This posting is from: annie
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Thanks to everybody who took this. As you'll see, there a lot of very
good information here ...
. . . . .
Here's the objective part of the DLV 2004 survey report.
65 valid responses were received, which is more than half of the 118
total attendees who registered and signed in. For those who are familiar
with after-the-fact voluntary surveys such as this, a 50% response rate
is exceptionally high.
The rate of response indicates that without question, the results of the
survey represent a statistically significant portion of the attendees.
It also shows to me that the majority of the attendees do indeed care
about DLV and want to help make it a success. The enthusiasm of the
attendees should be noted by all. :)
I've taken the liberty of adding some comments here and there. Your
comments, observations, and interpretations are most welcome.
Not all totals will add up to 65. Not everybody answered all questions.
(And that's perfectly fine, most questions are stand-alone in nature.)
If anything here is not clear, please let us know. If you have any
comment on the survey or the results, please say so.
The written survey comments and suggestions will be posted shortly.
. . . . . . . . . .
Here are the answer summaries:
Attendance history:
25 stated DLV 2004 was their first DLV.
16 stated they had attended DLV once before.
24 stated they had attended DLV two times or more before.
This shows we have a good mix of newcomers, returnees, and longtimers
taking the survey.
. . . . .
Travel distance:
Approximate average travel distance was 2350 miles. Significant increase
from 2003.
. . . . .
Method to get to DLV:
Private vehicle: 34
Commercial air: 29
Rental vehicle: 1
Somewhat of a surprise to me, with the higher average travel distance,
I assumed more would be flying.
. . . . .
Arrival date:
Before May 1: 14
Saturday, May 1: 9
Sunday, May 2: 18
Monday, May 3: 8
Tuesday, May 4: 4
Wednesday, May 5: 7
Thursday, May 6: 3
Friday, May 7: 2
Departure date:
Thursday, May 6: 4
Friday, May 7: 10
Saturday, May 8: 14
Sunday, May 9: 18
After May 9: 18
Average number of days in attendance: 6.23, an increase from 2003. Over
the past few years we've been seeing a trend toward more week-long
attendees.
Our people are coming earlier and staying longer. They must like it! :)
. . . . .
Age:
Average age was 54.3
Slight increase from last year. This has been creeping upward, more than
one year of age per calendar year, since we have been tracking it. (I
guess eventually I will get to the wrong side of this myself.) :)
. . . . .
Public exposure:
DLV 2004 was first public exposure: 1
Less than one year: 6
1-2 years: 5
2-5 years: 17
5-10 years: 23
10-20 years: 7
20+ years: 2
Does not apply: 4
This is more or less the same distribution we've been seeing since we
started tracking this.
Frequency of public exposure:
Once per year or less: 5
A few times a year: 18
Monthly or so: 9
Weekly or so: 25
Daily: 4
Does not apply: 4
This is the first year we've asked this. It does show a good mix of
those who get out very regularly and those who do so only occasionally.
. . . . .
Self-identification:
CD: 31
TG: 10
TV: 8
Pre-op: 5
Does not identify with any: 5
No-op: 3
SO: 2
Just a remark that we don't attempt to define these, we're just tracking
what the attendees state they identify with. There is quite a bit of
overlap and overloading of these terms. Once again, data points all over
the TG spectrum. This is the first year we've had nobody state "DQ"
since we've been tracking this.
. . . . .
Support group membership:
Current member: 27
Never a member: 22
Former member: 16
No surprises here. More or less the same as we've seen all along.
. . . . .
Other t* events:
Relative responses to each event ...
South Comf: 14
Holiday Enfemme: 8
Be-All: 8
Cal Dream: 8
FanFair: 6
EnFemme Getaway: 6
Texas T: 6
Paradise Poconos: 6
Pinkfest: 5
Fall Harv: 5
Colo Gold: 4
Esprit: 2
Dignity Cruise: 1
Once again, a lot of scatter to this one. Nobody showed signs of being
a regular on the t* circuit.
Attended none of the others: 36
Attended one and only one session of any: 17
Attended two or more sessions of any: 12
I'm a bit surprised that the majority have never attended at least one
of those.
. . . . .
