khunsanuk Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi, There has been a fairly lively discussion after TheBelgianDog asked if we, the board members, would be interested in moving the meetings to another venue. A lot has been said on not just the venues, but on the entire concept of the meetings and I thought it best to discuss the meetings more generally - with input from all members, not just those reading Meetings - before going down to details. Hence this thread in General Discussions. Main reason for this discussion is to find out: - Should we continue having the weekly meetings? - Attendance has been dropping quite a bit lately, why? Are people not interested, is it the venue, is it the attitude of regulars? - Should the concept be changed? (no, no idea how) And depending upon the outcome of the above: - Should we move? - If so, where to? I'll start of by giving my feelings on this and hope many of you will do the same. I like the meetings and really do hope we can continue them. They are a way for me to unwind from the week and catch up with people. Personally I have no problem with Gulliver's, but have no problem with moving either if that is what people prefer. The amount of people showing up is disappointing though and I would love to find out why this is. Maybe some of those who used to show up often can tell us why they are no longer attending? I personally also would like to see people appear a bit earlier. I get out of work at 5-5:30pm and there really is no point in going home first, so I usually end up being at the meeting around 6:30. Most other people do not show up before 7pm or later meaning I often end up sitting around by myself. Not really a big deal, but kinda annoying. Anyway, that's my take on things. What are you thoughts on this? Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi KS, these meetings are complicated matters as the base for the meetings are the expats but the ones most interested in them are newbies - both expats and tourists - and regular tourists. I remember my very first meetings in 2000, we were 2 tables of newbie tourists in Woodstock with not one expat present. Still a nice meeting actually. We not old expats need meetings where we can attend if we're in BKK, so weekly meetings are the best and surely in the same place all the time. Expats living in BKK are necessary to have those meetings in future so it must be these guys who decide in what place the meetings will take place. So the question is first if there's something better with the Nana location and if other alternatives are possible. Maybe the Gulliver's is a bad place as the number of expats attending is going done, or are there other reasons? Maybe friday evenings aren't the best meeting time? Or is a place with better food necessary to win back the attention? Actually we had some meetings in Pattaya in Gulliver's there but not enough BMs living there to have weekly meetings and probably not on fridays. So my advice is let the expats decide - the rest of us will follow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soongmak Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 I am not a regular attendee anymore, but I never liked Gulliver's. We are usually the only people in a HUGE room, which doesn't exactly make for a fun atmosphere. I liked Woodstock, even thought the service might be crappy, the location was great and good fun. I would like to see us move again to a bar in one of the entertainment area's. Patpong has several bars that would make for a good meeting place, but for some reason this is not acceptable to some members. Too bad. If this is not happening, at least choose a bar that is a FUN place to be. I'm going out, I like to have a good time, for chrissakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfmaz Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 I would like to go but I am always in Bangkok on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays never on a Friday, I would like to meet up with some of the board members Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Friday evenings are not convenient for me since I don't get back into BKK till 7 PM earliest. By the time I have dropped the car off, Shit Showered and Shaved and heading out of the door its usually 8 PM so no point in heading over to Sukhumvit since most people have either left or are just about to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Since I'm not that much in BKK, I don't really care where the meeting is, but it sure is nice to catch up once or twice a year. The regulars aren't that accomodating however, on a few meetings I found it very hard to get more than a nod, if at all, from some people attending. One is not necessarily made feel welcome, if one doesn't know the folks attending. JMHI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 I think the meeting are a good and like the idea of keeping it at Gullies. I think it is more of an opportunity for newbies to connect with ex-pats in a fairly easy way. It seems that many members now have their own small circles who frequently socialise both in LOS and abroad so the Friday nights at Gullies have in the long run been benefitial to them. I think the weekly meeting is an important part of the board. Would also be nice to hear from a few newer members and hear their opinions as most of the discussion seems to be coming from the "been there done that" crowd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickman Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 When the meetings were held at Woodstock back in the old days, when a lot of us were still new on the block, I really enjoyed them, in fact I would look forward to them each week. I think a lot of that was due to the fact that at that time, Bangkok was still quite new to me and I still hadnâ??t got a grasp of the basics. I met a lot of people through the meetings, made some friends and over time we eventually went our own ways. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I can remember when we were going to Woodstock back in â??98 / â??99 and now we are in 2007. The meetings are always interesting but for any group of people to keep it going that long on a regular basis is difficult. My feeling is that you need to get some new blood along, as people will move on over time. It is natural. That you had kept it going so long is some achievement. I also think that a lot of people who use the board simply donâ??t know about the meetings. If you want to get some new blood along, it needs to be a bit more clear when it is and where. Would it be possible for the board to automatically PM members once they reach X posts to tell them about it? Just an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi, Thanks for the feedback, guys. Over time the people attending have actually changed quite a bit. I am probably the only one still attending most of them (along with maybe Itsmedave). Lately though it seems that there are less and less people showing up; and it seems mostly a drop in regulars / expats. "Would it be possible for the board to automatically PM members once they reach X posts to tell them about it?" No, not that I am aware of. Your point of many new board members not knowing of the meetings is well taken though. Perhaps we need a FAQ on the board, not just technical issues, but also social issues. Problem with that is how many people actually read FAQs? I know I don't. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Maybe a banner KS in the Nightlife section. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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