Fan Meetups

You may have noticed that there has been a change to our lovely little page here.  We are now hosting a fabulous banner to the right advertising the UK Convention that will be taking place in November!  Ticket requests have been closed and now all of us who applied for those tickets are waiting to find out if we were some of the lucky ones!  No matter our outcome on tickets, we absolutely support the fans’ efforts to have a kick ass convention.  Duranies deserve that!  Of course, Rhonda and I are still planning on going over the UK at that time, tickets or no, to meet up with friends and enjoy a party or two!  That said, November seems like a long way off.  If my theory is right about US tour dates, I have to wait only until September for shows.  I should be able to handle that, right?  After all, many, many, many people have to wait a lot, lot, lot, lot longer in between shows.  Heck, some people have never had shows.  Thus, I will be patient when it comes to these events.  My fandom, on the other hand, would like more and, for me, the more ALWAYS comes in the way of other fans.  Seriously, the best part of being in a fandom and in this fandom isn’t the shows or even the albums.  The best part of fandom is other fans.  This is the reason that Rhonda and I hope to get tickets to the convention.  We want to meet and get to know other fans.  We want to see the people we are already friends with.  I would like something sooner to look forward to, though. 

How do I get my fandom needs met in between shows or events like this upcoming convention?  I hope that I can get together with other fans.  These get togethers have come in a variety of packages for me.  Sometimes, they are simply one evening with very local fans getting together at a local bar or restaurant to just chat.  Sometimes, it means hanging out at someone’s house to watch Duran related videos.  Sometimes, it means driving a couple of hours to get together with a larger group of Duranies.  This get together may last most of the day or may go overnight.  Some get togethers become larger than that and might mean a regional get together and could equal a whole weekend or a large part of the weekend.  Of course, the longer the get together, the more likely it is that people would need some place to stay.  Could that be someone’s house?  A hotel?  No matter the length of time for the get together, all of these get togethers would work to satisfy my craving, so to speak. 

Now, of course, another element to any Duran related get together is the chosen activity(s).  Will the fans just talk about Duran and their stories of life in Duranland?  Will there be viewing of some Duran related DVDs like Sing Blue Silver or Live from London?  Will there be Duran related party games?  (I have made a trivia game and pictionary.  I have ideas for more in the future, too!)  Maybe the group wants to go out to a club that plays 80s music?  Of course, the group could decide to do something completely different like Duran crafts (making t-shirts, canvass bags, etc).  Perhaps, the group would combine some of these activities.  

So, readers, let me ask you about your preferences with a get together. 

Question #1:  Location-Where would you prefer to have a get together? 
A.  Only in your city
B.  Only in a city nearby (2-3 hours maximum)
C.  Only in a city that is within driving distance (3-5 hours maximum)
D.  Only in a city that you could fly to in a short amount of time (1-4 hours)
E.  Anywhere

Question #2:  Time-How much time would you want in a get together?
A.  A couple of hours
B.  A long evening
C.  A day
D.  Overnight
E.  A weekend

Question #3:  Lodging-Where would you want to stay?
A.  Go back home
B.  At a friend’s house that I know well
C.  At a Duranie’s if s/he seems trustworthy and cool
D.  At a Duranie’s-all Duranies must be trustworthy and cool
E.  At a hotel

Question #4:  Activities-What would you like to do?
A.  Talk about Duran Duran and personal experiences as fans
B.  Watch Duran related material (videos, DVDs, interviews, etc.)
C.  Play Duran related games
D.  Go out to a club or bar
E.  A combination of the first four (specify which ones…)

In all seriousness, I’m thinking about trying to do something for the Midwest for this summer, depending on what actually happens with tour dates.  I would want to do something that appeals to the most people.  Plus, I would like to know people’s thoughts because things like get togethers tell me a lot about the fandom!  Please, let me know what you think and if I left anything out!

-A

Related posts:

  1. Fan Gatherings
  2. Fandom is Fun!
  3. Friends of Mine

By Daily Duranie

Once upon a time, there were two Duran Duran fans. One named Amanda, the other named Rhonda. Over many vodka tonics, they would laugh about the idea of one day writing a book about their fan experiences. While that manuscript is still being composed...Rhonda thought they should write a blog. (What was she THINKING?!) Lo and behold: The Daily Duranie was born.

12 comments

  1. Question #1: Location-Where would you prefer to have a get together?
    E. Anywhere

    Question #2: Time-How much time would you want in a get together?
    E. A weekend

    Question #3: Lodging-Where would you want to stay?
    E. At a hotel

    Question #4: Activities-What would you like to do?
    E. A combination of the first four

    -I'd love to get to know people as more than just fans. Also, I wouldn't mind playing games and such and just hanging out and getting out and sightseeing or whatever.

  2. Hi!Although I've never attended any fan meetups or conventions,I'd love to view DD clips & documentaries!Would be fun if fans brought items they love from their collections such as pics taken with DD,autographed stuff or rare collectibles!there could also be a buy-sell-trade thing going on!Collectors like me would be thrilled!
    just an idea!Joel D.

  4. OMG JUST READING THIS GOT ME ALL EXCITED!!! I for sure want to be a part of this!! Here are my answers:

    Question #1: Location-Where would you prefer to have a get together?

