I've learned two things:

1. A Meet in the US is a lot easier to arrange than one overseas.
2. Meals should not be fixed menus/fixed prices.

If you schedule a Meet (sorry, I don't like the word "Do" for some reason) in the US, most people attending will not have to fly more than a few hours to get there. More than that, if you arrange the basics for them they will be able fill in their free time by themselves.

This is not true for an overseas Meet. When I set up the Tel Aviv Meet I realized that I could not ask people to fly 13+ hours in each direction and just have dinner. Instead, I arranged a walking tour of Tel Aviv for the first day and bus tours of Israel for the following three days (in addition to the main dinner). The big problem with this was that the bus was a set price -- and until I knew how many people were coming, I didn't know how much each person would have to pay.

And, of course, people were very hesitant to commit until they know what they would be paying.

At the time of the Tel Aviv Meet I had already arranged (together with others) the first two PBI-FLL Meets. These were fixed menu/fixed price deals. So was the Venice Meet which I attended (and partly helped to set up).

The PBI-FLL dinners were not very expensive. The Venice Meet dinner was considerably more costly. Moreover, not being one to enjoy creepy-crawly things from the sea, there was very little on the table that I would eat. In fact, one bowl which was put out contained some black things (I have absolutely no idea of what they were) that looked so disgusting that I couldn't even sit at the table while they were being served. I wound up paying a good sized bill and leaving the table very hungry.

I decided that would not happen at any future Meet that I would be arranging. When I started negotiations with the restaurant for the Tel Aviv Meet, the owner wanted a fixed menu/fixed price. The selection he offered was fairly good but the price was higher than most of us would be paying if we ordered whatever we wanted and paid for it individually. I insisted on that and the owner reluctantly agreed.

When it came to the Third Annual PBI-FLL Meet, the restaurant owner, again, wanted fixed menu/fixed price. I was working through two local FTers who handled the actual negotiations and came to me for approval. I pointed out to them that the price he wanted was higher than we would be paying even if everyone ordered the most expensive dinner on the menu.

I insisted that we be allowed to order whatever we wanted and that each person (or couple) be given separate checks. Again, the manager did not like this idea (less profit and more work for him) but he gave in. This meant that if you only wanted a sandwich you would pay $7 but if you wanted the largest dinner it would run $18. It also meant that nobody would have to pass on the dinner because it was too costly for his budget (here, I had in mind mostly FTers who were also students).

It worked out so well that when we went back to him for the upcoming 4th Annual Meet, he agreed to have the same arrangement with no argument.

In the end, we have the following arranged:

1. Drinks in two sessions on Friday night. The first will be from 5:30 to 7:30 in the Embassy Suites bar. Most of those attending will be staying at the ES and drinks will be free for them during those hours.

2. From 7:30 to 9, you arrange for your own dinner. There are a large variety of restaurants within walking distance of the ES, so this should be no problem.

3. From 9 until ??? we will have the second drinking session at a bar near the hotel.

4. Saturday, during the day, nothing is arranged but suggestions for various activities will be offered. Most attending will have their own (rented) cars and will be free to either go off by themselves or caravan together.

5. Saturday night we will have the big dinner. It is going to be on the patio of a BBQ place that specializes in ribs and pork chops. This, of course, is fitting for a Meet which will involve a Lebanese and an Israeli. We will also have doorprizes -- with everyone guaranteed to be a winner.

6. Sunday will feature shopping tours of the Sawgrass Mills Mall ( Florida's largest) and the Festival Flea Market (very downscale but enjoyable for lowlives like myself).

In short, the Meet will be fun, will require the minimum of arrangements, and will be either very expensive, medium priced, or very inexpensive -- depending on what each member wants.

Randy Petersen's presence, of course, will be the icing on the cake, and comes at no extra cost.