of people in new positions, they should  
look at the A’08 timeline as a starting point.

Jill: Conor, can you send an A’08 time line pointer to the staff list?

Skip: Put both time lines on the staff web site.

Jasra: Just provide links to the Google docs and leave the documents  
on Google.

Weapons Policy {yes}

Cris: It’s a corporate matter enforced by Security.

Mary Dumas: Maybe weapons policy as a costuming question should be  
addressed. More Anime costumes are appearing; what about swords, etc.?

Skip: Jill and I visited the Arisia corporate attorney 8 years ago and  
wrote the current “Behavior Policy”. This was the same attorney who  
represented us in our long law suite related to throwing someone out.  
They suggested extensive modifications which have been adopted.

Bridget: What are yes/no columns on the item list for?

Jill: For your personal notes.

Corporate: Corporate Meeting {yes}

Buzz: Arisia Corporate Meeting at-Con?

Various: Yes/No mixed. / Wasted time/space. / But some of our members  
can only make the at con meeting.

Skip: Suggest scheduling one Thursday night and one Sunday night but  
cancel if there isn’t anything to do.

Crystal: Good way to get new members.

Cris: Having real corporate business at the at-con corporate meeting  
is a bad idea.

Conor: Seems to be an unattractive way to attract members.

Noel: We have had people who were unaware of the corporate entity and  
joined after showing up at the at-con meeting.

Persis: Most 501(c)(3) organizations that I am part of have a meeting  
at their/this con.

X: Calling it a Kaffeklatch rather than a corporate meeting would be  
more attractive.

RKOV: If the con tries to not have such a meeting the corporation may  
impose it.

Student Art Contest {yes}

Kat: Lots of favorable comments this year.

Skip: Rules need tweaking. Don’t know why it is a corporate function.

Cris: Ditto Skip.

Events: 48-Hour Film Making {yes}

Crystal: Announce that you are trying to get people to make a movie in  
48 hours. Given things that must be included. Show the films later in  
the con and have a vote / contest.

Anime {yes}

Mary Dumas: We have Anime conventions in the Boston area so we should  
ask those cons to sponsor our Anime Room so we don’t have to worry  
about it.

Cris: Have to be careful with another organization sponsoring an event  
as it gives us less control in how we screw over that event. E.g., if  
we decide they can’t have a room all weekend, …

Jerome: Then recruit some of their staff and make them part of Arisia.

Arisia TV {yes}

Jill: Changing it around a bit.

Jerome: Jim Belfiore is doing interviews, etc., will put them on the  
web page to make the web page more dynamic, …

Jill: Then we can run some of this later at the con …

Belly Dancing Performance {yes}

Skip: Some have moved to burlesque.

Samantha: Needs more space than this year.

Crystal: There is a lot of interest but we should consider other  
options for masquerade half-time.

Jill: We almost never have it as half time, we did this year, and  
there were a lot of complaints.

Blood Drive {yes}

Crystal: We should extend Sat and Sun hours.

Samantha: MGH staff doesn’t work on Sundays.

Skip: Try the Red Cross.

Buzz: Maybe we can find vampires that work on the Christian Sabbath.

Breakfast Serials {yes}

Skip: We’ve done this in venues that were suitable. … It’s watching  
movie serials while eating hotel buffet breakfast.

Lisa H: The movies are usually old serials…

Jerome: I have talked with Fans about this and they seem to like it  
but maybe a Miss Manners guide is needed for behavior.

Crystal: There is interest in 1980’s cartoons.

Buffy Sing-a-Long {yes}
[cheers]

X: We need a bigger room.

Building Bridges {maybe}

Bridget: Came up on the brainstorming.  A Crash thing. Literally build  
a bridge…

Jill: We made it up on the spot at a Lunacon breakfast a couple of  
years ago with Crash, Carsten, and I.

Jerome: An evolutionary aspect of junk yards wars.

Persis: Could be done in the fast track space…

Buzz: Fast track offers lighter customers for the bridge.

Charity Parties (fund raisers) {yes}

Mary Dumas: We have a new Arisia member who specializes in this sort  
of event.

