Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with event

Help me solve problems with a peer judging contest!

Modus Pwnens — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:07:12 -0800

Help me devise a peer judging system for a contest that will contain approximately 135 members, give or take a few. Key Details:

-The event will last five hours with a short break for lunch.

-The presenters are required to be at their exhibits except for the short lunch break and the time they spend judging others' exhibits, at which time those "others" must be present to explain their exhibit.

-The event must have peer judging. Other forms of judging cannot be substituted.

Last year the event was rigidly structured beforehand. Each registrant was assigned to rate 11 other exhibits which were predetermined, spending ten minutes at each exhibit. However, this caused a myriad of problems because on the day of the event people who were not registered showed up with exhibits and some did not show up all, throwing the entire system out of whack.

Scoring was based on three fields. In these three fields, peer judges would rate the exhibits they saw from 1-11 and the exhibits' overall score was taken from everyone's rating of it.

Assigning numbers and creating a system on the day of the event has been considered too problematic given the amount of other activities going on.

Does anyone have a creative solution to this problem? If you need any other information, just ask! The problem isn't so much the scoring system as making sure the judging assignments are doled out in an efficient manner before the day of the event.

What is the best event listing Wordpress plugin?

melodykramer — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:50:40 -0800

What is the best event listing plugin for Wordpress? Or is there a simple way to create a custom template to make event listings? I run a book blog in Philadelphia and would like to list monthly author events and readings. I have looked at some Wordpress plugins for event listings, but I'm not sure what the best one is for my purposes. (There are lots of them.) Basically, I'd like something that allows:

1. a book photo from my Wordpress media library

2. inputs for time, date, event, address, and map. I'd also like to be able to include a link to the bookstore or event.

3. I don't want the event to post directly to my Wordpress main blog. I'd like to create a page that lists events on a monthly basis -- and link to that page at the top of my blog. (The plug-ins I've tried immediately post an event to the main blog site.)

I don't know PHP but I am comfortable with HTML. I've been coding these listings by hand, though, and it seems to be taking a really long time. I'm sure there's a much easier way. If you use an events plugin or know of an easy way to do this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you. Mel

Three year anniversary coming up Dec 1st in Berkeley/Oakland. Any ideas?

ghostpony — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:05:28 -0800

I have a three year anniversary coming up on 12/01 and I want to make it extra wonderful. I will be in Berkeley/Oakland. Does MeFi have any great ideas? She is vegetarian but will eat meat if it's grass fed and humanely raised. I am looking for theater/restaurant/event recommendations, as well as just the unique out-there things to do.

I have a couple of ideas, but find this community to be so resourceful I thought I would just put it out there!

Can you help?

Festival Management 101

divabat — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:08:41 -0800

I'd like to start a festival. This time I actually have a plan and possibly some people. Where do I start? After being mildly frustrated at the local alt-arts scene, I made a plan for a fringe/indie/alt arts festival that showcases minority and culturally diverse performers. I've been inspired by the upcoming Shades of Burlesque festival and the Kaleidoscope Cabaret festival (both for burlesque performers of colour; Kaleidoscope has a more queer focus) and basically want to do something similar in Australia. It would be the first of its sort in my area, if not the country. (Kaleidoscope has a pretty good outline of how I want my festival to run)

I made up a quick plan outlining how the festival will run, a wishlist of people and resources, and further questions. I've got a few people interested, and just had a chat this afternoon with someone whose job is to help young people with their creative projects. I've also been collecting advice here and there.

Where do I start? My contact this arvo suggested I write a 1-2 page brief to the organisations whose involvement I'm after outlining the festival idea and what I need. Who should I go after first - venues, presenters, sponsors, all at once? It seems a bit chicken and egg.

I figure the earliest this festival will take place will be mid-late 2010. Right now people are finishing up year-end projects before going on holidays, so any major meetings will only really take place in January. What can I do between now and then that won't take up people's time? I anticipate that some of my presenters and brains will likely be from outside Australia - how do I plan for travel expenses and that sort of thing?

