Worldcon 2022 Day -1: Setting Up
Aug. 31st, 2022 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeIt was very nice not having to get up early and rush off to an appointment. We took our time this morning, eating breakfast slowly in our hotel room. However, things did start to get busy.
Late in the morning, Janie Shae arrived with a vehicle crammed full of Winnipeg in 2023 NASFiC bid supplies. I was able to borrow a cart from the bell stand and helped move three carts of stuff up to the Winnipeg suite, or more precisely the adjoining room where one of the other bid committee members is staying, because the suite was not available. (We're staying across the hall from that room.) Lisa stayed with Janie and her vehicle.
After moving the gear, Lisa and I had some time to check on things. We went over to the East tower of the Hyatt to check the setup for the Business Meeting. There were some things that were not set up correctly for Lisa to do recording, and reported that to the WSFS division. I later learned that there were some other things also not in place, and that the division management is working on all of it.
The WSFS Mark Protection Committee will meet on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 PM. In all years prior to 2020, only the members of the MPC physically present at the convention could attend the meeting. Nowadays, we try to loop in the non-attending MPC members in a Zoom call. Unfortunately, there is no wi-fi available in the room where the MPC meeting will be held. (This is apparently true of all of the hotel's function space, which is on a different network than the sleeping rooms.) It does appear, however, that we'll be able to tether my computer to a phone (there is cell phone service available in the third floor East tower meeting rooms) and use that to do a Zoom call. It's still not confirmed, but we think it should work.
Later in the afternoon, Janie Shae came back from a grocery shopping run, so we first helped move that material up to the suite (which was now available) and Lisa and I helped move gear from the adjoining room into the suite, rearrange the furniture in the suite for the planned parties, and otherwise set up the room. Lisa was very helpful with this.
We also registered this afternoon, which went smoothly. No repeats of the issues at DC, because they had a lot more registration stations open.
After dealing with our convention and NASFiC bid commitments, we went to Walgreens to get a couple of toiletry items we needed. On the way back, I grabbed a burrito from Chipotle and we went back to the room to eat lunch. Lisa made a sandwich from the supplies we've already purchased.
In the evening, Robbie Bourget and I met with the Site Selection manager and the WSFS division heads to deal with the validation of advance site selection ballots. Unlike last year's debacle, this went smoothly and took less than 30 minutes. Honestly, there were not a whole lot of advance ballots, and they were easy to validate.
After ballot validation, Lisa and I got more groceries from Bockwinkle's down the street. We'll have to make small purchases regularly as the refrigerator is small, and while this is a good-sized room, its storage space is not unlimited.
The WSFS division had a social gathering at the BIG Bar on the second floor of the West Tower, and I dropped in for a half-hour or so before heading back up to the Winnipeg suite for a bid committee meeting where we (as best we could) pinned down our schedule for tomorrow. I will spend as much time as I can working for the bid either at the table or as one of the bid's representatives at NASFiC site selection. Fortunately, with only one active bid (the Orlando bid having withdrawn), we hope that things will be much less controversial than last year's election. There are in practice only two possible outcomes: either Winnipeg wins or None of the Above wins, in which case no NASFiC is held.
So we can still sleep in a little bit on Thursday morning, as the Exhibit Hall (where bid tables and Site Selection are) does not open until Noon.
Late in the morning, Janie Shae arrived with a vehicle crammed full of Winnipeg in 2023 NASFiC bid supplies. I was able to borrow a cart from the bell stand and helped move three carts of stuff up to the Winnipeg suite, or more precisely the adjoining room where one of the other bid committee members is staying, because the suite was not available. (We're staying across the hall from that room.) Lisa stayed with Janie and her vehicle.
After moving the gear, Lisa and I had some time to check on things. We went over to the East tower of the Hyatt to check the setup for the Business Meeting. There were some things that were not set up correctly for Lisa to do recording, and reported that to the WSFS division. I later learned that there were some other things also not in place, and that the division management is working on all of it.
The WSFS Mark Protection Committee will meet on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 PM. In all years prior to 2020, only the members of the MPC physically present at the convention could attend the meeting. Nowadays, we try to loop in the non-attending MPC members in a Zoom call. Unfortunately, there is no wi-fi available in the room where the MPC meeting will be held. (This is apparently true of all of the hotel's function space, which is on a different network than the sleeping rooms.) It does appear, however, that we'll be able to tether my computer to a phone (there is cell phone service available in the third floor East tower meeting rooms) and use that to do a Zoom call. It's still not confirmed, but we think it should work.
Later in the afternoon, Janie Shae came back from a grocery shopping run, so we first helped move that material up to the suite (which was now available) and Lisa and I helped move gear from the adjoining room into the suite, rearrange the furniture in the suite for the planned parties, and otherwise set up the room. Lisa was very helpful with this.
We also registered this afternoon, which went smoothly. No repeats of the issues at DC, because they had a lot more registration stations open.
After dealing with our convention and NASFiC bid commitments, we went to Walgreens to get a couple of toiletry items we needed. On the way back, I grabbed a burrito from Chipotle and we went back to the room to eat lunch. Lisa made a sandwich from the supplies we've already purchased.
In the evening, Robbie Bourget and I met with the Site Selection manager and the WSFS division heads to deal with the validation of advance site selection ballots. Unlike last year's debacle, this went smoothly and took less than 30 minutes. Honestly, there were not a whole lot of advance ballots, and they were easy to validate.
After ballot validation, Lisa and I got more groceries from Bockwinkle's down the street. We'll have to make small purchases regularly as the refrigerator is small, and while this is a good-sized room, its storage space is not unlimited.
The WSFS division had a social gathering at the BIG Bar on the second floor of the West Tower, and I dropped in for a half-hour or so before heading back up to the Winnipeg suite for a bid committee meeting where we (as best we could) pinned down our schedule for tomorrow. I will spend as much time as I can working for the bid either at the table or as one of the bid's representatives at NASFiC site selection. Fortunately, with only one active bid (the Orlando bid having withdrawn), we hope that things will be much less controversial than last year's election. There are in practice only two possible outcomes: either Winnipeg wins or None of the Above wins, in which case no NASFiC is held.
So we can still sleep in a little bit on Thursday morning, as the Exhibit Hall (where bid tables and Site Selection are) does not open until Noon.
