Thank you for considering hosting an Electoral College Meeting! We hope this document answers all of your questions but if have ones that are not addressed, contact our hospitality coordinator at ec.hospitality@oto-usa.org and they will reply shortly.
Facilities
We need:
A room that is private, secure, and soundproof.
A table or tables where 11 people can sit around and face each other in a U-shape.
Additional chairs for Vth+ observers. The headcount can vary.
Access to power outlets or a power strip that is accessible from the table.
Internet, if possible, but if necessary, we can often make do with hot spots.
A fire extinguisher if not holding the meeting in a hotel.
Breakfast and lunch.
Room hours are typically Saturday 9-5pm.
Our Spring meetings take place on a Saturday and Sunday and we would need a room for 9-5 for two days. Sundays are more casual and we may be able to use an AirBnB or someone’s living room.
Weekend Events
In addition to conducting the work of the College, we want to get to know you and your local members. To that end, there are many events that you may choose to offer that revolve around food, ritual, or partying. Food will be covered in a separate section, but we hope to be able to break bread with your membership at various times during the weekend!
All of what follows is optional and you may want to do something else that brings a local flavor to our weekend!
Friday night meet and greet can be a chance for road-weary travelers and the local body to mix and mingle and relax. Meet and greets can take place at a quiet bar, someone’s home, or at your temple space. Not everyone will have arrived yet, but those who have made it into town may want to get out to have some fun and relax.
Saturday night typically involves a group dinner. This can be a restaurant, at the temple, or in someone’s home.
Sunday often includes a Gnostic Mass. Please be aware that many travelers will head out earlier in the day and very few will be left by evening. So you may choose to schedule mass earlier than your usual time.
Food and Meals
When possible, we love for meals to be social events. We’d love to:
Share with attendees a breakfast and lunch on Saturday (before the meeting and during a break)
Explore local restaurants (rather than chains we could eat at when we’re home)
Have a group dinner on Saturday night.
Other than our Spring meeting when we have College work on Sundays, we don’t always have shared meals on Sundays but they are always welcome.
We have electors with dietary restrictions. This can make meals a bit tricky.
Need alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at all evening events
Need coffee, tea, and water in the morning along with dairy and non-dairy creamer
Finances
Electors mostly travel out of their own bank account but we make every effort to be generous with donations to the local body. Please make your donation jar obvious and don’t be shy to mention it loudly and often to both Electors, Members, and other Guests!
Make your Paypal address obvious and don’t be shy about mentioning it loudly and often!
If you want to host us but have financial concerns, please reach out to the hospitality coordinator.
Lodging
We don’t need a hotel block, but recommendations for decent hotels near the meeting space are appreciated.
Many electors prefer to stay at Airbnb and neighborhood recommendations that are close by are appreciated.
If locals can offer hospitality, please let us know. Sometimes we like to stay with locals due to finances. Other times, we want to get to know you better. 🙂
Transportation
Some Electors will rent cars or take public transportation when available. But…
If you can provide assistance getting Electors to and from the airport and to and from the various events, it’s gratefully appreciated.
Coordination
We provide a spreadsheet to coordinate hospitality needs, event locations, addresses, etc. Once we are about 3 months out, you will receive a link to a spreadsheet for the meeting in your Valley.
Getting headcount has been challenging in the past as we couldn’t necessarily tell who will be traveling in for any given meeting but we have implemented a registration system going forward.
We recommend contacting all of your neighboring local bodies to encourage attendance.
We are very grateful to our hosts and want to make sure we’re not putting too much strain on your hospitality. If there is anything you would like or that you need from the College, please let us know.