Lines, fake cops, and over-crowding

On 2009-08-18 08:52, TikiShopPua wrote:

On 2009-08-18 06:51, Cammo wrote:
An alphabetical lineup is a good idea, but better is clipboard floaters who move up the line with wristbands in hand and a simple checklist. If you folks are holding computer printouts and Drivers Licenses it should take about 5 seconds per group to get checked in. The 'one line, one desk' process obviously doesn't work all that well.

That's a great idea and at some points, Mateo DID do that. You don't know how much easier it would have been if everyone had a printout or confirmation in their hands. One simple thing might have made all the difference in the world in moving things along. I personally send my heartfelt mahalos to those of you who had the foresight to have a printout with them. And yep, the "one line, one desk" process probably needs work, but my goodness, don't take out your frustration on the volunteers sitting behind the desk. We were there to help!

[ Edited by: TikiShopPua 2009-08-18 08:59 ]

Could work, but could also lead to errors. You have 3 lists and you need to reconcile them. End of the day you want to be sure guest X got their 2 wristbands and they got them once.

It's all growing pains. Too small to worry about these details much, too big and these deatils are an issue but you can't afford or manage a better solution, big enough that it all gets taken care of.

In the end, most folks here are saying the same things. The lines are a chance, like all of the event, to meet people and catch up with old friends.

maybe the event should be tiki only---and not include other ideas or groups!!!let tiki be tiki, let lowbrow be lowbrow and let burlesque be burlesque. in separate venues

I too would like to apologize to Afkarp's Moai for being a little tough, I do understand your frustration. I think a lot of valid points and good suggestions have been brought up here. Despite some minor glitches, I had a Great time. This was my third TO and I think the best. I have learned past events what anticipate. Otto, Baby Doe and Mateo did and incredible job staging such a vast production. I am sure they are monitoring this thread and are getting some ideas for next year.

Otto, I for one want to step up now and volunteer to help with next year's event. Please PM me and tell me what I can do both in the planning and at the event itself.

I do believe that circumstances can affect your experience of an event. You can drive for several hours in heavy traffic, check into a hotel and not get the room you wanted, wait in long lines for a wristband, drinks, eat bad food, get poor service, etc. For some they did not experience any of this, others may have experienced all of this and more. I think Babydoe and Otto and all the volunteers do a great job for such a large event.

The wristband issue seems very easy to fix and there have already been many suggestions for this. The pool area is too small for even the registered guests, so I don't think trying to keep others out will work. The staff of the hotel were very nice and helpful to us. We already knew that the food and waitstaff service at the Crowne need help, but that has not changed with all the complaining over the years. Bring your own food and/or carpool a group to go out for grub. post to the locals for some food recommendations....they are always friendly and helpful.

We did not make it to some of the big room parties due to long lines and some being too late (especially if you are a vendor or past your binge drinking days). We were able to find some smaller room parties with no bands and had a great time. It also helps if you carry a jug of your own cocktails to pour for the room hosts (and yourself). We had to wait in some lines, eat bad food, have my folding dolly stolen, etc., but the good was way better than the bad, plus we get to see our old friends and meet some new listen to good music, seminars and more!

To sum up....don't be too hard on the people that are complaining as this may be their first Oasis or they may have had just too many things go wrong. To the complainers....read the thread and learn what you can do next time to have a better experience.

We look forward to seeing everyone again.....Aloha!

My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Lemoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.

Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.

In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.

You know who you are.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

"Could work, but could also lead to errors. You have 3 lists and you need to reconcile them. End of the day you want to be sure guest X got their 2 wristbands and they got them once. "

The floaters do 5 individuals at a time, then just go back to the desk and check them off the main list. Then back to the line and get the next 5. We did that with the seminars and had 3 lines going with everybody signed in well before the event. (It's not that hard!)

The main thing, as somebody pointed out, is to make sure people have their printed out receipts & ID with them.

On 2009-08-18 20:20, telescopes wrote:
My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Lemoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.

Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.

In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.

You know who you are.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

I have mixed emotions on this. As a room host, I should be able to let in whoever I want even if there is a line. It is after all my room.

I agree about the sober rude people.

On 2009-08-17 10:56, tikitony wrote:
As a vendor, I had a great time......Couldn't ask for any better service from them! And Tiki Oasis has become a GIANT, and all that planning is appreciated by all, Thanks Otto and Baby Doe.

