Some comments on the survey part 1 ...

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This posting is from: Annie
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Here are some comments on part 1 of the DLV 2019 attendee survey.

The survey gives us a lot of valuable information, regarding how things
went during the current year's event, and regarding trends from year to
year.

Yes, the survey is long, but it is very useful and valuable, and we do
appreciate everyone's efforts in completing the survey.

I'm not commenting on everything, only the items that I think have
particular significance.

Additional comments are welcome and appreicated!
. . . . . . . . . .

+How many times have you attended Diva Las Vegas?

+Once: 21
+Twice: 13
+Three or more: 8
+Five or more: 16
+Ten or more: 14

We again had a very good mix of newcomers, new returnees, and veterans
take the survey this year.

We had about a 61% response rate this year, which is a fairly good
increase from the 48% response rate in 2018.

+About how far did you travel to attend DLV 2019?

+Average miles: 1384.2

This number is within 100 of what we saw in 2018 and is very typical of
what we've been seeing over the years.
. . . . .

+Average length of stay: 4.82 days.

This year we saw an approximate 9% drop in total length of stay from a
very consistent 5.[2-4]-something that we've seen very consistently
over the past several years.

Whether this is the beginning of a trend or a one-off has yet to be
seen, and we'll need to compare this number to those obtained in future
years' surveys to find out for sure.

We are still seeing the plurality arrive before the official start day
(Sunday this year) and leave after the official end day (Friday this
year) but the numbers for those arriving and departing on the start
and end days has been creeping upward over the past several years.

Higher room rates are frequently cited as the reason for skipping the
bookending Saturday and Friday overnights.
. . . . .

+Which of the following best describes your attendance and participation
+in Diva Las Vegas 2019?

+I attended solo and chose my activities individually: 53
+With partner - chose activities individually: 2
+With partner - mostly participated as a couple: 11
+With group - chose activities individually: 3
+With group - mostly participated as group: 3

We had a very significant increase of survey respondees who reported
attending with a partner this year. Again, we'll need to take this
along with future surveys to see if it's a trend or a one-off.

My personal observation is that this year we saw quite a few more
"traditional" couples, following several years having many nontraditional
(male SO, TG-TG couples, etc) couples.
. . . . .

+During the timespan that you were attending the DLV event, during the
+times that you were not actively participating in DLV activities, which
+of the following best describes what you were usually doing?

+Casino gaming: 15
+Nongaming tourist activities: 19
+Business: 2
+Spending time alone in the room: 8
+Spending time with other DLVers: 16
+Spending time with non-DLVers: 4
+My usual activities as a LV local: 9

We started asking this question last year in response to some remarks
that some attendees felt left out. The numbers above are very similar
to those we saw last year.
. . . . .

+While you were in attendance, did you get a chance to officially check
+in with one of our volunteers (whether or not you got a name tag)?

+Yes I did: 50
+No I did not: 23

With our model, we don't have any mandatory check-in location or even
a "choke point" that will catch almost everyone. A check-in rate in
the high 60% range is typical of what we've been seeing.
. . . . .

+Did you have a personalized name tag during your attendance of DLV 2019?

+Yes, printed one at home and brought it with me: 28
+Yes, printed one at home, forgot it, had it re-printed on site: 2
+No, printed one at home, forgot it, was not able to have printed: 3
+Yes, I had one printed on site: 18
+No, I did not: 18

We're seeing an increase in those who are proactively printing their
tags prior to the event. From observation, we're also seeing a good
number of our people bringing their own tag holders, which has allowed
our last donated tag stash to last through this year and probably next
year as well.
. . . . .

+Which version of the DLV 2019 schedule did you find to be most helpful?

+The custom schedule with the default options.: 4
+The custom schedule with the options I choose.: 23
+The tabular (calendar-like) schedule.: 10
+The big honking ugly printed version.: 5
+The summary printed in the general mailings.: 11
+I did not need or did not use a schedule.: 9
+I have no clue where to find any of the above.: 8

New question for this year, which may not be repeated, since it gives a
good snapshot of which versions of the schedule are more popular.

