I think I heard about the Mingle meet up about a year or two ago. A lot of Americans love road trips! That's why it should be in the United States.

Lol, I'm thinking we need to have two or three so everyone can be included

We can have Soufie, River and Rosie organize it. What could go wrong?

I would love to have a Mingle meetup. I've been saying that for a long time.

The problem that worries me is distance though. I've never been able to do much traveling. And with work the way it is right now, it's probably going to be awhile before I can take any substantial time off.

In fact, I currently only have about 4 days of paid vacation time. I get 2 weeks of paid vacation each year, plus I have an extra 2 days of paid time off. Granted, in 2 months I would probably have about a week of vacation time, but that's not the only concern.

Staff has been short-handed. In fact, my place is currently down 3 staff. On top of that, there has been a high rate of turnover for the past year. If that trend continues, I may not be able to take any time off at all. My luck at previous jobs has always been that I had to cancel my vacations at the last minute because of staffing issues. So I tend to be a little wary and superstitious about that.

But let's say I do manage to get vacation time approved...
How much will it cost me to travel to the meetup? Will I be able to drive there, or will I have to fly?
How about hotel/motel rates in the area?
Will it be at a casino or bar? I don't drink, and I don't gamble. I had problems with both, so I gave them up.

To keep it short, the location is really the biggest factor in whether or not I could commit. The closer it is, the easier the logistics. The further it is, the more unlikely that I could make it.

Therefore, I would think the best solution would be to have regional meetups on a periodic basis. People could show up from around the country or from other countries if they are able to, but if they miss it, there would be other opportunities in a few months. But at least the people who can't travel too far would have a better chance of attending rather than missing out.

So...here's a brief list of possible locations for regional meets just to illustrate what I'm thinking:

West Coast - Las Vegas
Rockies - Denver
Western Great Lakes - Chicago or Minneapolis
Texas - Dallas or Houston
Deep South - Nashville or Memphis
Mid-Atlantic - Washington D.C
Northeast - Boston

Those are only rough ideas, and it's a lot of meets to plan and coordinate. But it demonstrates a fairly good geographic spread. If done properly, there might even be enough overlap in regions so that some Minglers might be in range of 2 or more meetups.

To add further, I wouldn't attempt to more than 3 meets per year. More than that would be tough to set and coordinate. Thus, a rotation would need to be established so that each region receives equal opportunity for a meetup.

...my 2 cents.

I'm seeing alot of good ideas.

Thanks Cat, I'm flattered. I'm willing to help but I prefer not to be the one who organizes it.

I think if it's going to be an open invite event it could get tricky and difficult to plan due to the diverse group of people and their needs. The one in charge of planning needs to be able to be willing to have others get upset with him/her when others don't get what they want. I can handle that to a point, but at this time in my life I'm working on reducing stress factors, not adding more stress in my life.

i know i know...
we can all meet up at cat's house

That sounds like a great idea

How about it cat?

Lots of great ideas guys but first thing to be confirmed...


Who is ABLE AND WILLING to travel for a mingle- meet somewhere in the USA. In 2020?

Anyone ready to make a public commitment so we can get a semblance of a headcount ? Or do we need more time before committing to an answer?

Im wiilling and able provided that my mom 's health remains stable.

I am willing and able!

Great River! The others may need some more time to think about it. Everyone has their unique set of circumstances and challenges so I wanna be sensitive to that.

Yes, I'm sure some have limitations as to how far they can travel and when. It would be great if we were able to plan something, but it does take time.

2020 is a long way off.... We are not even into 2019 yet

But yes I'm up for it if I have not got banned from here by then.
Never been to North America but can get a cheep flight from Manchester Airport.

Several comments on your discussion:

1. Without a means to involve more people than just the few in the forums, you're probably talking 10-20 people at most. Depending on where you do it, expect it is going to cost each person $500-$1000 for a weekend with travel, lodging, and food.

2. actionlynx makes a good point about starting with something more localized and doing a regional thing. Based on looking at the locations of several of you, I would suggest 1 in the NE US, probably fall 2019 would be nice, and 1 in the NE Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas area, probably late winter/early spring 2020.

3. Planning should then be conducted by several people familiar with the areas selected. Would help if someone involved in the planning could make a trip to the selected area to actually look at accommodations.

How about Blackpool for a meet for the UK members?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PZHxsNcgI

Nothing has been decided yet Pauldun. :) Ideas are just being thrown around and official organisers are yet to be confirmed . So nothing is marked in stone as of now.

I agree that 2020 seems very far away. If people are willing and able to meet in 2019 , then ofcourse it would be welcomed, but if the agreed season is summer, then that leaves limited time to plan , organise, save and book flights and accommodations. The group can ultimately decide what year, season and venue suits the majority best :)

That said, seems like we have 3 potential attendees River, you and myself. We will see over time if the list grows

As actionlynx and oldkid46 have mentioned...finances would be an issue for some...me included..
I save/ budget for the 3-4 bluegrass festivals/ competitons I go to every year...that pretty much eats up my travel budget..

Also, what about people who do not fly?
(*everyone* has *some* phobia)

Driving 700-1000 miles is definitely a NOPE.

Regional would be better...

count me in.

i know i know we can invade toronto