2011/03/19 Annual Planning Session of Core
Sagacity Alternative Lifestyles SocietyAnnual Planning Session of CoreMINUTESMarch 19, 2011
Attending: Jim, Janice, Claudia, Rod Mc. Ayla, Kat, Jocelyn, Shawna, Matt, Jemma, Vivian. Absent with notice: Knotty Matt, Trudy. Attending last hour: Joanne
Chairperson Matt Polly called the meting to order at 1:11 PM, and asked Ladyfish to make announcements.
Announcements: Ladyfish welcomed everyone, passed out name pins and business cards to newer core members, then made the announcement that Matt Polley was added to the Sagacity Alternative Lifestyle Society membership, and was officially appointed Executive Director by the Sagacity Alternative Lifestyle Association executive at the Annual General Meeting today.
Coordinators update: CHANGES OF COORDINATORS since last meeting are: Loadstar back as coordinator of DMs and Timekeepers; Shawna replacing Matt and Trudy on FOOD who are taking a break from the Core.
DMs and TIMEKEEPERS: Keeping charge of the cleaning supplies for equipment should be the responsibility of the DM coordinator, and from now on will be picked up and kept track of by him after every party. It will be taken home by Loadstar from now on. This information will be passed on to him at the social event after the meeting. Training sessions for the volunteers are needed. Focus will be on responsibility to protect the entire society. Fisherman, Rod, Matt, and Loadstar will run a two-hour workshop, time not set yet. This can be held at the Bird of Paradise, with space for 16 trainees.
Meredith has begun working on poster design.
FOOD Knotty Matt and Trudy are taking a break and for now Shawna agreed to take over Trudy’s place as Coordinator of Food at events. Shawna will take responsibility for picking up any equipment being kept at Trudy’s home, and Ladyfish will advise Shawna on menu already set for upcoming Domlander.
SET UP Matt, head of set-up, wants more orderly handling of set up than has been happening when most volunteers appear spontaneously for set-up. He will place certain people in various positions: He wants Jeff at the truck, and Meredith with a clipboard at top of stairs instructing carriers where equipment and boxes are to be placed initially. Matt will institute use of lists to follow. Either Matt or Fisherman, as available, will be in charge of packing equipment back in the truck. Matt wants more training for all involved with set-up, as without it, anyone can end up putting equipment together incorrectly.
Associate program update: Jemma reported that she now has the whole list of associates, and there are about thirty of them at this time. There will be more promotion of associateship sales. Jemma will email all persons whose associateship is about to expire. Jemma will provide an up-to-date list of paid-up associates to the Door at each event. It was suggested that a list of associates’ benefits be made up ready to show everyone interested. Who??
EDUCATION SERIES UPDATE: The rope workshop was phenomenally successful. Because the Event Centre must be rented for the entire day when we hold an evening event there we will try to use the space in the daytime as the venue for workshops, whenever there would not be a conflict with setting up the more elaborate theme parties during the day. The workshop will end by 4:30. In the planning stages: Kink 101, the basics, was suggested as a workshop topic, and an appropriate date would be the Saturday of the James Bondage Party. A panel of experienced people will be gathered. The topics will be chosen at least partly by request for submission of anonymous questions, to go in a drop box at the door. Attendees will be told this occasion for serious questions, and is NOT a humorous occasion like “Fill in the Blanks Night.” Cost will be: $5, and free for associates attending with their associate card. (This will be added to the list of benefits.) Attendance at the party will be regular price, and not bundled with workshop cost. There will be no workshops run over the summer months, for lack of attendance. There may be a workshop prior to the Back to School Party, though in the past, we have held several short workshops DURING the party.
DOOR: Vivien: There are several parts to the system of door volunteers: Greeter, outside the ticket window; one or two ticket sales volunteers at window; coat check volunteer, and ushers inside should be on duty for events like Domlander. A donation jar has been put at the Coat Check, but few notice it, so a more obvious donation box will be made.