Pat V: I suggest running the coat check for charity.

Persis: What are the charity things we do?

Samantha: Sith Ball = Make a Wish Foundation. Tribble bash for … 
lymphoma society. Blood drive…

Conor: Should be “events” not “parties”…

Closing Ceremonies {no}

Skip: It’s called the gripe session…

Club Dances {yes}

Costume Party {yes}
Jill: Not the masquerade

Lisa H: Like the black and white ball we had…

Al Kent: Regency Dance is in this category.

Conor: Arisians seem to dig elaborate parties.

Drum Circle {yes}

Jill: Like filking but with your hands.

Dungeon Crawl {maybe}

Samantha: Configure a room with partitions.

Buzz: Like boffer LARPing…

Bridget: Takes set up time…

Crystal: I thought this was held outside.

Samantha: They just practiced outside. They set up their main area in  
Ballroom B.

Films (Celluloid) {maybe}

Pat V: I loved it when we used to have one large film that was a  
special thing. I’m thinking of silent films but it doesn’t have to be…

Dumas: Cost prohibitive in some cases…

Cris: ditto

Goblin Ball/Regency {yes}

Samantha: The Goblin Ball was last year’s regency period dance. It’s a  
little different from a costume party, being a formal dance with  
instruction.

Noel: Traditionally regency people have changed the type of food each  
year.

X: There were complaints that the themes were not even cosmetic. It  
was just the regency dance.

Jerome: There were some requests to bring back the regular Regency  
Dance.

Persis: Actually the band was elaborately costumes with this theme.

Half Time Entertainment {yes}

Kat: I think videos go over best.

Jill: Videos of old masquerades?

Kat, et al: No, trailers, etc.

Conor: If you have a stage and performers and time, use it.

X: Live music went over well a few years ago.

[[Ideas I captured: Showing the Ricky and Karen Dick Show, a live  
band, videos, or Radio Plays]]

Hall Costume Awards {yes}

Jerome: I did it the past two years. It goes over well; but, it has  
been hard to get the winners into the newsletter.

Conor: Define?

Jerome: Go up to people in the hall with costumes you like and give  
them the ribbon.

Stephen: Do you need credentials?

Buzz: A staff person is assigned this task.

Stephen: Contest or ego boo?

Buzz: Mostly second, a little of first

Jill: Rules used to ban Hall Costumes from competing in the  
Masquerade. That was when Masquerades were too big. Now that they are  
too small, that rules has been changed.

Higgins Demos {yes}

Samantha; Well attended.

Buzz: Needs high ceilings.

Jeopardy Event {yes}

Juggling Class/Demo {yes}

Samantha: This has been not too well attended so it can go into a  
small space but it is a good activity.

Steve Huff: This is a good response to feedback asking for more  
instructional things.

Labyrinth {yes}

Crystal: Walking the labyrinth. A meditation thing using a marked  
floor covering.

X: Good for relaxing.

Jerome: Celtic? [Yes]

Bridget: Not sure it is an Events thing…

Masquerade {yes}

Mary Dumas: If it is not on Arisia TV, about half the con misses it.

Jerome: Good to schedule against it since not everyone can fit.

MLK Breakfast {no, probably}

Opening Ceremonies {no}

Lisa: Seems useless but it helps tech iron out the bugs…

Conor: Don’t think we really have any events that all the con is  
interested in. OK that not everyone is interested in this.

X: A bone we throw to catering.

Samatha: We have no space that everyone can fit into.

Sharon: It’s muddled.

Jerome: It’s boring.

Dumas: Maybe we could hold it in the middle of the atrium where  
everyone could see.

Cris: The point of Arisia opening ceremonies was never to have  
something that the attendees thought opened the convention. It is for  
a sound check and to have fun.

X: Maybe would could have a sort of pre-con gathering party sort of  
thing…

Jill: That was called first night.

Persis: I’ve never been able to make the opening receptions.

Bridget: In 2001 at Worldcon had ~800 at opening I ran and about twice  
that at closing.

