I would love to be like Mr and Mrs UP and do one every month... finances and leave allowance restrict me.. but my priorities would be -
Being sensible first - Cost (event plus travel - simply because if the event costs less for me to go to I can go to more per year). After that - not in any particular order...
- Gender balancing (or whatever you want to call it) Esp important for a shy wee thing like me
- Who else is going to be there - friends old and new. (Big
to forum friends who have really made weekenders special for me.)
- Quality of event - venue, water availability, air con etc
- The music - some fav DJs, dedicated chill/blues room
- Daytime freestyle time to chilled music - esp Sun afternoon
- Currently for me - tango practice time - this was a big plus for Scarborough and something I'm looking forward to at Southport
- Well organised - If Storm was the way forward for the Ceroc weekenders then those plus the Jive Addiction ones mean we will be spoilt for choice for well run weekenders.
- In other words - lots and lots of freestyle time to great music and somewhere to chill and chat with friends = perfect weekender.
Not too high on my list really are things like workshops, cabarets etc - some of the things I know that organisers go to a lot of effort over which I acknowledge and I know are important for others, but I'm really there to dance as much as possible.
And I don't mind too much about the level of accomodation - as long as its clean and warm enough - its not like I spend that much time in the accomodation anyway!
And I'm sooo looking forward to Southport!