4. OTHER EVENTS Domlander: Ladyfish is producer. Contestants so far: five women, 3 or 4 men. Aiming for 6 men and 6 women. Difficult to arrange order of performances until all are entered, so we cannot allow a performer to take a shift as volunteer during/before the show. Production Crew: Jim will train Matt and Ayla for technical work, especially music. Jani will be in Green Room and will need two prop handlers; will ask Joanne. Set up at 10 AM; Rehearsal at 1:00 PM, and door opens at 7:30 for start of show at 8:00 PM. Veronica arrives about PM. Her performers will arrive about 7:00 PM; Technical crew will be there at 5- 5:30 for working out Veronica’s music. During Judging: short show -- Spontaneous “walk up” competition. Arrange a couple of people to start it off. The usual songs Relax and We are Family while winners on stage, and later all contestants on stage, audience helping move the chairs.
Prizes added: Veronica giving out another $50 certificate. Another bottle of wine, chocolates.
Claudia will be judges’ usher and server. Jemma will settle the audience (seating sensibly) Food includes jello mould of female body in whip cream bikini, veggies, dip, chips, and salsa. Will be a camera feed to screen in Green Room. Matt will ask Sparky to do the still camera work for the whole show, and will hand over the disk to Sagacity. No DM shifts until 10: PM or later, let Loadstar know when he arrives after this meeting.
Tickets are selling also on PayPal; expect to sell many on day of show. Programs will be printed the same day. $650 for event centre, minus 10 or 15 percent of bar tab which comes to us. Drink specials are already designed. $400 for expenses, food, wine, chocolates, tacky stuff from Michael’s and dollar store. James Bondage: April 30th. Workshop prior, in afternoon. Last time we had live music, dance, formal, lots of tuxedos, long gowns, “formal recommended,” poker chips on table. This year, we can do the same without the live music. Use DJ instead, who needs to have James Bond type music. Cost may be $200 to 300 for DJ. Rod will search for DJ and post to Core list. Stage to be used for dancing, play floor as usual. Slide show of Bond girls etc., projector is on site, and Jemma will put some photos on a stick and pass to Matt and Ayla.
Pardi Gras: will require an entire planning session of its own just before the event.
Christmas Party: We will do the potluck play party again, with no DMs. There will be a small charge same as last year, probably everything the same. Money can go to charity again.
Vanilla family picnic: Goldstream group campsite a possible venue, has big open field. Jani will look into booking it. Sagacity will pay for burgers etc., and we could expand it to an overnight stay. Waiting for cost figures.
5. Birthday Bash: We will use the Early Bird pricing system again. Production crew already thinking about possibilities. Contract has been sent to us for approval, still to go over it. Matt and Fish will be working on choice of presenters as soon as possible.
6. Use of official Sagacity email address: All Core are to be set up to use their name@sagacitygroup.net email address. Everyone who does not know how, is advised to go to instructions in their email program to learn how to send mail as if from a different account. Google’s Gmail, hotmail, and Outlook all have such systems. Outlook calls it “Send as different identity”
Other computer issues: The Sagacity website “Personals” page is being shut down, now that Fetlife provides a good place for the same service. Rod agreed to help Ladyfish with updating the website, by checking links, adding more, and writing additions to the Education section of the Sagacity website.
7. Complimentary entries/Scholarships/Core guests: Current policies were explained: 1. Scholarships are only possible when there special money in the budget for it, such the donations made last year, and the recipients would always be very carefully chosen, and required to work a considerable time. This is not a routine matter. 2. Core partners pay for events. This was always the case, and there has been some laxity, which is now tightened up. 3. Complimentary entrance is by special arrangement with executive, offered by the executive in special circumstances that will benefit the organization.
8. Truck maintenance: There has been a transmission problem which was considered serious. It was last worked on by mechanic before Birthday Bash. But Matt tried “overfilling” with transmission fluid, and discovered there is no problem at all if the transmission fluid is kept very high; therefore it seems the only problem was the dipstick is not the original, and doesn’t measure correctly. Matt spent four dollars!
