To those who HAVE done a SAIF GTG (or other larger group)

DavezWife · January 2012

What worked? What didn't?

Like, I love the idea of TX or Vegas, but it just seems like there's SOOOOO much to do, that it'll be too much to decide, and there will be 10 groups of 5 all doing different thing? (but what do I know, dang IVF has ruined my trips to them in the past)

If I'm spending time and money away from the family/kids, I kinda wanna meet a BUNCH of people, not just hang out with Germzwife. lol. And have lots of time to just sit around and yap and drink... don't really care about seeing the latest exhibit at the Goog, kwim?

So share what the hits and misses have been with GTG's past. Please.

;-)

kittylove · January 2012

This might not be what you are looking for but I will tell you anyway.

Our local board has done massive GTG in the past (50+ people). We all live in a 3 hour radius so we pick something central and all meet at a park. We get a drinking permit, bring a ton of food, blankets and beer. We just hang out.

When DH's family does thier massive family reunion (100+ people) they do the same thing as above only they rent a hall so the elderly have chairs.

I'll be honest that I think of all the ideas floating around I think the one that will have the most interacting will be the cruise. You will have a lot of people in a "small" space where mingalling is most likely to happen.

schmoodle · January 2012

I've done 2 and both times the initial meet and greet at someone's house has been really nice I think. Not too expensive, easy to arrange (don't need to reserve a room/table at a bar or restaurant) and we can hang out as long as we want. I think DC did this too and it was successful.

Otherwise, in Chicago, we did a boat tour/lunch that was fun (for the TTTC GTG, not SAIF) and it worked well, we just had to get a lot of #s in advance - but there were no kids which makes it easier. For SAIF we did a spa day that some participated in, others shopped, met with friends, etc. - but it was fine because we'd all met already at the Friday night meet and greet and then we had dinner/drinks at a bar later in the evening (which helps if you know someone and don't want to have to pay $$ to reserve a room).

preheatedoven · January 2012

schmoodle:
I've done 2 and both times the initial meet and greet at someone's house has been really nice I think. Not too expensive, easy to arrange (don't need to reserve a room/table at a bar or restaurant) and we can hang out as long as we want. I think DC did this too and it was successful.

Otherwise, in Chicago, we did a boat tour/lunch that was fun (for the TTTC GTG, not SAIF) and it worked well, we just had to get a lot of #s in advance - but there were no kids which makes it easier.

I went to the TTTC Chicago GTG that schmoodle speaks of and the meet and greet was a great ice breaker. The boat tour/lunch was also a blast:)

The Milwaukee SAIF ladies have quite a few girl's night out dinners. They are a ton of fun and a nice way to get to know each other in a casual way.

EverAfterinMi · January 2012

I'm was on the private multiples board that sprung from the multiples board a couple years back (and has since sprung a couple spin offs). We've had two large national GTG's.

The first time in New Orleans, the thing that made it amazing was that we were able to find house that was large enough to hold everyone. 35 I believe we had. I can't tell you how awesome it was to have everyone in the same place at least in the morning and at night. The first night, there was a big catered dinner, getting to know you mixers and everything. Since NOLA is a touristy type of town, we were able to arrange activities for everyone also. We did a swamp tour, walking ghost tour, trip to Cafe du Monde, and the St. Patricks day parade. We also prepicked the bars (about 2 every night) so there were options. We also had 3 restaurants for people to sign up for each night. A variety of price points and types of food.

When you do something on a scale like this.. 30+ people, you really do need a couple people to step up and coordinate. It was a ton of work for the planners. Everything from coordinating the payments for the houses, reservations, transportation, stocking the houses with beverages and food items...

Last year we did Savannah and that was great too. However, this time we had over 50 people and had to split between 4 houses and it was even crazier to coordinate. .

Really, the key is having one common spot. If we do it in a hotel, we talked about renting some kind of conference room so that we could use it as a hospitality suite or just some common hang out space.

JillRock96 · January 2012

I went last year and thought it was perfect. We all met the first night, at the meet-and-greet. The next day, we split up into smaller groups -- some went shopping, some sight-seeing, and those with kids did more family-friendly stuff. Then many of us (mostly the ladies) got together at night for dinner and drinks. I think that the final day, a lot of ladies got together for brunch as well. For me, it was a good mix of large group time + small group time.

alchris · January 2012

I think you raise an excellent question and I agree that's a factor.

In my experience and observations, the nighttime large group events have definitely been highlights.

The daytimes have been more about splitting into smaller "interest" groups. There are positives about hanging with smaller groups too, of course.

Overall I think coordinating large group events should be the first priority, regardless of setting. And daytime gatherings should be given importance in planning too, even for casual meals or just hanging out time, e.g. anyone wanting to walk to lunch can meet at 12:30 in the lobby. IMHO ideally there would only be 1-2 events/gatherings/groups at any given time (a full group daytime event would be fabulous too!).

The benefit of a cruise is that we'd all be together, but the downside is that a cruise would leave some people out completely, particularly those late in pg or with little babies. Cities are nice because more people can attend at least one event, but there can be less "buy in" and there's more of a chance that people have to cancel at the last minute, it seems. So it's a bit of a half a dozen of one vs. 6 of another scenario, I suppose....

I wouldn't worry so much about a big city being too big as long as the big group events are set well ahead of time. And even in a small city, there may be people who want to split up during the day too. As long as there is enough to do to stay busy and keep everyone interested and happy, I think we're in good shape. One person can still squeeze just 72 hours into 72 hours regardless of whether we're in NYC or Asheville ::cough::, you know? ;-) I think the key is planning, planning, planning, and hopefully most people staying in close proximity too.

charmcitygirl · January 2012

I went to the one in Chicago and coordinated some of the one in DC. The Welcome Dinner was at my house. I got it catered. Everyone chipped in $20 per person and little ones were perfectly welcome. It was a nice, intimate setting where you can "meet", talk and talk in person.

The daytime events were usually broken down by whether or not you have your kiddo or husband with you. I haven't had them either time, so we did a spa day, lunch and touristy things. The ones with their kids went to more family friendly places like the zoo, etc.

Then we all met up on Saturday night at a bar. We're friends with a bartender at a bar in downtown DC, so he hooked us up with some reserved tables, drink specials, etc. It was fun to let loose with everyone too.

I stayed at the hotel in Chicago and I stayed at my house in DC (duh). Staying at the hotel does give you the chance to hang out in a more intimate setting and just relax. I really like the idea of a hospitality room.

Jen's suggestions are AWESOME, but they would take a real commitment from the "planning committee" to make that happen.

I think that some of the most important factors are people's ability to access the city (like how expensive is it to fly into a small city), hotel costs, and things to do. Honestly, I think we can make our own fun in any city we go to!