What resources have you found useful in festival planning? Any software, reading material, guides, people that are handy? Any grants or funding bodies that make good contacts? (I'm not a permanent resident yet so 99% of Aussie grants are off-limits to me; however, if I'm auspiced, the auspicing org could apply on my behalf) Any creative methods that have worked well for others?

(The plan is in a public Google document; MefiMail me if you'd like to take a look.)

A Saturday afternoon in the TDot

dnesan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:02:22 -0800

Can you tell me something great to do this Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7th) in central/downtown Toronto? My friend is getting married, and we're having a pseudo (co-ed) bachelorette party for her. We already have the evening mapped out, but need something to do before dinner. Stripperobics (and that sort of bachelorette faire) aren't exactly our/her style.

We're all GTA residents (or close enough to it), and we're having both lunch and dinner in the downtown core. We'd like to find something to do between hunger pangs (say around 3pm-7pm), something that's fun and memorable despite the fact that we already spend a lot of time in the city. There must be some little known gem that I don't know of.

I'm considering the ROM, but think it might be too staid. The bride loves the distillery district, if that helps define her at all. I want to find something that feels special for her, she has broad tastes and interests over all.

We're all late 20's men and women, money shouldn't be the prime concern but none of us are millionaires. We'll have cars to travel in if needed.

Can you help us do something great?

Civil Rights Movement

shesaysgo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:14:07 -0800

I need a significant event that happened during the Civil Rights Movement. I would like for the event to be important or significant, but under the radar. Everyone knows about Rosa Parks and the bus, etc. And if it happened in chicago, that'd be a bonus.

What is the coolest and quirkiest event you've ever attended or heard of?

Sully — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:02:05 -0800

What is the coolest and quirkiest event you've ever attended or heard of? I'm kind of fascinated by quirky events, having thrown a few myself. Something else I like to do is change things up - try throwing another kind of event just to see what happens. But now I'm kind of at a loss for my next one, and thought I would query the hive mind for events that make you go, "Wow - I went to this insanely neat event the other night..." to your friends. I'm just trying to brainstorm a bunch of concepts and hoping you all can help me.

Anything from something like the Burning Man, or the Fake Prom, or to this event my friend throws, called Pindemonium. She has a button making machine, and for a small fee, she'll make ten of your buttons. Then, at Pindemonium, everyone who submitted a button gets their ten, then go on a mad trading session with all the other submitters. People who didn't submit anything can buy a random assortment and trade up for buttons they want.

This guy in Toronto does a "Awkward Show and Tell" night, with various themes. Like the last one was "exes and sex toys". Another friend of mine does this hipster lecture series where he gets people to give 15 minutes lectures on something they are passionate about, but which is not their expertise. So say, a stock broker who knows everything about 15th century bookbinding, or something like that.

I'm looking for stuff that is really unique, or has a twist to it. A karaoke bar isn't that interesting to me, but a karaoke bar where the words are projected in a language not native to the singer, is.

Thanks in advance!

Seattle company that provides temporary internet for events?

kables — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:31:21 -0800

Where can I find a Seattle company that provides temporary internet connections for conferences & events? My Google-fu is failing me.

I'm part of a group organizing an unconference in Seattle in October. Our location is a public high school.... and it is looking like we might need to get internet access from a separate vendor (connectivity issues asides, public-school-mandated content filters might be a real issue if we use the school's connection).

Does anyone know of any companies in Seattle that provide temporary internet drops for conferences and events? We expect around 300 attendees.

Looking for the ideal hangout in South Bay/Long Beach...

