FLEM 9 scheduled for April 2nd in Tavares, FL!

[buffo]

Chris;

Please bring your screen and scrim. We used it last time and it worked well. I'll probably bring my DLP projector too, just for the hell of it. Maybe we can make use of it...

DZ;

Glad to hear you'll be there dude. Mind bringing the amps and the speakers again? I've got the big ones, and I'll have my amp too. Should be plenty loud that way!

Frank;

Sorry dude - it was the only weekend I could get the venue, and it was also the only one that I was free for in April. Plus, it looks like Bruce Rodgers will be in town that weekend, so that sort of sealed the deal. But yeah, I know it conflicts with the planetarium schedule. Sorry about that.

Doug;

That would be a long haul for you dude! But it would be great to see you again. Maybe you and Randy can car-pool so it's not such a long trip?

Aaron;

Can you set up wi-fi in the venue again like last time? If so, I'd like to broadcast live via Ustream again... (Yeah, I know sprint doesn't have any 4G towers in the area, but 3G ought to be fast enough for us, right?)

Really looking forward to this one guys... It's been far too long!

Adam

[djmatt]

Well deppending on what happens now and then...Count me in!!

DJ Matt

[Astroguy]

Great, I should be able to make it. See you all there.

[JohnYayas]

If I wasn't so busy at the moment with work and home remodeling I'd drive down. I hope you all have a good time.

[buffo]

Hey Gary;

Yeah, you've moved twice in less than a year, haven't you? I can just imagine the length of your "to do" list around the house!

Still trying to get something together for North Carolina or Eastern Tennessee for later this spring though. Keep an eye on this sub-forum for details if we can make that happen...

Fred;

Will be great to see you and Dee again! Any chance of you making it in time for Dinner on Friday?

Matt;

Long haul dude, but you know it's going to be a blast. It's been a while since your Mom made it to one of these things; maybe she's up for a road trip? (We'll be using the blackout curtains that she made for the venue!)

Adam

[Astroguy]

Hey Gary;

Yeah, you've moved twice in less than a year, haven't you? I can just imagine the length of your "to do" list around the house!

Still trying to get something together for North Carolina or Eastern Tennessee for later this spring though. Keep an eye on this sub-forum for details if we can make that happen...

Fred;

Will be great to see you and Dee again! Any chance of you making it in time for Dinner on Friday?

Matt;

Long haul dude, but you know it's going to be a blast. It's been a while since your Mom made it to one of these things; maybe she's up for a road trip? (We'll be using the blackout curtains that she made for the venue!)

Adam

I will have to wait untill the date gets a little closer to know if we can make it for dinner.

Fred

[buffo]

Edit: You can ignore the rest of this post. It's been taken care of. After I blew my stack, my Mother talked with the Commodore at the boat club and explained our situation. He agreed that it was their mistake, and they decided to make it right. (Fortunately, they were already thinking about changing the date of their yard sale, so it was an easy fix.) FLEM # 9 is on as originally scheduled for Friday night (April 1st) and Saturday all day (April 2nd) at the Triangle Boat Club meeting hall in Tavares, Florida.

Hey guys... Just got a call from the folks at the Triangle Boat Club. It seems they screwed up. They booked us for FLEM on April 1st and 2nd, but they forgot that they had already scheduled their annual yard sale for that same weekend.

I was pretty pissed off when I got the news, and I told them so. This is no way for a professional organization to operate. (Bad enough that they've gone up on the rental fee 3 times in the past year, but to pull a stunt like this on top of it all is really shitty.) I had considered canceling all future contracts with them, but I held back.

They are having a board meeting today. The guy that screwed up the schedule is going to lay out the problem for the board, and see what they want to do about it. If they agree to postpone their yard sale, we're OK, and FLEM # 9 will proceed as usual.

If they decide to bump us, then I'll need to scramble to find another venue in time. I've already contacted the Leesburg boat club, but it appears that they might be too expensive. (They're talking hundreds of dollars; I'll have a firm quote from them by tomorrow.) There are a few other venues in the area that I plan to investigate as well.

Worst case, we may have to push our event back, but I don't want to do that until I've exhausted the other options. (I think I'd rather rent out a conference room at the Holiday Inn Express first!) Several people have already made plans to be available for that weekend, so I'd like to stay with that schedule if I can.

Longer term, I'm willing to entertain ideas for other venues. Personally, I'm not in love with the Triangle Boat Club's meeting room, but it *was* very affordable, and it's more or less centrally located. Still, if we can find a better venue (even if it's in Ocala, or Tampa, or Orlando), I'm up for moving to a new location for the future. Would love to hear suggestions from anyone in Central Florida who has ideas about alternate locations.

I'll keep this thread updated as I get more information.

Adam

[Lazerjock]

That sucks!
I will keep my eye's open for another venue.


Look at it this way, we were out growing the boat club anyway.

Chris

[buffo]

Hey Chris;

Yeah, I agree that the boat club room was getting kinda small. I'd love to have a larger venue, especially if we can keep the price down (say, below $150 or so). I'm totally cool with moving to another city, btw. (Even if it was in Downtown Orlando!)

Let me know if you turn up anything. Give me a call on my cell (843) 324-0735 if you want to chat.

Adam

[buffo]

OK, here's an update:

I spoke with my Mother about this issue, and she agreed to speak to the Commodore of the boat club tonight at the monthly meeting. (It's actually a social meeting, but they also have a brief board meeting before it starts to handle anything that can't wait until the main business meeting.) My Mom explained our situation, and managed to convey my considerable displeasure with the situation (I believe her exact words were, "When Adam found out, he took off on his broom!").

The Commodore was very understanding, and he agreed that it was the club's mistake, not ours, and that the right thing to do was to move their event so that we could have the venue as originally scheduled. So that's what they did.

As it turns out, they were considering this anyway, for other reasons, so this was just the motivation the board needed to make the switch. That's good for us, because it means we're back on the schedule for the original dates (April 1st and 2nd).

I do appreciate everyone's support over the last couple days. This sort of thing is what drives organizers to drink! (Or gives them ulcers...) But it all worked out OK this time, so life is good. See you all at FLEM # 9!

Adam