The busy bees--all eight of them--who are the staff at Netroots Nation have been hard at work for months to bring you the best convention yet this summer, July 17-20th in Detroit. Their output has been augmented by another hard-working crew, the panel selection committee, whose principal tasks have just concluded. And there are others--fundraisers, the board members, co-sponsors--who have contributed countless hours to this event already, to say nothing about the activists who have drafted the proposals out of which have been chosen the panels, trainings, and screenings to be presented in July. Now it's our turn to help this event live up to its potential as the single biggest annual gathering of progressive activists in the country.
Most anything you want to know about the convention can be found at the website, NetrootsNation.org. Besides checking in there regularly, it's good to watch for Cheers and Jeers diaries by Bill in Portland Maine in which he provides updates and reminders. His latest one, with news about panels and the keynotes, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is here. For that matter, thanks to navajo, the Connect! Unite! Act! diaries are providing current RSVP lists about two important Daily Kos components of an NN: the Cheers and Jeers dinner on Wednesday night, and the plenary tables reserved under the names of local Kossack groups. The latest version of both can be found here. Please send a Kosmail to navajo if you want to be added to one or both of those lists.
There's no real shortage, in other words, of solid and useful information about the upcoming Netroots Nation extravaganza. But I'd still like to share some details with you that might otherwise escape your notice. And I'd like to encourage you to take part in the event process as you are able, above and beyond your attendance and support.
Registration at a Bargain Rate
1. A full scholarship to Netroots Nation could be yours--covering registration and lodging--if you are one of 30 winners of this year's program sponsored by Democracy for America. Please follow this link to sign up for the competition. And don't be dismayed by the seeming impossibility of catching up to the five current front-runners. It's true, those who finish in the top five slots by votes are guaranteed their spots. But with some ambitious social networking, including some strategically-placed diaries on Daily Kos, one of those top five vote-getters still could be you. Even if not, the committee choosing the other 25 winners has a fair amount of leeway in their decision-making, although the process is weighted toward the higher vote-getters. I encourage you to try, no matter where you're from, especially but not only if you are a newbie to NN. I won one in 2012, and it was a great, inspiring experience to take part in the program. Time is running out, however: the deadline for the competition is this coming Monday, May 12th. Sign up today and start mustering your supporters!
[It's time for voters to make their wishes known, too. Contest rules state: "Individuals may only vote for each applicant once." As it is for the application process, the voting deadline is Monday, May 12th.]
UPDATE: Tonight's the deadline! Voters must vote by 11:59 PM PDT. Please see this diary by Shoshanna D for the names of the three Kossacks in the running--Horace Boothroyd III, Triciawyse, and ZenBassoon--plus another person Shoshanna recommends. Good luck to all!
2. Michigan residents get a significant discount on registration: $195 for all four days. The organization seeks to encourage local networking, and one way to do that is by offering this special rate. To obtain your Michigan discount, follow this link. (Please note there is a small additional fee requested of every attendee, to support special initiatives such as disability access.)
3. Students may register for an even deeper discounted rate: $95 for all four days. The "Youth Registration" fee is available to all students enrolled in high school, community college, trade school or university. Please follow this link for access to that rate.
Note: Rooms available at the Marriott Renaissance Center for the convention rate are nearly sold out. Please follow this link if you are interested in staying there at the special rate. (Other rooms will still be available for a while, just at a higher price.)
4. Volunteering at NN14 for a reduction in registration is another great option. A partial or full rebate may be granted, depending on the number of shifts worked.
The type of volunteer work needed includes, but is not limited to:
· Bag/swag stuffing on Wednesday
· Setup/breakdown of exhibit hall, including Daily Kos lounge (Wed set-up, Sat take-down)
· Registration Desk staffing, every day
· Runners, every day
· A/V quality control, every day
· Video Team, every day
Obviously, some of these tasks require specialized expertise while others do not. From my limited personal experience, let me say that it's fun to take part. You get to meet other Kossacks and NN attendees in an entirely different way, which is also a good thing.
If you are interested, please send an email to volunteers@netrootsnation.org
Please join me below the jump for ways to help before the event. Much of the following information is directed toward current residents of Metro Detroit, but you are welcome to read on to see if there is something you could contribute, no matter where you live now. Furthermore, if somehow you have missed the sister diary about upcoming Motor City Kossacks meet-ups during May and June, please check here.
