A couple of questions about summer conventions (spinoff)

by razorMind 21 Replies latest jw experiences

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  razorMind

  Being as I haven't been to a convention in years, I have a couple of questions:

  Do they still come out with that list of special-JW-rate hotels at the Service Meeting for the summer conventions?

  Also, I remember times when the list would be practically useless by the time my parents got home from that service meeting and started trying to make reservations. I can remember times when they had an EXTREMELY DIFFICULT time trying to find a room. Why was this? I remember "strong admonition" at every pre-convention-Service-Meeting about delegates reserving excessive #'s of rooms and not using them.....is this why the list was useless as soon as it came out?
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  shamus

  Well,

  Everyone goes for the cheapest first,,,, and the nicest for the cheapest. By the end you are left at a comfort inn with a $3.00 fee to use they're telephone service, LOL!

  Yes, you are still admonitioned to take advantage of the "special rates", LOL! It's a form of either give us your lowest rate or we'll boycott you.
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  DocBob

  I didn't realize until I worked in Finance at the assemblies that a big reason they wanted all the JWs to use the hotels the org told them to is because they get a kickback in the form of free rooms.
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  roybatty

  I didn't realize until I worked in Finance at the assemblies that a big reason they wanted all the JWs to use the hotels the org told them to is because they get a kickback in the form of free rooms.

  I never knew this. Who got the free rooms? I can probably guess, but I'm curious to what you saw.
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  DocBob

  I didn't realize until I worked in Finance at the assemblies that a big reason they wanted all the JWs to use the hotels the org told them to is because they get a kickback in the form of free rooms.

  I never knew this. Who got the free rooms? I can probably guess, but I'm curious to what you saw.

  I never saw who got the free rooms. But I also never saw a check written out to cover the CO, DO or visiting Bethel speaker's rooms either.
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  shamus

  You can get kickbacks many different ways. From free rooms, to credits at hotels, etc. etc. etc. Are they really making a profit from all this? Who knows?
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  shamus

  Also, there are many theories on how the dubs get free cash for this. I would be inclined not to believe it. It sounds like total hogwash to me.
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  Gopher

  Also, I remember times when the list would be practically useless by the time my parents got home from that service meeting and started trying to make reservations.

  In the city where I attended the summer snoozefest, it always seems that the nice rooms were taken by ELDER'S FAMILIES who somehow knew which hotels would be booked that year, and also by the PEOPLE WHO HAD MEETINGS EARLY IN THE WEEK -- because they didn't have to wait until Thursday night to find out when the convention would be and which hotels were on the list! If you were not related to an elder and attended the Thursday night meeting, you got to settle for second best.

  The competition among the JW's for best hotels and best seats at these conventions is quite amazing.
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  Momofmany

  summer snoozefest

  LOL I never heard it put this way before. How true.
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  seeitallclearlynow

  Is anyone else going to the Witnesses Now for Jesus Convention in Pennsylvania this year? October 22-24. I really look forward to it.