Comments on: Third Tuesday Admission Charges: I’m always learning and willing to change

By: Cheryl Hogan

Cheryl Hogan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:32:03 +0000

Hi Joe,

As a recent graduate of the PR program at Algonquin, I attended Third Tuesday Ottawa the first night you implemented the admission fee. I had read all the comments about the fee before the event and I think you have made a great effort at trying to please everyone since then. Thank you for that.

I strongly agree with giving students a break, as I for one couldn’t have afforded extra events during the school year because of a tight budget. I hope everyone knows how much students appreciate first of all being invited and welcome at these types of events, but also to be given a break in the financial department.

I also just wanted to make a comment that I feel that $10.00 (now that I’m not in school) is a small price to pay to get to hear some truly great speakers, and look forward to hearing about the prospective speakers you have lined up!

Thanks again for reviewing the admission fee policy, and I’m looking forward to the next Third Tuesday!

By: Cyrus Mavalwala

Cyrus Mavalwala — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:12:37 +0000

Thanks for a logical and thoughtful post.
True to the TTT spirit you’ve included the entire community.
And ofcourse thanks for your and the team’s tireless efforts in making this a successful event each month!

By: Joseph Thornley

Joseph Thornley — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:36:24 +0000

Thanks for your comments on the refinement to the approach to admissions. I’m just about to post the announcement of the next Third Tuesday Toronto. I’ll be watching that closely to see if more people actually pay in advance – and to see as well how many no-shows we have this time.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:04:44 +0000

I don’t think $10 is a very big deal, if people don’t think the events are worth $10, they probably shouldn’t bother wasting their time. Time is much more important than $10… at least for me.

By: Faith

Faith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:42:58 +0000

It sounds like a great compromise to give struggling students a break. I remember that very limited budget. On the professional side, I’ve been involved with other groups who instituted dues of some sort after a while for the same reasons. It resulted in a smaller but more committed group, with the same reduction in no-shows. See you next month! at TTT

By: Eden Spodek

Eden Spodek — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:17:08 +0000

Joe, I agree with Martin. You’ve made an excellent compromise. You also did a wonderful job of soliciting feedback from the community and allowing it to shape the policy. In doing so, you’ve set an example for others facing similar issues.

On behalf of the entire Third Tuesday community that spans from Montreal to Vancouver, thank you for your ongoing volunteer efforts in bringing high quality speakers to our cities on a monthly basis.

By: Joe Boughner

Joe Boughner — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:00:24 +0000

Thanks for this round-up and update, Joe. I think what jarred me about the fee was that there was no heads-up and no explanation at the start. We went to register for the event as usual and suddenly we were asked to pay $10. The sidebar note about CNW’s sponsorship still referred to their support keeping the event free.

Contrast this with SMB Ottawa. The organizers did a survey of regular attendees first to gauge support for an entrance fee. Then they included a clear explanation of the rationale and intended use of the money when they did introduce the admission charge.

To your credit, you’ve done a good job of answering questions in an open way (though I wonder why these posts aren’t on the meetup site itself – it’s possible that some attendees don’t read the blog). You’re right to point out that the community clearly cares about these events based on the variety of reactions. And that’s good.

By: Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:48:11 +0000

I think that’s a very good compromise, Joe. You make a convincing point about a venue booking staff to make sure the event runs smoothly. It’s important to be mindful of the people who help us out. If we have a system that helps reduce no-shows and encourages students to attend, that’s good with me. (On another note, if you RSVP to any event but find that for some reason you’re not able to attend, it’s always good manners to let the host know in advance…just saying).

By: helen Chown

helen Chown — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:39:09 +0000

Joe, I continue to observe how you go about your PR practice and wanted to say hi at the CPRS event in Vancouver, but it was all a bit of a bunfight! This approach, the policy and how you have gone about communicating it is really well set out and extremely reasonable. I just hope as a (currently!) UK-based PR mid relocation to Canada that I get a chance to attend these gatherings asap!

Best wishes, Helen Chown

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Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:34:59 +0000

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