 Roberta Russell & Adele Sciortino
FAC 2009 has now come and gone. We hope that everyone who attended had as much as fun as we and our volunteer team had organizing and sharing it with you.
In the organization of FAC 2009 we tried to create the kind of conference we like to attend ourselves - collegial, high on opportunities to learn, welcoming and low on “politics". We decided to have a figurative art show without a competition to foster a sharing and exchange of ideas and we feared that a competition might diminish that.
We tried to make sure that our teachers were particularly well taken care of because we believe that talented teachers are at the heart of any great doll conference. The delegate evaluations could not have been more positive about the quality of the workshops and the teachers who taught them. We tried for a balance of formal in-class learning with less formal learning opportunities through the first night demos and our Creative Play Station. Delegates seemed happy with the mix.
One thing over which we had no control was the weather. We felt very lucky that the sun shone on us for all four days of our conference, although the sky started to look a bit “iffy” late on Sunday afternoon. Four days of clear weather was a rarity in Ottawa this summer.
One of the joys of organizing a doll conference is that delegates always arrive at the event expecting to have fun and prepared to do their share to make that fun happen. FAC delegates were no exception. The laughter coming from the classrooms, the buzz in the Hospitality Suite in the evening, and the fun everyone seemed to be having in the Creative Play Station all attest to that.
Judging from delegates’ comments on the conference evaluation forms and e-mails sent to us since, we achieved much of what we set out to accomplish. A sampling of some of those comments follows:
Opening Reception & Dinner on Thursday
“Fun, fast, delicious.”
“Having everyone win something was nice idea.”
“Very good food, raffles, lots of fun.”
Thursday Evening Demos
“So much to learn – wish some products had been available to purchase.”
“Could have been shorter – fewer demos for an earlier evening.”
“Too many!”
“Oh my gawd! They were wonderful!”
Figurative Art Show
“Best one I’ve ever attended!”
“The display offered a good variety of styles of doll making.”
“I always love to see all the dolls.”
“Breathtakingly beautiful dolls.”
Vendor Sale
“Good selection of doll goodies”
“Good idea to have a 1 place checkout.”
“A good one-stop shop”.
“Lots of great things to buy.”
Shoe –Delicious Challenge
“Announce winners’ names on the info placards, so names could be matched with faces! (of the artist!)”
“Wonderful! Hard to choose a favourite.”
“Very creative.”
“Great idea and wonderful display of talent.”
“Superb!!!”
Silent Auction
“Wonderful art pieces.”
“I wish there were more dolls in it.”
“Always fun.”
Raffles
“Unbelievable amount of raffles.”
“Great having a raffle a day in class.”
“Wonderful variety.”
“Well displayed.”
Workshops
“Good variety; knowledgeable in their art and how to teach it”
“Excellent teachers and subjects.”
“Thoroughly enjoyed my teachers – learned tons!!”
“Absolutely wonderful. ***** (5 stars)”
Hospitality Suite
“The Hospitality Suite was awesome! Yea Lisa!”
“Good hours and amenities.”
“Could not have been better”
Creative Play Station
“A great idea and (location) made it easy to stop by.”
“Great fun”
“Lots of great stuff”
“Fantastic – great to mingle and meet others”
General
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for an amazing weekend, amazing for the inspiration, camaraderie, fun and adventure. It was an amazing experience and by far the most enjoyable doll conference I have attended, thank you.”
“In putting together something of this magnitude there are always a lot of background workers - unsung heroes - I would like each and every one of them to know how much I totally enjoyed every aspect of FAC 2009.”
“As we met new people, chatted and shared meals together a comment I heard over and over again was the women enjoyed the 'atmosphere' of this conference. I questioned a few on what they meant by this and was told they did not feel any 'politics'; this felt like a sisterhood; they were finding the delegates so willing to share ideas with one another and help one another. As with any organization the atmosphere or mood comes from the top down. I salute you and your team for working so well together and as a by-product our delegates felt at home here”
“Another comment that kept coming up was the professionalism of the conference. All the 'extras' were so well done and presented. Having Noreen Young at the banquet truly was the icing on the cake!! She was great!!”
“As a delegate, I felt well taken care of. I appreciate all the work that went into the event. Lisa's hospitality team were outstanding! I liked the way you did the raffle results, too.”
“The FAC was a wonderful experience, all things creative & fulfilling. And know this for sure, the warmth, welcoming, kindness & friendship extended by every Canadian I encountered, whether it was a doll club member, a student @ the Residence or 'Gordy', will bring me back in 2011!”
Delighted as we were with all the positive feedback, we don’t intend to rest on our laurels. We have lots of ideas for making our next conference even better in terms of our FAC 2009 objectives.
And now a word about our Conference Planning Team. We could not have hoped for more willing, energetic and creative partners in the creation of FAC 2009 than the volunteers who stepped forward with offers to help as soon as plans for FAC 2009 were announced. Thanks goes to all those who regularly showed up through last winter for the Monday work sessions at Lisa’s house and at which so many of the items for delegate bags, table favours and decorations were created; who made all the generous donations to our raffles; who helped with publicity by distributing our promotional book marks far and wide; who donated the banquet table dolls and/or bid on them; and who did all the big and little things that made the conference such fun for all of us.
Our volunteer team included coordinators Lisa Corr (Hospitality); Julie Brais (Residence House Mother); Peggy Fadyk (Vendor Sale); Cheryl Ford (Demos and Raffles); Jackie Graceffo (Pin Doll Exchange and Pin Doll Silent Auction); Shirley Griffith (Volunteers); Margo Kealey and Eleanor Martin (Figurative Art Show); Nancy Leigh-Smith (Secretary); Susie Malfermo (Registrar); Barbara Ross and Jean Buzza (Shoe Challenge and Decorations); Peggy Wilson (Banquet Table Dolls and Logistics); and KayC Adams, Pat Hamilton, Pat Hewson, Ruth Huggins, Barbara Lukas, Kathleen Pelletier,Val Rochester and Aileen Turner. Banquet table dolls were made by Roberta, Adele, Lisa Corr, Nancy Leigh-Smith, Peggy Fadyk, Margo Kealy, Julie Brais, Susie Malfermo, Ruth Huggins, Barbara Ross, Shirley Griffith, Jacquie Lecuyer, Lyn Huggins, Marilyn Halcomb, Liz Ceisluk, Diane Dent.
Thanks to each and every one of you. |
