Some competent person set up hotel arrangements with discounts [probably MinuteGal]; some other competent person invited a noted speaker [who didn't show up.]
I arranged to rent our local Chamber of Commerce building for a Saturday [West Orlando]; gonzo paid for me to rent a large screen tv for the day for a tv-phone conference with JimRob [which also ran into troubled water, but by a chance of good luck I rescued the project with two tin cans and a long wire.]
Like JanMatch, I am in murky circumstances - healthwise with me. There were some problems with hotel accommodations too close to the meet place, and frankly they were a near disaster. However, this location is not injuriously far from International Drive and the tourist areas.
I am cautious to commit to too much at this point, but if you can get some momentum, and there is a consensus about trying the same meet place as before, I will approach the folks about costs and availability. Seating is at least 50 persons, there is a kitchen and serving area, and general climate control is as good as expected. Lighting is brighter than Paleolithic cave dwellings.
I suppose that is enough to get things rolling if there is general interest amongst Florida FReepers. Freep on!
IR
I'd like to see this gathering happen sooner rather than later. I was thinking we should be able to have enough info together to have the event in late March or early April. I see this being a brainstorming session; certain people have certain passions, talents and contacts. So we need to find out what those are.
I'd like to see us all get together, meet each other, know that there really is a face to the names we see on the screen, feel that we have a base of like-minded people that we can call on for support, etc. I think we should come up with some goals leading up to the 2010 elections and then come up with some action items to start working on those goals.
I've already got two offers from two different individuals (thank you!) to give presentations on various topics. I don't think we should put the meeting off just because maybe we can't find an additional "special guest speaker" or whatever.
The difficult part may be this; we've got to find an appropriate location for us all to meet up. It's looking like maybe we'd have approx. 40 people attend from the response I've gotten now. We'll probably have to rent a facility, which means that every person/family attending would have to pony up a few bucks to cover the cost of the facility. Preliminarily we could use a meeting room at the downtown Orlando Public Library. I'm sure these will be "no frills" rooms. It looks like they have a conference room that can hold up to 60 people for $100 for the day. Or a room that can hold up to 150 people for $600. I don't think we'd be looking at more than $15 per person/family. Hopefully everyone will be okay with that?
Anyway, the more I think about it the less I think there is to "plan". So I want to throw out some dates and see what people are thinking...
March 28
April 18
April 25
All are Saturdays.
And sorry if I double pinged you.
Count me in - Palm Beach Gardens.
Gainesville here. Please dont move it too far south. (have to travel alone). Count me in. Cant wait to meet all of you!
In the interest of time, instead of taking the time at the convention itself to come up with a list of topics we want to talk about, I'd like to get a Top 5 wish list from everyone prior to the convention.
Don't send me your top 5 wish list yet.
I'm hoping that this Ping will:
1. Let y'all start thinking about what those topics should be.
2. Find a volunteer to step up that will be willing to compile everyone's suggestion and let me know what the Top 5 topics are so we all can have some advance notice. Also I'm sure our invited guests would like to know what the topics will be.
Please FReep mail me if you're interested. If I have more than one person respond it'll just be whoever is first.
I'm going to hope that someone will step up quickly. I hope y'all won't assume that "someone else will do it". I will post again with the name of the person you should send your list to and we'll try to have topics to that person by 3/1/2009.
In the interest of time, instead of taking the time at the convention itself to come up with a list of topics we want to talk about, I'd like to get a Top 5 wish list from everyone prior to the convention.
Don't send me your top 5 wish list yet.
I'm hoping that this Ping will:
1. Let y'all start thinking about what those topics should be.
2. Find a volunteer to step up that will be willing to compile everyone's suggestion and let me know what the Top 5 topics are so we all can have some advance notice. Also I'm sure our invited guests would like to know what the topics will be.
Please FReep mail me if you're interested. If I have more than one person respond it'll just be whoever is first.
I'm going to hope that someone will step up quickly. I hope y'all won't assume that "someone else will do it". I will post again with the name of the person you should send your list to and we'll try to have topics to that person by 3/1/2009.
Sorry, no can do. Ft Walton Beach is just too far from central Florida at the moment.
st augustine here, let me know on what is going on please
We formerly thought South east.
Can Florida accept Georgia if they want to come.
There can then be another for NC, SC, Va Tn
BTW, A few of us are trying to start a Federated Republican Women's group in Columbia County. Please let me know if you want any info about it.
I would LOVE to go.. but I am currently on Active Duty getting ready to deploy to Iraq again.
David
Time and place. I’m all for it.
There's a very large Christian conference in Orlando starting on the 19th and ending the morning of the 21st....
I'm going to the conference first....but wondering if I can network with likeminded folks there?...maybe
Just wondering if anyone in the downtown Orlando area is interested in meeting up for lunch once a week leading up to the Convention to discuss planning, etc.?
I am all the way north in Jacksonville. I wouldn’t be able to visit once a week.
Hey didn’t we FReep John Kerry together back in ‘04 at the “O-rena?”
I am interested.
Looking forward to seeing all my Florida friends and meeting new ones. It's been years and years since I saw some of you....the March for Justice, the "Hide the Silverware" Inaugural Ball, through all the many Florida freeps (Tampa, Daytona, Tallahassee, Orlando, etc., wow!).
Leni
Please let me know what you need for the FReeper convention. I live in Winter Park and will be more than happy to give 110% of my energy on this. You can reach me at jdragland@embarqmail.com, and from there if you contact me I can then give you a better source of contact, i.e. a phone number. I don’t really want to give it out on the thread. Thanks for taking the initiative. I am tired of sitting on the sidelines and just complaining about what I see.
Also, I noticed that you haven’t yet selected a venue. I am not sure how many people at this point you are expecting, but I noticed you mentioned having it at a city civic center, and there is the Maitland Civic Center just north of the downtown Orlando area. I know that they host many events, and as a matter of fact they will be hosting Clark Howard on the 27th of March. Just a thought. Their website is: http://www.maitlandciviccenter.com. You could probably get any information on booking the venue there.