Loki and I got to check out the John Curtin the other night, and we're pleased to say that we are happy with how things look, and will be making arrangements for the ranbat after this month, so with any luck the upcoming one will be the last one at Latrobe for a while.
So here is the skinny so far:
The Room Itself
While the bandroom is being renovated, we can tell so far that the room probably has slightly more space than our old Latrobe one. Power points, power usage and sound will not be a problem for obvious reasons. Also the room has an insane sound system that we will have to make the most of, with a stage. Rock Band anyone? The room also has a small bar set to one of the corners that will not be used during our events. Probably my favourite feature though, is the half a dozen couches lying around just to help us grow into our own namesake.
The downside to this of course is that we lack tables and chairs. Committee will be looking into buying cheap foldout tables that can safely support the weight of TVs and consoles, and chairs.
Venue Logstics
http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/DiningandNightlife/BarsandPubs/AllPubs/Pages/2092.aspx
27 LYGON STREET
CARLTON 3053 VIC
Basically if you are taking trains in, all you have to do is get off at Melbourne Central, head to Russel St and walk north or there abouts. For drivers, parking will be largely quiet on Sundays, and there will be a window of time (TBA) where the back door of the pub will be opened, that open directly to stairs for moving equipment. Because this won't always be opened, major equipment contributors will benefit greatly and turning up on time (wink Sam ^^). Also to people providing equipment, please don't leave stuff in the car. While it's quiet and Sunday, it's still the city, and your stuff will be much safer inside.
Venue Costs and Concerns
Currently the owner is happy to let us use the room for free, providing that they get our business, which means food and drinks. Counter meals are all reasonable and $8 each, which feature very traditional Aussie meals like parma's, steak and fish and chips. Being a pub, they also sell softdrink, orange juice and various forms of alcohol, which is where they get most of their business from. We raised the concerns with our underaged members, and he was not at all concerned. From a legal perspective, one or a few of us will have to be considered 'guardians' of the group. Considering that I have a 'working with children' permit, I'm happy with responsibility. The first thing that comes to mind is using coloured wrist bands similar to what Minifest used to help bar staff identify people over 18.
As far as drinking and playing goes it's fairly safe to say that anyone that gets hammered and presents a threat whether intentional or incidental to either fellow members or equipment will be asked to leave. Also, there will very likely be a rule in place about keeping food and drinks away from equipment, as we are all much more liable to spill glasses than cans.
Time & Date
As mentioned early, as long as we hold monthlies at the Curtin, the events will be on Sundays, which should hopefully curb your intentions of getting smashed >. Also, currently the time the venue opens is 2pm to 10 or 11pm. The late start time is a pretty big deal to us, and the owner has already stated that he wouldn't mind us coming in earlier around the back to set up. We will be looking at options to start earlier, please keep in mind that this will either be an issue of cost or trust.
This is all based off a prompt tour of the place with the owner and discussion with Loki and Dom afterwards, so everything here is subject to change, and none of this is confirmed until we have a set date. Nonetheless, I'm excited!
Oops, I meant to post about this last night and completely forgot.
Ok, some other information off the top of my head.
To make the venue work for us, we will need to procure foldout tables and chairs.
There are several couches upstairs, but I don't think there's quite enough for everyone, and there are next to no tables, thus this is something that we need to remedy in order to use the otherwise awesome venue.
We'll be looking into buying some tressle tables and cheap foldout chairs for CW equipment, but what I'd like to know, is whether anyone happens to have tressle tables etc... that they are able to bring along, as this would of course help.
Otherwise, please be on the lookout for cheap tressle tables and fold-out chairs and we'll discuss all this in the next committee meeting.
Secondly, all this information is pending discussion by the committee, but we want to get your opinions on it now, voice any concerns you might have, tell us what you think so we have all the facts before we plan everything out fully.
Finally, I'd still like to keep the $5 entry as we will use this money to procure necessary equipment and prizes to make the event better, though we will no longer be able to sell drinks or bring in outside drinks.
But yes, I've probably forgotten something, but we'll do our best to keep everyone in the know, but most importantly right now, we need your feedback.
Tell us what you think, ask us if we've forgotten something.
