US Tour Phan gathering in Pittsburgh

Hi folks,

I’m sure some of you are probably already aware that Jeff and I have started to pretty seriously consider organizing a phan gathering to celebrate the US Tour in Pittsburgh this fall. I’d like to clarify that the intent of the gathering is not to detract from any events in Las Vegas (though I will admit the idea did sprout from our conversation around being frustrated that dates haven’t been confirmed yet). Goodness knows there's enough conflict in the Phandom these days without creating any East Coast/West Coast tension! No, it's all love, fear not! The intent of the event would be to provide an option to those phans who want to gather and celebrate the US tour before they close this fall and/or are Midwest/East Coast based and can’t travel out to Las Vegas or LA.

For those who may not know, Jeff and I both have previous experience in event coordination. Jeff arranged Phan gatherings for the Toronto Phantom production, and I am a project/event coordinator in ‘real’ (aka – ‘non-phan’) life.

Jeff and I have started making calls around the Pittsburgh area to the theatre, hotels, convention centers, etc. to get an idea of availability and pricing. We’re also aiming to get in touch with the US tour to see about organizing some events in which the cast and crew might be willing to participate (i.e. Q&A, backstage tour, etc.- we’ll see what happens!).

The tour will be in the Pittsburgh area (their last stop before L.A., where they will close) late August through September, and we were aiming for a long weekend in September (as we kinda already had that time ear marked anyway…). As that really isn’t much time, we’re really hoping to gauge the level of interest amongst phans so we can have an idea of the approximate size of the group. Also, we really don’t want to book group tickets and end up with a massive bill and a private cheering section!

We’ve set up a group on Facebook, as we thought it might be the easiest way to discuss plans and ideas. Please feel free to join!:


https://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=123474487691649&v=info&ref=ts

Rebecca wrote:I’d like to clarify that the intent of the gathering is not to detract from any events in Las Vegas (though I will admit the idea did sprout from our conversation around being frustrated that dates haven’t been confirmed yet). Goodness knows there's enough conflict in the Phandom these days without creating any East Coast/West Coast tension! No, it's all love, fear not! The intent of the event would be to provide an option to those phans who want to gather and celebrate the US tour before they close this fall and/or are Midwest/East Coast based and can’t travel out to Las Vegas or LA.

I think this is a good approach, to not compete with the Vegas even and force people to choose. If anything, you'll create two possibilities for those who have time and money.

So what's the latest status quo on the phan phan gathering? (haha, not to be confused with can-can gathering... )

Any one gathering for Cleveland, Ohio?

I would love to do this, but sadly, I can't go for the same reason I won't be able to make it to Vegas Phantom Fan Week. If I see the tour again, it will have to be between now and early August. There's a chance I could do Ohio.

ladygodiva wrote:Any one gathering for Cleveland, Ohio?

I thought I had heard months ago of a gathering in Ohio or somewhere nearby. Don't know the specifics, though.

R.

operafantomet wrote:I think this is a good approach, to not compete with the Vegas even and force people to choose. If anything, you'll create two possibilities for those who have time and money.

So what's the latest status quo on the phan phan gathering? (haha, not to be confused with can-can gathering... )

There's been enough interest in a Pittsburgh based gathering that we've decided to go for it.

The dates will be September 16-19th. (Okay, I realize this probably kind of conflicts with what was originally scheduled for Vegas, but that's also the final weekend for the tour in PA... and Jeff and I had already booked that time off. ) The dates aren't 'strict, per se - meaning, phans will be in town from the 16th-19th, but if folks can only make it for the Saturday and Sunday then that's totally fun. Come and go as you please

We posted a survey to get feedback on dates, preferences, events, etc. It's available here for anyone who might be interested:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7D3Z2GJ

Based on the feedback we've received so far, Jeff is booking a block of group tickets with the theatre box office tomorrow for the matinee on Saturday, September 18th. We may end up purchasing tickets for other shows as well, but since Jeff and I are financially on the line for any group sales (until people reimburse us) we're just going with the date/time that won the popular vote. We've also been in touch with a local hotel to see about booking a block of rooms so we'd be able to get a discounted rate. We'll likely be renting out a large suite to use as the common area, where we can hold events and generally hang out. We've also sent an inquiry to contacts involved with the tour to see if it will be possible to arrange any backstage tour, Q&A, something of that nature - but we'll see how that turns out. Still ironing out all the details, but that's what's in the works so far.

So, if anyone wants to join us in Pittsburgh this fall we'd love to see you there

Just curious how many, if any from here are planning to attend.

Now that the Vegas event is out, I'm starting to consider Pittsburgh after realizing I have enough flyermiles to go.

Gotta wear that Hannibal costume somewhere.