Political Event {maybe}

Crystal: A ’09 will be near the inauguration. Stage a debate between  
candidates in 2059… Use SF characters as candidates (Princess Leia, …)

Jerome: Sounds like a program idea.


Radio Plays {yes}

Samantha: Two groups do live radio dramas (like “The Shadow”). Took a  
lot of time but were popular.

X: Do this for masquerade halftime.

Jerome: Arisia Radio?

Rocky Horror {yes}

Lisa: Buffy is so much more popular, perhaps we should drop Rocky?

Glenn MacWilliams: 340+ showed up for Rocky…

Bridget: I’m not dissing Rocky but, take a year off…

Richard H: I’ve had a chance to talk to a few people about Rocky and  
Buffy. It’s amazing how die hard the fans are of each…

[various combat suggestions]

Jerome: Have a dance off between them…

Snake Demo and Spray Can Art {maybe and no}

Jerome: I have a phobia for snakes.

Persis: Snake demos are hugely popular but should be Sunday or Monday  
morning when it is quite. We haven’t had one since 2004. I have a  
phobia also and don’t attend but many do.

Pat V: For fast track?

Persis: No, this was part of general program.

Samantha: Spray paint is a problem with the hotel..

Summit Mount Arisia {yes}

Mary Dumas: Over 200 participants.

Pat V: Not enough ribbons. Suggest stickers.

Sunday Sundae {maybe}

Skip: I miss it.

Pat V: I enjoyed it but it needs some constraints.

Jerome: Well attended, good at getting people to mingle who might not  
otherwise.

Conor: I understand we dropped it due to cost. Why not just charge  
more for tickets?

Ben: Had to pay the hotel for ice cream even though we bought the ice  
cream outside (the Park Plaza).

Bridget: Always very popular but poorly executed. Everyone wants to go  
to it.

Buzz: My Arisia had to cut Sunday Sundae because it had to make money.

Dumas: If hotel does it, it’s $11 a person, outside ice cream $5 but  
have to settle with hotel.


Video (DVDs) {yes}

Mary Dumas: Just give everyone a membership to Netflicks.

Ben: Showing DVD is cheap compared with films.

Jill: If it is Lance, he finds foreign, obscure, etc., videos. Not  
what you could get from Netflicks.

Conor: How much time is spent to get rights to show DVDs?

Various: Almost none: MPLC.

Steve: Do we have a mechanism for fans to request what is shown?

[Jill writes this down as a suggestion.]

Persis: It’s easier to use a smaller room for DVDs than films.

RKOV:  Doesn’t matter if it takes 500 hours to get the rights if  
someone wants to do that and doesn’t want to do anything else.

X: MST3K style presentation?

[Positive on video. Positive on MST3K]

Art Show {yes}

Mike: There were lots of complaints with having the same hours even  
though we have a 4 day convention. Extend the hours.

Pat V: We want more staff hours so staff can see it.

Buzz: When on the top floor, the Art Show is starved for oxygen.  
[[Explanation, it’s so high in the Hyatt that people can’t get there…]]

Mike: Art auction had only one piece this year. Maybe we should cancel  
it.

Skip: Many Art Shows are getting smaller. The Art Show paradigm should  
change.
[yes]

Lisa: The Art Show reception used to be a way to bring in people to  
see the art. It provides a Friday night event.

Jerome: Sometimes also a meet the pros party.

Ben: It has evolved from a reception to a meet the pros party to being  
First night.

[yes, longer hours]

[[someone suggested longer or more staff hours]]

Art Show Reception  {yes}

Con Suite {yes}

Various: It is now in a good location.

Kat: Good this year, sucked the year before.

Conor: People running the suite should decide what it should be, and  
go for that. Quick food and social space are and not completely  
compatible.

Jerome: I don’t like being forced to be a vegetarian.

Richard H: There used to be a good balance between meat and  
vegetarian. But there were too many veggies this year.

Crystal: Meat costs more. There are also more food safety issues with  
meat.

Mike: Con suite was well attended but under staffed.

Dumas: When it is staffed, the person in charge should be easily  
identifiable.