Katemonkey — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:34:45 -0800

Looking for a good bar/coffee/food place in the South Bay/Long Beach, CA that works for an unknown number of people with a wide variety of tastes... I want to get a bunch of my old high school friends together when I go visit Long Beach again in October, and I want to find a place that:

A) Won't require reservations for big groups (because I don't know if there will be a big group)
B) Isn't a sit-down type of restaurant, but will serve food
C) Serves a variety of drinks (non-alcoholic, coffee, cocktails, etc.)
D) Is not a sports bar or a meat market or anything like that
E) Veers a bit on the eccentric without trying too hard to be "wacky"
F) Cheerfully caters to a jeans-and-t-shirt clientèle.

Bonus points if it panders shamelessly to nerds.

For an example of what I'm thinking, if the situation was reversed, and I had a bunch of people coming to Nottingham who wanted to go out and have a few drinks, I would take them to the Malt Cross. There, I know I can get an excellent rum and coke or cup of coffee, a good burger, and I'm in an old Victorian vaudeville hall of awesomeness. Or, if I was feeling a bit more kitschy, I'd take them to the Pit & the Pendulum (the website looks like it was hacked, alas), where I know I can get a weird cocktail, some decent food, and it's decked out like a Vincent Price movie.

It doesn't necessarily need to be South Bay/Long Beach - it just seems easier to me, since we all grew up around Long Beach, Carson, Torrance, etc. I'll also caging rides from people rather than driving myself, and I'd much rather talk someone into driving an extra 10 minutes than an extra 45...

(I just don't want to end up hanging out at Del Amo Mall, like I did when I was 17...)

Turning 30 in California, after Christmas: what to do?

filthy light thief — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:20:11 -0800

I'm turning 30 this year, and my birthday is between Christmas and New Years. I live in central California, and may not have a lot of time for vacation. I want to do something interesting. What would you recommend to do in (central-ish) California, or possibly the greater West Coast, in the end of December? Sights to see, food to eat, events to attend? Lots of thoughts inside. I've never wanted a big or specifically interesting event for my birthday. Usually it's been family somewhere near home because my friends are elsewhere with their respective families. The only year that felt like it fell a bit flat was my 21st, which lacked the excitement I associated with 21st birthdays (in the US) in general, but it wasn't terrible. For whatever reason, I want to do something interesting this year. The fact I'm turning 30 doesn't seem to be weighing on my mind, but I feel like I should do more to celebrate it.

I've been married for a bit over two years now, and I don't know how much time I'll have off. With that, a nice trip with my wife sounds pretty good, and probably closer to home so I don't spend most of it traveling to get somewhere (unless the trip is part of the fun).

What are some good winter trips in California (and farther)? What have people done for birthdays or celebrations that add some level of interest to things?

In regards to previous 30th birthday AskMe posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5): 1- not looking for travel, and a "treat myself well" day is lacking some oomph, 2- turning 30 is no big deal to me, 3- I'm not looking for some present of significance, 4- closest suggestions so far, and now I realize I don't want a showy, public event (fireworks) or a big countdown (advent calendar), and 5- no desire to skinny-dip in tropical oceans. Thanks!

Short notice renting art/party space in San Francisco?

dual_action — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:20:36 -0800

How can I find a small art gallery/event space to rent this upcoming Saturday night in San Francisco? I'm going to be in SF this weekend for a convention and would like to host a small gathering of poets/live musicians outside the hotel for a little shindig. I'm thinking about 20-30 people and would like to keep costs down below $500 for the evening. A gallery space would be perfect, but since it is short notice (long story) I know that will be difficult. I'd like to stay away from the 'hotel conference room' vibe and would prefer it to be within walking distance of Union Square. One that looked great but is unfortunately booked is here. Thanks!

Where to go in Bellevue, Washington and Surrounding Eastside?

Redmond Cooper — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:21:16 -0800

Looking for Local happenings blogs like Seattlest and company, but for the Eastside. Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Bothell, Renton, Woodenville and the surrounding areas Basically I'm looking for blogs that list current events that are happening in their coverage zone. Right now I seem to get most of my, "Oh that sounds like fun" events from Seattle based blogs and friends in Seattle. The only problem is the only events I usually know about on the eastside come from friends and what I notice posted in the library.

