Yep! I’ve got another one coming up soon. REAL soon. This weekend, starting Friday, actually. Interestingly enough, this one was planned MUCH farther in advance than the July 4th thing I blogged about previously. I’m hosting a gathering of laser tag lovers from the greater pacific northwest at Fort Worden aptly named “Fort Worden Laser Tag,” aka FWLT. This one had to be planned a considerable amount of time in advance since the batteries at Fort Worden are used for many things, and the dorm that we reserved is also a highly desirable thing for large groups to make use of. For FWLT, we reserved Battery Tolles on Friday, Battery Benson on Saturday (Battery Tolles was in use for a wedding on Saturday), and a wing in one of the dorms for those who plan to make a weekend of it.
The most complicated part of all this is the dorms. Reserving a dorm means committing to a minimum occupancy of 16 people, which also includes a minimum food requirement for each person. This meant that I was risking a sizable chunk of money if I didn’t get 16 people to stay (and pay) for their dorm room. I asked the exact cost of the room/board from people who chose to stay in the dorm, which came to a grand total of $81 per person (pays for two nights and 4 meals). This is a really good deal considering what you get for it, but there were some people who prefer to only come on Saturday, or to stay at the campground on the fort or somewhere else.
It took a while to reach the minimum number of 16 (which I would have to pay for no matter what), but we got there, with a few extra to spare as time went by. Unfortunately, we also had a couple cancellations, and one LAST MINUTE cancellation that I could not refund since I’d have to pay for their spot anyway. Fortunately, he knew that was the case, and wanted me to offer his room and board to another person, which I have done. So, coming in just under the wire at 16 people for the dorm.
We’re not supposed to have more than 40 people or so playing at the batteries each day, but since there are only about 10-12 people not staying in the dorm, I don’t think that will be a problem. We’ll be lucky to break the 24 player limit of hosted LTTO games unless there are a ton of people who never bothered to even e-mail me that they’re coming show up.
So, it’s been a small roller coaster ride of trying to get people to commit, getting cancellations, more people to commit, etc. I think we’re good to go, so now I’m finishing up my final preparations. What do I still need to do?
- take out, test, and replace batteries as needed in all my loaner gear, as well as my personal tagger(s)
- take Rusty and supplies to Grandma for the watching over the weekend
- pack the van with all the laser tag club stuff, sleeping bags (the dorm beds have no linens unless you pay extra), suitcases, and whatever
- get there early Friday to get keys, food vouchers, set up at the battery, etc.
It should be a heck of a weekend. I’ll try to report on how it all went down after I get back.
Yo! Happy B-DAY DUDE!