Thanks, Tony!
We'll see new protocol for 2010 which will make everyone much happier!

On 2009-08-16 18:09, Afkarp's Moai wrote:
...but if your only paying $60 at the Motel 6 an I'm paying nearly 3 times that much, you should use your own hotel's amenities so I can use mine.

Great point. Honestly, Motel 6 was $89.99 per night for all the peak nights of Oasis--much more of a stretch than $160 considering the quality of the Hanalei (and that's very short of the top prices at the Hanalei).

On 2009-08-18 09:12, Tiki Phill wrote:

On 2009-08-18 06:51, Cammo wrote:

Also, the wristbands could simply be mailed in advance, when you actually order the tickets. (Why not?) Then the line would be 1/2 the length to begin with.

Because they would be counterfeited like mad, trust me. That's why San Diego Comic con stopped doing it about a decade ago.

It's true... let me know if you need some counterfeited...

I think Otto and all the volunteers did an outstanding job, and some of the complaints I'm hearing about stem from things beyond their control. The food lines out by the stage/pool area- Crowne Plaza needs to look into that. I talked with a staff member and they told me they ran through 2,000 patties in a single day. Definitely bigger crowds than what they were expecting. Also, one of the main sponsors, Primo Beer, ran out of beer by Saturday evening. I think these are great signs of how successful/popular Tiki Oasis has become.

Security did a great job, and I didn't feel that they were heavy-handed at all, though viewing their single-file entrance from my balcony was great imagery like something from some Orwellian movie... maybe if they wore leis? No wristband, no access, what's so hard about that? They mostly stuck to the bottom floors and the performance area, and I never noticed them at any of the room crawls I attended. Though they could have been a little more understanding for some people, I know Jonpaul from the Tikiyaki Orchestra couldn't get back to where he needed to go since he didn't have a wristband. And... they actually did their jobs by catching a few with blue masking tape wristbands! I know I would have been too drunk or happy to notice that. Talking with some of the security folks, they enjoyed the weekend too, and even hustle amongst themselves to see who gets duty Oasis weekend.

There's been some great suggestions here, and I am sure that all will be considered for next year. Let's not forget that little area that was under new construction near the conference rooms... that equates to more space/room for next year!

Aloha! Hey my wife and I had a great time! This was our first T.O. Hey, this is the price of success. I first want to say the Tiki people are crazy!(and I mean that in a good way). I have been to many events where people were drinking, and Tiki people are very polite. The lady that checked us in to the hotel told us that she thought this too, and told us that this was not always so. I think we freaked out the security little bit(you have to admit were a strange lot). But we had no problems with them. The volunteers did a great job! People BRING YOUR PATIENCE! OOO I had to stand in line! Come on, we live in a modern world! All and all we had a very good experience and can't wait tell next year, Mahalo.

On 2009-08-18 20:20, telescopes wrote:
My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Lemoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.

Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.

In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.

You know who you are.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

Ok, I was one of the "self important" individuals who "cut" in line at the "Lemoncello Lounge"(it's Limoncello, by the way) with Bamboo Ben and my wife to get the last of the decorations put up that Ben had. My wife said she was sorry to the people who were bitching about it on the way in, but I myself am NOT sorry at all. I'm a vendor and the ONLY commercial carver doing a demonstration all weekend long and I don't have the time to enjoy anything at all, let alone wait in line for a shotglass that I don't even want when I'm trying to get things done. Some of us who are there are there to work and sacrifice our good times to enhance yours because that's what we enjoy. Do you want to know what it's like to put on a 16 hour demonstration while you're on vacation? I tolly enjoy it, but am totally beat afterwards. Just something to think about instead of getting an ulcer, wondering if they'll run out of mugs before you get one. If you didn't, I'll send you mine, even though I missed 90 percent of Oasis.....and just missed an episode of King of the Hill, typing this up.

And by the way, didn't get "drunk" until everyone else was passed out and just before bed. I find it hard to enjoy my libations in tight proximity with so many unfamiliar people. Gotta make sure my sense of humor dosen't upset anyone, you know? Just another sacrifice. Is there anything else I can do for you?

