Re: [AGA-mcm] Seating at the Banquet

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

Well, as part of my self-appointed duty of making sure the speakers each
have a host next year, I'd like to also institute the same practice that NEC
has at the banquet.  Have sign-up lists for banquet tables, one speaker and
his or her host to a table.  Then people have a chance to sit and talk to
one of the speakers in a more relaxed setting.  If sitting with their
friends is more important than sitting with a specific speaker, that's fine
too.

This year, I think part of the problem with seating was trying to balance
the need to make the speakers feel honored with wanting to "share" them with
the attendees.  If each speaker has their own personal host, they have
someone looking out for them all weekend.  They have "their" table, which is
an honor in itself.  You don't need to worry about "reserved" tables, what
that means, and who gets to sit there.

The balance this year was that there was enough "free time" for mingling,
with the more relaxed time schedule, that people could seek out and talk
with speakers at other times during the conference as well.  They didn't
have to only catch up with people at the banquet.

Karen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>
To: "AGA Advisory Committee" <aga-mcm@thekrib.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 8:50 AM
Subject: [AGA-mcm] Seating at the Banquet


> Following up on a comment someone made about the speaker
> seating at the banquet:
>
> GWAPA didn't assign seating at the Banquet. Having too many
> of the speakers at one table, I'm sorry to say, was pretty
> much my doing. Just wrongheaded on that and Erik and Karen
> caught my mistake too late to undo it.
>
> I don't know why I didn't remember what I had already
> learned, spread the speakers around the room.
>
> Along that line, though, I suggest that it might be a good
> idea to inform every attendee (including the speakers)
> well beforehand that they each may sit wherever they like
> at the banquet -- maybe a ten word announcement at the
> convention opening, intro. Without specifically being told
> so, lots of people keep ask, "Can we sit anywhere?" "Is
> this front table reserved?" We know the answer, let's tell
> them up front.
>
> sh
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