I do start to get concerned when various "low information" responses
start to creep up from the low single digits. In this case, those who
claimed not to be able to find a schedule broke the 10% mark. Even
though I think the schedules are convenient and obvious (hint: the Final
Attendee Information, Maps and Schedules link) it's apparent that some
don't get it.
. . . . .

+What is your approximate age?

+Approximate average age: 63.63

I think this is the highest we've ever seen, and is a definite bump up
from the fairly consistent 59-ish number that we've been seeing over the
past few years. Again, whether this is a trend or an artifact has yet to
be determined.
. . . . .

The labels of self-identity have both held consistent (in that the
plurality of crossdresser has remained consistent as long as we have
been doing the survey) and have evolved, as we've been seeing a sharp
increase in those who identify as transwomen over the past few years.

+I consider myself to be primarily a (an) ...

+Crossdresser: 29
+Transgender(ist): 13
+Transwoman: 9
+Transition track, No-op: 5
+Gender-fluid: 4
+I do not identify with any of the above labels: 4
+Transvestite: 3
+Intersex: 2
+Friend of another attendee: 1
+Transition track, Pre-op: 1
+Significant other: 1
+Transman: 1

However, this is the first year that we've had anyone answer either
intersex or transman on the survey. I do not recall seeing anyone who
might identify as transman, but I know I did not see everyone who was
present. If this is correct, this will be a first in the 23 year
history of our event. We did have a hang-arounder (as in not a
registered attendee) who identified as FTM maybe 10 years ago.

This is also the first time we've had anyone answer the survey by
stating they identified as intersex. Whether these were cases of
self-identification or clinical diagnoses are unknown.

And yes, yes, yes, yes, I know that many consider the label of
transvestite to be anachronistic, but we always have a few who
indicate that as their primary label of self-identity.

No hits on the following this year.

+Admirer: 0
+Bigender: 0
+Drag queen: 0
+Friend of the community or ally: 0
+Gender-nonconforming: 0
+Gender-neutral: 0
+Gender-questioning: 0
+Genderqueer: 0
+H Benjamin Syndrome: 0
+Pangender: 0
+Post-op: 0
+Self-identified man: 0
+Self-identified woman: 0

I know that we had at least one present who identified as admirer, but
not everyone took the survey.
. . . . .

+Do you belong to a local transgender support group?

+I am currently a member.: 19
+I have previously been a member.: 25
+I have never been a member.: 28

Kind of a flip-flop on this one! For many years we saw the current
group membership decrease with an increase in former group membership.

Then last year we found current group membership to be the plurality:

+2018: I am currently a member.: 26
+2018: I have previously been a member.: 12
+2018: I have never been a member.: 21

This year we saw a return to what we were seeing over the years.

Again, this is something to keep an eye on.
. . . . .

+Have you ever attended any of the following transgender community
+events? (Weighted relative responses for each event.)

+Southern Comfort Conference 12
+Fall Harvest 15
+Wildside Vegas 17
+Pinkfest 12
+Texas T 11
+California Dreaming 10
+Just You Week 9
+Fantasia Fair 8
+First Event 6
+Be-All 6
+Esprit 4
+Keystone Conference 4
+Colorado Goldrush 3
+Holiday Enfemme 3
+En Femme Getaway 2
+Dignity Cruise 2
+Paradise in the Poconos 0

These numbers do show quite a bit of "scatter" but also some bias toward
those events that are currently operating, and those which occur(red) in
the western or midwestern US.
. . . . .

+If you stayed in a local hotel, were you satisfied with the quality and
+condition of your room and the facilities of the property?

Although all hotels we suggested except for Alexis Park garnered some
"hit" in this section, Flamingo was the only one to get enough response
to even out any noise. Four Queens did break the low single digits this
year so we can consider that set of responses to be meaningful as well.