9. Matt and Relationship with Restricted Matt explained the policy of Restricted is that there is to be no advertising by any other organization and no advertising by Restricted members either. So Sagacity also cannot advertise requesting volunteers on the Restricted list. There was never a specific problem between Restricted and Sagacity. Sagacity coordinators are asked to stop using any Fetlife group. It would be oaky to use the Sagacity email list to recruit volunteers, but better to aim to get volunteers by personal face-to-face requests at meetings and by personal emails to previous volunteers and friends. Rod pointed out that when he was executive director he went around the room approaching most of the people in attendance with a written schedule and asked personally.
10. Change weekly meetings/addition of other types of events as replacement Ladyfish explained original reasons for a weekly meeting, related to lack of other activities in Victoria – community not well developed at the time, which is no longer the case, with far more happening both in Sagacity-organized events and other events organized independently by Sagacity members. Esoteric Exchange occurs two days a month, on a Thursday evening Kinky Koffee Klatch (Suzanne) happens once a month on a Thursday evening Restricted meets one evening a month Ladyfish’s suggestion is that we start with having the Tuesday gathering just two weeks per month instead of four, and if it works well, might go to one Tuesday per month. We will publically state that because of other socializing opportunities started by Sagacity members, there is not the need for every Tuesday Sagacity meetings as there used to be.
Rod likes the idea of twice monthly meetings; There was a lot of discussion re timing of the meetings. Restricted will return to more quiet advertising (on the list only) of their time schedule, more within their existing group members.
New schedule of opportunities for the local community might be: 1st week of the month: Sagacity Tuesday gathering at the Ledge 2nd week of the month: E. E. at the Bird of Paradise Suggestion for Suzanne: 3rd week of the month might be regular date for the Koffee Klatch 4th week of the month: E.E. at the bird of Paradise. 2nd Friday night of the month might be the choice of meeting time for Restricted; that group will make their decision. When there is a fifth Tuesday or Thursday of the month, there might be no meeting Matt may ask Nancy or Meredith to bring this up at Restricted. He will point out that people are asking for more “in depth” discussions.
Sagacity will enforce the NO MEANS NO rule. This will be announced at the next 1st Tuesday meeting. Matt will remind people that anyone actually being harassed at a Sagacity event of any kind, should come immediately to a Core member for support.
11. New Business |
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GREETING RESPONSIBILTY OF ALL CORE: All Core members are reminded of the responsibility to personally be welcoming to people attending Sagacity events. Although the Executive Director has always aimed to spend some time with virtually everyone who appears at a meeting, the rest of the Core should aim for social interactions with a few people at every event – it’s not necessary to shake every hand in the place, but be sure to socialize with at least a few every event.
ONGOING HEALTH ISSUE (seizures) of woman attending kink events: Young woman has played twice at an event that we know of, and both times ended the evening by having a seizure, and needing an ambulance.
Rod will obtain a medical form to be signed by doctor, same as used for insurance purposes. Vote taken on this motion: “That we prohibit Gabriella from playing at a Sagacity event until she can provide a medical doctor’s fitness approval certificate (such as 90 days stable)”
Vote taken: After much discussion (one abstention) CARRIED
Vivien reminded we need to all put in time actively socializing with guests at events. Matt reminded us we should all spend a few minutes with a few people at Tuesday meetings too, as part of our responsibility as Core members. Kat is always looking for a tope as facilitator of EE. Co-facilitators are always a possibility.
Rod asked about posters. Matt and Rod will work out responsibilities re posters. Meredith is working on art for posters.
Ladyfish is concerned about calls for volunteers going out on FetLife. Rod used to take a schedule form around meetings and directly ask people for a volunteer shift. Decision: Use of Sagacity email list and private emails, and face-to-face requests at EE, Tuesday night meetings, should be used to call for volunteers. Coordinators should develop a working relationship with crews.
Adjourned at 5:20 PM
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