3 things that would improve the union are...

[harmless loony]

Hang on sec - if you read up page 8 - you quite clearly said "well said spike" for a post that spike had made telling the rest of us that "there hasnt been a decent sugestion in the now 112 posts." And yet in your last post just now you say that you didn't critcise our ideas and are in fact going to take them to the strategic planning meeting.

So are you now going to back track from your post supporting spike and agree with the rest of us that there are indeed some credible ideas and decent suggestions coming out from this thread?

[Spike]

Quoting harmless loony from 12:38, 20th Oct 2006

I suggested time and time and time again that the Union needs to take the initiative and start collaborating with societies that produce successful events and encourage them to host them in the union - is that an idea too difficult for you to comprehend?

if anyone gave us ACTUAL IDEAS rather than...hmm i think it would be better if we had more things...like stuff. i mean what is it people want? apparently you all have strong ideas as to what it is you want, yet as far as i can see NO-ONE has made a single suggestion!

Someone else suggested making the space in the Union more flexible so that people choose to use the Union for their meetings/group stuff rather than other venues.

with what space?
the association is so full of bookings that societies have started using the TV and snooker room to meet in!

[niall]

Quoting Tryptophan from 02:00, 13th Oct 2006


It takes approximately 30 operational hours to configure venue1 for a major event and return it to its "base" state. Even a 'small' change can take up to ten op-hours to complete. Then there is the additional wear and tear of equipment being bounced across the venue every day as well as the non-existant porters time in core structural rigging.

Glad i work in the professional circuit now. We have full venue de-rigs and re-rigs most days and it takes us 4 or 5 hours (with a crew of 5) Oh and the venue i work in is over twice the size of V1 and holds a helluva lot more gigs.

ahh well, n/m. Out of interest, got the specs on the kit, and that of the westport too? Does it include a pair of top-end djcd players, one of the worlds foremost mixing consoles, a choice of 800 to 8000 watts of amplification, some of the world best pro-touring stadium venue speakers and a 1/4mil lighting rig, Somethings tells me not.

why would you have a powerful PA in the westport? A PA is installed to suit the venue, hence they prolly dont have that size of PA (that said, nor dose the union, but we can ignore that for the time being). Also, any system if its properly setup sounds good, and people dont go to these gigs to go "oh look they have this type of speakers, it must be a good night". Also, Lighting, yeh it might look good, but does anyone care if it costs that much? If the decks are so good, then why does the union have to hire in decks every time a big DJ comes along?

So you'd want to get rid of the people who organise events at the union, and hire in someone to....organise events at the union? Oookay then. As to "give the money to a promoter"...to do what? re-equip the venue after every last bolt has been pulled out by the union, pay for permantent operational staff and certifications?

Strathclyde have a full time member of staff for getting gigs in. Long live DJ Phil!

I suppose i may have been a bit like this when i was stil lat the uni, but I have experience in the professional circuit now and really you are all being rather silly.

[hr]

do you have a tastyspoon?

http://www.tastyspoon.com/forum

[Fawksie]

Quoting spike from 23:30, 20th Oct 2006
if anyone gave us ACTUAL IDEAS rather than...hmm i think it would be better if we had more things...like stuff. i mean what is it people want? apparently you all have strong ideas as to what it is you want, yet as far as i can see NO-ONE has made a single suggestion!

Fucking hell, Spike, what is it you want? Are you simply trolling? What do you define as an ACTUAL IDEA? I'm going to quote the top of foo's post again, because it didn't seem to get through to you, nor did exnihilo's similar recapitulation on page 3.

You have just failled to see the suggestions because you are closed to them. Theeres bloody loads of them. Every one of the suggestions below is decent enough to be considered. Just because they are not your thoughts (although some are which is strange, where you saying your points were invalid too?) it does not make them not "decent".

[munchingfoo]

Quoting niall from 00:01, 21st Oct 2006
If the decks are so good, then why does the union have to hire in decks every time a big DJ comes along?

There is a simple answer to this, the decks they have are really good but they are not the industry standard. People like to play what they are used to. What really puzzles me is, when the industry standard is actually cheaper than the union's decks, why the hell did they buy them and not the standard?

[hr]

Tired Freudian references aside - your mother played my mighty skin flute like a surf crowned sea nymph trying to rouse Poseidon from his watery slumber!

[exnihilo]

Quoting spike from 23:30, 20th Oct 2006with what space?
the association is so full of bookings that societies have started using the TV and snooker room to meet in!

I did say we could look at satellite or second sites for some of our retail areas / services. That would free some space in the building to be used as function rooms etc.

[Spike]

Quoting exnihilo from 02:26, 22nd Oct 2006
I did say we could look at satellite or second sites for some of our retail areas / services. That would free some space in the building to be used as function rooms etc.

maybe something that could be looked into would be hiring rooms from the university or something? or maybe socs meeting in the room at DRA? something along those lines anyways.

also if the uni decided to reopen the crawfurd arts centre that would take a whole load off the union

[exnihilo]

The University os over-stretched as well (it wasn't designed for this many students either), what I'm suggesting is not rearranging the deck chairs, but spending some money and buying a second site.

[Fawksie]

Egad! Spend money?

[Spike]

given the apparent financial situation, might it possibly be a better idea to wait untill things get settled before thinking of such a large expendeture?

[exnihilo]

No. You have to spend money to make money, and the present bank balance has declined over the last ten years due to ineptitude - and has, as I have repeatedly pointed out - been a very real factor in the University's decisions about the Association's grant.

But we can wait more. Sure. Do nothing for another few years and see if, as student numbers continue to rise, the building becomes magically more useful. That response, that reasoning, is exactly what's wrong with the Association.

[nicolafoister]

Sorry my bad for not being clear. What I meant was "well said" for suggesting ideas get sent to the Union. We as students have a voice and we should use it. I totally accept I didn't make that clear in my post.

I do think some of the ideas which have been posted are valid and good ones and that is why I suggested I take them along to the meeting as it makes sense for the sabbaticals to hear what people have to say.

[Jono]

A further suggestion I'd like to make would be the possible change of brewery for the bar.

I'm probably not alone in saying that Tennants is shite. Velvet is bearable, but only because it's so weak it goes down like water. As for this new versav stuff, it's just marginally stronger, £2 velvet.

I realise there are enormous logistical implications in changing breweries, but I can't see much argument for them being the cheapest option. I've been to other Unions where they sell better beer for cheaper prices than they do in our union!

[hr]

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[exnihilo]

We buy as part of a collective - Northern Services - which nominates the suppliers. Which is not to say it can't change, just to explain how it came to be.

[Jono]

Never thought I'd see this thread again! Assuming that posting here is allowed (I heard on the grape-vine that this thread was solely responsible for the union board being retired in the first place), It presents us with an oppurtunity to look at the issues two years on!

So boys and girls, Three things you'd do to improve the Union?

[Fawksie]

Forget you saw this, it doesn't exist >.>

You shouldn't have been able to see this board, I must have screwed up the permissions. Ordinary users can't.