FOR ALL AW PILOTS . . .
Let me update you on the progress of the AW Pilot Reunion 2010.
The dates I have selected are June 10-13th, 2010 Indianapolis, IN.
I have talked to the 8 people I have asked to be our guest of honors. They are
From Kesmai
Jonathan Baron - Is willing to come.
Kelton Flinn - Is thinking about coming but consider him a "tentative" for now.
John Taylor - Is thinking of coming if a certain potential conflict does not interfere.
Frank Williamson - Would come tomorrow if it were held that soon - A definite will be there !
Player Reps
Steve "Mage" Lackey - He is looking forward to it.
Gary "Moggy" Cooper - he can only commit as a "maybe"
Jeff "Quarters" Hanna - Right now he is free that weekend to attend for a day.
Mike "Dose" Brandsma - Would plan to come but cannot commit to the date this far out.
My feelings are after talking to the guys above is that the more people who plan to come the greater interest they have in attending.
The one theme I heard from several is that they do not want this to be an AW vs. AH comparison or squeak-fest about all the bad / wrong things that may have gone on.
At this time no money has been spent by me to get this going.
The travel people at my work have been very gracious to work with me and a hotel to keep the cost down as much as possible.
This is the hotel.
http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/INDNHES-Embassy-Suites-Indianapolis-North-Indiana/index.do Right now the room cost is $109 per night. This gets you all of the amenities of the hotel that include a complimentary cook to order breakfast and a Managers reception of complimentary snacks and drinks each evening.
They have free parking at the hotel.
They are also going to include free Wireless internet access in the room ( I am checking to see if that includes wired access in each room ).
Before I sign anything with the hotel I need to get a prelim head count from those that had expressed interest in attending.
I know for some of you the dates will not work. The month of June was the one that had the most number of people who could attend.
Right now I am looking at a CON fee of $100 dollars.
This includes the following.
CON Shirt
Upgraded seating at the Indy Airshow on June 12th ( Saturday )
Banquet Dinner Friday evening.
Con room fees and other miscellaneous fees.
There will be an additional cost for any guest you would want to bring to the Banquet dinner and or the Air show.
Some Extra Add-ons I am thinking of are ( Not sure of the cost yet ) each person can buy them or not . . .
Buy a second CON Shirt.
Buy an Upgraded CON shirt - Baseball type with your handle on the back and your favorite number
AW CON Calendar - It would have the BEST pictures from the con on each months page plus each persons picture on their birthday. It would be mailed to the people who request one.
( For those that could not attend they can also buy the CON shirt and or the upgraded one and Calendar )
I am also thinking if we have enough people interested ( 30 or more at $25 per person ) in having a Monte Carlo night on Saturday.
Each person can take their winnings and buy more raffle ticket for prizes that have been donated.
If enough wives plan to attend I have an offer to a free massage to a lucky person. The others can schedule a massage at the same time. There are plenty of shopping areas. The Children's museum and Zoo are good for the kids.
The TENTATIVE Schedule would be . . .
Thursday - CON ROOM Setup - meet and great those that plan to arrive early.
Friday - Q and A with our guest on the history of AW, how they all got involved, what they are doing now and any questions you ever had about AW.
Friday night - Banquet Dinner
Saturday - Air show
Saturday night - Fun stuff or Monte Carlo night
Sunday - close up by noon and enjoy what time left we have with each other.
The CON room would be open as early as we are allowed in and close as late until they kick us out.
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What does this all come down to you ask ?
I will need to go to the hotel on Dec. 1st and let them know if I have at least 20 people staying for a total of 60 room nights.
This is the minimum I need to move forward on this project.
I also will need to have 1/2 of the CON FEE from those 20 people deposited in my PayPal account so I can pay for the down payment of the hotel contract.
Those that are able to pay 1/2 of the CON FEE to help out on pre-paying part of the hotel cost would receive a discount of $10 on the rest of the CON FEE.
For right now I need the following information . . .
Make your best guess - err on the cautious side if needed or even if you know you can not attend you might still be interested in the Shirts / Calanders.
1. I can attend 1 or more days of the CON June 10-13th ( Y/N ) ___
2. I would reserve 0,1,2,3 or more nights at the hotel ___
3. I can pay 1/2 of the CON Fee by Dec. 1st - $50 ( Y/N ) ___
Optional
4. I would be interested in a second CON Shirt ( Y/N ) ___
5. I would be interested in the Upgraded CON Shirt ( Y/N ) ___
6. I would be interested in additional Banquet Dinner tickets ( Y/N ) Qty - ___
7. I would be interested in additional Airshow tickets ( Y/N ) Qty - ___
8. I would be interested in the AW CON Calendar ( Y/N ) Qty - ___
Thanks again for expressing interest in the AW Pilot Reunion.
I hope to see as many of you as possible next June.
Mike "Jordi" Bowman