I'm going!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone,

As Rebecca has mentioned, the Phans directed weekend in Pittsburgh is moving along very well!

if you havent been keeping up to date on Facebook, I'll give you a quick update here.

Group Tickets
Rebecca and I personally purchased 15 group tickets for the Saturday September 18th evening performance. These tickets are available from us for purchase (at cost) which will save you about $11 from the regular box office ticket price. We only have 8 tickets left. Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Details can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=123474487691649&topic=127

Hotel and Masquerade Survey
created a new survey to collect data for HOTEL and MASQUERADE PARTY ideas. Survey is opened until Tuesday June 29 @11:59pm. Please only answer this survey if you intend on attending the event. Remember - this is a Phan event created BY Phans FOR Phans. Your responses will help us make a Phantastic memorable weekend for all!

Please take the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HJC9CDG

Previous Survey
FYI - the previous survey has closed. You can view Phan responses here:
https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=123474487691649&topic=128

Rebecca and I really hope everyone can come.


Phantomly yours,
PhantomJT

Phans,

I'd like to thank you once again for planning to join us at the Phantom Phans Weekend Event in Pittsburgh. Remember, this event was created BY Phans for Phans!! I know this message is VERY LONG, but it has the bulk of the IMPORTANT information we need to relay to you and expect YOUR feedback by JUNE 30th. I promise not to send such a huge message in the future.

Rebecca and I took into account Phan feedback from both surveys and contacted several hotels and banquet halls in the Pittsburgh & surrounding area. We'd like to present to you the proposed hotel and event space for this very special weekend. We've taken all feedback into consideration and believe this is the best option for our group based on location, price points, amenities, service, ambiance, and YOUR requirements.

Hotel:
DoubleTree Hotel & Suites
1 Bigelow Sq, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Distance from theatre: 4 blocks (5min walk)

Group Discount Room Options
Standard Room - $149 (or split with a phan for $75ea)
Bedroom Suite - $169 ( or split with a phan for $85ea)

Note
- the standard room has 2 separate beds, max 4 phans per room
- the bedroom suite has a living room with a sofa bed and separate bedroom behind closed doors. Max 5 phans per room
- payment is NOT required until you CHECK OUT. You only need a credit card to hold the reservation. If needed, you can cancel your reservation with no penalty up to 4pm date of arrival
- hotel perks: Free wifi, gym, free parking, and free shuttle service around downtown core (including to the theatre)
- room photos posted on the Facebook group

When selecting this hotel we looked at options inside the city centre and outside the downtown area (airport/burbs). When we factored in travel time (at least 30mins each way) and cost for gas and parking, etc., choosing a hotel close to the theatre made the most sense. Hotels outside the city centre did not have the event space we were looking for to hold the masquerade event. Also, to receive group rates, we need to have at least 10 rooms booked over the course of the weekend. DoubleTree was the only hotel that would allow us to book 10 rooms over the course of the weekend, versus 10 rooms every night for the weekend.

Now, on to the party events...

Please understand, when we selected the event room detailed below, we exhausted ALL options and spent many many hours speaking with venues. There were many many variables that were taken into account and we hope you'll be pleased with the following.

Event Room: The Vue, located at the DoubleTree Hotel where we will be staying (photos posted on the Facebook group)
Event Space: Aprx 1000 sq ft
Includes: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Drinks, 3 flat screen TVs, DVD player, and a Bose Stereo system for your iPod
Time Frame: All access to this PRIVATE room for Phans only ALL DAY from 10am-10pm on Friday September 17.
Events scheduled: Welcome Lunch, Prize Give-a-ways, Phantom Movies, Phan Dinner, Evening Masquerade Party, and special Phan features...TBD - all functions Phans expressed great interest in via the surveys.

Cost per Phan: $65 (if we have 20+ phans attending). If there are 15-19 phans, cost would be $86pp. Note - we need at least 15 phans for the price to be reasonable.
Payment for the party would be expected no later than August 30th, by which time we'll have an idea how many people will be attending.
Our Total Cost: $1300 includes EVERYTHING mentioned above. The $1300 includes party room rental, lunch, dinner, drinks (for 20 people) taxes, and hotel service fees.

The prices mentioned above are pretty close to the price ranges Phans expected to pay for the Masquerade event on its own, so we think this is the best bang for our buck. All other banquet halls, party rooms, and comparable spaces had 4hr time limits, did not include staff costs, bartender fees and the costs were almost double ($2000-2800). We also looked at restaurants in the area but there were privacy and space issues, and would not have had the option to watch videos, play music or have fun...

The other events proposed for the Phan Weekend (Farewell Brunch, Dinner before the show, Phantom Performances!) will be low key and the only costs you'll have to worry about are your food and your show tickets.

Also, we do want to inform you that we've contacted the touring company to try and set up some sort of special event just for the Phans. Although nothing is currently set in stone, we want to make you aware we are making EVERY effort to make this a VERY SPECIAL weekend for not only the Phans....but also the cast. As details become available, we'll keep you informed.

Rebecca and I must provide a signed contact agreement to the hotel by July 1st, agreeing to use the party room and book at least 10 hotel nights with the hotel. They will be placing a $1500 nonrefundable deposit on our personal credit card to secure the party room and hotel suites for this event. We've also purchased $1300 worth of Phantom tickets. We're really asking you to be our partners in this. The success of this weekend really depends on YOUR commitment. Rebecca and I have every belief that this weekend will be Phantastic, but we need you to appreciate that in coordinating this event, we are putting ourselves and our money on the line by purchasing group tickets and signing hotel contracts. We're counting on you as Phans and as our Phriends to seriously commit to this event.

Please RSVP by contacting me directly.

Note - Upon receiving your RSVP, Rebecca and I will determine if we have enough Phans willing to commit to the above proposed plan. If so, we will sign the contract and provide Phans details on how to reserve their rooms. You will pay the hotel directly upon departure. Payment for the party event would be expected by August 30th. If we dont receive enough responses, everyone will be responsible for their own hotel rooms (please be aware, there are other large events happening in Pittsburgh that weekend, including a RUSH concert and a pro-football game, so room rates will be high and may be sold out), and the party event will be moved to a local restaurant which would be (based on everyone's feedback from the surveys) less than adequate.

Many Many thanks to you all, and we look forward to seeing you in a few short months!

Your obedient servants,
Jeff and Rebecca

Event space and hotel room photos: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123474487691649&v=photos

Great news!

Just received confirmation that the cast will meet with us after the show Saturday night to do a PRIVATE Q&A session on stage!!

On that note, we only have 3 tickets left...available on a first come first served basis.

Contact me for details!
~Jeff

Yay! I'm so pleased this is all coming together! I'm really looking forward to getting together with everyone this fall!

You two do great work. I'm impressed!

operafantomet wrote:You two do great work. I'm impressed!

Thanks! Rebecca and I have invested many hours working on this event so far...and it doesnt look like the end is in sight just yet...We still have a few other items up our sleeves...but working out the details.

I'm really excited about the Phan masquerade party we have planned for the Friday... I'm just hoping we can get a few more phans to join us to bring the number up a bit. The more phans, the lower the cost it will be for everyone.

~PhantomJT~

Wow, I'm so jealous! At another time, I would have totally flown in!

Hi everyone,

As mentioned in the last communication (www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=123474487691649&topic=136) Rebecca and I are required to sign a contract and place a $1500 non-refundable deposit on our credit card this coming week to secure the party space for the Phan event.

To make this event affordable, we need at least 15 Phans to attend. Currently, we have 10 Phans who have RSVPed.

We have 4 days to find 5 other Phans who are seriously going to join us. If not, the masquerade party and all-day Friday Phan event would be cancelled for Phan Weekend.

If you're still on the fence, please keep in mind, the PRIVATE party room is available for our use from 10am-10pm, and includes: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Drinks, and the following entertainment: 3 flat screen TVs, DVD player, and a Bose Stereo system for your iPod. As you know, the Phantom CAST have confirmed they will conduct a private Q&A session with our group after the performance on Saturday night, and we are in the process of inviting the cast to portions of our Friday all-day event, which would take place in the party room.

The more Phans involved, the cheaper it will be for everyone. Costs are listed below for your reference.

Please RSVP by June 30th. Note - payment for this event will not be required until late August, but please only RSVP if you are seriously intending on going.

Many thanks,
Jeff

COST:
Total cost is $1300 which is divided by the # of phans attending.
10 Phans = $130pp
11 Phans = $118pp
12 Phans = $108pp
13 Phans = $100pp
14 Phans = $93pp
15 Phans = $87pp
16 Phans = $81pp
17 Phans = $77pp
18 Phans = $72pp
19 Phans = $69pp
20+ Phans = $65pp

Just heard from 2 additional phans that WILL be attending! We're soooo close! Just need 3 more to attend.

Just a reminder - I do still have 2 pairs of tickets available for the Saturday evening performance which includes the exclusive Q&A event after the show with the cast. You must have our group tickets to join us.

Any takers?

Just bumping this thread to the top for some attention.

Looks like Jeff and Rebecca just need 2 more phans to RSVP in the resoundingly positive (in the next 24 hours) in order for the Phan Weekend party events (in which you may even be rubbing elbows with your favorite cast member) to be greenlit - otherwise, that part may very well be scrapped. Also be aware that two show tickets (which include a private Q&A session with the cast after the show) are also available at the group rate.

If you can commit to this very unique event organized by a couple of phans with a lot of heart, please do so immediately by contacting Jeff or Rebecca via Facebook or PM here.