Registration and activity sign-up:
Convenient and easy: 60
A bit confusing: 4
Difficult: 0
This is what we like to hear.
. . . . .
Technical or ergonomic difficulty with screens:
No difficulty: 62
Some difficulty: 3
Ditto, the process appears to be working.
. . . . .
Hotels, satisfaction:
Sahara, definitely satisfied: 9
Sahara, mostly satisfied: 6
Sahara, neutral: 3
Sahara, not really: 1
Sahara, definitely not satisfied: 1
More or less what it's been the past few years. Sahara seems to be the
most popular of our suggested hotels for the past few years.
San Remo, definitely satisfied: 1
San Remo, mostly satisfied: 5
San Remo, neutral: 1
San Remo, not really: 1
San Remo, definitely not satisfied: 2
This is a definite slippage for the San Remo since last year.
Imperial Palace, definitely satisfied: 1
Imperial Palace, mostly satisfied: 3
IP has rated highly for satisfaction all 7 years of DLV. It's the only
hotel where we've had people each year. The percentage of our people
staying at the IP, however, has decreased over the past few years.
Clarion Suites, definitely satisfied: 2
This is the first time we've had this on our suggested list.
Note that no responses for Bellagio or Stratosphere came in, even though
the registrations showed that we had people at both.
Boardwalk, definitely satisfied: 1
Boardwalk, mostly satisfied: 1
Harrah's, mostly satisfied: 1
Hawthorn Suites, definitely satisfied: 2
Brodway {sic}, definitely satisfied: 1 (Is this supposed to be Boardwalk?)
Palace Station, mostly satisfied: 1
Paris, definitely satisfied: 1
Riviera, mostly satisfied: 1
Summer Bay Resort, mostly satisfied: 1
Tahiti Resort, definitely satisfied: 1
Terrible's, definitely satisfied: 1
Westward Ho, mostly satisfied: 1
. . . . .
Hotels, comfort:
Sahara, very comfortable: 10
Sahara, mostly comfortable: 9
Sahara, very uncomfortable: 1
We've had complaints in the past of kids and jockish young adult types
at the Sahara. It appeared to me that there were fewer of both at the
Sahara this year. The timeshare creeps were just as thick as ever. :(
San Remo, very comfortable: 7
San Remo, mostly comfortable: 1
San Remo, very uncomfortable: 1
Imperial Palace, very comfortable: 5
Clarion Suites, very comfortable: 2
All of our suggested hotels that had any responses were again rated high
on the comfort scale.
Boardwalk, very comfortable: 1
Boardwalk, somewhat comfortable: 1
Brodway {sic}, very comfortable: 1 (Boardwalk??)
Harrah's, very comfortable: 1
Hawthorn Suites, very comfortable: 1
Hawthorn Suites, neutral: 1
Palace Station, somewhat comfortable: 1
Paris, very comfortable: 1
Riviera, very comfortable: 1
Summer Bay Resort, somewhat comfortable: 1
Tahiti Resort, very comfortable: 1
Terrible's, very comfortable: 1
Westward Ho, very comfortable: 1
. . . . .
Activities, enjoyment. 1-5 scale ...
The way I see things were intended, any activity that is rated 3 or
above is good, meaning more enjoyed it than did not, anything 4 or above
is excellent, and anything 4.5 or above is outstanding.
We're not grading on a curve here. :)
The skewing of these toward the high side is due to the fact, I believe,
that most of them are indeed outstanding activities and the participants
saw them as such and rated them as such.
So, please don't think of anything that scores in the low 4's or even in
the 3's as anything of a failure. Only one activity deserves to be
recognized as an underachiever.
Bellagio lunch: 5.0 (3 responses)
SO get-together 5.0 (1 responses)
Golf 4.94 (16 responses)
High tea: 4.93 (14 responses, 3 no-shows)
NSD side trip: 4.91 (35 responses, 2 no-shows) Almost 100% response!