View my work @

http://www.myspace.com/sandiegotikicarvers

"96 tears from 96 eyes".....RIP Lux Interior

[ Edited by: Billy the Crud 2009-08-21 22:59 ]

On 2009-08-17 01:04, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:

On 2009-08-16 21:05, Billy the Crud wrote:
.........all that and Tiki Dan still managed to smuggle his stuff in without paying for a booth.

They actually cannot kick TikiDan out, because according to TikiDan, he invented tiki...

LOL

Buzzy thanks for the photo - classic!

btw, how was the TV appearance this year?

On 2009-08-18 08:07, little lost tiki wrote:
a fluffer in the check-in line at the hotel would be cool...

duly noted, I will put out a call on Craigslist Van Nuys immediatley!

OK, it took me a few days to read all these posts. Thanks for your enthusiasm!

Obviously I know about most of these problems and am already working on it. Here are some answers to some of the issues.

The reason there were long lines at registration is partially because we were lax about checking wristbands in the past and this allowed non-paying guests into the show who did not respect the event. So, in order to keep gate crashers out we need security and we need to enforce the wristband aspect. Guests were not prepared for this and waited til the last minute to get their wristbands. We did the best we could working with the system we had in place. I personally handed out programs to guests waiting in line, handed out wristbands to vendors and performers in line, and bought Mai Tais for volunteers. Next year registration will be in the Kona Coast lobby which is three times larger, there will be a bar set up and a water station, and we will have some sort of barcode scanner/computer setup. Swanky's comment about splitting the list is definitely true within our existing system but we are looking in to how to implement that for next year.

The security makes good people feel secure, and sketchy people feel insecure. I'm sorry if someone was intimidated by the security. I think they were a little heavy handed this year. I will fix that next year. Sorry they had guns. I requested "no guns". I paid for no guns. I got the guns for free! The supervisors said they always carry their guns and it is included in the deal. OK, I'll fix that next time. Unbeknownst to you, they actually chased off a homeless encampment outside the far corner of the parking lot. The homeless guys had tools such as crowbars and wire cutters. I'm glad I had several uniformed, armed, security guards on duty after hearing that. They also got Tiki Dan's info including expired registration on his car! The hotel has 24 hour security from the same company. We added one extra 24 hour guard on Saturday night. And doubled our security overall for the event. Yes they were more visible. I think that's OK at a large event. Let me know if you still think otherwise and I can take steps such as requesting no uniforms.

As for the long lines at bars and restaurants. I kept both the Bali Hai and Crowne Plaza informed of the attendance. Both of them ramped up, just not enough. At Bali Hai we burned through all 15 cases of Primo Beer before midnight and we are not even a beer drinking crowd? (it was on sale). Believe me, Primo and Bali Hai wished they had planned for more than that. AND don't tell me people could not get drinks. 15 cases of Primo in 5 hours not to mention other beers and other tropical drinks? Despite the lines, there was plenty of drinking going on.
The Islands restaurant actually had to close early on Friday night because they ran out of food! You can bet that won't happen again next year! The burger stand outside will be larger and stay open one hour longer next year. They added veggie burgers to their menu this year at our request. Did anyone notice that? They are open to suggestions, let me know what else you'd like.

The pool party and the room parties are an organic - free - part of the event. They are, quite frankly, what make the event so personable and friendly and set our Tiki event apart from rock n roll weekenders such as Viva Las Vegas (not that Viva is not cool, just a little different). I will not close the pool or room parties to guests not staying at the hotel, which happens to be about half the guests. How would you like half the people to be eliminated from the room parties? That might make for a pretty boring party. I had the pool and the jacuzzi stay open until 2 am for our guests on Friday and Saturday. if the pool was too crowded at noon, try jumping in at 10 pm?

We prefer to use volunteer staff for several reasons. They LOOK better than hired temps for one!
Hiring volunteer staff is actually MORE work for us. It would be easier to hire a staffing temp agency. Let's vote on this. Who wants to come to Tiki Oasis and be greeted by a part-time temp who knows nothing about Tiki and cannot answer your questions?
Who wants to go to Tiki Oasis and be greeted by someone who is there for the fourth year in a row (or more), loves meeting the rest of the Tiki Oasis crowd via the registration table, and knows a fair amount about Tiki, but STILL might not be able to answer your question?
Our volunteers do not work for FREE. They are compensated with free tickets ($40 value) and a small gift, in exchange for a few hours of work. Where else can you get paid $10+ per hour while drinking Mai Tais and having fun? We call it volunteering because some of them make 4x that amount at their day jobs. Some of our more leaned-upon volunteers (thanks Cammo, Matteo, Jim G, etc.) get more $$ based on responsibilities. Certainly not a real wage but enough to keep them happy. Most of the volunteers ENJOY volunteering and being part of the event and most of them are return volunteers which tells me they are being compensated adequately. BTW, a pleasant smile from the guests (that's you) goes a long way so next year will you please smile and thank the volunteers for their efforts!

