[MR] Public service announcement - Event Reservations

[Beth Tanner]

Gentle friends,

If I may take a moment of your time, I would like to bring up something 
that is (currently) near & dear to my heart, the art of reserving for events.

I realize that this art has somewhat fallen into disuse of late, but I 
would like to encourage its resurgence.  I have had to turn away many kind 
people from the Coronation feast because they did not reserve promptly (and 
yes, many of these people *knew* they were going to the event - I realize 
not everyone has that luxury, but many more have it than take advantage of it!)

If you choose to practice this art, sending a check in an envelope with all 
of your event details smushed into the memo line is the poorest form 
thereof.  I can't tell you how many of these I received for Coronation, and 
no, I can't read your email address, membership number and which feast 
you'd like when they're all written like that.  I have spent quite a while 
in the last couple of weeks researching email addresses from e-lists and 
the like, trying to track people down to clarify reservations, etc.

Please, include at a *minimum* the legal & society names of everyone in 
your party and a contact phone number and/or email, as well as what you're 
paying for.  It doesn't need to be fancy and "medievalish", just the basic 
info:

Keilyn FitzWarin - Beth Tanner - #27528 - Exp 9/30/05 - 1 adult onboard 
with cabin space - beth at cramton dot com

If at all possible, type or word-process this information so it has some 
hope of being legible.  Calligraphy is most often not legible.  Including 
your membership number & expiration date will save you time at the troll in 
many cases (you'll just have to show your card instead of waiting for the 
clerk to transcribe it into their form).

Please check the event website or the Acorn for the correct fees and any 
other additional information the reservationist is requesting.  Please also 
confirm the available options for the event.  The website for Coronation 
was updated that we were sold out of the Feast of Giants the day before we 
actually sold out, and I am still getting onboard reservation requests two 
weeks later....

I apologize if this sounds like a verbal spanking - if you feel spanked, 
perhaps you should volunteer to take reservations for your group's next 
event as penance! *grin*  But please, it will make everyone's life easier 
in the long run with only a small effort.  I hope you will all put forth 
that effort.

I expect to hear all sorts of good things from the Crown Tourney 
reservationist!!

Yours in service,

Keilyn
Coronation Reservationist