Morgan: There should be an incentive to those who work con suite…

Dealers Room {yes}

Noel: It was a great choice not to have one.

Kat: My friends who are dealers loved having rooms.

Skip: I’d like some dealers back who seem to be missing due to just  
having rooms.

Richard H: Some arts and crafts dealers are unhappy about not having  
customers being drawn by anchor dealers.

[People like a dealer’s room but only if we can have one]

[[Someone suggested we do dealers’ tables in a suite if we have the  
space.]]

Dealer’s Row {yes}

Bridget: More signage. These dealers this way, those dealers that way.

Jill: We should have a shopping directory.

Steve: Were dealers clustered by type? Should we do that?

Ben: Concentrate adult merchandise in one part but we should otherwise  
mix different dealers.

Sharon: Suggest clustering late night dealers so you don’t have to  
pass lots of closed doors to get to them. [positive]

Steve:  Suggest it is better for buyers who are looking for a  
particular type of merchandise to have similar dealers concentrated.

Lisa: The whole dealer’s row thing is a nightmare for those who are  
mobility impaired.

Docent Tours (Art Show) {yes}

Crystal: I loved them.

Conor: I don’t like Art Show and didn’t know there were docent tours  
but might have taken one.

Food {yes}

X: Available early Friday please.

RKOV: Would a scheme where people have to pay $10 for staff den access  
be acceptable?

Steve: What about having the hotel provide all the food?
[negative]

Innkeeper {yes}

Lunch Trucks {yes}

Richard H: Get them to spend more time at Arisia.

PatV: Appreciated them being there Thursday night.

Parking {yes}

Party Czar {yes}

Shuttle Bus {yes}

Morgan: The drivers need closer monitoring. Buses were NOT every 15  
minutes.

Smoking Lounge {maybe}

Kat etc.: Smoking bad but good we know where they will be so we can  
keep away

Cris: I’m opposed to providing space for this.

Bridget: We don’t have an alcohol lounge or marijuana lounge or sex  
lounge…

Many: Maybe we should.

Staff Den {yes}

Mary Dumas: What about combining the staff den with green room?

Cris: Things get said in the staff den that you don’t want program  
participants to hear.

Promotional Parties {yes}

Ben: The purpose of Arisia parties at other cons to sell the brand.

Jerome: I don’t think we get the bang for the buck.

Bridget: Parties are vital for outside Arisian’s who are not in our  
area to keep in contact.

Noel: We should support the party scene and other cons may reciprocate  
by holding good parties at Arisia. We should do it.

Mike:  Good for recruitment of staff.

Mary Dumas: Fan table are just a good and easier and cheaper.

Conor: A party is the best representation of the Arisia spirit. We  
should have promotional parties.

T Advertising {maybe, not this year}

Bridget: I designed the ads. I heard people on the T who didn’t know  
about Arisia writing down the URL.

Cris: This costs money and is not a good idea when you are bumping  
into your attendance cap.

[skip this year]

T Shirts {yes, both}

Jill: One T-shirt instead of two? Stop sales and make everyone work  
who wants one.

Skip: Sales of the sales T-shirt are about 120; we give out about 300  
of the staff T-shirt.

Bridget: The design is everything. The year we had a tie-die T-shirt,  
we sold out Saturday morning.

Mike: The volunteer T-Shirt is a strong incentive to work.

DDA: T shirts are a memento. They shouldn’t be limited to workers.

Cris: Sales T-shirt serves another purpose.

Lisa: The sales T-shirt costs us nothing and we make a little bit off  
it.

Skip: We make about $1 per sales shirt; that’s about $100 for the sales.

Web Publications {yes}

Pat V: We need them internally at least.

Jill: Everyone needs to write something to attract people to what you  
are doing.

Conor: Many people come just because of other people they know. We  
need to also advertise the awesome things we do.

Kat: I know people who had a bad time in 2007, decided not to come  
this year because of a bad web presence, but are talking about coming  
next year because of a good web presence.

DDA: But it we are hitting our membership cap, do we want more people?

