The Largest Gathering of FlyerTalk Members EVER
 

The topic of this thread purposely has a double meaning:

• What and when was the largest gathering of the most FlyerTalk members at one time to date?
• Shall we attempt to break that record, starting with this thread?

Choose a date, time and location sometime in the distant future and let’s see if there is a gathering of FlyerTalk members large enough to require renting out an entire hotel, chartering an aircraft (while still earning miles, of course!) and/or completely filling up a restaurant.

Probably London in November 2003
 

I don't have the exact numbers, but the London Do in November 2003 would be a top contender.

We did manage to fill up an entire pub -- the Windmill.

We also took up an entire floor of a Dim Sum restaurant.

And are YOU volunteering to organize the NEXT huge gathering of FTers? Be warned, it seems like it could be an overwhelming task -- like herding cats, as some FTers have said.

Ah yes, I remember it well :)

Or how about the Chicago DO back in May/June 2002?

The largest ever for me was the last Catman Do. I don't know the exact numbers, but I do believe it was in excess of 100. Catman would know.

The other biggest one I attended was Chicago. AnnaS, should know the total count on that one.

The first big one, The Original PIP, had 66.

I wasn't there so it wouldn't count anyway.

I talked to AnnaS and comicwoman re the Chicago Do, and Catman re the various Catman Dos at the time I was organizing the November 2003 London Do. The honors went to London - largest FT gathering ever - and on international soil, to boot.

I'm happy to sit back and let another team do the work to break the record. Because believe me - even with our lovely, sweet natured, amenable, responsive FTers ;) , it is surprising how much work it is. Besides which, my co-organizer of two London Dos, the marvelous GK, is now in Hong Kong.

How many attended in London?

You did an ab-fab ;) job of putting the whole thing together! I'll be thanking you for a long time for your hard work on that one SanDiego1K!

Catman Do - Catman told me he had in the low 80s. Mind you, if memory serves me right, he was limited by the number of people the restaurant could handle.

Chicago 2002 - AnnaS deferred to Comicwoman. She said they had in the high 80s.

London 2003 - 110

We:

• rented out the Windmill pub and filled it
• Took over half of Masala Zone
• Filled an entire floor for dim sum and nearly had people sitting on the steps

1 more highlight for London - in the tradition began by MissyD at SEA DO, we collected in excess of 100 lbs (guestimate) or airline and hotel ammenities to go to an abused women's shelter. mashav and Matthew Vandamm had the arduous task of consolidating all of it and taking it there.

So far, London, NYC, Chicago, and Seattle have hosted some very large (or the largest) FT Dos.

So, should we stick with these tried-and-true locations, or go to a different one for the next mega-Do?

I'm sitting back, waiting to see who is foolish to volunteer to organize an event meant to draw the masses!

In the mean time, I am thoroughly enjoying the boutique events such as DEK's MAINE DO and Lobster Fest. He'll be doing a repeat in October and it is sure to be another fabulous weekend.

We have plenty of space here in the Emerald City for you all to join us at SeaDoo VI!. :)

Either that or we all scare the natives in Spain with alanw's Sitges-Doo over the Halloween weekend.

SEADoo and AW's BCN will be legendary DO's as well....look at the confirmees already... :cool:

Let's also not forget the ubiquitous LaborDoo in MSY over (of course) Labor Day. Not that I'm pimping just any do, of course. Is there such thing as a "do-whore?" :D

We've got over 20 for Hong Kong for Labor Day so far... still plenty of time to add 90+ more folks. ;)

Been there.... done that.... over President's/Valentine's Day weekend 2004! ;) ;) ;)

Right.

Well, I don't think there is a rule against having large gatherings in the same place more than once... particularly when it is a somewhat different crowd of folks, ya know? ;)

I'd like to break the record for the dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour in 2005.
Last April/May, we had 22 Flyertalkers on an airport type shuttle (sponsored by Randy).

