First time attendee!!

[Katie1977]

Hello all,

I am going to be attending DLV for the first time this year! I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I am looking for some valuable information from the more experienced ladies on how to make this first time as enjoyable as possible. Any insight would be much appreciated.

[annie]

My first suggestion is to participate as much as you can. Attend the big affairs and a good selection of the smaller ones.

Next, actively circulate and introduce yourself to as many of the others as you can. Get to know the others!

It's ok to be nervous, actually it's expected. It's almost universally reported that the feeling goes away very quickly after meeting the others.

If you want, ask to be introduced around by one of the volunteers at our major gatherings.

Also, if something is wrong, let us know while there is still time to do something about it.

Those are just a few suggestions ...

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Katie Wilson
----------

Start your week with a coffee and come meet some of the early risers 8 Am on
Monday morning at Katies Koffee Korner** @ The ClubB Cappuccino coffee bar in
The Flamingo ( Sounds warm and Fuzzy doesn't it? ) B Well that's because it
is!....**Wink**.People will be there who can set you off in the right
direction to have a tremendous week of womanly fun.

The description and directions how to get there are in **MY DLV** on the
discussion page under >>> Activity Highlight,-B Katie's Koffee Korner.
The most important one for you which you should absolutely not miss is the

**Opener at Bahama Breeze* . ( Also under Activity highlights ) Almost
everyone will be there and it is a great place so socialize with the gang and
get to know which might be a good fit for you and any other information that
you may need.

Read all the Activity highlights. They tell it all.Have fun See you at 8AM..

Katie

(This posting was entered by Katie Wilson, an external user of MyDLV.)

[Bev]

Hi Katie. Welcome to DLV. You are in for a great time. A few questions to you if I may... Where are you staying? Will you have a car or be looking to carpool? What is your experience level... would you benefit with having a 'big sister' to get you started? What kind of help do you wish? What kind of activities are you looking to do during the week?
This is a fun week and a wonderful opportunity to meet many people from all over the country. My best advice for the week to be the most successful are... 1. Give yourself more time to prepare and arrive at the various activities as things take more time then you think they should in Las Vegas. 2. Build in some down time during the week. Don't try to do everything every day. Allow yourself some time to relax and refresh the internal batteries. 3. And most important I have found... bring comfortable shoes! Walking around the huge casinos, parking garages, and up and down the strip takes a real toll on the old feet. I usually wear comfortable shoes and carry my dressier shoes in a bag (or large purse) and put them on when I arrive at my activity.
Have fun and don't expect things to go perfect as they never do. But even that can be a fun experience at times.
Looking forward to meeting you.
Beverly

[Cathy]

Hi Katie,
Welcome and glad you're joining us this year. I too was nervous first time being out in public, but it gets better and easier with time and practice. Las Vegas is such a crazy city, parties, shows, costumes, night-life, characters everywhere, so almost anything goes, including TG/CD gals. The key is to follow the excellent DLV guidelines, and most important are: 1) dress appropriately for the setting, and 2) avoid the unsafe areas, focus on the safety of the right hotels/lobbies, restaurants, bars/clubs where it's very okay (and safe) to enjoy being a TG/CD woman.

I've now logged more than 45 full days out in public (8am thru on average 9pm) in places like Seattle, Portland, SF, and Las Vegas, so I'm happy to meet you early in the DLV dates and we can chat and get acquainted if you like.

I also find it's best to always be with at least 1-2 other gals as that looks like a few gal friends hanging out, and doesn't attract much/any attention. It's when I've been out entirely by myself that I feel under the spotlight with all eyes checking me out, so me + 1 or 2 gals who pass better than 80%-90% is ideal.

If a group gets larger than 4 total, it can go the other way in attracting too much attention, as you walk in a large group, walk into restaurants/clubs with too large a group. My favorite is to be out with 1 or 2 genetic women, plus 1 or 2 TG/CD gals like me who REALLY look 90%+ passing in public - then I feel VERY much like I blend in well as another woman with them.

I hope we get too meet. -Cathy

[annie]

A couple of other suggestions here, gleaned from the reports of people who had difficulty in the past ...

First is to be sure that you have enough information to effectively participate. Many who are not familiar with us but who are familiar with other TG events fall into this trap! Be sure you have a copy of the current schedule with you (not the temporary posted ones, the final one), the DLV map if you need a map, and such things as the contact numbers, suggestions on what to do if something is wrong, etc.

If you can't find the group at any of our activities, don't just walk off, phone our contact people! They will talk you in like air traffic control!

Also if you get nervous and find yourself "stuck" in your hotel room or vehicle, phone our Big Sister Hotline and we'll get someone to assure you and if necessary escort you. This has happened and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

We want everyone to have an enjoyable and memorable time at DLV!