+Flamingo:

+Definitely satisfied: 23
+Mostly satisfied: 8
+Neutral: 0
+Not really: 1
+Definitely not: 0
. . .

+Four Queens:

+Definitely satisfied: 4
+Mostly satisfied: 2
+Neutral: 0
+Not really: 0
+Definitely not: 0
. . . . .

+If you stayed in a local hotel, what was your comfort level regarding
+the climate, culture, and attitude that you perceived there?

+Flamingo:

+Very comfortable: 23
+Somewhat comfortable: 8
+Neutral: 0
+Somewhat uncomfortable: 0
+Very uncomfortable: 1
. . .

+Four Queens:

+Very comfortable: 4
+Somewhat comfortable: 1
+Neutral: 1
+Somewhat uncomfortable: 0
+Very uncomfortable: 0

I really wish those who were not satisfied or were not comfortable would
say a few words in the comment boxes so we could get more of an idea of
what was lacking. As long as the "derogs" in this section stay in the
low single digits, we're probably doing about as well as we can.
. . . . .

+Did you take advantage of our special promotional hotel room rates at
+the Flamingo for all or part of your stay?

+Yes I did: 24
+No but I was aware of it: 38
+No but I was too late for it: 3
+No and I was unaware of it: 1

The percentage of respondents who took advantage of the group rates is
lower this year. (36% v. 44%) Roughly an 8% drop from 2018 to 2019.
. . . . . . . . . .

I personally consider this next part to be the most important part of
the survey, that being the enjoyment scores for each of our scheduled
activities.

These numbers do need to be taken in context. In particular, the number
of responses for various activities varies from one hand with four
fingers left over to scores of responses.

I consider the enjoyment scores for activities with 10 or more responses
to be absolutely positively most definitely valid, and those with five
or more to be provisionally valid. The ratings of those with less than
five hits are certainly valid from the perspective of those attending
and responding, but we just don't have enough data points to smooth out
the "noise" and make any definite conclusions.,

Anyway, if we're looking at the common grading scale, I consider a score
of 5.0, particularly when we have a meaningful number of responses, to
be a solid A+, the best you can get, on the enjoyment scale. Remember
that any single response of less than "enjoyed significantly" will
knock that activity out of the 5.0 range.

I consider an enjoyment score between 4.5 and 4.9-ish to be a solid A,
and in this range we have more "enjoyed significantly" responses than
all others combined.

I consider enjoyment scores between 4.0 and 4.59-ish to be a B or B+
(flip-slap!) on the grading scale. In this range, the "enjoyed
significantly" and "enjoyed" responses exceed the all others
combined.

Scores between 3.0 and 3.9 are still positive, C or C+, and show more
positive responses than negative.

Scores less than 3.0 often indicate some issues, but if those do not
have at least five responses, I don't think we can make any firm
conclusions.

This year we had 8 activities "ring the bell" at 5.0 with 5 of these
having 5 or more responses. We also had 22 (22 *count 'em* 22) score
between 4.5 and 4.9.

These numbers are quite commendable and all Coordinators need to be
congratulated for planning a great slate of highly-enjoyed activities
for DLV 2019!

Our average enjoyment score for DLV 2019 was 4.53, and this is the
second year in a row we've broken the 4.5 threshold for overall average
enjoyment scores! Let's keep this one up, gang!

For the three activities that scored less than 4.0, two of them had only
had one response, and I think that we don't have to put too much weight
on those due to lack of information.

One of those was PF Chang, which surprises me, as it's been one of the
more consistently-liked activities over the last 10 years or so. For
some reason we had a lot of "hard" no-shows (going back through things,
we find that PFC had a number of people who signed up but never checked
in and never responded to "missing in action" reports). However, the
Coordinator did report that there were several drop-ins (she had changed
from sign-up requested to no-sign-up, just show up) so they did have a
turnout in line with what the machine had predicted.

The one I did personally witness ...