Can you say Greyhound? :eek: :D

Like Carol said, anyone who wants to plan one of these 'blowouts', be our guest. It may not be easy, but it sure is fun. :cool:

Dan

Dan, IIRC, you already have two of us from this year's tour "on the list" as repeat wannabes for next year's tour! :cool:

I actually would not mind attempting this monumental task, but my “FlyerTalk plate” is pretty full right now, as I am:

• Co-organizing a FlyerTalk gathering for (but not limited to) Delta FlyerTalk members
• Keeping score for the Who Will Be The Next FlyerTalk Member To Post? An OMNI Game thread where, in fewer than 24 hours, two FlyerTalk members will be awarded prizes
• Updating The Definitive “How To Earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles” Thread
• Trying to finish a trip report which, I am very embarrassed to say, is already more than a year old

...amongst other things that I volunteered to do in various areas of FlyerTalk.

I have only attended two FlyerTalk gatherings: the The Great Delta Board PBI-FLL Meet and the New York Delta Flyertalk meet, so I certainly do not have the requisite experience to organize such a major event. I also certainly do not consider myself a well-established FlyerTalk member, so it would be more difficult for me to organize such an event than a well-known FlyerTalk member.

However, I figured that with greater than 37,676 FlyerTalk members (and the membership continues to grow), breaking a record for the most members to attend a FlyerTalk gathering would certainly be possible, which is why I started this thread — to “plant the seed”...

Ah, but Captain Mike and I hosted the SAN DO in 2001 when I had met a grand total of 3 FTers - Mike, AnnaS, and flyerwife. I vividly remember leaving the office on the day SAN DO began, wondering why the heck I was planning a party for over 60 FTers whom I had never met. I didn't have a clue what an FT weekend was meant to be. Amazingly, it came off flawlessly, and I think we all had a heck of a lot of fun.

The biggest DO ever
 

If you think about it... the biggest DO ever was hosted by none other than Randy Petersen...

The Freddies, 2004, NYC.

Randy and his Inside Flyer staff would have the exact numbers but rumor has it it topped 100. My only problem with this event was that I didn't get to meet a LOT of the attendees. At least one, Cordelli (and his wife) and I share similiar interests, like rescuing cats. I didn't get a chance to talk to him until a smaller dinner later.

Plus someone crashed the table I was at the Freddies and I didn't get a chance to say five words to SPIFF or to Gleff, two Flyertalkers I really wanted to meet.

My Catman Do 3 has 86 attendees (84 who were invited to the dinner, one who was told NOT to come, and two, good friends, Quantum Leap and marie, who could not make the dinner but were able to come to brunch the following day.) I'm very sorry QL and Marie could not make dinner but they made every other event. My biggest regret about that event was that it became too big and there were people I didn't get a chance to say five words to the whole evening.

Because of all the drama, the frustrations, and other stuff I rather not host another MEGA DO. Should I do a Catman DO 4 (and shoot me if I ever do) I have fears of topping the numbers of Randy's Freddies Awards event. The other problem is that I would have to make it public. I would have to post on Flyertalk. And there are Flyertalkers who I really don't like who I really would not want at my event. Hense I'm out of the MEGA DO business. I don't want to be accused of "Well Catman it's a posted event and everyone should be allowed to attend and you are excluding so and so and this one and that one (I got enough of that with CMD3, even though I felt the title says it's MY event, and it's event to see "My FRIENDS.")

I tend to prefer hosting the smaller dinners and, should I attend an event, attend simply a Flyertalker.

This is just my opinion but I have problems with mega DOS:

*A few popular name Flyertalkers get all of the attention
*Flyertalkers who may not have the post count and the familarity and the popularity and notarity of others will be left standing on the sidelines.

That's why I don't attend Seattle, Dusseldorf, carol's London DO, SIN and other events. They become too big. ANd there are people attending who I rather not waste airfare and hotel to be stuck with.

Sorry friends but Bigger is not better. Quality not quantity.

Certainly not! :)

My post was a simple attempt at jocularity, which may, sadly, have misfired. :( ;)

Not to downplay the Freddies which I attended for the 2nd time, but I think FTer-organized Dos should be the ones that count on this thread, especially since Randy's got staff/its one evening & usually the folk organizing the Community Dos are doing it on their own.

