CommVEx v8, July 28-29, 2012

[rbernardo]

The contract signed, the deposit being mailed in a few days, start planning for the Commodore Vegas Expo v8 coming your way on July 28-29, 2012. It was more difficult getting an agreement, but for the second time, we'll have the show at the Las Vegas Club Hotel, third floor Left Field Room, 18 E. Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada.

More details on those difficulties later,

[rbernardo]

The deposit for the Left Field Room in the Las Vegas Club Hotel was sent today. Changes are happening at the Plaza Hotel / Las Vegas Hotel duo; the rebuilding of the Plaza seems to have brought on various schemes to pay for the reconstruction. Now all payments (like my deposit for the conference room) are non-refundable.

Also, Shellee R., the new Group Sales manager (how many have been in that position in all the time I've dealt with them?) tells me that v.p. Michael P. wants to double the price of the conference room! In other words, they say we've been using the room at too low a price for all these years. If the price were doubled, we definitely wouldn't be able to afford that. We're still at the original price for 2012, but after that, who knows?

I've done a cursory look at hotels around the Las Vegas Fremont St. area, and the Golden Nugget and Fitzgeralds both offer conference rooms. I hope that their prices are reasonable, just in case we have to move CommVEx in 2013.

Truly,

[Derxst]

Do you have a website for CommVEx ?

If not, I would be willing to create one for you.

[rbernardo]

Thanks for the offer. Our website is at http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex It doesn't yet show any information about next year's CommVEx.

Truly,

[rbernardo]

The deposit for the Left Field Room in the Las Vegas Club Hotel was sent today.

Well, this is most disconcerting. Gina (a replacement for Shellee?) e-mailed me for a phone discussion. I just phoned her and was told that she could not find a signed contract! Well, I knew that the Plaza/Las Vegas Club Hotel company was scatter-brained, but now it's worse! In no uncertain terms, I told her that the contract was signed and the deposit was made. I also told her that the deposit had better not be lost.

She'll call me again on Monday
with info on the deposit,

[rbernardo]

...I told her that the contract was signed and the deposit was made. I also told her that the deposit had better not be lost.

Problem solved (at least for now). I e-mailed Gina, the new catering manager, all the old relevant e-mails from Shellee, and Gina "rediscovered" the signed contract and my deposit.

Wishing for no further problems,

[rbernardo]

The third and final payment for the room was sent today! Yesterday I received an e-mail from Gina, saying that the second payment had been received. According to my bank, they received that payment on May 4, but it took them 26 days to confirm it!?!?!? That is very slow confirmation.

Gina requested that I explain the room set-up. I did so again, reminding her that it was already explained in the signed contract.

Are they confused or what?

[rbernardo]

It seems that my right-hand and left-hand men, Dick E. and Larry A., may not be in attendance this year to help me out. That means I will have to do all the heavy preliminaries the few days before CommVEx, especially set-up day on Friday, July 27. Oooo, I have my work cut out for me.

Truly,

[rbernardo]

Final room payment received by Gina yesterday. There's no turning back now!

Truly,

[rbernardo]

Very disturbing news yesterday from Gina out of Catering. She wrote, "the location for Commvex has been moved from the Las Vegas Club to the Plaza at no additional charge. I apologize in advance if this causes any inconvenience. I have created an amendment to the original contract. If you are in agreement, may you please sign and return to me?"

I have not signed any amendment. Immediately after reading her message (about an hour after it was delivered), I e-mailed back, "Before I sign anything, to what room are we moved in the Plaza Hotel?" It has been 24 hours now and no response.

I have a theory about why they want to move us, but I will speak about that later.

CommVEx still at the Las Vegas Club Hotel,

[JimDrew]

Any more news on this? I booked my room at the 'convention hotel' so that I don't have to run across the street to go to my room to get/put things while I am there.

[rbernardo]

We're still at the Las Vegas Club Hotel. I gave my reasons to Gina for not switching hotels, and there was no response to that, other than an inquiry from Gina and the head of Presentation Services Audio-Visual asking if we needed more outlets, power strips, hard-line Internet connections, etc.. Of course, all of that would cost more money. I replied that we did not need the extra services.

Not signing any change in the contract,

[rbernardo]

...we'll have the show at the Las Vegas Club Hotel, third floor Left Field Room, 18 E. Fremont Street in Las Vegas...

For easiest access to the Left Field Room, use the the hotel's North Elevators.

Truly,