    I would drive a few hours (I'm in Minnesota so I'd drive to ND, SD, WI, IA or Chicago.

    Question #2: Time-How much time would you want in a get together?

    Nothing less than a weekend, if I'm driving a few hours for it! Besides, how could we ever get everything done in one night!? 🙂

    Question #3: Lodging-Where would you want to stay?

    Anywhere I had to! Duranie's house, a hotel, the backseat of my car, whatever! lol

    Question #4: Activities-What would you like to do?

    All the first 4! Games, talk about the band, watch videos, and hit a bar one of the nights (preferrably one that has DD on the jukebox! lol)

  7. I've already done local meetups with Duran fans (roughly 5-8 participants). Fortunately, I live in a big metropolis so get-togethers are relatively easy to arrange. However, being in Canada, it's always a challenge to meet anyone out of town/province. The distance between Canadian cities are HUGE. There are, of course, American fans who live in small towns that are off the beaten path and can sympathize with the disadvantages of distance but would equally enjoy hooking up with fellow Duranies. I would suggest, out of consideration for these people, to plan a meetup in one of these smaller places. Accomodation would be a humbler experience (a motel, a person's spare room/sofa/floor + sleeping bag/air mattress, a bed-and-breakfast establishment) but on a positive note, the intimate setting could draw people closer together. Win-win-win situation…make small-town Duranies feel included, help pump up their local economy, create a sense of community with everyone pooling resources. If someone is willing to travel 3-5 hours to a big city destination, then why not make the same effort to visit rural areas? A long weekend would provide sufficient time, I think.

    Getting back the specific questions raised, I'm personally open to any of the options mentioned but obviously financial costs and the amount of advanced planning will determine how often I'd do them. Anyway, here are my replies:

    1. Answers A-C, with A being the most convenient.
    2. Answers, B and C (answer E only when travelling time is in excess of 3 hrs.)
    3. Answer “all of the above” (answer A the most convenient; answer C the most interesting)
    4. Combination of the first THREE answers (I'm not a big drinker/club-goer but would tag along if that's where the group wanted to go. Wouldn't want to spend the entire meetup time there though).

    Ideas for meetups (based on what my local meetup group has done):
    – karaoke party (SingStar 80s edition–not exclusively Duran but still fun)
    – playing Duran Duran board game, “Into the Arena”
    – new album release party (consists of group listening and discussion of each track)
    – pre-show/post-show dining and/or hangout; summer BBQ & potluck.
    – running DVD commentary:
    Choose one DVD to watch (e.g. Live From London, Greatest) and record everyone as they casually give comments/reactions to whatever is happening on screen or about Duran Duran in general. The commentary should be spontaneous like a natural conversation, not a formalized description. The goal is to capture the group's stream-of-conciousness as it's occurring–including all the little insights, questions, laughs, opinions, shared memories. The last time my meetup group did this, the stuff we said was hilarious but I'll always regret not having an audio copy of that evening's session to remember it by.

  8. Thanks for the suggestions and feedback! I'm not opposed to having a get together in a smaller location but some people need the draw of a larger city. We'll see.

    -A

  9. Question #1: Location-Where would you prefer to have a get together?

    E. Anywhere(but prefer West Coast), or any big city would be fine.

    Question #2: Time-How much time would you want in a get together?

    E.Weekend

    Question #3: Lodging-Where would you want to stay?

    E. Hotel

    Question #4: Activities-What would you like to do?

    E. All of the above, but all should involve having fun:)

  11. I love meeting other fans. I was lucky enough to have a fellow fan hook me up with a buddy pass on Jet Blue in 2007 to fly to NY. We were to meet there and go to a show. I had tickets to 2 of the Broadway shows and so I arrived before she did. The first night, I met with a Duranie from the UK and another one from the States and we all shared a room. Then one left and the friend who worked for the airline arrived and the three of us shared the room the second night. I had never met these women, but we all trusted each other enough to fly around the globe and stay together. I have shared rooms with many others for shows, especially in Vegas.

    I can't quite afford to travel as much now, so my gatherings have been limited to those close to home. We just had a small get together @ a friend's apartment for NYE and we are going to meet up again in March. We plan to do a variety of things. Several people are coming in for that and some have never seen LA. We will go and see the star and I believe we plan to eat @ Warren's restaurant Via Veneto. We have also had small get-togethers @ Disneyland, though I REALLY wish I could get everyone to commit to a HUGE Duranie day in the park.

    As for the questions: where? Nearby. I can't afford to fly, especially if it is not during the tour. Depending on money, I might be willing to go somewhere I have to stay in a hotel room, but prefer something closer to home.

    I prefer meetups that last all day or even go overnight.

    I ALWAYS want to talk about the band and personal experiences. I mean what is the point of meeting other fans if you aren't going to talk about the band? If we are @ someone's house, I like to watch DVDs and listen to music and share what we love about them. I am open to drinking or not. It is something that we could do @ someone's place or a hotel or a bar. I would enjoy it, but I agree that a bar would not be ideal for an ENTIRE meetup.

Comments are closed.