Now that you mention it, it does seem incredible that there hasn't even been one (that I know of) you-tube of the running of the bulls wild-eyed seat-savers.
Convention Season-"Saving Good Seats" & Other Embarrassing Behavior
by Darth Fader The Sequel 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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88JM
As an attendant I was always on duty on the outside concourse of the stadium, so was responsible for doing attendance counts including the car parks (people there still got added to the attendance figure)
I used be amazed at how many people just stayed in their cars and didn't go inside the stands - now I realise they were probably the smart ones (or far too accepting and volunteering to drive their spouses to the convention?)
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InquiryMan
Never seen anything resembling to what you described above in my time as a JW in Scandinavia ... Is this an American JW thing?
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88JM
I'm in Scotland, InquiryMan. Maybe sitting in the car isn't as common in places where the climate is colder, but anyone from the UK will tell you about conventions at stadiums where people would just sit in their cars instead.
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nugget
At the Bournemouth convention we would spend most of the sessions in the car. This was because we had a son who was hypersensitive to noise, light and if uncomfortable would make a fuss. We had tried sitting in the stands but had one rude sister tell us if we couldn't get our son to sit still she would be forced to leave. I told her not to bother we would go and never sat in the stands again.
The car gave the children leg room, they could get up and go to the toilet without causing a disruption and if necessary we could find somewhere shady to sit. The programme was on the radio and we didn't have to deal with selfish people. When they then stopped having car parks and told us all that we had to come by coach we just refused to go.
I did seriously consider finding a nice park somewhere close enough to pick up the reception and park there without going to the convention centre.
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dropoffyourkeylee
Something I heard discussed at the RC among the attendants was that in view of events in recent years (9/11, the Boston bombing, etc), facility security is really leary of seeing so many coolers come into a facility unsearched. If I were in the field of security I would be concerned too.
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stillin
The funny part is that there really aren't any GOOD seats. Maybe some that aren't as bad
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tim hooper
My dad's assistant PO was apalled when it became policy for the attendants to remove items used to save seats. He actually taped down his Bible at one assembly so that it couldn't be moved.
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finally awake
None of the venues I went to for assemblies were designed or suitable for all day events. The seats were invariably miserable, especially with all the book bags and coolers in the way. I hated going and I'm so glad I never have to endure that again.
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LongHairGal
Darth Fader:
Many years ago I volunteered for the "privilege" of food service with some "friends".
We got there super-early and I was half awake. I put my belongings (not my purse, of course, which always is with me) on a seat very high in the upper seating where usually few people sit. Well....when the food preparation was over and I went back to my seat for the program I found my belongings placed in the aisle and a bunch of creeps were sitting in that area.
I realized the mentality of what I was dealing with and decided it was not worth it in the future to ever volunteer for any kind of service again. The hot, humid long day and loss of sleep wasn't worth it in addition to the risk of having your stuff moved, lost or stolen and just generally putting you in a bad mood. While the experience of volunteering was an interesting experience, I was never going to do it again.
Like you, finally awake, I'm glad I never have to endure these idiot conventions again!