What would make me more likely:
1. Lots of intensive classes (which IOLI seems to do, if I take two)
3. Having the option of going to only a few days, not the whole week, and still
take a full class, would be very nice. Especially if it's my first time at a
convention and I'm not sure what it'll be like, it'd be good to be able to try
it for just a fairly short time
2. Cheap hotel (having 3-4 people in one room for IOLI works fairly well, but it
could be better, probably - but if we all lived in really cheap hotels, the
convention wouldn't have anywhere to do the actual classes and such...)
3. Having the option of buying my own food instead of having it provided (which
IOLI does), and being close to somewhere I can buy *really* cheap food (which
IOLI also does, from what I hear)
4. This depends on where the convention is, but looking at the IOLI additional
activities, I'd be much happier if there was an option of hiking in the National
Park, not just driving around in it (this might be more me being Polish than
young...). But this sort of thing requires knowing in advance that there'll be
enough people interested in hiking, so I can see why not.
5. In fact, I think I'd be happier if there was no day off for tours, or if it
was at the beginning or end so that I could skip it - I don't actually feel like
paying for any of the tours, so I'll end up just sitting around all day for no
particularly good reason.
What would make me less likely is basically high cost, especially if I feel like
it's being spent on "luxuries" (like trips and good hotels), and a general
feeling that the convention is more of a social event than a workshop. I
definitely want intensive classes to take most of the time. Not that I wouldn't
like a social event, but I'm definitely not willing to pay that much for one.
That said, I'm sure I'll have fun.
My husband didn't really need that many arguments - mostly I needed something to
convince myself it was OK (which your argument is pretty good for, thanks!)
The conversation with him went about like this:
"I was thinking of going to a lace convention over the summer. It's about $1100
with flights and hotel"
"That's sort of expensive. Do you really want to go enough to pay $1100?"
"Yes, I think I do"
"OK"
<VBG>
Weronika
On Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 08:01:03AM -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> On the eve of the Hasbrouck Heights Convention, through no fault of my own,
> I became publicity chairman. I managed to make contact with three
> newspapers
> who were willing to write about us and the question each of them asked was,
> "Do any young people do this?" Apparently in the newspaper business, it is
> essential to provide photographs of people of all ages in any newspaper
> spread.
> My immediate thought was, "Yes, I am young, and I do it." But apparently
> their definition of young was not late forties.
> And thus began the madcap search for young people to trot out for the
> photographer. Soon it became known that I had to find a young person or the
> newspaper coverage would falter and people were stopping me in the elevator
> and
> leaving me messages on my phone about sightings of supposed young lacemakers.
>
> There was some discussion of bringing out a thirteen year old from Sussex
> County
> who was not attending the convention, but made lace. Reports of an excellent
> lacemaker named Kiki who had piercings reached me from several sources but I
> was unable to locate her. Fortunately, there were two sisters from
> Washington
> State who were in their late teens and whose mother was willing to provide
> information about their schedule so I could go directly to them with the
> photographer. There were on the order of 350-400 people at this convention
> and
> without the entire network seeking to provide me with this information, I
> would
> never have found a young lacemaker. I would say that age forty is young in
> the context of the convention.
> I think that it was this experience that made me receptive to the unusual
> schedule organization of the Pennsylvania convention last year, when I
> realized
> that a young lacemaker could indulge in a 12 hour class and only pay one
> night's hotel fee, as opposed to a minimum of 4 nights hotel fee for a 12
> hour
> class at Hasbrouck Heights. I honestly think it would be good to get more
> young
> lacemakers at the convention.
> So, Weronika, speaking as a youngish lacemaker, what would make you more
> likely to go to a convention and what would make you less likely?
> Devon
> in New Jersey
> PS I honestly think you will have a great time if you go to the convention
> and will find it a major step forward in your enjoyment of lace. Your
> happiness
> will result in greater love and appreciation for your husband and he will
> benefit in a million ways. (Try that argument. It works at my house.)
>
--
Weronika Patena
Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
http://vole.stanford.edu/weronika
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