+Dancing at Paris, Wednesday, April 03: 3.83 (12 responses)

I was there, and I was in charge of it. For some reason, on that night
it never really took off. The crowd (both DLVers and civilians) did not
really seem to be in to things, several came and almost immediately left,
and I really can't explain it, except that it just did not "work" that
particular evening. :( Tuesday and Friday scored over 4.5, so we know
that it's still working under more convivial conditions.

+What was your level of enjoyment at each of the following activities?

+Ruths Chris dining option, Harrahs, Tuesday: 5.0 (8 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Australian Bee Gees show, Excalibur, Tuesday: 5.0 (8 responses) (1 no-shows)
+Lunch With AJ, Harrahs Food Hall, Sunday, March 31: 5.0 (6 responses)
+Art Tour, Bellagio, Wednesday, April 03: 5.0 (5 responses)
+Stars n Stilettos, Hamburger Marys, Friday: 5.0 (6 responses) (4 no-shows)
+Tennis, Bally's, Tuesday, April 02: 5.0 (4 responses) (1 no-shows)
+Explore The Linq, The Linq, Friday, April 05: 5.0 (3 responses)
+Virgil's Dining option, The Linq, Friday, April 05: 5.0 (2 responses)

+Diva Las Vegas Invitational Golf, Wildhorse, Wednesday: 4.90 (10 responses)
+Lunch With Aejaie, Harrahs Food Hall, Monday: 4.87 (8 responses) (1 no-show)
+Big Lift Bar Crawl, Wednesday, April 03: 4.85 (14 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Ricardo's option, Ricardo's, Tuesday: 4.85 (7 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Carnaval Court Dance Party, Friday, April 05: 4.83 (6 responses)
+Lunch With Aejaie, Harrahs, Wednesday: 4.82 (17 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Dancing at Paris, Friday, April 05: 4.75 (8 responses)
+Model Railroad and Railfan Social, Flamingo, Wednesday: 4.80 (10 responses)
+KISS Monster Mini Golf, Rio, Thursday: 4.75 (4 responses) (3 no-shows)
+High Roller Big Wheel, The Linq, Thursday: 4.71 (14 responses) (1 no-show)
+Denny's dining option, Neonopolis, Sunday, March 31: 4.70 (20 responses)
+Nightcap with Cindy, Flamingo, Monday, April 01: 4.69 (13 responses)
+Bowling, Orleans, Monday, April 01: 4.66 (9 responses) (3 no-shows)
+Coffee with Aunt Katie, Caesars Palace, All sessions: 4.66 (3 responses)
+Carmine's dining option, Carmine's, Wednesday, April 03: 4.66 (3 responses)
+Eat Drink Be Mary, Hamburger Marys, Wednesday: 4.60 (15 responses) (1 no-show)
+Explore Downtown, Sunday, March 31: 4.60 (10 responses)
+Welcome Dinner Meet-Greet, Monday: 4.59 (54 responses) (3 no-shows)
+Dancing at Paris, Tuesday, April 02: 4.52 (17 responses)
+New Attendee Welcome and Orientation, Monday: 4.51 (31 responses)
+Bingo at Hamburger Mary's, Wednesday, April 03: 4.50 (14 responses)
+Trevi dining option, Caesars, Wednesday, April 03: 4.50 (12 responses)

+Carnaval Court Dance Party, Carnaval Court, Sunday: 4.44 (9 responses)
+Outlet Mall Shopping with JoAnn, Tuesday: 4.44 (9 responses) (4 no-shows)
+Bare Plus Beauty Makeovers, All sessions: 4.40 (15 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Crossdressers.com Luncheon, Thursday: 4.40 (15 responses) (4 no-shows)
+Margaritaville Dining, Flamingo, Friday: 4.40 (5 responses) (1 no-show)
+Piff The Magic Dragon, Flamingo, Sunday, March 31: 4.37 (8 responses)
+Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Wednesday: 4.33 (6 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Farewell Dinner-Social, The Linq, Thursday: 4.27 (43 responses) (2 no-shows)
+Lunch, Cocktails and Hair, Off The Strip Tuesday: 4.20 (24 responses)
+Center Cut dining option, Flamingo, Sunday, March 31: 4.20 (5 responses)
+Carnaval Court Dance Party, Thursday, April 04: 4.16 (12 responses)
+High Tea, Four Seasons, Thursday, April 04: 4.0 (3 responses)
+Neon Museum, Flamingo, Thursday, April 04: 4.0 (2 responses) (2 no-shows)

