[Events] Strategies for getting information from venue hosts

[Shauna Gordon-McKeon]

Briefly (I'm on a bus and typing on my phone) I'd recommend:

- making sure you have more than one host-organizer, so that if one gets
flaky you can contact another
- identifying what space requirements are vital and securing a space with
those characteristics before committing or doing any other planning (this
rule was developed after having to cancel/postpone multiple events last
spring)
- being super responsive and approachable to your hosts, which develops a
culture/expectation of quick, clear communication
- if you can, assessing initial communications for social/emotional cues
indicating enthusiasm and conscientiousness

I'd rank those 2 > 1 > 3 > 4 in terms of importance.  Hope this helps!

- shauna
On Nov 21, 2013 1:03 PM, "sheila miguez" <shekay at pobox.com> wrote:

> Hi everyone, I've cc-d Carl.
>
> Carl has been talking to me offlist wondering what practices people have
> followed to make it more likely to get helpful information from venues.
>
> After someone has agreed to be a host for our group, they aren't always
> responsive when we have questions similar to the ones in checklist for
> events like OSCTC.
>
> https://openhatch.org/wiki/OSCTC_space_checklist
>
> Carl started this page, and I've added to it recently to try and help get
> things running more smoothly.
>
> http://www.chipy.org/pages/venue/requirements/
>
> We've thought of proposing to our user group that we turn that in to a
> form for prospective hosts to fill out before we agree to hold a meeting
> there, but that may or may not be something that passes consensus.
>
> Do any of you have suggestions? The UIC event I went to seemed to have
> friendly hosts. I told Carl perhaps that it would just require a lot of
> assertive emails and phone calls -- and he was wondering if he has to
> resort to a daily email or call or if there is some better way to encourage
> communication.
>
> The lack of communication has led to some snags in the past -- like not
> enough seating for people, no projector or screens for presentors, etc.
>
>
>
>
> --
> sheila
>
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>
>
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