I certainly know that if I did not receive huge, genuine thank yous from the majority of the guests at Tiki Oasis (and I do) to assure me that they are having a great time, I would not do the event. If 50% of the guests said they had a bad time I would throw in the towel. Thankfully that is not the case.

I also have a great time at Tiki Oasis. I love the bands, the dancers, the few room parties that I am able to make it to, the DJs spinning rare tunes that I have never heard, the vendors, the hot rod cars, the uke jam, I love everything that is at Tiki Oasis and I hope that the guests attending will also. Baby Doe and I throw this show for ourselves and we hope that everyone else enjoys it too!

So huge thanks to everyone who posted here with comments and with support. We appreciate both. Now let's move on to the next Tiki party!

Otto-I think overall it was one of the best Tiki Oasis so far.I thought it was tough to
exceed last years event, however all the added bonuses this year , such as the car show,
more room parties etc. made it a very fun show.I did not have the chance to see you or
even say hello, because you were always in nine different directions.I would like to say
you did a terrific job , and you should feel very good about the over all outcome.All your
hard work and efforts paid off ten fold , and for that I thank you.I had an opportunity
to meet people off of TC that live in other states for the first time, and that was very
cool .People will be talking about Oasis IX for many months to come .
I look forward to next years tenth year anniversary - Tiki Oasis X .

On 2009-08-18 22:57, CaseyJPS wrote:

On 2009-08-16 18:09, Afkarp's Moai wrote:
...but if your only paying $60 at the Motel 6 an I'm paying nearly 3 times that much, you should use your own hotel's amenities so I can use mine.

Great point. Honestly, Motel 6 was $89.99 per night for all the peak nights of Oasis--much more of a stretch than $160 considering the quality of the Hanalei (and that's very short of the top prices at the Hanalei).

Priceline came up with $135 for Fri & Sat. night...for the Half Moon on Shelter Island...a 1/2 blk away from the Bali Hai and a 5 min. drive from Oasis. It was HEAVEN and I kinda suspect that the Half Moon is sadly UNAWARE of Oasis as they would have jacked their rates SKY HIGH..that place is AWESOME..with the exception of that DAMN America band keeping me awake with their GAWD-FURSAKIN ROCK MUSIC til all hours at that there CONCERT establishment of theirs.....

also I volunteered for the first time this year and it was GREAT...some hiccups sat. morning during set-up( go figure) but once all fell into place? Totally easy...and got to attend something I would normally PAY for with a minimum of effort for FREE. I have attended 3 of these now and, even with any difficulties expressed already, the art, music and EVENTS here were the most impressive I have ever seen as far as tiki goes.

Maybe the Security guys could carry Marquesan War Clubs and wear Hawaiian shirts!

[ Edited by: bb moondog 2009-08-22 08:28 ]

I do have to admit that I had a hard time reading a thread titled 'Lines, fake cops, and over-crowding' because I was a little worried that this thread would NOT be constructive criticism but rather a list of everything 'wrong' with the event. I just wasn't ready to read it. I wanted to ride the wave of what an AMAZING event that we all just experienced! I am happy to read that the majority of people even on this potentially negative thread had something positive to say about the event, many had some fun ideas and it seemed like most walked away feeling like they had a good experience.

As many of you know, Otto and I put every single extra bit of our time into making this event a success, it is our baby (well I guess our 3rd child) and our passion. Why would we give up valuable sleep and create multiple headaches for ourselves unless we DID love this event? Duh!