I know that sandiego1k (London MegaDo) and bernie (Dus Do) did more than just picking venues, but also did spreadsheets on flights, hotels, websites, etc, & organized multiple days/activities & much more. And in bernie's case, he actually fronted the $$ for the boat, trams, jazz activities, meals, etc, acting in good faith that we'd pay him (which we did).

Having said that, to the OP, you want to take on organizing a Mega Do, be our guest & look forward to hearing when, where, etc. Those of us who have organized dos large & small know what it takes & salute you for offering :D

Perhaps the Freddies 2004 was the biggest gathering of FlyerTalkers ever. I don't have the number of FTers actually in attendance, so I don't know.

But if you think of events that were EXCLUSIVELY for FlyerTalkers, it still sounds like London, November 2003, tops them all. (Is that what you meant, Canarsie?)

ok..i'll come out and be a party pooper about this.

If a future do happens to garner enough interest to beat out the London do, then thats great ..unless you're the unsuspecting do-planner ;)

But to create an event for the sole purpose of TRYING to herd as many of us together as possible just doesn't hold a lot of interest for me personally. Its an unbelievable amount of work and cat herding for the planners, and as an attendee, you have do choose between spending more than 5 minutes with the people you DO know and want to see, or trying to meet as many people as possible.

If 100 people decided to show up for SeaDoo, I'd gladly take on the extra challenge. But I find the smaller events to be much more enjoyable. The planner gets to enjoy the people who've come to their event, and the attendees get to know each other better.

I completely agree, Missy - thus my recommendation of the boutique events. You get to see the same small group of people at event after event thru the weekend, and leave feeling that you've found new friends.

I like both...
 

I like both big & small dos for dif reasons.

Usually large ones such as london, sin, sea, dus, etc, have a # of things planned which make them fun - and draw a # of folk from around the globe that gives us a better chance of meeting more & new fters. Smaller dos can be equally fun & give you a chance to get to know some folk a bit more (and are easier when trying to figure out the darn bill post-dinner).

But I just re-read catman's post above & I'm offended by his comment that implies larger dos are quantity & not quality. I think he's ok by saying his preference is smaller dos & that works for him, but to imply that larger do's are just for #s is insulting to those who put a lot of work into organizing them, as well as those attending them.

ps - i've attended large do's - i must have missed the part about the popular folk & wallflowers/folk w/ small posts being ignored - when you're part of 40-100+, too many folk there to actually pay attention to that - and what makes up a 'popular' group anyway - i think we're all popular cuz we're fters :)

Like Carol, I organized my first do before ever having attended ANY. The well-established part comes AFTER! The way to approach do-planning is to plan a weekend YOU would enjoy, and see who comes along for the ride. Setting attendance expectations is unnecessarily stressful. Size doesn't matter ..at least not when it comes to FT Do's ;)

Been to a few, organized a few, and as Missy said, was part of planning my first one before having attended one.

One thing I can say for sure is that a larger DO is so much more enjoyable when it is spread out over a couple days. This allows for the one big event dinner/party/etc. but also allows for good breakout sessions with the people you have come specifically to see or with whom you find a newfound friendship.

The events continue to increase in frequency and differentiation. The people that come are more numerous in total but not necessarily so at any one event (with the obvious exceptions). The community is finding itself in these events and it is a joy to be a part of this. The splinter dinners and meetings and casual hook-ups are the biggest gain for me. They come in large part from the ease with which so many have learned to enjoy some of the bigger gatherings. I know that wherever I go, that as a result in part of the fact that an online community has for many of us become a face to face community, I have a dinner companion, drinking partner, or even just someone to walk around the park with.

I was once told that it is always best to go home from a vacation wanting to still be there and in this way I would always want to go back again. I have always felt and believe I always will feel this way about every single FT gathering I attend.

So time to go look at the calendar now............ :)

Mike

Yes, besides "Catwoman" here, I be the other.

