YET *another* venue change for SELEM 2007

[buffo]

Ok guys - we've got just over 6 weeks to plan, and now that PARI is out (too expensive) we really need to pull together to make SELEM happen this year.

One good thing is that if we're not going to use PARI, then there's no minimum number of guests required. So, since we've already got 6 or 7 confirmed members that can attend, all we need to do is pick a place and do this!

I know I can get a room at the Hayward Convention center, but it's probably going to cost in the neighborhood of $400 per day. (So we'd be looking at 800 bucks for a 2 day event, plus hotel rooms. Ugh.) I know we can do better than that. (Heck, if we can get into a school we should be able to do it for free.) I'm going to burn up the telephone lines tomorrow and see what I can come up with. (Got a few contacts to check with yet...)

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

Adam @ work...



Good luck man.

[buffo]

Heh! Yeah, that's about it. Welcome to my world, man...

Still, I think we can manage this. I just need to get hustling again.

Adam

PS: *love* the smileys dude...

[allthatwhichis]

PS: *love* the smileys dude...

I found a new well to dip from...

[steve-o]

OH- That's a GREAT one!!!

[steve-o]

Adam--Can any of us help in some way?

[MechEng3]

I have contacted 2 local community colleges today and they gave the business more or less. They said that only state or enrolled students are able to use their facilities. The guy at Wake Forest here in W-S has called me back....will get hold of him in the morning. I am still looking...for even a warehouse or climate controlled storage.......chat soon w/ updates There has to be a big church with a fellowship hall or community bldg. for rent somewhere.....

[buffo]

Steve-o;

Possibly... I've contacted quite a few places in North Carolina. Trying to concentrate in the southern part of the state. So far the Auditorium in Newton looks like a winner, but it's still going to be $500 + 10 bucks an hour for however many hours we use it for over the two day event. Potentially $700... That's not out of the question, but it would be nice if we could get a place for less money.

MechEng3 is looking into a few places that are closer to Charlotte. He should have some information in a day or two. But if anyone has an idea for a location that would be cheaper/better/more convenient that is still in the general area we're looking in, by all means jump in here. I have no problems if people want to make phone calls on behalf of the group to inquire about rates, availability, etc... I'm not the king here - I'm just a worker bee trying to make this happen. This isn't my show, it's OUR SHOW, OUR MEETING.

I've basically been introducing myself as a representative of a group of laser enthusaists / hobbyists that are looking to hold a small gathering to share information and ideas while displaying laser shows with our projectors. I explain that we need a dark room, roughly 20ft x 40ft in size (or larger), that has several 110 V outlets. I explain that we need to run a Theatrical Fog Machine in the room, and that we'll have some comptuers and fans set up in the room as well, along with a sound system. Then I usually have to field a couple questions about what a laser show actually is before I can continue.

I tell them that we're on a *very* tight budget because none of us are doing this professionally. It's just a hobby, so the entire cost is coming directly out of our pocket. (This carries a lot of weight with community arts centers, but doesn't mean jack shit to a convention center, BTW.) I also explain that for liability and CDRH issues we don't want the general public to be invited, though I do tell them that their own staff and family or friends are welcome to drop in and see what we're about. I usually have to insert some laser safety info here, and end up explaining that it's not the case that our shows will be unsafe, but rather that because most of us don't have a CDRH variance, we create a liability issue even if the show is otherwise safe. (IE: it's not about the safety, it's about the piece of paper.)

I also ask about 220V power, then 3 phase power and water cooling, and explain why these might be needed. (A good solution to water is a mop closet with a floor sink, or a nearby bathroom.) 200 ft away is what I've been using as the max distance for water... I also ask if they'll need to have a member of their staff present when we hook into their switchgear for the 3 phase power, or if they can just let us do it ourselves.

There's a million other details to iron out with any venue (even things like smoking, alchohol, number of guests, food, tables, chairs, and other nit-picky stuff), but by the time you get to those things you've got a pretty good idea as to whether the place will be in our price range or not. Plus you can get a good read off the person you are talking to and see if they're really interested in helping you make it happen, or if they're just out to rent a room and couldn't care less who actually gets it.

Adam

[steve-o]

Well Ive got 30 acres of land waaaayyyout in the sticks y'all can pitch tents its pretty cool in the mountains and i can absolutely guantaree ne member of the cdrh fda or police of any kind will invade our little gatrhering///hows that? zipcode 24072

[buffo]

Well Ive got 30 acres of land waaaayyyout in the sticks y'all can pitch tents its pretty cool in the mountains and i can absolutely guantaree ne member of the cdrh fda or police of any kind will invade our little gatrhering///hows that? zipcode 24072

You know Steve-o, that might be something to consider for the future... I think it's a bit late to try and move SELEM that much further north, but we might try to schedule another event up at your place sometime. Sounds like you've got a lot of space. Only problem I can think of might be power and water cooling. But it's something we can work on. We'll have to talk it over a bit at SELEM and see if there's enough interest for a "camping trip with lasers" amongst the group.

Adam