**Windrush Annual Auction Party Coordination Meeting**

**January 12, 2005**

Agenda:

1)  Introduction: this is year event goals and philosophy

2)  Report on Meeting with Mira Vista Manager (Jan 11)

3)  Discussion on Theme and Design

4)  Schedule of future meetings

> Committee's tasks, sign-up, schedule

Attendees:

Alessandra, Jen, Darril, Kathey, Thea and (welcome) Anna Weisberg.

**[1) This year Event]{.underline}**.

> We'll do it at the Mira Vista!

-   In the last couple of months there was a lot of discussion about
    shifting from a traditional Gala-type event to a Family-type event,
    to enhance the sense of community and encourage everybody to attend
    by making it free (no tickets) while making enough fundraising (by
    introducing the pick-a-party item idea).

> That didn't work:

-   too late in the year to find the right site for the family event

-   Windrush was an option but too difficult to make the event look
    different than a typical picnic (teachers for instance would not
    necessarily come to that)

-   WPA not ready to sponsor an event 100%: too soon, not enough time to
    plan a completely different event

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-   Still, this year there is a shift towards more WPA/Parent
    involvement:

    -   Auction event is now a Co-sponsorship between WPA and
        Development Office

    -   Mira Vista is still available for April 30, 2005, 6-11 pm (as
        originally planned at the beginning of the year)

    -   Sounds like the way to go.

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-   We need to focus more on Marketing and Publicity

    -   We should try to make the event appealing to more people

    -   It's going to be a party but we want more people to feel
        comfortable about coming (a fundraiser where people also come to
        socialize: parents, teachers, staff)

    -   The theme is a very important element (see below)

    -   Auction items will shift towards community activities, parties
        of families signing up for a special event to do together
        (pick-a party)

    -   Find a way to subsidize some tickets (to include more people to
        come and socialize)

**[2) Meeting with the Mira Vista Manager]{.underline}**.

Jen, Thea and I had a first meeting (Tuesday, Jan 11) with the Mira
Vista General Manager (Robert Sparks).

We Reviewed this year premises, discussed our general requirements
(including what we didn't like last year) and had some negotiation:

The agreement it's pretty much the same as last year but we felt that
more could be negotiate now.

-   All three rooms will be available (last year we didn't have the
    boardroom)

-   Rental is free (it's explicitly stated this year) if member is
    sponsoring it (which is the case for us)

-   *Still \$300 for security at parking*

-   We'll bring our own wine (and champagne?) even though the corkage
    fee is rather high \$11

-   Soft drink and beer have to be bought there. In order to avoid extra
    line because of also have to pay we'll buy some up front (and
    include a couple of tickets or such with the invitation)

-   Last year people didn't like the long line at the bar and to buy
    their glass of wine. This was discussed quite a bit: There will be a
    table with drinks, besides the bar. Since they only allow their
    stuff to serve food and drinks there will be at least 2 bartenders
    behind the counter. If there is also a table with drinks that should
    be enough.

-   Same menu as last year (it wasn't that great) but our food chair
    might propose something else and we can discuss it with them.

-   Desserts might be brought by us if they are bite size and most of
    all we sign a waiver. That will be a big improvement. Our food chair
    (and parent volunteers) could use their creativity in this one.

-   Set-up and Food plan by end of February. By Friday April 22, they
    want the final count

-   They prefer to deal with the same people.

> Deposit of \$1000 (Thea will take care of it)

Things look good; it's such a great site.

**[3) NEW THEME Discussion]{.underline}**

It was a brainstorming: from germination to trees, from seeds to fruit.\
We need to finalize that, even though I mentioned already what our basic
theme will be, to Susan Brand (who graciously just accepted again the
job to be our logo designer).\
Thea suggested \"The Garden of Windrush\" as a theme name.\
Other suggestions (from Natasha by email) included having trees (made of
cardboard) with apples to pick (buy) and each apple correspond to a gift
certificate. That would add decoration to the event and be in sync with
the theme.\
So, probably we could replace the balloons with the trees.\
Darril very enthusiastically offered the 8th graders again to do that
job.

**[We need to finalize the THEME as soon as possible (by January 20?) so
that the Publicity team could start to work on design and plan for
marketing.]{.underline}**

**[4) Possible schedule of future meetings]{.underline}**

(*Below reduced list from what I presented at the meeting*).

(Wednesday, January 26, WPA meeting)

Thursday, Feb 3

Thursday, March 3

(Tuesday, March 22, WPA meeting)

Thursday, April 7

Thursday, April 21

Given the very poor attendance of this first meeting, I propose to only
have monthly meetings. I think we need to do the Feb 3 one with the
involvement of most of the committee chairs since we need to get all the
requirements for set-up plan. The plan needs to be completed by the end
of Feb when we'll meet again with MV. But if we can make it with only
email, that's fine with me. We'll see how it goes.

Below the **Subcommittees and Volunteers** so far:

[**Solicitations** Jen Villeneuve (chair)]{.underline}

*Sponsorship* Kathey Mardsen

[**Food&Drink** Lucy Aghadjian (chair)]{.underline}

[**Site Logistics** Alessandra Ciocio (chair)]{.underline}

*Set-up* Erin Uesugi

[**Art Projects** Emily Payne (chair)]{.underline}

[**Office Support** Sara Mayeno (chair)]{.underline}

*Catalog* Kathy Lee

*Check-out* Anna Weisberg

[**Publicity** Sarah Johnson (chair)]{.underline}

*Design* Susan Brand

*Auctioneer* Bob Zimmerman

[**8^th^ Graders** Darril dela Torre (chair)]{.underline}

As you will see in the 2 other documents, an excel table summarizing all
Subcommittees and tasks and the word document describing each
Subcommittee's work, we have many more tasks to accomplish and need many
more volunteers.

Thanks so much to all the most recent volunteers Anna Weisberg
(check-out),

Susan Brand (Design/logo), Sara Mayeno (Office Support Chair),

Sarah Johnson (Publicity Chair), Kathy Lee (Catalog and more), Erin
Uesugi (Set-up),

Bob Zimmerman (auctioneer). Thank you all!

One last point we didn't have time to discuss: MUSIC.

We need to decide on that soon.

Should we try to have the live band or just a disc-jockey?

1/15/05 Alessandra