We are super proud of all our main coordinators who make the event a success and take some of the burdens off of us such as Casey (our vendor manager), Mateo (our volunteer/registration coordinator), Jim (our personal assistant/stage manager), Cammo (our symposium manager), Patrick (our AV dude), Bob the Soundman, our interns (Bill, Jen Tiki, two Maria's, Dr Shocker), our web desinger Aaron Tidbit, Christi our sponsor girl, all the people who prepared and presented symposiums, the dj's and bands and go go dancers and burlesque dancers, everyone who got involved in the event (we had about 50 volunteers this year!) oh and countless others that I am forgetting to mention by name here. Everything that we wanted to happen DID happen. Every band performed, every symposium took place, the car show was a wild success for a first run as well as the newly added Artist Alley and Pin-Up Photoshoot. Wow sooo much happened I am still trying to remember it all!

Sure there are things that need to get fixed. We want the event to be a fun party for everyone - no matter how big it is. But I do want to say that we have tried many things in the past regarding registration or other areas OR we have crossed things off our list because of what the hotel can provide for us. We have constraints to work around... well too many to get into here. I mean, LOTS of constraints so that means just cause it is a good idea doesn't mean we can just do it. I just feel that I should warn you advance of that. We are already thinking up some cool ideas for registration and beyond to make the event that much more enjoyable for folks. If you would like to get involved in the event at a deeper level and see some of your ideas become a reality please e-mail me off list and we will add you to our helper list!

XO Baby Doe
Tiki Oasis

TO9..Massive fun...40 bucks...UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a great time, I think that the security staff was a positive thing, all the security were very polite & professional.
I can offer some minor suggestions that might help next year.

Food was an issue for us, we did not want to miss any of the great bands, so we waited til after the bands played to eat, at which time guess what, no food, How about one or two of those funky catering trucks out in the parking lot that serves late.

Teach the bar staff how to make real Mai Tai's !!!!! the rum was there, but not much else.

I thought the bands were great, but stagger the bands with other kinds of bands, it was all surf music all the time, I like surf music, but
some Exotica or Punk, retro etc would of broken up the sets a bit. that said the Blue Hawaiians Rocked!

Just minor thoughts, food, not so much.

Thanks Otto for a fun weekend

[ and seeing some poor guy trying to get sleep in a closet with one of his legs sticking out (while 6 or more people lined up for photo ops with the unsuspecting sleeper)

I have heard so many stories about this guy who passed out and was put in a closet at a room crawl with his legs sticking out, maybe it's voyeurism, but I would LOVE to see a picture so I know it's not just a tiki urban legend.....

On 2009-08-22 22:24, KikiTiki wrote:

[ and seeing some poor guy trying to get sleep in a closet with one of his legs sticking out (while 6 or more people lined up for photo ops with the unsuspecting sleeper)

I have heard so many stories about this guy who passed out and was put in a closet at a room crawl with his legs sticking out, maybe it's voyeurism, but I would LOVE to see a picture so I know it's not just a tiki urban legend.....

That was my old buddy Rob from Ventura. It happened. He did it again the next night on the couch and we tried to throw him into the styrofoam volcano. He woke up and flew the bird for about fifteen minutes, even when we'd lost interest. I've known that guy since he was sixteen, man. Poor Rob. Putting up with me when he was a kid and now this!

On 2009-08-22 01:45, Otto wrote:
OK, it took me a few days to read all these posts. Thanks for your enthusiasm!

Unbeknownst to you, they actually chased off a homeless encampment outside the far corner of the parking lot. The homeless guys had tools such as crowbars and wire cutters. I'm glad I had several uniformed, armed, security guards on duty after hearing that.

That alone is enough to keep the Security just like you had it this year. With all the band equipment, vendor goods, and people's personal stuff there is in cars, the fact that a potential robbery was thwarted makes me think that your choice for security was a good one. I don't care about seeing guys in uniforms, it makes me more comfortable, personally. I say keep the uniforms, I think it deters incidents.

Other than the registration line thing, I can't complain at all. How you pull off an event of this magnitude is a bit of a miracle.

Well done Otto and Baby Doe, I look forward to next year

On 2009-08-18 20:20, telescopes wrote:
My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Limoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.
Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.
In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.
You know who you are.
[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

hi, as the hostess of the limoncello lounge, I will say I was surprised at the people who snuck people in the back door. I was surprised at the people who took extra mugs while we were trying to let everyone in and I was especially surprised at the people who thought they had the right to push and shove and tell me off. I was really surprised at the people who said something to my husband as they thought he was cutting the line.

