Questions and Concerns

1. Questions and Concerns

   #1

   I may not have been around much recently but I still consider myself a Strolenite and would like to go to this convention along with a few of my friends. So far I know it's June 22 '07 in NYC, BUT.. I need to know where exactly in NYC and how much its going to cost. And I guess I wont be going to the Slaughtered Lamb Inn since my friends and I will only be 20 at that point. So it would be nice to have some sort of alternate plan for people under 21, like a kiddie table or something. So far the Con looks good and I would love to attend (available funds permitting). Hope to see you all there! - Pieh

2. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #2

   Good thread....but I have no answers...yet.
   
   I was debating on advertising the con publicly without all the details, but we have always tried to involve everybody in as many of the decisions as we can. So this idea came out publicly probably only a week or so after we decided to try and do a StrolenCon. The only thing we decided on before taking it public was the location and dates as those were the two things that could get severely bogged down in discussion...which might even stall the idea. (I learned this from my wife who has done this numerous time already. It takes them months to decide on a location and date)
   
   So it is out there, got a pretty good reception, and we are working on getting the details as best we can in as timely a manner as we can. We have started early on purpose and we do have a good 5 months to plan it, so, in my estimation, if we get a location and some of the initial costs by the end of February, we will still be doing pretty good.
   
   Plus, to get the hotel and try and reserve rooms and all that, we need some kind of head count to know what we need. I think we are pretty good right now and have numbers that we can work with. Don't want to overbook unless we are guaranteed a refund, and we definitely don't want to underbook either.
   
   Will have to check with Muro on the age requirements for the Slaughtered Lamb. I am not sure whether it is a check at the door type thing or if you simply can't drink while there. That he can probably get an answer to relatively easy.

3. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #3

   The not drinking thing has been handled easily enough by most places I've been to. Basically, they stamp your hand if you're underage, and you can't get a drink with your hand stamped. Me, I don't think I'd go after liquor at any rate, so no biggie here. A hand stamp certainly isn't a big price to pay for the (expected) locale.

4. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #4

   There will be a plan for the under 21 crowd, fear not! Slaughtered Lamb was just one idea. We can go to any one of a thousand different places.
   
   

   I need to know where exactly in NYC and how much its going to cost-Pieh

   
   
   Prices/Location: as Strolen mentions, we have 5 months, so if we have the reservations by end of Feb, we are still in great shape. Before floating out possibilities, choices, and options I would like to see a headcount, making planning a lot easier (as Strolen also mentioned).
   
   If you would like a rough guesstimate in the meantime Pieh, lets say $200. That should suffice for the entire weekend.
   
   

5. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #5

   its a fun, kitschy place, but its just one idea of hundreds
   
   http://www.slaughteredlambpub.com/slaughteredlambpub/beer.html
   
   we can also visit the [Forbidden Planet], sci-fi, fantasy, mega-store.

6. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #6

   Forbidden Planet
   
   Slaughtered Lamb looks fun! I posted the dinner menu/price in another thread just 'cause.

7. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #7

   Thank you very much, everyone. You have all been great. I'll try to be as helpful as possible in deciding the details of this convention. I think it's a great idea and really want to help. Thanks. -Pieh

8. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #8

   The phone rings in a Secaucus, NJ (spitting distance from NYC) Holiday Inn...True story.
   
   Hotel guy: Hello
   Me: Hi, I wanted to inquire about booking some rooms.
   Hotel Guy: Okay, Please hold, sir
   