Redmonds filled with Microsofties so there has to be a few good local blogs there right?

Thanks

Food for a rainy barbecue?

emilyw — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:19:37 -0800

What should I cook in my small kitchen for a rainy barbecue? I'm planning a BBQ at the weekend for 15-20 people, but it looks like it may rain heavily, in which case we will all be indoors. (Just to make vocabulary clear to Americans: the original plans involved cooking mainly meat products outside over charcoal embers).

I am pre-preparing some salads and sides, and marinating some veg and tofu for the vegetarians, then I had planned to go shopping on the morning of the BBQ to stock up on meat. However, if the forecast is rainy I can alter my shopping list to suit.

What can I buy/make to minimise cooking and serving effort in my small kitchen during the event? I don't have a very big grill, but I do have an oven. I can spend some of the earlier part of the day on kitchen prep, but don't want to spend the whole party holed up in there.

Help me torture my friends!

wile e — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:41:17 -0800

YES! You have been waiting for this question ALL year! Last year you all helped me come up with ideas for the super successful Scavenger Hunt! Now we're back to try something new. Japanese Gameshow Olympics! I am REALLY in the beginning stages of this. Trying to come up with ideas of how to orchestrate it as well as the events themselves. Any one put together an event like this? Thoughts?

So far I have deduced it to be a decathlon. 10 events, with teams vying for the ultimate prize....which I haven't figured out what it is yet.

The events I have found so far that I thought would be easy to do, competitive and cheap to make are listed below with videos to accompany. Any thoughts, ideas, comments are all duly appreciated. Sadly, I can't add much more as I haven't thought this thing through at all.

The group will be 20 and 30yr olds, and hopefully they will have no shame. I'll try to add more info as it comes to me.

the event ideas so far:

Silent Fear Factor

Marshmellow, pantyhose, and dizzy spin

So those are my 4 thoughts so far...

"eVent" is a terrible name to Google

2bucksplus — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:56:00 -0800

Ok I'm convinced, I want an "eVent" waterproof jacket. The problem is I want to try it on (hopefully in New York City or surrounding area) and eVent is a terrible name to Google. I went hiking in New York state for a week in one of the wettest Junes in recent memory, and my "weatherproof" jacket left me soaked. "eVent" is supposed to be the best, right? Should I just get something with Gore-tex as that is everywhere? I would buy just the shell and would wear it primarily for hiking.

Give me something fun and non-touristy to do in SF in 2 weeks!

KateHasQuestions — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:38:00 -0800

San Francisco in 2 weeks! Any events/festivals/galleries/non-permanent attractions the week of July 20th? I'll be in SF for three days - July 20-23rd, Monday-Wednesday. I've looked up the list of permanent touristy and not-so-touristy things to do in and around the area, but I'm wondering if there will be any events, festivals, galleries, concerts going on during those 3 days that I should check out. Maybe a cool band is playing at a bar or a coffee shop? Amazing drink specials at some bar on Mondays? Or some kind of food tasting street fair? Outdoor movie? Book signing by someone cool? A jam band that gets together and plays outside every Tuesday afternoon? Anything! Free or cheap events would be best, but all suggestions are welcome! Monday-Wednesday is probably not the best day for events, but I hope you all can come up with something specific for those days. Thanks!

Calling all live video ninjas.

liquado — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:05:51 -0800

I needs me a good/simple/cheap video switcher for live production. Every year, I'm part of running a live event (nonprofit fishing tournament) that uses multiple cameras for a live, switched video signal projected on a screen on top of the stage -- like the big screen at a live concert.

We've historically used a borrowed Videonics MX-1 Digital Audio/Video Mixer Switcher, but the borrowed one has developed signal glitching issues with the crossfade slider -- and, we'd really like to have one of our own. I have no idea what brand/type I should be looking for; so many of them seem far more complex than is required. I know what we need:

-Minimum four inputs (five or six would be ideal)
-Slider/Fader
-Multiple outputs (four or five would be ideal)
-*Maybe* text overlay capability

That's it. Doesn't have to be fancy, or need any audio capability or filters/special effects. I can also work around only a single output with a video amp, if I have to.

