TAXI.com

Paulie wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:28 pm

I've been out of pocket lately and am catching up. Has anything been said about masking requirements, or dare I say, vaccine requirements, at the Westin? Would hate to travel there and then be surprised/unprepared.

admin wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:57 pm

1) No sax players allowed

Paulie wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:04 pm

No sax players?! Dang it...

admin wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:57 pm

We WILL be enforcing these two rules:

1) No sax players allowed, lol

2) No making out in the elevators or the hot tub this year.

Paulie wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:04 pm

No sax players?! Dang it...

Thanks for the detailed update Michael. Hoping I can get my work schedule work out. I've been traveling a ton the past year, including lots of conventions. I think super-spreaders are a thing of the past based on the trends this year.

Paulie

admin wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:57 pm

Masks are not mandated by the city or state, and TAXI will not mandate them. Same goes for vaccines.

HOWEVER, we are opening up another section of the grand ballroom and spreading out the seating so you won't have to sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

We WILL require masks for One-to-One Mentor sessions because the mentors will be seeing a constant stream of people and we want to keep everybody as safe as possible.

We will have a mask in every goody bag, and some extras at registration. We will also have hand sanitizer readily available.

We are also figuring out a way to avoid the Zig-Zag registration line waiting room, as that seems like it could be too crowded to mitigate COVID spread.

We have not YET figured out how to do the Eat-and-Greet Luncheons with less crowding than is usually the case. We have to hit certain $ minimums to keep the hotel happy and make sure we don't have to lay out out super big bucks to rent the ballroom and all the classrooms, etc. We might reduce the headcount by 33% each day, and have less people per table. That would also mean we'd have to increase the cost of the luncheon tickets, but not by a crazy amount. TAXI doesn't make a penny on those luncheons, but they DO give us greatly reduced rental costs on other aspects of the hotel.

By the way, we do plan to have the outdoor area at the end of the ballroom concourse open, and with a bar out there. People who'd rather drink, network, and mingle outside to avoid close contact should take advantage of that.

Common sense should rule the day as to potential COVID spread. Wear a mask if it makes you feel safer. Avoid drunken close-talkers in the bar. Don't overcrowd classrooms. If you see one that IS overcrowded, please choose another class. Policing and ENFORCING classroom overcrowding will be next to impossible. Even if we have volunteers, we doubt they'd want to kick people out. And if they DO want to play "enforcer," I'm worried about altercations that might arise. Again, common sense should inform your decisions.

I have been watching convention-related websites, and frankly, I'm pleasantly surprised that I haven't seen any super-spreader events, and most Rally-sized confabs are taking few precautions, if any at all.

I'd like the Rally to be more buttoned up on that score, but even the State of California has been FAR less draconian about COVID regulations lately. And guess what? Our numbers are falling off nicely.

We WILL be enforcing these two rules:

1) No sax players allowed, lol.

2) No making out in the elevators or the hot tub this year.

We will keep you posted on further developments as they arise, and BOOK YOUR ROOMS now at the link below! Surprisingly, last time I checked, we are about 30% ahead of Rally registrations for same number of days out, compared to our last in-person Rally (2019).

BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM NOW: www.marriott.com/event-reservations/res ... p=resvlink

Best,
Michael