Vendor contributions so far: >$13,000. WOW. Go Carol Anne!
We may squeeze a little more from vendors who wanted to do a presentation but hadn't yet ponied up.
Event insurance:
FIT requires it. Does not share their own campus's policy with us like other SUNYs do.
NJ Wolfe (local arrangements, FIT Library director) is taking care of it. More news to come.
Food:
Dinners will be dine-arounds, both Wednesday and Thursday. Group coordinators will have to arrange to split the bill or collect cash from people. Registration should remind people to bring sufficient cash.
Friday lunch is fend for yourself.
Snacks are just beverages (hot and cold) plus sweet treats.
I am guessing that we will roll the cost of snacks and cocktail hour into registration, but let people sign up for breakfasts and lunches in the registration form.
There are MASSIVE kitchen and labor costs, and I am trying to negotiate them down, so I don't have numbers yet.
Wednesday Lunch - Traditional Sandwich Collection (cost to Attendee = $14.99)
Wednesday afternoon snack (cost per head is $6)
Wednesday dinner - off site (dinearound)
Wednesday evening social - off site
Thursday Breakfast - Hot Breakfast (cost to Attendee =$16.99)
Thursday morning snack (cost per head is $6)
Thursday Lunch (the big keynote and general meeting luncheon) - Executive Buffet (cost to Attendee = $27.99)
Thursday afternoon snack (cost per head is $6)
Thursday afternoon cocktails - DOES NOT INCLUDE ALCOHOL - (cost per head is $22)
Thursday dinner - off site (dinearound)
Friday Breakfast - Hot Breakfast (cost to Attendee = $16.99)
Friday morning snack (cost per head is $22)
For cocktail hour, we can pay them to provide alcohol, or we can take alcohol donations. As far as I've learned, they don't charge a corking fee, so we could probably save by doing this.
Housing:
Alumni Hall. Air conditioned and so forth.
Was going to be CoEd Hall, and that's what was on the contract, but then they revealed we might not have A/C there. So we complained until they switched us to the more expensive Alumni Hall without raising our rates.
No one may stay earlier than Tuesday night or later than Thursday night. I have to be personally in those dorms all the nights that any SUNYLA people are there, since I am the "group leader."
The sign-in desk needs to take care of giving people their keys, etc. Otherwise there would be an additional housing fee for having FIT Summer Housing handle it.
Price per night for single: $95.00
Price per night for double: $59.00
Additional fee (not per night): $15
Deposit (based on 100 individuals staying in the dorms) of $6770 was paid.
Another payment of $6770+ (plus whatever extra due to more people staying in the dorms, and some people staying Tuesday night) is due in May.
Housing - Waiver/Financial Responsibility for Damages:
Most SUNY campuses expect people staying in campus housing to sign a statement that they will pay for any damages they cause. FIT does it differently. WE have to sign a statement that WE will pay for any damages caused by our group. This means that we have to build some kind of statement of financial responsibility into our registration form, so that our members will compensate us if we have to pay on their behalf.
Housing - Linens:
The "We have an arrangement with Kmart for a linens package" thing fell through. We have two options at this point:
1. Everybody has to bring their own linens. Period.
2. We put up some money for me to order the items separately. I have found fleece sleeping bags, travel pillows, and towels online at decent prices with cheap shipping. I have permission from Sumintra to have them delivered to campus if I can make them arrive the week of the conference and put the packages together myself. (Ugh.)
We need to decide on this now, because it will be an option on registration.
Sessions:
For the first time in living memory, we got way too many submissions, most of them at the last moment. And they were GOOD submissions! Bonnie Swoger, Stephanie Herfel, Rosanne Humes, and I have been working on the sessions and the schedule. Once that is set, we can move forward with the program and the registration.
We had so many submissions in the Technology area that we're going to have a TED Talks like format (called "Tech Lightning Rounds"). Big room, 20 minute time limit, one right after the other.
There is no big deal welcome session or plenary on Thursday. Just the keynote.
Costs for the keynote:
honorarium: $750
travel, room, and board (she lives in southern NJ, so figure based on that): $???
Rooms for sessions:
We currently have 4. We will need 6 or 7, and some of them will need to be computer labs.
FIT will not allow us to reserve additional rooms until the end of April. They ASSURE me there will be no trouble getting additional rooms.
Registration:
Logan and I are meeting about the registration system Thursday evening (after the meeting.)
Program:
Is anybody really excited about doing layout and design on the program? If not, I'm going to beg NJ to find somebody down there to do it.
NJ's people have the expertise and equipment to print it.
Fundraising:
Several people have suggested fundraising. Ideas:
Selling SUNYLA swag through CafePress.
Selling swag through CafePress that was branded with SUNYLA logo but also had neat graphics or photographs contributed by members
Silent auction of craft items and baked goods and NYC fun things donated by members and friends
Online auction/sale of craft items donated by members and friends
Logo!
Heather Shalhoub (ESC) did the design and NJ had some FIT graphics people make it shiny and digital.
See attached
ACTION ITEMS:
Decide on registration price
Decide on whether we'll offer a linens package
Decide on whether we'll hold a fund raiser and what kind.
Kissane, Sylvia Chu, and Friend of SUNYLA awards
Do we want to pay FIT to do the booze for cocktail hour, or take donations of alcohol?
