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They were here awhile ago. OK, then.
I have two questions:
Nolan.
Thanks.
White woman over 50 for OBAMA!! (Endorsed 6/07)
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:26:55 AM PDT
The first question is for Nolan to answer. As to the second question, I would email the people at Democracy for Texas (who blog at Burnt Orange Report and Texas Kaos). They were quite effective this year in putting together a proposal for Austin, and can help give you pointers re: New Orleans in the future.
Also, just as an FYI, NN had a very succesful panel on rebuilding New Orleans at last year's convention. I imagine we'll have something similar this year.
Netroots Nation: Changing the face of progressive politics.
by pontificator on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:30:38 AM PDT
[ Parent ]
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:31:39 AM PDT
For finding space (and alternative space) with all the bells and whistles, rooms, services, electronics, etc., they provide one-stop shopping.
They make these things happen whether it is small reunion or a 50,000 person convention.
Perhaps, part of the problem, is that the people working on this did not go through them.
They are considered the bluest of blue ribbon groups in the U.S. for their efficiency and ability to get people just what they need.
by jinnola on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 11:16:47 AM PDT
That would have been and will be, one of my first-stop shopping places!
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 11:26:06 AM PDT
And I would kindly ask that you not approach venues directly on behalf of NN.
When a hotel/venue/CVB has multiple people coming to them claiming to represent an organization it makes their job tremendously more difficult because they don't know who is who. All the while they are trying to be nice to everyone because they want them to book in their city.
Feel free to do research, and pass along specific location for our consideration, but please don't call them up and start discussing specifics.
Keep Netroots Nation Weird
by Nolan on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 11:26:53 AM PDT
(at least I do). We can research but I would hope no one would be as presumptuous enough to present themselves as a rep from NN.
By the way, did you see Louisiana 76s response to your "fragile" comment below?
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 11:28:51 AM PDT
I know some people over there, will fish around.
by chigh on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 04:19:26 PM PDT
Here's part of what Nolan posted in the other diary:
We went BACK to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and tried to find space that would fit us and there was not any available. It is very easy for you to make claims that we should have tried harder or whatever, but we need a very large ballroom for main events and many breakout rooms of different sizes for several days in a row. It is not easy to find that kind of space on such a short notice. There was none available in New Orleans for summer of 2008. In fact, the only reason we found space in Austin is because another group canceled their convention around the time we started looking. It was really a shot in the dark that we got that even got that.
We went BACK to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and tried to find space that would fit us and there was not any available. It is very easy for you to make claims that we should have tried harder or whatever, but we need a very large ballroom for main events and many breakout rooms of different sizes for several days in a row. It is not easy to find that kind of space on such a short notice. There was none available in New Orleans for summer of 2008.
In fact, the only reason we found space in Austin is because another group canceled their convention around the time we started looking. It was really a shot in the dark that we got that even got that.
I wasn't involved in this at all, but even I am finding these constant cries of "you shoulda, woulda, coulda, ..." from people who don't know what the NN organizers did try to do kind of annoying. Now it is true that no one knows exactly what Nolan and the rest of the NN organizers did because they have not produced a detailed report of the process they went through (and such a report might help people understand the process and work for next year in a more efficient manner) but please, people, could we at least begin this discussion by stipulating that the NN organizers are people with good intentions and a modicum of skills? If they say that they really tried to hold NN 08 in New Orleans and that they tried multiple different approaches that were not successful, can we not immediately assume they must be lying or incompetent?
Frugal Fridays, where the cheap come to chat.
by sarahnity on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 01:21:33 PM PDT
If they can give NOLA some mentoring, that would be brilliant.
For example, a few years ago we had a presentation at our annual Amputee Coalition of America conference by a group from Colorado who successfully lobbied for passage of a bill requiring parity in insurance coverage for prosthetics. They copied all their materials and correspondence into bound copies to hand out and walked us through what they had done. Their experience and information was key to the successful efforts in several other states including CA! (And CA happened much sooner than we expected.)
It might also be helpful, now or in the future, if there are any resources from groups that put together great proposals/packages, even if they didn't get NN in their city.
Well Dayum! The Fat Lady just sang her tits right off!
by homogenius on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 10:36:47 AM PDT
The proposal process what perhaps more informal than what you're thinking. I think we'd like to formalize it more in the future, but this year it was sort of organic.
The Democracy for Texas people (and a few from the Burnt Orange Report) put up this page, which was helpful in demonstrating significant interest.
There are no formal criteria for what we want in a city, so this is more my gut-feeling stuff than something that should be taken as cast in stone. The things we'd like to see are local interest from progressive groups and some sort of local blogosphere. The fact that Democracy for Texas helped put on DemFest in 2005 in Austin helped support their claim that they have volunteers we can tap when the convention is onsite. And the burgeoning Texas blogosphere was helpful because we can help raise their profile, which is part of our mission of empowering the netroots.
So, demonstrating significant local interest in hosting and demonstrating there is a netroots community (even if it is just starting) I think are most helpful to sway the committee members.
As far as venues go, we can handle that. As I talk about in that NN dairy, we've got INMEX working with us and they solicit bids form the local venues that are capable of hosting our convention.
by Nolan on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:48:39 AM PDT
thing is local volunteers. Is that right? Other than that, we can certainly do a proposal like Austin's (better, I think). Gee, if we'd only known. Is that all we'd have to put together? We can do better. I'm sure of it.
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:53:28 AM PDT
It was that we couldn't find availability for a venue that would fit us.
To answer your question about sizes (from the diary)... we need a main room that is at least 40,000 square feet.
by Nolan on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:59:48 AM PDT
n/t
by nolalily on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 10:02:14 AM PDT
we can do the work to find the actual venue.
by Nolan on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 10:05:25 AM PDT
when NOLA was not selected for Netroots Nation. My opinion is that we should put our money where our mouth is.
by pamelabrown on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 10:08:15 AM PDT
Find out what you can do from wherever you are.
by homogenius on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 10:38:27 AM PDT
That shouldn't be a problem. Both the Morial and the Pontchartrain Center can handle that. So could the Riverside Hilton, and the Marriot can get pretty close.
To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all -Goethe
by commonscribe on Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 01:37:03 PM PDT
wide narrow
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