Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 19:39:33 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Capclave '06 function space [Re: [WSFA] Re: Trees...
  forest....]
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

At 01:57 PM 10/20/2005, Michael Nelson wrote:

>I would be tempted to try the following changes:
>
>MEZZANINE LEVEL (off the lobby)
>
>  - Put the con suite in Counsel (was main program)
>  - Put the con suite prep room in Quorum (was green room)
>
>If we could get Assembly, I would put gaming in
>Counsel and the main con suite in Assembly.  Those
>three rooms and the Assembly lobby area would make
>a great con "suite" of rooms.  The big problem is
>the limited handicapped access to Assembly.
>
>SECOND FLOOR (Ballroom level)
>
>  - Put the dealers' room in Potomac (was con suite)
>  - Close off Chesapeake III and use it for con ops or
>     program items (dealers' room was in I, II, & III)
>  - Use Chesapeake I for main program (250 seats)
>  - Use Chesapeake II for freebie tables, etc. and
>     as the entrance to Chesapeake I
>  - Use Severn and Annapolis for program rooms

One thing that we've been thinking about is putting more things into the
consuite.  The decision was made to have it in Potomac because we wanted it
to be the central gathering place for the convention, which wouldn't have
worked had it been down on the Mezzanine level.  Meanwhile Potomac is too
large for the Dealer's Room; right now we have about the right number of
dealers for the size of the convention.

Some ideas of what to put in the Consuite:

Green room - we really don't need a separate room for this.
Con ops - ditto.
Kaffeeklatchs, or however you spell that.
GoH - instead of doing the formel thing of having them behind a table put a
couple of comfortable chairs on risers at one end of the room.  This would
be unusual, true, but a casual GoH piece might be more in keeping with the
convention.
Other big events?
Consuite prep - this is what we used to do.
A childcare corner - we had a remarkable number of children this
year.  This wouldn't be formal childcare but an area where parents could
take turns watching the kids.  (This is what they do anyway, and would only
be giving them a better space in which to do it.)
Gaming - a table or two for this.
Dueling cartoonists - or other casual things.
Bid tables?
Freebies?

Thus far this only frees up two rooms, assuming I can get Severn and
Annapolis again, but it's a start.  We might also be able to use Chesapeake
II or III for programming, depending on how things go with the Dealer's Room.

It always takes a convention a couple of years to work out the best use of
space and this was only our first year.  I'm reading everyone's suggestions
and as we get closer we'll work on them.  And hopefully manage to corral
people for a walkthrough.

Elspeth