There were people who I let in first as they either brought all the decorations and helped set up, helped serve the food, watched the door,volunteered, or helped Kelly serve drinks.

We did our best to get everyone in, we served drinks and food on the lines outside Saturday night after we saw what happened Friday night. We had no idea it would be that large a crowd this year, but overall I thought it went well. I am sorry if anyone felt slighted, or felt we didn't do the right thing.That was not our intention. We tried to make this a great party. If we ever do it again, we will have learned from this one for sure.
My apologies for any hurt feelings

Amy

PS I wish I had, had more time to chat with people and meet new friends, it was a hard couple of nights.

"M16s and 45s, we need them all to stay alive....."

All tomfoolery aside, yeah, I say keep it like it was. Security is there FOR us and made me feel safe to leave some of my things on the porch. The homeless encampment is a bit disturbing as well. Keep the guns, keep the presence, keep the uniforms. I myself am usually armed, but if something goes down and my BAC is over .08, I'm in deep shit......at Oasis I wake up with a .10, so it's a huge relief. That company seems to have their ducks in a row, too, being VERY visible at the beginning of the first day and falling back after that.

On 2009-08-23 00:59, Billy the Crud wrote:

On 2009-08-22 22:24, KikiTiki wrote:

[ and seeing some poor guy trying to get sleep in a closet with one of his legs sticking out (while 6 or more people lined up for photo ops with the unsuspecting sleeper)

I have heard so many stories about this guy who passed out and was put in a closet at a room crawl with his legs sticking out, maybe it's voyeurism, but I would LOVE to see a picture so I know it's not just a tiki urban legend.....

That was my old buddy Rob from Ventura. It happened. He did it again the next night on the couch and we tried to throw him into the styrofoam volcano. He woke up and flew the bird for about fifteen minutes, even when we'd lost interest. I've known that guy since he was sixteen, man. Poor Rob. Putting up with me when he was a kid and now this!

Not to be confused with me. Even thou my name is Rob, I know Billy, I am from Ventura and I stayed in the same suite as Robert. I had a bed and didn't need a closet.

[ Edited by: Rob Roy 2009-08-23 11:47 ]

I really hope Otto & Baby Doe keep using volunteers because this year was a blast and I'll be the first in line to sign up for next year if I can!

Thanks Otto for the Mai Tais for the registration desk peeps, a little goes a long way and I was one happy chick the whole weekend mostly because I felt like I helped out!

I must say I was very happy with this years event .

Christie Crowe was great for helping get me set up with Voodoo Tiki Tequila as a room party sponsor at the last second . We are already planning for next year and hope to have Voodoo Tiki Tequila again in our room .

As a vendor with more than just a few $$$ invested in my merch , I was thrilled to see active present security .
I do like the war club idea, the guns didn't bother me, or Tiki Dan it would appear, since he kept returning.

There is really no event like Tiki Oasis and I hope it can stay the laid back fun event it is .
Where total strangers can use your bathroom at 3 am .

Scott
PS
As for complaints about lines to room parties, At last check they are NOT part of your admission fee to Tiki Oasis. I'm really surprised that they don't charge a small fee or have stricter "invite only rules" . If you don't want to stand in line for a fee drink in a hot sweaty room ,buy a bottle and throw your own party next year.

.
skinnydogdesignsCome be our friend

[ Edited by: Skinny Dog 2009-08-23 19:30 ]

[ Edited by: Skinny Dog 2009-08-23 19:40 ]

This was our first Oasis event and are looking for many more to come. We didn’t know what to expect… We were not disappointed. Tiki Tammy and I had a great time.
I wish we could have stayed at the Hotel but they don’t take dogs. So we stayed down the street. Being from Denver we take our dog everywhere and he had a blast at the Ocean Beach Dog Beach on Sunday and Monday.

Sure there were lines but we got to chat with some very nice folks and it sounds like things will change about the waiting for the wrist bands.
I was a little bummed that I had to wait in the wrist band line Saturday to get my mug. We got our bands at the Bali Hai the night before, there should have been a different line for those of us just waiting for mugs and that after paying for the VIP there wasn’t a VIP line for wrist bands.
The other bummer was that the vending started at the same time as the Saturday seminars I’m sure I missed out on seeing some good stuff that was bought by someone else, I wish the vendors could have stayed set up longer too as we were in the seminars most of the day but understand the need to make room for the bands to play.