I couldn't agree more.

I have actually shyed away from the larger events for the last couple of years. While I understand SkiAdcock's point that you shouldn't discount ANY DO, I also like what Missy says about quality and not quantity.

And SkiAdcock, I disagree with the comment that individuals don't have the feeling that Catman states that:

I have heard too many FTers or first-time DO attendees state this to say it is false. Go look at some of the photos from certain events, for example. Lots of photos of lots of people? Or tons of photos of certain people? Listen to the stories told after some of the mega-DOs. There always seem to be lots of posts about "Hey, it was great to finally meet the famous XX". Its self-perpetuating.

That said, FTers are a friendly bunch. I don't think anyone will be left standing on the sidelines. But I also know folks who don't want to go to another DO - or who have decided to limit which events they attend because they HAVE been left feeling that way in the past.

Myself? Like mjm, I tend to enjoy the splinter groups the most myself. That's why I am a big fan of ONE main event for DOs that I'm involved in organizing and letting the folks break off the rest of the time. The four AAsia DOs I've been involved with have all revolved around a single dinner/evening event. Lots of other DOs I've enjoyed have been dinner (and while folks fly in and do other stuff - spas, football games, shopping) - people get time to do things alone or with smaller groups of folks on their own that better meet their individual interests.

Percentage-wise (participants in % of active Flyertalkers on this board) I am pretty sure that so far the Party-in-Paradise I (THE PiP) in late 1999 was the biggest.

For me this first big FlyerTalk event (approx 60 participants) was an ideal mixture of fun (we FlyerTalkers had the full upper-level of a UA 3-class flight LAX-HNL to our disposal!), intimate (how more intimate can any larger Do become than addressing any participant with a personalized present 'reflecting' on of his/her posts from the past in public?), 'virgin' (most FlyerTalkers met for the first time, and by definition 'virginity' can only be lost once ...).

I am surprised that my friend (since the very early FlyerTalker days) Catman in his post above now seems to not happily remember that big event.

Big events like bernie's fabulous Do's in Düsseldorf, currently combine for me the best of big (many FlyerTalkers to meet for the first time, or refresh old friendships) and small intimate (always ending at his wonderfull appartement for Sunday brunch) Do's - something that those never have been participating just can't judge in all fairness.

But on the otherside I like as much small person-to-person-Do's like my multiple personnel meetings with FlyerTalkers (often sharing a side-car with me ...) and also the mid-size-one's (a San Francisco weekend-stay for me wouldn't be the same anymore without the traditional DIM-SUM).

While I have never ever (so far) left any FlyerTalker event with any grudge 'against' any FlyerTalker, but to the contrary: some personnel meetings at Do's did help easily to 'get away' with former slight ressentments that I may have had towards some that I only knew from some 'strange' postings before.

big and small
 

Where to begin.

I have been with the big and I have been with the small. Going because of the size has never been a consideration for me and if the idea was only to go to a dinner or some one-time event to just have a large number of people present it would be low on my list of FT events to attend.

When I go to a large event I actually take a printout of the participants so that I can look them up during the festivities. But along the way I will meet someone and it turns out perhaps we have some common interests and next thing I know is that half an evening or longer has been spent with just one person. For me the face to face omni is the greatest.
To put a face to a name, to actually be able to hear the voice of the person while reading there comments. Priceless

I really do like the events where there are a large number of planned activites around something happening in the location (bernie's are the bestest as belle would say) where one can pick and choose or do them all. I have been to Catman's, Chicago, Seattle, Dusseldorf, as events that most would consider as large events and I have been to Tucson, Maine, Hong Kong, Basel as events that some (at least I do) consider to be boutique events.

The number one activity or the major theme that ran through all of these events is that I got to meet some wonderful folks. Sorry to disagree with some about not wanting to go because someone will show up that you disagree with online but what I have found is that meeting the person face to face as rudi says seems to ease previous resentments. In some cases the person whom I disagreed previously with has now become a dear friend. In some cases not yet but who knows what the future will bring.

