Ed and Israel, We at UNL are blessed with the perfect situation.  Our music building is directly across the street from a new Embassy Suites that loves to have conventions.  We have plenty of classrooms including a smaller recital hall within the building.  The hotel has large rooms for gatherings,dinners,booths, etc. As far as timing goes, we were thinking of having ours during Spring Break and have been asked to host for 2010.  The hardest part is getting the director of the school of music to respond to our request!  Once that is acheived, I don't forsee any problems, since staff is all still here for the most part during that week anyway and we can hire a building monitor for the evenings as the school does during regular semesters. Being a smaller region, we also won't be dealing with several hundred people...more like 100 at the most. The selling point I am trying to get across to the director is that this would promote the university in a positive light, the pianos will come out in better shape and the downtown section here will get economic aid during a time that 25,000 students leave town. The airport is 10 minutes away and you can walk to the train depot! Are there any downsides to this?  we'll find out!  :>) Paul <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=40%>"Ed  Sutton" <ed440@mindspring.com> Sent by: caut-bounces@ptg.org 10/15/2007 09:05 PM <table border> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to Ed  Sutton <ed440@mindspring.com>; Please respond to College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org></div></table> <td width=59%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>To</div> <td>"College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>Re: [CAUT] University based regional seminars</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> <tt>Israel- I understand the potential difficulties, especially in a large region like California. I can't help hoping somebody is in the middle of a perfect situation in one of the smaller regions. I'll bet the chances of getting your expenses paid are better if you say you're attending a seminar at XYZ University! Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: "Israel Stein " <custos3@comcast.net> To: <caut@ptg.org> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 9:15 PM Subject: [CAUT] University based regional seminars > On Monday, October 15, 2007 5:17:44 PM Ed Sutton wrote: > >>It seems that several of the regional seminars are having trouble making >>the >>tradition "hotel-based" seminars pay their way. >>A university based seminar, held perhaps on the week-end of Fall break >>might >>be able to offer new ways to learn.  All those practice rooms could be >>used >>for extended hands-on repair,regulation and tuning classes, maybe leaving >>the school better off for the deal. >>Ed Sutton > > It's a mixed bag, Ed. Several years ago I taught at a California State > convention organized by the Sacramento Valley chapter and held on the > campus of Sacramento State University. Peter Clark (with about 6 > assistants) taught a three-day hands-on tuning seminar based in the music > building that took advantage of the availability of teaching studios and > practice room - and that was an unbelievable success. There were students > practicing tuning in practice rooms and going over what the learned deep > into the night... > > On the other hand, university staff and facilities are not geared to > hosting trade conventions - so, many classes were delayed, shifted to > different locations at the last moment and otherwise impacted because > facilities were double-booked, or staff was not available to deal with > unanticipated complications, or staff just wasn't there when they were > supposed to be in order to open rooms. Some students in my two-day class > missed sessions because of such circumstances. > > Walking from building to building between classes took up an awful lot of > time. And since there was no suitable housing on campus (who wants to go > to a convention and sleep in a dorm amidst 20-year olds with raging > hormones)  we stayed in several motels in the area - which meant that > there was no central area for post-class socializing and receptions. > > A campus might be a good venue for a specialized seminar aimed at a few > dozen people. Like the Peter Clark seminar as a stand-alone event. For an > entire convention - way too many downsides... > > I used to attend summer workshops at Amherst College in Massachusetts - > and they actively solicited conventions and seminars. Still, dealing with > the college staff and administration was always an ordeal. Hotels are > geared to deal with conventions and their staff is trained to deliver > service. Universities simply do not have the right mindset. I am afraid > that a convention with complex needs such as the PTG is simply beyond the > capabilities of most campuses. > > Israel Stein </tt>