Access {yes}

Artist Tables {maybe}

DDA: Art Show and Artist Tables serve different purposes for different  
artists.

Pat V: Do something like autograph tables. Set times when the artist  
will be there.

Lisa: One problem with Artist’s alley or putting them in fan tables,  
the dealers get all pissy.

Cris: Why is this limited to artists? Broaden access.

Samantha: Could be used to attract people to the Art Show.

Kat: Artists will always autograph their stuff. They don’t need a  
table for that.

DDA: Artist tables usually involve quick sketches and money…

Al Kent: Combine them with the print shop.

Babysitting {yes}

Bridget: It needs to be extended to 18 month olds.

Mary Dumas: Babysitters want to call it Child Care.

Coat Check {yes}

Elevator Management {yes}

Richard H: People who worked Friday/Sat this year did well but not  
Sunday…

[Signage]

Conor:  Signage

Fan Tables and Freebie Stands {yes}

Info Desk {yes}

Party Board {yes}

Lisa: Our party board has gotten scruffy looking. It needs to be  
refurbished.

Registration {no [joke]}

Volunteers {yes}

Cris: Call them gophers.

Voodoo Message Board {maybe}

Staff Newsletter {yes}

Skip: A staff card with relevant info (telephone numbers, etc.) is  
preferred to a piece of paper.

Conor: Small is good.

Massage Den {yes}

Ops Desk {yes}

Press Liaison {yes}

Ribbons {yes}

Jill: Threatened not to have any.

Sharon: Vertical versus horizontal?

Persis: Fast track needs ribbons.

Security {yes}

Sign Shop {yes}

Program {yes}

Donald: Let’s do program item vetting in a different venue.
[General acclaim]

Jill: Well, there are a couple of items I’d like us to talk about.  
Most of program can be done elsewhere.

Program: Lowell Textile Museum {yes}

Bridget: I cold called the Lowell Textile Museum. They have a new  
exhibit on Technology In Textiles. It is opening up in August. When I  
told them a bit about Arisia, they started drooling. They want to  
bring scientists, etc. Nanotech fibers...

[General approval]

Buzz: OK, nanotech petticoats.

Program: Club Meetings {yes}

Bridget: We have a number of clubs that meet at Arisia: Northern  
Lights Costumers Guild, Arisia, MassFilc. NESFA is always offered the  
opportunity but doesn’t take us up on it.

Mary Dumas: Could they just be given fan tables?

Many: No, a table is not the same as a room for a meeting.

Conor: All such meetings must be open to all Arisia members.

Jill: Masonic meeting is listed because Walter Hunt, our GoH for next  
year, is a Mason and wants to do something.
[general positive, must be open to all Arisia]

Pocket Program {yes}

Souvenir Book {yes}

Restaurant Guide {yes}

A-Z Guide {yes}

Skip: A-Z Guide is aimed at the new attendee…

Cris: Then don’t bury it in the souvenir book or it will not serve its  
purpose.

Conor: I’ve been to three new conventions in the past few months but  
have yet to find a neocon guide at any of them.

Ad Sales {yes}

Braille Pocket Program {yes}

Paul S: We only gave out 1 of 5 copies this year.

Jill: Changing registration form to request info on such needs.

Grid {yes}

Hotel Maps {yes}

Large Print Pocket Program {yes}

At Con Newsletter {yes}

Palm Schedule {yes}

Bridget: Have a beaming station for Palm guides.

Richard H: Balticon has its program downloadable for 3 different types  
of PDAs…

Posters {maybe}

Pocket Program {yes}

Banquet {no}

Casino Night {no}

Richard H: Three things: space, legal protection, and people who can  
run it.

Ham Radio Station {maybe}

Morgan: Suggest web cast.

Lisa: Do we have the space?

----- Done with main portion of the meeting

Buzz: People with additional feedback see Jill.

Mary Dumas: Note relaxacon flyer.

Jill: Tuesday, 22 April at Chez Wood is the next concom at 7:30pm on  
budgeting. People should feed information up to their Area/Division  
heads what budget they need.

Pat V: Our Guests of Honor for next year are unique and interesting…

----- The End