   15 minutes later
   
   Hotel guy: Hello?
   Me: did you think I'd hang up, if you left me on hold long enough?
   Hotel guy: hahaha, no sir
   Me: Okay, I would like a price on say...2-3 connecting suites...or...4-5 regular rooms, ideally on the same floor.
   Hotel guy: okay, great! Which dates would like to book these for, sir?
   Me: Weekend of June 22nd
   Hotel guy: and, how many in your party?
   Me: 12 or so, and a few NPCs
   Hotel guy: sorry, sir...MP's?
   Me: never mind. How much for the rooms?
   Hotel guy: that depends...
   Me: riiiiight. We are having a convention. People flying in from all over the place. I need a good group deal here.
   Hotel guy: Convention? oh, ok sir (starts getting excited). Would you require one of our state of the art conference rooms?
   Me: maybe, not sure yet...wait, did you just say "state-of-the-art" conference room? (I guffaw)
   Hotel guy: yessir, we can provide a projection screen, power point presentation capabilities, set up a breakfast buffet as early as 7:00 am..and..
   Me: no, no...not that kind of convention. Its a ummm, fantasy and sci-fi gathering of sorts.
   Hotel guy: ohhh, I see, like Star Trek kind of thing?
   Me: *sigh* no, not really, I dont think we'll be dressed as the crew or anything. Not sure about Moon Hunter though
   Hotel: Moon--?
   Me: nevermind...Do you realize that I've been on the phone with you for 25 minutes, and you have yet to answer my simple question. How much for some rooms?
   Hotel guy: Please hold, sir.
   Me: *CLICK*
   
   

9. Re: Questions and Concerns

   #9

   That *is* funny!
   
   Future reference:
   
   Small business conference
   If you have a meeting room with a table that can seat 12 or so, that would be convenient. Needs to be available 24hrs.
   Managers from throughout the world flying in
   Small personal business' with not a lot of fluid cash so looking for reasonable rates
   Mostly from third world countries so will have 4+ in a room
   Expect minimal damage from spilled soda and stepped on snacks
   Large garbage cans that can hold a lot of pizza boxes
   A buffer of a room on either side of the meeting room. We will be loud
   
   Anything else?
   

10. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #10

    Outlets for laptops, possibly internet access (does anyone need that?)
    If we're doing movies, we'll need a tv/projector, either with a DVD player or one we can hook one up to
    Are we providing our own munchies?  I know some hotels will provide munchies and sodas for meetings, but I believe there's a charge for it.

11. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #11

    Also, it occurs to me that we need to see if we've got any smokers.  Not so much for restaurants, but for sleeping arrangements.

12. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #12

    Don't smoke, don't drink, yadda yadda. Nice person to room with, I sleep on the floor.

13. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #13

    Actually, in all my roomsharing experiances with 6+ people to a room, the floor is usually the most comfortable place in the room.

14. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #14

    People tend to like me as a roommate on trips with lots of people in a room, because it means they get to have a bed to themselves. Never bothers me either, because I simply tell them that I'm sleeping here, and if anything gets put there it will be relocated somewhere else in the room. Forcefully.

15. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #15

    People like me as a roommate because I provide deep, gutteral-snorting relaxation rythms during the night that help them sleep.

16. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #16

    you will find yourself in one of these (seats 7, 8 if one of the ladies wants to sit on my lap while I drive, 9 if...nevermind) for the 1.5 hours from Airport to House.
    
    http://paultan.org/wp-content/1_ext_enlarge.jpg
    
    btw, hope everyone is flying in on Friday night (other than Strolen and Ria)

17. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #17

    Question:
    
    I would like to bring a non-strolenite NPC/Extra. They are an avid roleplayer, and they were a member at Strolen's Citadel for a very brief time (at my suggestion), but they were never really very involved in the Citadel, and they aren't anymore. Is it alright for me to bring them along?
    
    (I pretty much figured that the answer is yes, but I decided to be safe and ask anyway.)
    
    -Nobody

18. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #18

    Do they like pie?
    
    If yes, then of course they can come! The more the merrier!!

19. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #19

    You know, it occurs to me this is going to be less of a con than a bunch of friends getting together for the weekend and partying.  Not that I have a problem with this, I'm just saying.

20. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #20

    No, it is most definitely a Con. Otherwise I don't know why we are renting The Garden.

21. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #21

    I don't know why you would rent it anyway.  :twisted:

22. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #22

    I don't think that $300 per night and a trip to New York City really counts as a bunch of friends hanging out. This definately falls under the short vacation category. Plus, there are going to be presentations. So yeah, I would call it a convention.
    
    -Nobody

23. Re: Questions and Concerns

    #23

    It was just a very expensive road trip to hang out with our friends.
    
    Now if we could of doubled our numbers... then a case could of been made for it.

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