I'm open to any options, but cheaper is better -- I really like the idea of working used machines rather than new.

Thanks!

Dress to impress event..help! :)

lwclec072 — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:02:12 -0800

Looking for help finding something to wear to a formal dress to impress event?? Ok well let me start saying I have the slightest bit of fashion sense obviously, I'm going to an event this Friday for a surprise birthday party at Churchill Downs churchill downs i'm looking for something that isn't too out there, I'm not into dresses, I'm considering a pair of black crop pants which i already own w/ a nice top but having trouble finding the perfect top.

I'm 25 yrs old and size 10, something age and size appropriate is quite important.

any help from the fashionistas out there?

I apologize if this sounds too silly eh.

thanks so much!

Evite for professionals?

thebazilist — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:07:31 -0800

I need an online-invitation/RSVP-management solution for a small non-profit. Something between evite and cvent? I'm at a small non-profit that's hosting an event. The event is free, but RSVP-only. So like a wedding. However, it's for an organization, so evite is out (also because evite is disgusting) and so are the newer, cutesier, fresher versions of evite (Mypunchbowl, PurpleTrail) because we need to be able to make it professional-looking with our logo instead of theirs.

We can pay to get rid of ads etc, but not the hundreds of dollars that the huge sites like cvent and regonline want, especially since we don't need "marketing" and "ROI improvement." Sendomatic looks pretty good, but it seems like they charge a lot for very little (per event fees, monthy licensing fees, additional annual fees to customize the invite e-mail and the thank-you page, etc.).

Eventbrite would be perfect except that I spoke to them on the phone and there's no way to remove the "ticket sales" language from the invitation. The person has to click to "buy" a free "ticket" and has to go through a free shopping cart and pay $0.00.

We have our own website, and so I was looking at FormLogix, and just publishing some kind of form on the website, but it seems a little crude, especially for e-mailing out invitations.

Our last option is CorpNote, but it seems a little Windows98 to me, and it's really not that customizable.

Basically we want e-mail invitations, RSVP/attendee management (no complex reports or anything), and as much transparency as possible (the invitee doesn't feel so much like they're going through some other site). Are there any other companies I've missed, or is there a somewhat simple way to do this on our website with forms or something? We don't have a designated tech person but we do have volunteers who are tech-capable.

What should my meeting planner wife do for a new career?

UMDirector — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:37:49 -0800

My wife is a meeting planner, but is getting sick of it, what other careers can she pursue with those skills? My wife is a meeting planner, not a party planner, but a 8,000 people in a convention center, meeting planner. However she is growing tired of this industry. Trying to figure out what else she can do with her life.

She is:

* The most organized person I know. I mean scary organized. She can take any chaos and make and organized system out of it. This includes not just people, but seeing how systems should work.

* Has lots of business experience. She almost literally grew up in an office.

Her undergrad is in sociology, but she has done nothing with it.

So far we have thought about starting her own organizing business or perhaps going into organizational development.

So I guess the question is what can a professional who is very very organized do as a career?

I should also note: this can be a long term thing. For example build to something over two years...but full time school is probably out of the question.

Help me help you know what I'm doing.

eatcake — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:03:39 -0800

I'm walking to raise funds for an institution that provides health care to children and I want to set up an online page or site to let donors know of my progress live on the day of the event. How can I do that as painlessly as possible? What I'd like to do is to have a central online location where the donors who sponsored me can go to and view (among other things) information like my current location, live tweeting info as I'm on the walk, or live updates on the trail (it's a 7-mile walk), maybe mobile photos of the event as seen through my eyes before, during and after the event. It would be cool to have the ability to let donors or other people contribute (comments etc...) to the website/page.

