Re: [AGA-mcm] questions about convention

["Karen Randall" <krandall@rdrcpa.biz>]

> Speaking of which, what days is AMANO coming in??  Anyone know, does
> Tomoko have her schedule in sync with that?
>
> Who is in charge of Hospitality for Amano/Jan especially.  We want these
> guys well taken care of and spoiled.  Of course speaker gifts, etc. But
> more than that, someone to show them around the days they are early and
> cater to their every whim. Charlene did that the first two years, Karen
> did for Houston/Dallas.  Usually it is one person, with others taggin on
> as able.  But one person that the speaker knows to check with and is there
> by there side (so not someone that is in charge of bunches of other
> stuff)
> Karen may have pointers/additions or clarifications here...

Again, Kathy is right.  It's REALLY important that we make ALL of our
speakers feel comfortable and treat them as honored guests.  But this is
particularly true for those who make the effort to come here from a foreign
country.  Speakers do this out of their love for the hobby and their
willingness to share their knowledge with others.  Even if we pay most of
their expenses, they still have to arrange to be away from their homes and
businesses.  There are "hidden" costs too.  A good program is not
inexpensive to produce.

I have gone down to each convention at least several days early to host our
guests for the past three years, but my schedule just won't allow it this
year.  For Amano, Charlene and I and Tomoko all were involved in showing him
around, but Tomoko was with him every minute, to translate and help him feel
comfortable.  I think this was particularly important with Amano, because
people held him in such awe that many were reticent to approach him until
halfway through the weekend, when they FINALLY realized he was not only
human, but a pretty charming one at that.<g>

Of course, I would have come down early to spend time with Claus in any
case, as we have been good friends for a long time.  And Claus had been
urging Christel and me to get to know each other better for a number of
years, and last year's convention was the perfect time to do it.

At the Northeast Council convention each year, EVERY speaker has a "host"
for the weekend, who is responsible for making sure their needs are met, and
that they have someone to keep them company, etc.  The host does NOT have to
spend every minute with their speaker, they just have to be available to the
speaker as a "go to" person.  Of course, by hosting a person in this way,
you have a WONDERFUL opportunity to get to know them in a way that is just
not otherwise possible at a big event like this.  I have suggested in the
past that we adopt this model for AGA events, but it hasn't quite caught on
yet.<g>

I can tell you from personal experience, that the clubs that make me feel
comfortable and welcome, and where I can make a personal connection with
someone, are the clubs that are likely to get me to come back in the future.
As I said before, speakers make nothing doing this, so if it's not fun,
there's no reason to do it at all.

Karen





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