--- In STMFC@..., Tony Thompson <thompsonmarytony@s...> wrote:

John, it's NOT "required" at all, as Martin will tell you, though
of course it is very welcome. Not every presentation lends itself to a
handout. When I have done talks which so lend themselves, I am happy to
make the effort; other times, a handout doesn't make sense.

Tony, I agree that not all presentations lend themselves to handouts but if a presentation
has any significant amount of information worth retaining, a handout is desirable at the
very least.

I fear all of the musings about the Naperville meet will fall on deaf ears since Martin is not
"connected" and will not read any of them. So next year will be just like the last but a bit
more expensive.

I have a few musings of my own:

1. How about a change of scenery? I'm getting tired of that dumpy Holiday Inn.
2. If not, could they please turn up the A/C - ventilation in those stuffy clinic rooms?
Bigger rooms would also be a plus since they were often jammed.
3. How about softer chairs? After three days of clinics I fear I was starting to get bedsores
on my backside.
4. Note: I stayed at the Excel Inn 2 blocks away, saved about $20 a night, and didn't hear
the fire alarm. They also have a free continental breakfast and after 12 stays you get
number 13 for free. The rooms are very nice. On a nice day you can walk to the meet and
the exercise will do most of us good. The savings allowed me to buy a couple more of
Martin's "clay" kits for my basement hobby shop.
5. Did you notice the new "gate guard" this year? We all had to pay his extra salary through
Martin's higher fee. The reason is a few skunks were crashing the meet, attending the
clinics, and not "paying at the door." It seems a few always ruin it for the many. Martin said
it was getting out of control.
6. In order to encourage more PowerPoint presentations, Martin should supply presenters
with one or more loaned laptop computers with a CD/DVD optical drive and PowerPoint
software. Or he should rent them from the motel. I gave up my Boeing-supplied laptop a
couple of weeks ago and all I have now is one mongo MAC G5 at home to do my books.
It's too heavy to carry <g> and I really don't need a new laptop.
7. Of course, PowerPoint presentations lend themselves to more than just handouts. Last
year, I had several requests for a digital copy of my presentation on Pullman heavyweight
sleeping cars. I handed out my primary and my backup CDs after I was finished. I was
hoping for a bidding war to start but it didn't happen.
8. OK, so you all didn't get the 40' sliding flush door reefers at the meet. Boo hoo. Put in
your order and Martin will be happy to make more. Just like potato chips. As I noted once
before, life is tough. Note: smiley face follows: (-:

Pat Wider

Pat, what I hate about that Holiday Inn is that you can't get a simple
cup of coffee (GOOD coffee) at any time of the day. Ridiculous! I once
stayed at the Chicago Hilton for $50 a night (it was Aug 2001) (that's
the hotel where they filmed The Fugitive) and it was 1st class. I'd be
very happy if we moved the meet over there... and it's only a short
taxi ride from Union Station and around the corner from Starbucks. :-)

Tim O'Connor

Tim O'Connor writes:

Pat, what I hate about that Holiday Inn is that you can't get a simple
cup of coffee (GOOD coffee) at any time of the day. Ridiculous!

Hmmmm. Enlightenment coming. One thing that always bugs me is that some events seem to shut down "refreshments" except for the bar after the dinner hour. One of the few perks with running Prototype Rails is that I get to decide when such stuff will be provided. Hence, coffee and cookies are always provided at 8PM at my events. In fact, if I'm running my mouth someplace [ as usual ] and miss them, there is every likelihood that they will again be provided. Unfortunately, this...like everything else in life...is not free. However, it is to attendees. I'll add that another unspoken but extremely important point regarding meets in hotels is the cooperation of the hotel staff. You that might choose to run such an event will be blessed if you have a staff to work with as I do at the Hilton.

Last, Pat, if you want to have a change from the "stuffy" Holiday Inn, I can assure you that my Hilton is not "stuffy". All you got to do is step outside, walk about 100 ft and you'll be in the Atlantic Ocean. Definitely not stuffy.

Mike Brock

I've read a lot of good discussion on what was right and wrong with the
most recent meet in Naperville. Too bad I couldn't be there but ...

Perhaps some one could copy and paste all these postings to a simple
text document, print it out and mail it to Martin. That would at least
give him the benefit of knowing what folks are saying.

Gene Green
Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso