7.16.2005
conferences
So sometimes working Conference Team is awful, and sometimes it's downright profitable. I mean, yeah, we're making money. Not good money, but enough. What's lovely, though, is that sometimes people leave stuff in rooms after they leave, and sometimes said stuff is very pleasant.
Jenny's team found £20. I think Jenny took it meaning to dole it out after lunch, but no one showed up for it. So it's hers. I found an electric fan that someone had purchased for £12.99 and had decided not to bring back to the US (I also found a dime, so I know it wasn't some European).
Now, we just finished hosting a massive conference in which delegates were given a gigantic gift bag of delightful things. I'd actually prefer not to name said conference for fear of getting into trouble and such. Anyway, these gift bags included an umbrella (which, to be honest, you'd have a hard time bringing on a plane, so most of them were left for us to take - I have one), Skype starter sets (includes 30 free minutes of Skype out of network calling time and two computer headsets - yeah, I have one), a set of 'Inspiration' cards by IDEO (51 cards which are meant to 'inspire' design - I have a set of these too), a Hulger P*Phone with adaptors (to retro-fit your phone - I've got one), a box of chocolate from Vosges (these were delicious), and various media subscriptions. Oh, and a Timbuk2 Messenger bag to carry it all in. And while said huge conference moved out yesterday, Keble Conference Team descended on those rooms in a cleaning frenzy and ended up coming across many of these items. Most common: the Hulger phone by far. Then the Skype stuff, followed by the media magazines and umbrellas. Then the IDEO cards (my team found 2 packs), then the chocolates (we found one, six chocolates split between three persons) and a Timbuk2 bag. Yup. It's on my floor right now.
Do I feel bad taking this? Not really. Should I? The guest didn't pay for it (aside from the $4400 registration and conference fee, and the separate and unknown at this time fee for accommodation. And airfare. And getting from Heathrow to Oxford. But other than that, the guest didn't pay for it...) and the guest left it (and *everything* in it, sans chocolates) behind. Is there a difference between taking an unwanted umbrella worth about £15 and an equally unwanted bag? Even if the bag is worth more? Certainly not, and I had no problem taking the umbrella. Or the bag.
So yesterday, in addition to working 4 hours and getting paid for 4 hrs. of work, I also picked up a fan (£12.99), a Skype starter set (£5), Inspiration cards ($49, NYTimes currency converter puts it today at £27.94), the Hulger P*Phone (£40), Chocolates (c. $5, or £2.85), and a Timbuk2 Computer Messenger bag that is built for my Apple laptop ($90, or £51.31). Total for the day, without counting my actual salary: £189.09. Add in also an umbrella that didn't have a price tag on it but which is nice and most functional, and I'm over £200! Outstanding.
Still a little sick, but the antibiotics are working and I'm feeling a lot better than I was on Tuesday when I could hardly talk.
Jenny's team found £20. I think Jenny took it meaning to dole it out after lunch, but no one showed up for it. So it's hers. I found an electric fan that someone had purchased for £12.99 and had decided not to bring back to the US (I also found a dime, so I know it wasn't some European).
Now, we just finished hosting a massive conference in which delegates were given a gigantic gift bag of delightful things. I'd actually prefer not to name said conference for fear of getting into trouble and such. Anyway, these gift bags included an umbrella (which, to be honest, you'd have a hard time bringing on a plane, so most of them were left for us to take - I have one), Skype starter sets (includes 30 free minutes of Skype out of network calling time and two computer headsets - yeah, I have one), a set of 'Inspiration' cards by IDEO (51 cards which are meant to 'inspire' design - I have a set of these too), a Hulger P*Phone with adaptors (to retro-fit your phone - I've got one), a box of chocolate from Vosges (these were delicious), and various media subscriptions. Oh, and a Timbuk2 Messenger bag to carry it all in. And while said huge conference moved out yesterday, Keble Conference Team descended on those rooms in a cleaning frenzy and ended up coming across many of these items. Most common: the Hulger phone by far. Then the Skype stuff, followed by the media magazines and umbrellas. Then the IDEO cards (my team found 2 packs), then the chocolates (we found one, six chocolates split between three persons) and a Timbuk2 bag. Yup. It's on my floor right now.
Do I feel bad taking this? Not really. Should I? The guest didn't pay for it (aside from the $4400 registration and conference fee, and the separate and unknown at this time fee for accommodation. And airfare. And getting from Heathrow to Oxford. But other than that, the guest didn't pay for it...) and the guest left it (and *everything* in it, sans chocolates) behind. Is there a difference between taking an unwanted umbrella worth about £15 and an equally unwanted bag? Even if the bag is worth more? Certainly not, and I had no problem taking the umbrella. Or the bag.
So yesterday, in addition to working 4 hours and getting paid for 4 hrs. of work, I also picked up a fan (£12.99), a Skype starter set (£5), Inspiration cards ($49, NYTimes currency converter puts it today at £27.94), the Hulger P*Phone (£40), Chocolates (c. $5, or £2.85), and a Timbuk2 Computer Messenger bag that is built for my Apple laptop ($90, or £51.31). Total for the day, without counting my actual salary: £189.09. Add in also an umbrella that didn't have a price tag on it but which is nice and most functional, and I'm over £200! Outstanding.
Still a little sick, but the antibiotics are working and I'm feeling a lot better than I was on Tuesday when I could hardly talk.