A final word for all the organizers of these events. Hurrah!

As magic111 says, Harrah for the organizers. Ditto that sentiment for me.

I've been on both sides - lucky enough to attend dos that others have organized & lucky enough to have been the organizer - on both sides I've attended both large & small dos, and as mentioned before find them equally great for reasons such as mjm and rudi have stated above. And btw, being an organizer of a small do can get complicated too, as I've discovered - it's not just the big ones that bring logistical challenges.

So - back to the OP's questions ;) - think you have a good selection to choose from on larger dos or what was the largest, and our question to you is when you're organizing YOUR version of a MegaDo :D

That is very cool. I really like this group!

Excuses, excuses. :p

Many of the above have offered wise words. And they're all correct.

My wish is that more of you reading this thread that have never been to a FT function, attend one soon. This is the only way you'll get to know some of us. You'll be able to place a face to that writer.

At my first NYC dinner, I didn't know anyone. I felt a little funny at first. By dinners end, I was one of the gang.
At my first FT DO (the CatmanDo 3) in NYC (and I still can't give enough kudos to Mark for helping to introduce so many first timers) ^ , I walked around introducing myself.
< Not shy > ;)

Bottom line, Come join us .

The first Milepost in this thread is intentionally vague, KathyWdrf.

One thing I have learned since posting my first Milepost on FlyerTalk is that FlyerTalk members often offer differing and varied viewpoints from which I learn. This thread, as I expected, is no different. I have learned a lot from it, which is why I did not want to constrain my definition of what counts as the largest gathering of FlyerTalk members ever — I would rather leave that definition to the “experts”.Of all of the comments posted thus far in this thread, this is the one that stands out to me. This is one excellent piece of advice!Not at this time, as I am currently co-organizing a FlyerTalk gathering for (but not limited to) Delta FlyerTalk members.

This brings me to another question: has anyone ever simultaneously organized more than one FlyerTalk gathering?...but I am shy — seriously...

FWIW, I've enjoyed both the larger and the smaller FT Do's (and "events" for those that don't fall under the "technical" definition of a FT "DO"; so I’m just going to refer to them all as “events” for this post). Larger events can meet the various needs of most FTers...whether it's a great venue, to meet a lot of new people, or if it's something one might be interested in attending but wouldn't in the case of a smaller event “because ‘aabbccdd...’ is attending” (as I’ve expressed to others who have felt that way, the larger events are big enough that's it's easy enough to not feel forced to socialize with those one would rather not). The smaller events are nice because it does provide more opportunity to actually learn a bit more about people you're with. I've also gotten a feel in the past year for which groups within Community I feel comfortable in, ones which I don't feel that I “fit in” with, and likewise where I feel more welcome or not. For the most part, I tend to choose my FT events accordingly. We all have our own preferences as to FT events, and that's one of the great things about FT Community -- there's enough going on that there is "something for everyone", or at least everyone who wants to be involved. Lots of good comments on this thread, but a few I’d like to remark on…

I agree with techgirl

I’ve met some great people through FT! Some that have become friends, some I hope will develop further into friends, and others I learned the hard way are not my friends. (Hmmm, sounds a bit like life in general) It’s also nice to know there’s a group of people who understand why I would fly to NRT for 20 hours, or fly to BRU for 26 hours to simply pub hop & chocolate shop (both of which I did this spring….and :eek: I didn’t get any miles for either trip)!

At my first FT event, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I felt like I was one of the gang. But I was really excited to have met a great group of people with some common interests and had a very enjoyable evening that I might otherwise have spent dining on my own. My first FT event was the dinner & drinks coordinated by SanDiego1K in SAN last June. I’ll never forget learning about it a few days in advance and asking “is it too late for me to join in?” As event hostess, SanDiego1K was so gracious and made me feel completely welcome and not like a FT Community newbie and ensured I was introduced to each person there that evening – for that I’ll always be grateful! ^

Likewise, at this year's Freddies, dhammer53 was fantastic and made sure that I met every single FTer in attendance!

And finally…Meow meow! :p