<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by robb:
The only follow-up question I have is in your discussion of giving guests options. How tightly do you schedule these things? What do you think makes a good mix of free-time and structured time? If free-time is basically opt-out, what percentage did to be at each event?</font>
Robb,
Thanks for the compliment!
In response to your follow-up question, the schedule and whether or not you give the guests options depends on what you want to do for the gathering.
We originally scheduled this very tight - All you have to do is search the threads when we put this together.
We scheduled it tight because were going for an angle no one had ever done before in an FT gathering, "backstage" access. At one point, it was rumored we were even going to possibly have access to one of the runways at DFW and do a FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walk to help inspect the runway for debris, during the DFW Airport Tour. That would have been extremely cool!
That last part, we were going to spring on our groups as a surprise. The FAA were also extremely happy to try to get us into Ft. Worth Center, as they only usually had pilots go there, never any pax, and this was going to be new and different for them.
However, 9/11 prevented any of that from happening.
Anyway, reshuffling, and the mileage run Techgirl made to TPE prior to this, illustrated that options and contingency plans were needed to try to salvage any hope of keeping what was left together.
It is up to your Planning Group to decide how tight or flexible you wish to be. Also, you have to figure how sure you are that your original events don't get canceled, which will determine what you need to plan as contingencies.
You have to remember how diverse the group you're inviting may be, as that will have a bearing on how flexible you must be.
You also have to ensure that your guests have enough time to get to a venue and travel between venues, and you need time for lunch and shopping at a gift shop if you have any museum tours scheduled.
We generally put the free time after the dinners, so those who wanted to go out on the town could do that, and those who wanted to get to bed could do that. We tried to make it understood and unwritten, that the guests did not have to participate in all of the activities, and we probably should have stated it.
Also, Sunday was a free day for those who wanted to do anything on their own. Most guests just flew home on Sunday.
If you have any other questions, please ask me.
Studley