All in all we had such a great time we are already making plans for next year thank you to everyone involved in making Tiki Oasis such a great time.

On 2009-08-23 19:40, Beach Bum Scott wrote:

The other bummer was that the vending started at the same time as the Saturday seminars I’m sure I missed out on seeing some good stuff that was bought by someone else, I wish the vendors could have stayed set up longer too as we were in the seminars most of the day but understand the need to make room for the bands to play.

All in all we had such a great time we are already making plans for next year thank you to everyone involved in making Tiki Oasis such a great time.

My room was open for sales till 3am Fri and Sat night , the joys of a vending suite.

I would not be surprised to see the large hotel conference center that was almost finished housing the vendors next year .
It was near where the car show was and could easily hold ALL the vendors. By clearing the pool area, and the stage seating area they could have entertainment or bands all day. By keeping the grass and pool area open it would give a less crowded feel to the event.

Im sure some vendors will hate being inside but not having to breakdown twice might be a small trade off.
.
!!!!!!!! This of course is just a GUESS I have no inside info as to next years event!!!!!!!!!!

*On 2009-08-23 19:22, Skinny Dog wrote:
I must say I was very happy with this years event .

I do like the war club idea, the guns didn't bother me, or Tiki Dan it would appear, since he kept returning.

There is really no event like Tiki Oasis and I hope it can stay the laid back fun event it is .
Where total strangers can use your bathroom at 3 am .

Scott
PS
As for complaints about lines to room parties, At last check they are NOT part of your admission fee to Tiki Oasis. I'm really surprised that they don't charge a small fee or have stricter "invite only rules" . If you don't want to stand in line for a fee drink in a hot sweaty room ,buy a bottle and throw your own party next year. *

---

Agreed, as someone who was part of a room suite party thrown last year, I was delighted with the security this year. It kept out the rowdy ticket less marines who decided to show up last year as well as the homeless people who tried to crash and sleep in the suite last year.

In terms of lines for the room parties...room parties are not part of the admission - or really technically part of Oasis as an event - although it may seem otherwise. The parties started years ago as a Tiki Central thing (and is still a Tiki Central thing). Tiki Central and Oasis are two different entities.

Room parties are a serendipitous extra - provided by very generous and gracious individuals who pay for the parties out of their own pockets. So gaining admittance is not an entitlement or included as part of the admission. They are a special opportunity when it's available.

In terms of line cutting at the room parties, if a party thrower wishes to have their friends attend, and advise their friends how and when to get in, it's their choice who they want to have at their party - and the hosts should be able to have their friends come in when they wish.

Attending a room party is not an entitlement - or a free booze opportunity necessarily, but a granted honor. So I agree with Skinny Dog, if you have an issue with lines or being sweaty in a room, instead of exhibiting ingratitude, buy your own bottle or throw your own party next year and create the parameters of your fun and own party. Just a thought.

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2009-08-24 01:25 ]

As far as room parties and the Room Crawl go, we as individuals need to step up and put out a bit. This year we had over 300 crawlers and a pretty low number of hosts. I sat this year out because between carving and vending, I had no time to mingle or even sleep for that matter. Maybe next year will be different, but I absolutely love carving all day and had to tear myself away early last year to make my drink and get ready for the crawl. I think we all learned something this year......we need to be Boyscouts and "be prepared". All of this bitching to Otto stuff is getting a little old and we're all lucky he's been a patient, good sport about it.

And yeah, Tiki Dan keeps turning up like a bad penny, but we've got snipers on it. I sure am going to miss the inventor of tiki.

im in billy.........

ill cohost a room party with you next year.......

you carve ...ill prep........we drink.......

On 2009-08-23 10:17, Queen Kamehameha wrote:

On 2009-08-18 20:20, telescopes wrote:
My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Limoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.
Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.
In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.
You know who you are.
[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

hi, as the hostess of the limoncello lounge, I will say I was surprised at the people who snuck people in the back door. I was surprised at the people who took extra mugs while we were trying to let everyone in and I was especially surprised at the people who thought they had the right to push and shove and tell me off. I was really surprised at the people who said something to my husband as they thought he was cutting the line.

There were people who I let in first as they either brought all the decorations and helped set up, helped serve the food, watched the door,volunteered, or helped Kelly serve drinks.