Pre-Event Preparation
1. Publicity and Recruitment among local Democrats
Now that major portions of the convention agenda are in place, we have the necessary information to promote the event heavily to local Democratic clubs. GwenM has suggested making the rounds to metro Detroit Dems between now and late May; NN staff are now preparing handouts to support our outreach efforts. Are you a member of a Democratic Club, in or out of Michigan, yourself? Let's arrange for a few minutes on an upcoming agenda to spread the word about this important organizing opportunity. Please contact me via Kosmail if that's your plan so that we do not duplicate our efforts (or bug the local Dem chairs with multiple inquiries).
2. Metro Detroit Tours for NN14 visitors
What would you like to see and/or learn about Detroit while you are in town? We know that interest is strong; a Social and Economic Justice Tour co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and the Michigan Labor History Society for Wednesday afternoon was at capacity and then some within a few hours of its announcement. (It's on the NN site, but it's now closed to new registrants.)
Think of all the great, fascinating places there are to check out in or near Detroit. This is just a short list of those that first come to my mind; there are many more.
The Rouge Plant.
The Heidelberg Project (may it still be standing in July).
Pewabic Pottery.
The Guardian Building.
The Second Baptist Church.
The Diego Rivera Murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.
Belle Isle.
The Workers' Row House and related archaeological dig in Corktown.
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.
I'm getting excited myself now thinking about all there is to see in our fair city!
Several private organizations run tour operations of downtown and other locations in the city; it would help visitors to hear from we locals which tour operations are good and why.
Furthermore, it might still be possible to organize some small- or large-scale tours dedicated to NN14 participants, for that matter. If you'd like to help to do that, or if you would like to go on one yourself, please indicate your areas of interest in the comments. If we get on that task soon enough, that information can be included in the program and on the NN website.
3. Visitor Information Guides (Restaurants, Activities, Cool Sites to Visit)
In a related vein, the NN organizers would like to put out a page or two for convention-goers with local picks on things to do on their own, before, during, or after NN14. Per Mary Rickles:
[It's] essentially a magazine-style article with a top 10 list and little local tips. In the past we’ve also had locals write up a list of local restaurants, so if that’s something someone wants to do we can include that on the website/in the program and have some copies at the reg desk.
Please let me know if that's something you'd like to take on, so we don't deluge Mary and the rest of the NN staff with multiple submissions.
While I am on this particular topic of places to see: I strongly recommend this new guide to Detroit, Belle Isle to 8 Mile: An Insider's Guide to Detroit I have no personal interest in this book, but I do think it's a fine resource edited by "siblings and lifelong, seventh-generation Detroiters, Andy, Emily, and Rob Linn." (I hope to have a longer review of this and other excellent Detroit resources posted by the end of May.)
4. Daily Kos Hospitality Lounge
Previous NNs I've attended have offered a Daily Kos Hospitality Lounge in the middle of the Exhibitors' Hall. It provides a place to kick back, charge your electronic devices, meet people, and people-watch. Last year's Lounge, set up by edrie with help from lots of other people (Eric Thut and Linda Lee on the staff side, AoT and Glen the Plumber and others who I'd love to credit as well on the Kossack side) was especially successful.
I must admit, this is a big project to take on, and it will require a team. It's not something one person can do at the last minute, or even ten people in a week. But it's clear that the group doing this last year had a blast. And edrie has offered lots, I mean lots, of planning help, including her designs from last year.
Please let me know if this is something you can help with. On this one, the more the merrier. A couple of people with strong backs will be needed.
5. Newbie Meet-up (in addition to the Hospitality Lounge)
I myself am rather introverted, though I am not especially shy. But I do find it tiring and stressful to deal with all the new people and sights and sounds of an NN. I can sympathize with people who find such events even more discomfiting. And I don't want to exclude folks who are leery of a big event like this with lots of bells and whistles.
I think there are ways to help people ease into the process, however. Would you like to take part in planning a newbie meet-up/support system? Over the years, NN organizers have incorporated more strategies to help in this regard, but they are open to hearing about more. Please let me know if this is something that appeals to you. Please note as well that this is a task that does NOT require you to live near Detroit. There will be plenty to do on site once you arrive, and we can of course make plans remotely.
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Since writing about NN14 is like trying to catch a fish with one's bare hands, there's so much action every day, I suspect I will have missed important aspects worth discussing. Again, that's where you come in. Please take advantage of our wonderful dialogic format to make suggestions and recommendations--and pledges of assistance--in the comments.
This is going to be the BEST NN yet, I am sure of it. But my prediction will only come true with your active support. Thank you in advance for all you can do to help.