Are Changes Needed in Future Oldies Meet and Greets?

Sue O'Neal Talks to Amy Auerbach and Others

Yogi Berra once said “It is so crowded that nobody goes there anymore.” Let me discuss a minor problem that arose at yesterday's Oldies Meet and Greet. Several people complained that the waiters were very slow at bringing the checks. Some had to leave to catch buses or trains, so I can certainly understand their anxiety over this. A few hours after the event I received an e-mail from the manager of Ben's asking how things went. I reported this situation to him and he responded Its time consuming to make separate checks per person based on what they ate. We can work on that for next year by setting a price per person. One of the fixed price menus should work for the group. Another option would be to have the waiter give one check to each table. The problem is that people often have problems figuring out how to split the check.

This is a problem that arose since we had a turnout of about 70 people. The question is “Has the Oldies Meet and Greet become a victim of its own success? Since 2006 we have held the event at Ben's Deli on West 38^th Street in Manhattan.

• We are open to everyone. Nobody was ever turned away.
• Ben's Deli never asked for money in advance to reserve the back room.
• Everyone was able to order anything from the menu.

Since we ran into this problem, we may have to make changes in the future.

1. Should we used a fixed price menu limiting people to certain items and collect the same amount from everybody at the beginning?
2. Should we look for another venue that could accommodate more people? Again I don't want to have to collect money before the event. I think the people at Ben's have accommodated us very well over 9 years.

My feeling is to go for option #1.

Since the internet became popular in the 1990s people have met and became “virtual friends” as part of “virtual communities”. You really don't “know” people until you have met them face to face. Since there were 70 people at the event, it was just impossible to meet everyone. I personally prefer a smaller gathering so I can spend some time conversing with everyone there. Is the event a victim of its own success?

We certainly have time to think this as the next event would likely not be until next November.  I certainly welcome other opinions.