Lake Mead cruise: 4.86 (14 responses)
Pity Party: 4.82 (17 responses)
Limo tour: 4.79 (28 responses)
MCC Church: 4.78 (9 responses)
Bad Attitude workshop: 4.75 (4 responses)
Carluccio's dinner: 4.72 (39 responses, 2 no-shows)
Art tour: 4.67 (6 responses, 1 no-show)
Gun Show: 4.67 (3 responses)
Garden Party: 4.59 (25 responses)
San Remo: 4.56 (16 responses)
"V" show: 4.56 (16 responses, 2 no-shows)
Dance Night: 4.52 (21 responses)
Thrift shop tour: 4.5 (8 responses, 2 no-shows)
Star Trek Experience: 4.5 (6 responses)
Hard Rock Cafe: 4.49 (43 responses)
Milano's dinner: 4.46 (26 responses)
Lunch With/out Ginger: 4.42 (19 responses)
Annual Mixer: 4.39 (41 responses)
Hamburger Mary's: 4.39 (38 responses, 2 no-shows)
Welcome Celebration, Flex: 4.31 (35 responses)
Glamour Boutique: 4.31 (26 responses, 4 no-shows)
Farewell get-together: 4.31 (13 responses)
Rhyolite trip: 4.3 (20 responses, 1 no-show) (Almost 100% response!)
Charles Bar: 4.3 (10 responses)
Pre-DLV, Spotlight: 4.26 (27 responses)
Premium Outlet shopping: 4.25 (4 responses)
Goodtimes karaoke: 4.24 (42 responses)
Freezone happy hour: 3.83 (23 responses)
Las Vegas Lounge: 2.17 (17 responses)
Bowling (no responses)
The only thing that was disliked more than it was liked was the Las
Vegas Lounge. I think it's quite obvious why this is the case.
. . .
Activities, comfort. 1-5 scale ...
Most of these are clustered so tightly that I debated skipping the
enumeration. Most everybody was comfortable with any and all of our
activity venues this year.
Golf 5.0
Charles Bar: 5.0
Thrift shop tour: 5.0
Bad Attitude workshop: 5.0
Bellagio lunch: 5.0
SO get-together 5.0
Pity Party: 4.93
Dance Night: 4.93
High tea: 4.93
Carluccio's dinner: 4.92
NSD side trip: 4.91
Garden Party: 4.88
Welcome Celebration, Flex: 4.86
Limo tour: 4.85
San Remo: 4.83
Art tour: 4.83
Glamour Boutique: 4.81
Hamburger Mary's: 4.8
Lake Mead cruise: 4.8
Annual Mixer: 4.79
MCC Church: 4.78
Goodtimes karaoke: 4.77
Milano's dinner: 4.77
Pre-DLV, Spotlight: 4.72
Hard Rock Cafe: 4.6
Farewell get-together: 4.73
Lunch With/out Ginger: 4.63
Premium Outlet shopping: 4.6
Rhyolite trip: 4.6
"V" show: 4.6
Freezone happy hour: 4.52
Star Trek Experience: 4.33
Gun Show: 4.33
Las Vegas Lounge: 3.73
Bowling (no responses)
Most everybody was comfortable with everything. No major surprises here.
. . . . .
Time crunch ...
Seldom or never: 36
Occasionally: 25
Frequently: 4
This is slightly higher than last year. As we increase the number of
activities we plan, I think we will see this go higher.
. . . . .
Primary local transportation ...
Personal vehicle: 31
Rental vehicle: 15
Another's vehicle: 16
Taxi: 2
City bus: 1
On foot: 1
Again, no surprises.
. . . . .
Difficulty getting a ride ...
No difficulty: 61
Some difficulty: 2
Again, people are cooperating and processes seem to be working. Very
few reported trouble here.
. . . . .
Finding activity locations ...
No difficulty finding venues: 61
Some difficulty: 3
. . . . .
Finding the group at the venue ...
No difficulty finding group: 60
Some difficulty: 4
. . . . .
Online maps and directions ...
Maps and directions helpful: 51
Not helpful: 6
What maps and directions: 6
Again, this shows that this process is working, also that some do not
RTFMailings.
. . . . .
Contacting DLV volunteers by phone ...
Did not need to phone: 48
No problem contacting by phone: 12
Some difficulty: 2
What numbers: 2
. . . . .
Identifying DLV volunteers ...
No problems: 61
Problems identifying volunteers: 3:
. . . . .
Friendly and inclusive ...
