Programs at the Las Vegas ExtravAGanza this July will be completely different from programs at past Annual Gatherings (AGs). Mensa gatherings always embody some local flavor; it's one of the reasons that the AG moves from city to city each year. Everyone understands that AGs differ somewhat, in terms of programs, food and incidentals, in different locations. It would not seem regionally appropriate, for example, to serve beignets in Boston or bagels in Boise or broiled scrod in Billings. But there has always been a certain similarity among many AG programs; in fact, some were repeated annually in sum toto. This year's departure from traditional programming has raised excitement, expectations — and, sometimes, ire. Some members feel that the change is a good thing, as it can be boring to see the same presentations put on by the same people, year after year. Others have complained that there are things they will sorely miss seeing: programs they go to the AG for every year. Will the new program concept come off to cheers or jeers? This sea change and the reactions to it are especially interesting in light of how it might affect Regional Gatherings (RGs), events smaller than an AG, but similar in principle.
Usually a worker, I went to my first RG as a plain attendee earlier this year. For the first time, instead of running around putting out fires and making sure everything ran smoothly, I had the opportunity to sit and chat with people. In the course of conversations there, I was astounded to discover that attendees had very rigid ideas about which were always "the good RGs" and which were the less-than-good ones. Why, I asked, did certain groups' RGs fall into a specific, immutable category? The answer was solely "the RG's reputation."
If something displeasing happened 10 years ago at an RG, even though the host committee is now different, the location has changed, the programs are new and the food choices have altered, an RG by "that" group is doomed to suffer from its old reputation. Similarly, if an RG has a reputation as terrific, even if the committee, location, food and programs have all changed, people seem sure that it will come off fantastically next time, also. This "reputational logic" pervades many aspects of Mensa, even though it eludes coherent explanation. Members seem to cling tenaciously to the idea of doing things a certain way "because we've always done it that way."
That thought extends to actions and ideas on the local, regional and national levels. When I first joined my local group and attended an Executive Committee (ExComm) meeting, one thing they discussed was our Monthly Meeting: We had lost our rental agreement with the location that had housed these meetings for many years. The debate concerned several related issues: a new meeting place (a single, new location or routing through various sites around the area), the day (Friday night or Sunday afternoon) and whether there should be a meal, before or after the meeting. No one wanted to talk about the nature of the meeting itself, because the automatic answer was "lecture." When I asked about having an activity instead, since this was the single monthly event that could be attended by non-members, I was told we could do anything — as long as it was a lecture. The ExComm has changed, and the attitude has changed somewhat; but, in general, our group has mostly lectures — primarily because we always have.
From that perspective, reputations cannot change, because people are unwilling to modify the actions and policies that caused the repute to be earned in the first place. But judging only by reputation makes it very hard for relatively new members with different ideas not only to get them implemented, but then also to get the word out that change has been accomplished.
My personal experience furnishes a classic example. On becoming the chairman of the Liberty Bell RG, a few of the outgoing committee members gave me some advice. My favorite piece of advice was that I should not even consider leaving out of the Hospitality suite a (new, clean) cat box, filled with Grape-Nuts and unwrapped, miniature Tootsie Rolls. Not on my watch. I was advised never to pay for ice; instead, I should get each registrant to fill up several ice buckets from the hotel's ice machines and fill a bathtub with that ice, then encourage people to run for more ice throughout the RG. Didn't take that suggestion, either. There was only one appropriate shop from which to buy hoagies, they said. Using this place involved sending someone through Philadelphia, out the other side and back again, during rush-hour traffic, for sandwiches that had oil on the bread. Didn't understand the logic, didn't do it. We needed to hold a dance on Saturday night, advisors said; asking how many people attended the dance, I was informed that for the past several years there'd been no more than 10 attendees throughout the evening.
The RG Committee I currently chair is filled with wonderful, creative, hardworking people, and it enjoys the support of the local group's ExComm. In my first year as this RG's chairman, we had 100 attendees. Last year we had about 150, and we are tracking to 200 this year. Obviously, having lots of ice all the time made a difference. Our "big" events in 2002 were a professional jazz band and a wine tasting; last year we did a Soirée and live music, and this year we are planning a murder followed by an open mike night. All this with food embracing the unique Philly culture, a wide gamut of programs, and other RG fare, such as a round-the-clock game room.
So I was amazed when I heard at that other RG that the one I chair "sucks." Why? Because it offers no liquor (not true) and no programs (not true) and is held in a lousy hotel in a bad neighborhood. That last one really astounds me. I live four miles from the hotel — it's a nice neighborhood, shared with a national treasure: Valley Forge National Park. But old reputation seems to outweigh contemporary fact.
The Las Vegas AG "experiment" could ameliorate the problem of reputation's being a determining factor in too many gatherings. We will have to wait for the reviews. Meanwhile, when some members won't even consider that things might have changed and that many changes are improvements, it is their loss, but what does it say about Mensa and Mensans?
The author is chairing Liberty Bell XIV from October 15-17, 2004, in Valley Forge, PA. Please see the Liberty Bell website for more information.