R.

Hi everyone

Good news
I've signed the contract and the hotel has accepted it. The party WILL happen! :-)

Note, we still didnt reach our 15 minimum, however, an individual has approached me stating if we could not find 2 extra phans to participate by September, they will make a donation to the group to cover the costs for the 2 missing people. This $174 donation is provided to us by an anonymous individual who would like to be known as an 'Angel Donor'. Of course, I'd still like to find more phans to join us (the more the merrier!), so if you know of anyone else who may be interested, please send them my way.

Hotel booking information will be provided in a weeks time (the hotel is setting up a dedicated website/phone line just for our group!).

I'd like to thank everyone who tried to help...and a special thank you to all of those who are planning on attending. I'm really excited about the Phan Weekend. Only 11 weeks to go!!

~PhantomJT~

Good work, you guys!! And I'm sure two more will tag along.

It's hard to believe, we're only 5 short weeks away from the Pittsburgh Phantom Phan Weekend event!

With that being said, we have a few important announcements to make.

#1 - The all-day party/masquerade event payment is required within the next 4 weeks. As mentioned in previous posts, the cost is determined based on the number of participants. At the current time, we have 15 Phans attending this event which brings the amount per person to $87. Payment can be made via Paypal (please add 3% paypal fee - $2.61pp), international money order, or direct deposit to any Wells Fargo bank location near you. Just a reminder, the PRIVATE party room is available for our use from 10am-10pm, and includes: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Drinks, and the following entertainment: 3 flat screen TVs, DVD player, and a Bose Stereo system for your iPod. Events held in this room will include: Welcome Lunch, Prize Give-a-ways, Phantom Movies, Phan Dinner, Evening Masquerade Party, and special Phan features...

As with the theatre tickets, if you'd like to pay 1/2 now, and 1/2 later, we can accommodate this. Final payments will be required NO LATER than Sunday September 5th. In the event we have more than 15 participants, the price will drop. I will issue a refund to all participants prior to the event.

#2 - Hotel Rooms - You only have 10 days left to book your room at the discounted rate. Please call 1-800-222-TREE (8733) and quote 'Phantom of the Opera Phans' to get your discounted rate, or make your reservation online here:
http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/PITDTDT-POT-20100916/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG - Remember, you do NOT need to pay at the time of reservation. A credit card is required to reserve the room, but payment will be required upon checking out of the hotel after our event. BOOK YOUR ROOM NO LATER THAN August 17th to receive your discount!!!

#3 - And finally, believe it or not, we still have 2 unsold tickets to the performance on Saturday September 18th. If you are still on the fence, or have friends who want to come, PLEASE let me know. Tickets are $82.75 or $85.50 via paypal. Remember - these tickets also include the private Q&A session with the cast after the show. Only our group holding our special tickets will be permitted to attend the Q&A.

If you have any questions, please contact me!

See you all very soon!
~Jeff

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately, 1 phan and their partner are no longer able to join us in Pittsburgh this September, so we have 2 additional tickets (total of 4) available for the Saturday evening performance.

If you know anyone who may be interested in joining us, please let me know, or give them my contact details.

These amazing tickets are located in the Directors Circle, a few rows from the front, and include the private Q&A session with the cast after the show.

This also means we have 4 spots open for the Masquerade party!

~Jeff

You should have a "Donate money to phan week" collection to pay for eventual unused tickets. I'm sure many would give a small contribution, which in turn might prevent you from paying from your own pockets.

Though, I'm positive someone will grab those tickets.

operafantomet wrote:You should have a "Donate money to phan week" collection to pay for eventual unused tickets. I'm sure many would give a small contribution, which in turn might prevent you from paying from your own pockets.

Though, I'm positive someone will grab those tickets.

Thats a good idea! Thanks for the tip I'll let you know how the resale goes. Right now I've added free ads to craigslist and kijiji to see if we have any takers. So far I've had 2 people interested, but they havent responded back when I let them know the tickets are available

~Jeff

Just a quick update - all Phantom theatre tickets have been sold (thanks kijiji!). However, if you're still thinking of attending the Phan all-day event, we're still looking for Phan participants!

Oh, that's cool! You know I'm expecting TOOOOONS of pictures from the event, right? And I'm there in spirit...

PhantomJT wrote:Just a quick update - all Phantom theatre tickets have been sold (thanks kijiji!). However, if you're still thinking of attending the Phan all-day event, we're still looking for Phan participants!

Glad to hear it! I hope you find a few more folks for the Phan event. I asked around, but didn't have any takers.

R.

I hope all of you participating in this gathering have a blast! I would love to be there, but I don't only live in the wrong country, but also on the wrong continent... So there. But I'm know you guys will have a ball (literally, haha).

Have fun! I want to see lots of pictures and reviews!

~LCD