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Booking system proposals.

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Zefiro:

--- Quote from: Sam T. Housecat on 20.01.2017, 13:14:50 ---Then I would like to ask you: what is your opinion about the booking process as it happened last week?
--- End quote ---
You know that feeling when you plan, you prepare, you think of possible scenarios, weighting their outcome, do everything the best you can. And you realize this is too big for one person, so you need help, and discuss, and trust, and now have to rely on others. And then it didn't work out and everything just crumbles down? Yes, that happens, and I'm sure many have experienced such already themselves. Obviously nobody is happy with that, and of course investigations are done, discussions started again, new promises made. What can you do?

For EF, with the size and hotel, financial and legal aspects, we have, our options are severly limited. The idea of selecting people based on any kind of criteria other than "staff" and "first-comes" (which are about the only two which are both generally accepted and objectively measurable) creates big issues, ethical, perhaps even legal. But with what we currently have it is moot: we cannot take any influence about hotel reservations besides "yes, participant and thus eligibile for the EF room block". Especially can we not, any longer, take care of bookings ourselves. And this rules out both twin-room-assignments and preferred-roombooking-options, regardless of criteria.

So what will we do for next year?
We don't know yet - that is up for the hotel negotiations team to decide. But even if it will be the same procedure, you can be pretty sure that this incident won't repeat itself. Apart from us ourselves, the hotel wouldn't accept that from their booking partner.

*purrrrr*

Sam T. Housecat:
Well, these are very sensible answers and provide a lot of detail. Thank you guys!

I believe providing good information is one of the key issues in a succesful organisation. Of course, a fair amount of self-organisation among guests can help a lot. The con orga may facilitate such a self-organisation power in simple ways, for example by drawing attention to some boards. And by repeating useful messages a lot in advance, people will absorb information slowly but steadily.

I have no idea what can and what can't be done in a hotel booking system. I'm an ICT'er like many furs, so the word 'impossible' doesn't exist in my vocabulary. Sometimes things turn out to be possible after all in an open conversation. I'd say: don't bury yourself in the hard and the impossible, but keep an open mind. Just look at all the possible solutions and make a list of the pro's and the con's. I've been pretty successful in the IT business and I don't give up easily on something. If you honestly talk about your problems and what you want, unexpected doors may open. Especially with your business partners.

Let me tell you a little story: when we organised EF4, to the guests, everything seemed to be organised nice and smoothly. However, behind the scenes, we had big logistical problems. We could hardly use information from the first three cons. We needed to make a lot of guestimates, some of which were just off and then we had to improvise a lot. I had sleepless nights, I tell you. But everytime staff members had a meeting, here and there a random fur would join in and make all kinds of suggestions. So many people work in so many professions and have so much knowledge! And lo and behold, even the toughest and most impossible problems turned out to be solvable with fresh ideas and a little help from bystanders. For example: halfway the con, it turned out that we were over budget. Then a guest suggested we should have a lottery. We just honestly explained our problem and our solution to the con goers. Many furs donated prizes for free! Not only did we safe the financial situation that night, the lottery show was an extra, unplanned event that was great fun for all!

In orga's like this, I know how lonely and overworked you can feel if so many problems come up and you have to solve them. But you're not allone! If you mobilise help, be open about your problems and welcome input and fresh ideas, even by people who don't know all the ins and outs exactly, you'll find a way.

I hope you can appreciate the efforts of people who want to help out by offering constructive thoughts. These people are very different from the rude, ranting masses; on the contrary, people who think along with you are mostly friends of the orga. Some of them you will see again as volunteers. Wouldn't you say that it's better to come up with solutions than to complain?

Hai λ:
Can't argue that! :)

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