Mostly yes: 56
Yes, somewhat: 6
Neutral: 3
I think this says a lot about the quality of people we attract and
about the overall atmosphere and climate of DLV this year. Everybody
takes credit for the high score on this one. Thanks, gang! :)
. . . . .
DLV Discussion Forum ...
Participate via e-mail: 30
Participate on the web: 11
Does not participate: 20
What the ... is this: 3
. . . . .
Comfortable being seen with group ...
Most or all the time: 57
Sometimes uncomfortable: 7
Frequently uncomfortable: 2
This, again, is a reflection of the overall climate of this year's DLV.
The vast majority dressed and behaved in a manner that others were
comfortable with in public.
. . . . .
Did you attend some other event in conjunction with DLV? ...
Other non-TG event: 3
No: 61
Other TG event: 0
No: 64
Looks like nobody who answered the survey went to that "other" thing, huh?
. . . . .
Big Sister Program ...
Did not participate: 44
Big Sister, positive experience: 9
Little Sister, positive experience: 4
Big Sister, negative experience: 2
Say what: 3
I'm assuming the negative experiences here were Little Sisters who were
no-shows. I heard no reports of any BS/LS pairs that did not get along.
If this is incorrect, please write in and let us know.
We would also appreciate if the two who reported a negative experience
write in explaining why the experience was negative. We will keep the
names confidential if requested.
. . . . .
Roommate matching ...
Did not participate: 58
Roommate, positive experience: 1
Huh: 3
. . . . .
Not interested: 53
Interested in roommate next year: 5
. . . . .
How much did it cost? ...
Average spent on accommodations: $439
Average spent on food: $210
Average spent on alcohol: $107
Average spent on gaming: $190
Average total spent to attend DLV: $1260
. . . . .
Was DLV affordable? ...
Affordable, definitely: 52
Affordable, somewhat: 13
Nobody reported that DLV was not affordable. This may be somewhat of a
self-fulfiling question, since those who can't afford it will not come.
. . . . .
Increased attention to behavior/dress/restroom issues ...
Fine with it: 52
Understand why it has to be: 12
Don't like, but will put up with it: 1
Again, this says a lot regarding the climate and culture this year.
. . . . .
How much did the Mothers Day issue affect your plans:
Little or none: 49
Somewhat: 10
Significantly: 5
This also may be somewhat self-fulfiling, since I'm aware of a few
people who did have Mothers Day issues who chose to skip the entire DLV
this year rather than attend for what they could.
. . . . .
Degree of structure:
Fine as it is: 59
Want less structure: 2
Want more structure: 3
If it ain't broke ...
. . . . .
Seclusion of activities:
Fine as it is: 38
Want less seclusion: 20
Want more seclusion: 6
Majority still says it ain't broke, however we're now seeing a number of
those who desire more seclusion, as well as less.
. . . . .
Length of DLV:
Just right: 44
Too short: 12
Too long: 7
This is the first year we've had any significant reports of it being
too long. The length may be catching up with us.
. . . . .
Name tags ...
Found them helpful: 40
Ok with them: 19
Do not like: 4
Again, if it ain't broke ...
. . . . .
Restrooms ...
Yes, incident(s): 1
Used restrooms, no incidents: 40
Seldom or never used them: 18
Does not apply: 6
Looking at the comments (report coming shortly) the one yes for this
refers to the restroom traffic cop situation at the Hard Rock.
Those of us who discussed the Hard Rock situation in depth agree that
we should call this an "issue" and not an "incident", reserving the
term "incident" for a case where somebody is confronted or is denied
access to facilities.
. . . . .
Your expectations ...
Exceeded expectations: 40
Met expectations: 24
Failed to meet: 0
This is a significant increase over last year (26/29) and again reflects
the overall improvement in climate and culture.
. . . . .
Will you return ...
Definitely will return: 51
Probably will return: 9
Maybe will return: 3
Probably not: 0
Again an improvement over last year. :)
. . . . .
DLV t-shirts, demand for ...
No shirt: 23
Maybe: 16
Probably: 8
Definitely: 16
Looks like there is at least some demand for bringing back the DLV
t-shirts. We'll revisit this as DLV 2005 approaches. (And no, this is
not my conspiracy to get more people to "dress down.") :) :) :)
. . . . . . . . . .
Comments, gang?
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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)