Should we stay or should we go

(Apologies to The Clash)

We needed to resolve our seating and Speaker issues with our existing meeting room at the Beauvoir Arms. and tried a move to the bar area.

Stress Tests

It was an improvement, so time to stress test it.

On July 10 we welcomed Philip Peters from the Rotary Club of Bury Abbey, a sell out crowd of 24 welcomed Philip and we experimented with a layout of one top table across the room and three others lengthwise down the room.  Every member could see the screen without straining or moving. With a slideshow running on the TV in the background it was a great success and agreed to be a significant improvement on our usual arrangements.

On July 17 we welcomed Buttsbury Junior School RotakIds for their annual presentation.  A record breaking audience of 28 was seated on four tables.  No cross table, but all four lengthwise down the room. 

The RotaKids were easily able to give their talk from the front of the room and talk to each slide of their presentation as they brought it up.  Once again, every member could see the screen without straining or moving.  It was universally agreed to be a resounding success.

On July 24 we returned to a more normal 17, seated on three tables lengthwise down the room.   Once again a complete success and even with our speaker, our own Trevor Bond, perched on a bar stool for comfort at the top of the room, everybody could hear and see him without straining.  Another great success.

Successful Transition

What do we conclude? 

• A move to the Bar area allows us to cater for attendance ranging from the low mid-teens to the unusual mid twenties, and even to the exceptional low thirties.
• The atmosphere is much better, and conversation flows more easily
• Everybody can see and hear our speakers without difficulty.
• The TV gives a superior picture, has sound available and covers much more than the previous projector and screen.

In future, we’ll meet in the bar.