This will also serve the purpose of eliminating a mass of emails for me to send out for updates.

What I'm ultimately looking for here is to enable people to participate or be involved or to know what is going on, how their contribution is being "earned". It's one thing to donate some money to a charity and get a thank you card in the mail weeks later, it's another thing to be able to know and see the event you're sponsoring. It'll hopefully allow people/donors to better connect with the abstract of "requesting a donation, donating to this cause" thing.

I tried to figure out a way to do it on Facebook but creating a group for the event requires inviting people and then hoping that they join the group. Not every donor is on Facebook but they all can go online to a website for example.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Small, Hip Wedding Venues in Seattle

rossination — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:49:22 -0800

Seattle wedding venues for a June 2010 wedding? Seattle wedding venue suggestions, please!

We are looking at a smallish wedding venue (80 people) in Seattle for a Sunday evening wedding in June 2010. I've seen this thread and like the suggestions, but our criteria are slightly different. This would be for a short ceremony and then dinner.

We are looking for:
>> inexpensive -- hopefully less than $1000 for the venue.
>> in the city preferred -- we really don't want to do a wedding in Bellevue or Lynnwood unless the place is really beautiful.
>> has an inexpensive caterer OR allows for self-catering.
>> a nice venue -- no hotels
>> no outdoors-only venues.

So far, we've liked the bath house at Golden Gardens Park, but feel like it might be a little too public (right on the beach by the volleyball nets).

We realize that this is asking a lot, but I figure it's worth a shot to see what the hive mind says.

What are the best internet events for start-ups to attend?

remcobron — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:54:53 -0800

What events should an internet start-up attend in the US and in Europe in order to get know and gain recognition? My European start-up let's you search video from over 30 video sites, collect them, and publish video channels. We are looking to promote ourselves at different events like Techcrunch50 and LeWeb.

I've searched for websites that index these events but didn't find one that listed them all.

So what are the events we should attend? And is there a website that indexes all thexe events?

Thanks for your help!
Remco

is there more to the ending of Event Horizon?

matt755811 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:29:34 -0800

is there more to the ending of Event Horizon? In Event Horizon, Stark, Cooper, and Justin are rescued at the end of the film and as Stark wakes up from a nightmare about Weir, she's calmed down, the camera backs up and the outer doors to the ship slowly close. Is that alluding to the fact that the Rescue team and the three survivors are all going to eventually die, since, earlier in the movie they make mention of the ship "being alive"? Or do you think since the ships "core" was destroyed the evil went with it? And yes I'm a nerd and I know this is a ridiculous question

Thunderbird and Lightning, very, very frightening me!

maudlin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:23:02 -0800

My Thunderbird/Lightning combo has been behaving oddly ever since a failed attempt to create a repeating event yesterday. It wiped out all events for March and stalls whenever I launch it now, although once launched, it seems to work smoothly. I've been able to add non-repeating events back into March and they are staying in place. My profile is backed up. What next? I'm running Windows XP SP3 and Thunderbird 2.0.0.19, the most recent update.

I tried creating my first repeating event in Lightning yesterday (every Thursday, starting March 12), set all the parameters, and clicked Save and Close, but nothing appeared on my calendar. I tried again with no results. I closed, relaunched, and found all my March calendar data was gone, although everything else seemed fine.

Now whenever I relaunch, my usual setup of panes in the Mail view do not appear immediately. I can see the folders on the left and the list of mail headers in the center, but my Events and Tasks panel at the right does not show. Then the entire screen goes white for a couple of seconds, then redraws and shows the same view I saw when I first launched. If I switch to Calendar view, then switch back, after a moment's lag, I finally see my three column layout. I have tried one more time to create a repeating event and it still doesn't work.

So my inclination is to get a final backup of my profile and reinstall, but I'm concerned that there are one or more failed repeating events lurking inside my profile that would just cause this to happen again.

Is this a known issue? Is there anything else I should try before I reinstall?