We did our best to get everyone in, we served drinks and food on the lines outside Saturday night after we saw what happened Friday night. We had no idea it would be that large a crowd this year, but overall I thought it went well. I am sorry if anyone felt slighted, or felt we didn't do the right thing.That was not our intention. We tried to make this a great party. If we ever do it again, we will have learned from this one for sure.
My apologies for any hurt feelings

Amy

PS I wish I had, had more time to chat with people and meet new friends, it was a hard couple of nights.

Queen Kamehameha: You perfectly summed up my sentiments. It was very clear to those in line who was a part of the party prep and help. The problem was as you so well stated, people who were in no way a part of the party crew or even knew who the party crew were. Everyone knew what a great party this was going to be.

Some on this thread have stated quite correctly that the party hosts can let whoever they went in. That is not and was not my complaint or concern. My concern is that many of our fellow tikiphiles drunkenly and rudely cut the line with an aire of superiority that is so well unleashed by drinking. It was very evident to those of us who chose to go to this party over others that were occurring at the same time that these rude gate crashers neigher cared for what you were doing or honored your guests in line.

Your party was the best. You set the bar so high. What a great event. I hope you know none of my critiscim was direct toward your efforts and graciousness as a host. As I said, it was evident that the gate crashers were separate and my concerns were directed toward them.

To those reading this post, please get it right. Rude people not associated with a room party host are a real downer. When going to an "open" party, please remember it is not "all about you".

On 2009-08-21 22:44, Billy the Crud wrote:

On 2009-08-18 20:20, telescopes wrote:
My only concerns were with drunk individuals who thought they were so self-important as to cut into lines at some of the room parties, i.e. Lemoncello Lounge. Here was a way cool party where limited edition mugs were going to be handed out. A line of patient individuals formed and waited. However, it was well noticed that more than a few individuals headed to the front of the line and crashed into the room rather than wait their turn.

Being drunk is not an excuse for bad behavior. Hell, the rest of the line was just as drunk.

In my experience, drunk rude people are also sober rude people.

You know who you are.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-08-18 20:21 ]

Ok, I was one of the "self important" individuals who "cut" in line at the "Lemoncello Lounge"(it's Limoncello, by the way) with Bamboo Ben and my wife to get the last of the decorations put up that Ben had. My wife said she was sorry to the people who were bitching about it on the way in, but I myself am NOT sorry at all. I'm a vendor and the ONLY commercial carver doing a demonstration all weekend long and I don't have the time to enjoy anything at all, let alone wait in line for a shotglass that I don't even want when I'm trying to get things done. Some of us who are there are there to work and sacrifice our good times to enhance yours because that's what we enjoy. Do you want to know what it's like to put on a 16 hour demonstration while you're on vacation? I tolly enjoy it, but am totally beat afterwards. Just something to think about instead of getting an ulcer, wondering if they'll run out of mugs before you get one. If you didn't, I'll send you mine, even though I missed 90 percent of Oasis.....and just missed an episode of King of the Hill, typing this up.

And by the way, didn't get "drunk" until everyone else was passed out and just before bed. I find it hard to enjoy my libations in tight proximity with so many unfamiliar people. Gotta make sure my sense of humor dosen't upset anyone, you know? Just another sacrifice. Is there anything else I can do for you?

---

View my work @

http://www.myspace.com/sandiegotikicarvers

"96 tears from 96 eyes".....RIP Lux Interior

[ Edited by: Billy the Crud 2009-08-21 22:59 ]

Dear, Dear Billy... If only you were who I was referring to. And yes your group apologized, and no, you were not the ones referred to in my post. Everyone knew you were a part of the help.

Your only self-importance is thinking everything written must be about you and correcting the spelling of others. By the way, check your own spelling: tolly and dosen't - are these new words?

ACK!! You got me. Never been good with my contractions and prepositions. Well, you pretty much negated my post, so nevermind. I don't think EVERY post is about me.......just that one. You struck a guilty chord and I got defensive.

Closet Tiki........YES!! Lets get on that and get something put together that WE think is cool. Hell, we have a whole freakin' year! Squid had a GREAT idea on music, too. Thelonius Monk, Rum, and Kerouac.......and you have to have a well worn copy of "On The Road" or "Rum Diaries" to get in.......OR Lonos Marlin mask would work as well.