+Dancing at Paris, Wednesday, April 03: 3.83 (12 responses)
+PF Chang option, Planet Hollywood, Tuesday: 3.0 (1 responses) (1no-shows)

+Power Walk with Cathy, Fashion Show Mall, All sessions: 2.0 (1 responses)
. . . . . . . . . .

+Did you find yourself missing DLV activities because you either got into
+a time crunch or were simply too tired from previous activites?

+Seldom or never: 35
+Occasionally: 30
+Frequently: 5

We had some comments regarding time crunches. If we combine occational
and frequent time crunches, we're now up to 50% so we should address
this in ORG as we move toward 2020.
. . . . .

This next one was a new question this year, as this is the first year
that recreational substances have been widely available during DLV.

+During the course of the event, did you ever patronize any of the
+"dispensaries" that are now open to the public?

+Yes, for recreational purposes.: 2
+Yes, for medical purposes.: 0
+No, not at all.: 59
+I would rather not say.: 4
+I don't know what you are talking about.: 5

More would rather not say than admitted to it. :) This shows that there
is some interest, but down in the minority.
. . . . .

+Did you use the activity reminder service (e-mail or text messages to
+your cell phone) and if so, did it work well for you?

+Yes, and it worked fine.: 26
+Yes, and it worked off and on.: 4
+Yes, but it seldom or never.: 2
+No, I did not use it..: 34
+I do not know what you are talking about.: 4

.. and ...

+Did you use the DLV Group Text service (text messages from other
+attendees to your cell phone or email) and if so, did it work well
+for you?

+Yes, and it worked fine.: 29
+Yes, and it worked off and on.: 6
+Yes, but it seldom or never.: 3
+No, I did not use it..: 29
+Yes, and I suspended or unsubscribed: 1
+Say what?: 3

These two are catching on, but the majority still does not use them,
with those who are clueless about them down in the low single digits.
. . . . .

+Which of the following best describes your experience with the DLV
+On-site Check-in, held on Sunday and Monday at the Flamning?

+Used it and found it to be helpful.?: 30
+Used it, but did not find it to be helpful.: 1
+I tried but I could not find it.: 3
+I was too shy or apprehensive to use it.: 0
+I did not know that On-Site Check-in was available.: 3
+I chose not to use On-Site Check-in.: 23
+No clue what you are talking about.: 6

This one, however, is most definitely catching on, with the plurality
using it for the first time this year.

We still have some issues with finding it, and we need to be more
explicit as to where it is, and what to do when someone has any issues
finding it.
. . . . .

+What was your primary means of transportation to and from DLV
+activities?

+My own private vehicle: 24
+My own rental vehicle: 8
+In another's vehicle: 3
+Taxi: 6
+Uber, Lyft, etc.: 19
+Multiple paid modes: 1
+City bus or shuttle: 0
+Walking: 6

Uber/Lyft is has zoomed up into second place this year, surpassing taxi
which was number 2 in 2018.
. . . . .

+Did you have any difficulty finding the locations at which DLV 2019
+activities were held?

+Yes: 7
+No: 64

.. and ...

+Did you have any difficulty finding the group at any of our venues?

+Yes: 9
+No: 62

These two are creeping out of the low single digits for the second year
in a row. It's something we need to bring up in ORG.
. . . . .

+Did you find the other DLV attendees to be friendly and inclusive?

