MeetingMinutes:2009-09
OutWorlders, Inc.
September 2009
The regular business meeting of OutWorlders was held on Sunday, September 20, 2009, at 11:31 am at Atlanta Diner. Edward DeGruy, Kris Harter, Jeff Smith, Wm Boozer, Vandy Beth Glenn, and LizBeth Dison were present. President DeGruy called the meeting to order.
Officer Reports
President’s Report
None.
Vice President’s Report
Not present.
Secretary’s Report
None.
Treasurer’s Report
We have $2481.60. Jeff thinks the standard party budget of $75 needs to be raised, because it is never enough anymore.
Events Coordinator’s Report
Not present.
Public Relations Coordinator’s Report
Not appointed.
Internet Coordinator’s Report
Not present.
Historian’s Report
None.
Special Interest Groups Reports
Readers Group
This month’s book was The Unlikely Disciple, which everyone enjoyed. Next month’s book is Running Dry by .
Writers Group
No report.
Gaming
There was no Game Night in September due to Dragon*Con. Strategy Gaming had only three people.
Old Business
The Dragon*Con fan table was a big success. The digital picture frame was a hit.
We have two easels now for displays near fan tables. We did not need them at Dragon*Con, but can use them at Pride in October.
We had budgeted $120 for two parties at Dragon*Con, but only hosted one, the Sunday night party. We spent $151 on that, but a previous approved expenditure of $50 for decorations had been unspent until Dragon*Con.
The fan table yielded two or three sheets of new signups, which is down by about half from 2008. The newer, less visible location in the Hyatt is probably to blame. The Sheraton probably would have been worse still.
Fan tables may be in yet another location next year.
JP Rhea has offered to design new flyers for Outworlders, with new content. The current flyer is not very copyable.
We have a table at Pride on Saturday and Sunday. Pride is from 10 am to 7 pm each day.
“Panhandling” at Pride brings in less and less money each year as more and more groups are represented.
We may wear costumes to Pride, since the weather will be cooler this year.
Outlantacon will share our table at Pride, and will supply food. We will bring drinks and the digital frames.
Robert Marshall and Jack Rowley will host the Hallowe’en party at their house this year. It will be on Saturday, the 31st.
The Fall picnic slipped everyone’s mind. It has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
New Business
We are always looking for new places to hold events. Bruce Berryhill has suggested we buy a cheap foreclosed house to be our “Batcave.” The Strand Theater in Marietta allows rentals.
Ken Fernandez noted that the Strand is pretty far from intown, and that more central locations usually work better for us.
More than one person pointed out that buying a house would expose the group to many expenses, taxes, liability issues, and many other headaches we probably want no part of.
Edward DeGruy went to Georgia Equality’s facilities and spoke with its Executive Director, Jeff Graham. They have an event space that can be rented for $25 for a few hours to $100 for a whole day. It is a big space with couches and tables that would be a good space for some events, but probably not big enough for a Game Night.
It has computers with the Internet, and rentable lockers. There is a video projector and a screen, and a kitchen. It will change its name soon to the Gay and Lesbian Resource Center.
The owner of the Stage Door in Tucker has offered to host Outworlders events, even in the evenings on weekends.
For potential Fall events, Bruce Berryhill has suggested visiting a Wizard of Oz-themed resort in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. This is too far away for a day trip, so if we went, we would have to rent a cabin.
Some on the Yahoo! group have suggested we use meetup.com to promote our events. This is a possibility, but there is a cost associated with meetup.com, and some event hosts are unwilling to advertise so broadly. Facebook may be a better option, and some events have been promoted using Facebook.
LizBeth Dison said she would start an Outworlders Twitter account.
Edward wanted to know if there’s anything online that would allow us to map the home neighborhoods of all members, so we could find new event locations that are convenient to more people.
At the October meeting, nominations for 2010 officers will open. Nominations will close in November, and elections will be held at the December meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 12:49 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Vandy Beth Glenn, Secretary, Atlanta Outworlders
