Top o’ the mornin’ to you, PrimeTimers!
It looks as if the Luck of the Irish is with us, since we in Travis County are now at Level 3 and on the way up, right?? So, what does that mean for PrimeTime? This is what the county says:
For vaccinated the recommendations are the following:
Participate in indoor private gatherings with precautions, and in outdoor gatherings without precautions. High-risk individuals may dine with precautions, while low-risk individuals may dine without precautions. Shopping may be done without precautions, while travel may be done with precautions.
As per usual, PrimeTime will continue operating within the guidelines, with vaxed only events, but this really opens things up for us. (if only in our minds!) It is up to individual members to decide whether or not they wish to take precautions such as wearing a mask or keeping socially distant because they are high risk due to age, pre-existing conditions, or to protect a family member.
That being said—let’s get out there people!! It’s really wonderful to reconnect with folks we haven’t seen in two years and to meet new members of our group! We would love ALL our Event Organizers to shake off those COVID Blues and get back in the swing of posting events again! Before COVID, PrimeTime had the busiest, most varied calendar in Austin, and I think we can get our MOJO back in the next couple of months if everyone pitches in! Take an idea from what we have going on now or choose your own! We love game nights—what’s your favorite? We have small dinners around town–has a new restaurant opened near you? We want to keep live music alive—have you heard a new band or been to a great venue? We have hikes, walks, yoga, movie nights—we love it all! If you have a special interest, chances are that others are interested too and would love to attend if you posted it. If you are not yet an event organizer or event host, speak to someone who is or to one of us on the leadership team. We’re always happy to help!
On the topic of meetups, a few of the organizers who have been holding events recently have expressed a couple of concerns that not only affect them, but other attendees, and our venues as well. Most fall into the category of Meetup Etiquette—so, a refresher:
1.HONOR YOUR RSVP or cancel with at least 24 hour notice. Yes, we all have occasional emergencies, but hazardous driving notwithstanding, we also have habitual no-shows who cancel at the last minute before someone else can be notified they are off the wait list. This also affects the event host, who has planned, perhaps saved seats or prepared food for a certain number of people, only to have just half of them show up. HOSTS: I encourage you to take attendance at or after your event. There is a difference between “didn’t go” and “no show.” We’d like to keep track of the habitual no shows.
Venues are affected, too, and have long memories! Hosts who have events at a public venue have to speak and negotiate with management to get us in, and you’d be surprised how many won’t consider us because we don’t spend enough, tip enough, or groups tend to be rude to wait staff. For a recent meet-up the host called the venue at 1:00 in the afternoon to tell him that we had 39 people showing up for happy hour. Four hours later, the count was down to 20! That was not only embarrassing for the host, but extremely unfair for the venue that had put on extra wait staff for us and set aside a portion of the restaurant to serve us. We are now looking for a new venue. Please keep in mind that we need to
2. SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES who provide us with a place to gather and rightly expect to serve us more than drink of water or a bottomless cup of coffee.
3. BE APPRECIATIVE! A sincere thank you in person or by email is a powerful message that can help build relationships so make sure you thank your host, wait staff and the venue manager/host before you leave or the next day.
I hope you have marked your calendar for one of PrimeTime’s most popular events: The Spring Soiree! There is something special about dining and dancing under the stars on a beautiful warm, spring night. DJ extraordinaire Mark Miller will be spinning our favorite tunes from “The Times of Our Lives.” Fiesta Gardens is a lovely venue with many trees, flowers and walking paths that create wonderful backdrops for picture-taking. We are planning some wonderful surprises for y’all so stay tuned–tickets will be going on sale soon!
As many of you know, Greg and I will be leaving town for awhile near the end of March to begin our adventure of traveling The Great Loop on our boat. We will be back for the Spring Soiree weekend, and then off again, probably until September or October. PrimeTime will never be out of my mind or heart, but know that the other members of our leadership team — Mireya, Lisa, Gregg and Andy – have things well in hand and we will all be meeting regularly as always. We also have Wifi and cell phone connections on the boat most of the time, so should you have questions or issues, (or just want to talk!) I will be as available as I am in Austin, just not in person! 😊
Remember to “spring forward” next weekend the12/13! I hope to see you soon at a meetup!
May the luck of the Irish be with you throughout March and beyond! Happy Spring!
Hugs,
Louise