The 2004 Annual Gathering (AG) has come and gone; with Dickensian fervor, Mensans continue to debate the new "destination city" model. We have been treated to arguments about the best of times and the worst of times — either it was the best AG ever or a disaster. Somewhere, keeping their thoughts to themselves, are the attendees whose opinions range everywhere between those extremes.
Regardless of one's criteria for AGs, some "extreme" facts do emerge about 2004's.
1. It was the best attended AG, ever. More than 1,800 members, guests and hired staff were there. If the standard is the sheer number of attendees, this AG was a smashing success.
2. It grossed, in registration charges, more dollars than any previous gathering.
3. It had the greatest number and variety of speakers ever to appear at any gathering.
4. It was in Las Vegas, indisputably one of America's premier destination cities.
5. It was also the most expensive gathering of this sort ever held in the United States.
This item includes just the basics: hotel costs, the necessity of buying meals outside, the registration fee, and the price of area entertainment; after all, if one is going to a destination city, one expects to partake of its particular delights.
Whether the AG was profitable or a financial loser, we will be told soon, but we may never have a full accounting of the travel costs incurred by staff and volunteers for planning before the AG. But, in terms of the percentage of Mensans attending who actually participated in the majority of official activities, it felt like a disaster. At all times, many attendees were spending their time sightseeing or gambling or both. That's why most people go to Las Vegas, true; but at AGs you can usually find a crowd of Mensans in hospitality.
Not this time. Hospitality did have good beer, good wine and nibble-ables. There was coffee, but only if you were up and there before 9:00 a.m. The hotel charged Mensa $56 per gallon for that coffee. The beer, wine, and soft drinks were sold to the AG by hotel management, at hotel-style prices, plus the salaries of the hotel's servers (required to dispense anything alcoholic). Don't ask what Mensa paid for the tepid water in the two water stands (it would degrade the language to call them "coolers") in Hospitality.
Yes, Hospitality was something, but it certainly was not hospitable. Not because of lack of food; we were warned about that in advance. The space was vast and the tables many, but I never saw more than 100 members in Hospitality at any one time. Most often, the number was much lower — small, isolated groups gathered against a colossal barrenness that felt as if it would suck stray individuals into the vacuum.
At most of the gatherings I've attended, except for the first few, I knew a majority of the attendees and they knew me. The gatherings were almost family reunions. Social interactions were the highlights of the events. This was true even at the Fiftieth Anniversary event in London, where most Americans met their compatriots from Britain and other lands for the first time. Not so in Las Vegas this year. Most attendees in Las Vegas were strangers to me — even though I am from the Los Angeles area, and a large percentage of attendees came from the West. A great many there were newbies, attending their very first Mensa gathering. Very few of these had any interest in our internal politics or the mechanics behind the scenes. They came to see Fabulous Las Vegas. That it was our (and their) Annual Gathering was unimportant to them; it was the city that had been highly advertised, and it was the city they came to experience.
The next two AGs are also scheduled at destination cities. It is likely that they, too, will be exceptionally well attended, and many Mensans from other nations will come. Unless grossly mismanaged, they will be profitable. The American Mensa Committee (AMC) will be able to flaunt the attendance and dollar figures and boast of its successful methodology. Therein lies the problem.
While Mensa, the business, has become a profitable enterprise, Mensans, the dues-paying members, the primary source of revenue for Mensa the business, are losers. Our dues go up, but the local
|
"Our
dues go up, but the local groups, the heart and soul of Mensa, wither."
|
Much of the behind-the-scenes work at the Las Vegas AG was conducted by members of our paid, non-Mensan staff. Our dues paid for their presence and, presumably, for their work at the AG. And, from the National Office (NO) and AMC points of view, those are essential business expenses. Without them, that profit and/or corporate convention flash might not be there.
But think about where that profit goes. It goes to pay for the outside specialists in risk management, attorneys, business advisors of all sorts — and conference and hotel familiarization trips for paid staff. Do any of these benefit the members? No. They are of benefit only to Mensa, the business.
Is this what we, the members, want? There was a time when Mensa was a refuge for those disabled by intellects outside the norm, a haven for those afflicted by active minds. Mensa was a sanctuary, not just a collection of people who'd proven, by taking a test, that they were smart. Except at the local level, this is no longer the case.
Which would you rather have: an AG attended by fewer than 1,000 members, most of whom actively participate in the AG — or one attended by 2,000, most of whom are off sightseeing elsewhere?
Let's discuss Regional Gatherings (RGs), which have been flourishing. What of their future? That's where the risk management camel sticks its ugly nose into the tent.
I believe AMC has plans for us: No home-prepared food allowed. Someone might get sick and sue us. Hasn't happened yet, but it might, and Mensa the business could take a financial hit.
So, no more Mensa-assisted ride sharing or room sharing, no alcohol served (which might lead to antisocial behavior), no speakers who might offend the outside world. Nothing "risky." Nothing outside the box constructed by the present AMC and the National Office.
I've frequently mentioned on several Mensa Internet lists the now-defunct Asilomar gatherings. They were held at a location with few tourist attractions other than a major aquarium. There was nothing to do at Asilomar except engage in the Mensan activities, which were mostly "fun" events: the costume party, the casino, the beer tasting, the various auctions, the hunt, etc. Yes, we did have speakers of interest; but the big attraction was the large number of Mensa members all in one place, generating the excitement just by interacting.
Our current risk management specialists would have been in shock had they observed our antics. We played hard. Hospitality was great. When resort management finally cracked down and demanded that we buy hospitality supplies from them, at menu prices, we rented a facility across the street from the Asilomar gates for Hospitality.
Once word circulated about what was happening annually at Asilomar, we sold out all the rooms resort management allowed us; nearby motels enjoyed our overflow. Members came from overseas to attend.
What went on at Asilomar would not please every member. However, considering early membership levels and the lack of publicity (nothing but word of mouth and local newsletter notices), Asilomar outdrew all but the largest AGs. That's right: Except for the last few, the Asilomar gathering was not considered an official Mensa event. Also, it was managed superbly by Mensans, without any assistance from the National Office.
With AMC about to impose major restrictions on what can be done at RGs, local groups face a dilemma. They can turn the arrangements over to the National Office, which will assemble efficiently a cookie-cutter gathering. This would eventually kill the Regional Gathering concept, turning RGs into tired, corporate-style affairs. Their sameness could be pleasant once a year, but it would not generate the energy that currently pulls many members into an RG circuit.
Or local groups could hold their gatherings without the approval of their Regional Vice Chair. They could forgo advertising in the Bulletin and rely on notices in local group newsletters; I'm certain the editors would accommodate them — if the movement toward banning notices of unapproved (thus, "risky") activities in subsidized Mensa newsletters goes no further.
All this said, I enjoyed the Las Vegas AG. The hotel restaurants were excellent. The speakers I attended were interesting. Hospitality, despite the excellent beverages (at great cost), was, for me, a bust: There were too few Mensans to be hospitable with in that enormous room. But there were old friends to visit with — when I could find them.
As a generic business convention, it was a success. It just wasn't a Mensa Gathering.