Friday Five: Big Event Edition

Songbird brings us today's RGBP Friday Five which is all about planning The Big Meetup.

Did you know that the major purpose for forming a non-profit, RevGalBlogPals, Inc., was to be able to attract grant support for a large scale RevGalBlogPal meetup? My dream from the beginning has been attracting financial support that would allow as many of our bloggers to be together as possible. RGBP, Inc. now has a planning committee, and we are in the early stages of planning the RevGalBlogPal Big Event. What, When, Where and Who are all on the table at the moment. In that spirit, I bring you the Big Event Friday Five.

1. What would the meeting be like? (Continuing Ed? Retreat? Outside Speakers? Interest Groups? Workshops? Hot Stone Massages? Pedicures? Glorified Slumber Party?)

I'd like to see this first meetup be a retreat with emphasis on getting to know each other and building fellowship in the group. I don't know about you, but I'm workshopped and seminar-ed out! Interest groups could have their own meetings at the retreat and the hot stone massage/pedicure/pampering ideas would be really swell.

If we did have a workshop, I suggest it be something that improves our technical blogging skills, since we all blog. We have several RGBP members who could conduct workshops on html, creating different blog templates, importing sidebar goodies, and what to do when you get the blue screen of death. We could also have a workshop on blog content.

2. When in 2008 might you be able to attend? January? Shortly after Easter? Summer? Fall? Some other time?

Right now I'm pretty open except for presbytery meetings, which aren't all scheduled yet.

3. Where would your dream meeting location be? (Urban Hotel? Rural Retreat Center? New England Camp? Southwestern Fantasy Hotel? Far away from civilization? Nearby Outlets or Really Great Thrift Stores?)

A retreat center would be great, but the rural ones would be more expensive to get to. We probably should plan to meet in a major metro area. Personally, I'm a lot more flexible than most of the group so I'll go along with the consensus on this.

4. Who would make a great keynote speaker? (That's if #1 leads us in that direction.)

For this first gathering, I would prefer not to have a keynote speaker unless we need to do that to enable Continuing Ed credits or to get a grant. If we had a keynote speaker, I would not choose someone who is identified with one denomination or who is controversial for this first meeting. Someone like Diana Butler Bass (who is too expensive for our presbytery when we asked her last month but we have no money, remember) would be ideal.

5. Did I leave out something you want to suggest?

Come to Texas! We'll meet you with the TTOJ and my Texas Lexus of Justice. Margaritas, Mexican food, real BBQ and nice weather will greet you as long as we don't meet in the summer....