+Mostly yes: 55
+Yes, somewhat: 7
+Neutral: 7
+No, somewhat: 1
+Mostly no: 2

The neutral and below definitely spiked this year! 7/1/2 in 2019 vs.
2/0/0 in 2018. This is something we need to keep watching, or better
yet, proactively try to do something about!
. . . . .

+During your stay in Las Vegas to attend our event, were you ever
+confronted or harassed by a member of the general public regarding your
+manner of dress and presentation?

+Yes, and it discouraged me from fully participating.: 1
+Yes, but it did not discourage me from fully participating: 5
+No, I was not.: 64

.. and ...

+During your stay in Las Vegas to attend our event, were you ever
+confronted or harassed by a law enforcement officer, security guard,
+venue manager, etc. regarding your manner of dress and presentation?

+Yes, and it discouraged me from fully participating.: 1
+Yes, but it did not discourage me from fully participating: 3
+No, I was not.: 67

I really wish that those who were discouraged because of this would give
us some details.
. . . . .

+Did you participate in our Big Sister program and if so, did you find it
+to be helpful?

+I had a Big Sister and I found the program to be helpful.: 6
+I had a Big Sister and I did not find the program to be helpful.: 0
+I was a volunteer Big Sister and had a positive experience.: 6
+I was a volunteer Big Sister and my Little Sister was a no-show.: 0
+I was a volunteer Big Sister and did not have a positive experience.: 0
+I did not participate in the Big Sister program.: 56
+I was unaware the Big Sister program existed.: 3

Congrats to Delaney and the Big Sisters this year! This is about as
perfect as you can get! :)
. . . . .

+Approximately how much did you spend on accommodations while you were
+attending DLV?

+Approximate average: $847.61

Up somewhat from 2018 ($796).
. . .

+Approximately how much did you spend on food and non-alcoholic beverages
+while you were attending DLV?

+Approximate average: 390.71

No significant change.
. . .

+Approximately how much did you spend on alcoholic beverages while you
+were attending DLV?

+Approximate average: 187.85

Up maybe 20% or so for 2019. (Party animals!)
. . .

+Approximately how much did you spend on local transportation (rental
+car, taxi rides, Monorail pass, donation to others' fuel funds, etc.)
+while you were attending DLV?

+Approximate average: 133.9

Up about 30% compared to 2018.
. . . . .

+Which of the following electronic payment methods do you use?

This was a new question this year which may not be repeated. The only
significant use reported was for Paypal.
. . . . .

+Which best indicates what DLV is to you?

+An opportunity to dress.: 9
+An opportunity to socialize.: 35
+An opportunity to party.: 2
+An opportunity to express myself.: 6
+An opportunity to learn.: 2
+An opportunity to meet others in the TG community.: 17

Socialize up over 50% compared to 2018. Meet others down about 20%
compared to 2018.
. . . . .

+Did you personally have any public restroom issues while attending DLV
+2019?

+I used public restrooms and YES I had issues or incidents.: 2
+I used public restrooms and did NOT have issues.: 54
+I seldom or never used public restrooms.: 10
+This question does not apply to me.: 4
+(One response discarded for inconsistency)

Numbers similar to last year.

Again, I sure wish those having incidents would please elaborate!
. . . . .

+All in all, did DLV 2019 meet your expectations?

+DLV 2019 exceeded my expectations: 24
+DLV 2019 met my expectations: 44
+DLV 2019 failed to meet my expectations: 4

More or less the same proportions as in 2018. I would sure like to see
the failed number down at zero.
. . . . .

+Would you attend another DLV?

+Yes, definitely: 45
+Yes, probably: 16
+Maybe: 8
+Probably not: 4
+Definitely not: 0

Maybe and probably not increased from 2018. Maybe is now in the high single
digits. 8/4/0 this year. 4/0/0 last year. Still no defininitely not, which
is a Good Thing(tm).

Comments, gang? :)



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