Thanks For The Party Thai Visa/my Phuket

[LivinginKata]

My thanks for the great venue, drinks, and food.

Have to say I was a bit disappointed at not meeting many of the faces. I saw plenty of faces (most unknown) but had no idea what member name. I guess it was up to me to get about and meet, but really too many people to do that. Maybe next time ....

[Wellington]

My thanks for the great venue, drinks, and food.

Have to say I was a bit disappointed at not meeting many of the faces. I saw plenty of faces (most unknown) but had no idea what member name. I guess it was up to me to get about and meet, but really too many people to do that. Maybe next time ....

Glad to hear the party was a success

We were somewhat miffed ,having decided to come, that when we went back to notify George, the thread was closed.

Having been here for three years we were looking forward to meeting and greeting

Tant Pis

[madmitch]

My thanks for the great venue, drinks, and food.

Have to say I was a bit disappointed at not meeting many of the faces. I saw plenty of faces (most unknown) but had no idea what member name. I guess it was up to me to get about and meet, but really too many people to do that. Maybe next time ....

My experience exactly the same.

Thanks to Thai Visa and to My Phuket magazine.

[Bagsida]

Thx for the nice party - hope more events will take place on Phuket !

Unfortunately the most guests disappeared as fast as they arrived from the scene, so it was not easy to get (new) contacts.

Improvement suggestion :

Not offer the free drinks in a limited time but in limited quantum and start with the buffet later, so I think more people will stay more long time. This would be possible for example by issue vouchers.

Bagsida

[Chantal]

Many thanks to TV and My Phuket magazine for the great party. Also to Buckwheat for his delicious spare ribs. We had a tremendous time - it was nice to see some old faces - to meet some new faces and to chat with some of the terminators!

PS looked out for you Livinginkata, never saw you - hello anyway!

Edited August 18, 2007 by Chantal

[Old Croc]

Thx for the nice party - hope more events will take place on Phuket !

Unfortunately the most guests disappeared as fast as they arrived from the scene, so it was not easy to get (new) contacts.

Improvement suggestion :

Not offer the free drinks in a limited time but in limited quantum and start with the buffet later, so I think more people will stay more long time. This would be possible for example by issue vouchers.

Bagsida

I gather from this that many only come for the free drinks and scramble for the door as soon as they are depleted. Sad people, but indicitive that some sort of change to the Thaivisa party systems is needed.

I only hope I get to one eventually. I'll stay to the end.

[Iolare]

I wanted to hop in here to also thank George, Buckwheat, the folks from My Phuket Mag, and Jay the proprietor of the venue. Nice party nice club, and it was great to meet you folks, and to enjoy the great food, music and to meet some fellow posters. Would like to have met more.

Bill and wife Dani

[taxin]

I didnt know there was a magazine called My Phuket ??.....

How can I find information on them ?

[Austhaied]

Thx for the nice party - hope more events will take place on Phuket !

Unfortunately the most guests disappeared as fast as they arrived from the scene, so it was not easy to get (new) contacts.

Improvement suggestion :

Not offer the free drinks in a limited time but in limited quantum and start with the buffet later, so I think more people will stay more long time. This would be possible for example by issue vouchers.

Bagsida

I gather from this that many only come for the free drinks and scramble for the door as soon as they are depleted. Sad people, but indicitive that some sort of change to the Thaivisa party systems is needed.

I only hope I get to one eventually. I'll stay to the end.

We can only hope that doesn't happen tonight in Chiangmai. There have been a lot of "last minute" sign ups to the event. However there are enough hard core members to make sure it will carry on till the wee hours..

Just hope Buckwheat has woken up in time...

[donna]

buckwheat and sen yai (george) are on their way up now. i made sure they got up and out on time.

it was a fun little shindig with lots of different faces. many were from Origo publishing, and thats maybe where some people may have been confused with the names. gotta say though, that you lot are a good looking bunch of people! quite a few spunks among you blokes (and ladies, of course)! (yes thats an australian saying - if you poms arent sure what it is, just ask an australian)

it was nice to see a lot of you again.

[El Taco Loco]

More info here, where you can also download the pdf!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=137095

I didnt know there was a magazine called My Phuket ??.....

How can I find information on them ?

[El Taco Loco]

Also, ditto what Donna said. Thanks to Thaivisa and MyPhuket mag for the great party and food. Nice place. There is another party coming up early next year, but I hope we can do it sooner.

[LaoPo]

Thx for the nice party - hope more events will take place on Phuket !

Unfortunately the most guests disappeared as fast as they arrived from the scene, so it was not easy to get (new) contacts.

Improvement suggestion :

Not offer the free drinks in a limited time but in limited quantum and start with the buffet later, so I think more people will stay more long time. This would be possible for example by issue vouchers.

Bagsida

I gather from this that many only come for the free drinks and scramble for the door as soon as they are depleted. Sad people, but indicitive that some sort of change to the Thaivisa party systems is needed.

I only hope I get to one eventually. I'll stay to the end.

I second that, Croc! I'm so sorry I missed a ThaiVisa Party -again- . Hope to meet a lot of you some time....finally

About contacting and new faces:

What about having NAME TAGS printed ? It would be so much more easier to 'recognize' a name from the Forum; it will help.

Quite normal on conventions and such.

Cheers.

LaoPo

[Jingjok]

Thx for the nice party - hope more events will take place on Phuket !

Unfortunately the most guests disappeared as fast as they arrived from the scene, so it was not easy to get (new) contacts.

Improvement suggestion :

Not offer the free drinks in a limited time but in limited quantum and start with the buffet later, so I think more people will stay more long time. This would be possible for example by issue vouchers.

Bagsida

I gather from this that many only come for the free drinks and scramble for the door as soon as they are depleted. Sad people, but indicitive that some sort of change to the Thaivisa party systems is needed.

I only hope I get to one eventually. I'll stay to the end.

Absolutely my thoughts exactly! Why not issue a tear-off voucher for one (or two or whatever) free drinks? Likewise for food. After the voucher is used, the guests pay.

We arrived at about 19.30: everything had gone and been cleared up. No problem really, Khun Jey’s place is nice, we were happy to buy a bottle of wine and would have done so anyway.

We also were surprised by how quickly the place cleared: parties in this part of the world don’t usually get going until much later. Certainly this was my experience yesterday (Photos from after midnight will appear below :-) ...

One of the Thai waitresses told us that she was amazed by the speed in which the food and drinks were cleared by some of the guests: she thought they must have been starving: using ‘Ethiopians’ as an analogy. It all appeared rather ‘low class’ to Thai eyes. I wasn’t there to witness this myself so can’t say if her impression was true or not.

Others’ thoughts would be read with great interest.

Many thanks to the hosts, for the invitation, and for what developed into being a hugely fun night.

When is the next one? :-)

[Jingjok]

Pics from the after-party for your persusal and enjoyment

[ADouglas]

One of the few parties from which we have ever had to leave early in order to find some food and drink at another location, (worldwide, let alone in Thailand). If I had been one of the hosts I would have felt extremely embarrassed for being responsible for the presence of so many hungry and thirsty people. Incidently, I met some nice people who were also disappointed and hungry.

Nota Bene: Do not invite people to a food and drinks party if you do not have sufficient food and drinks for the people that you have invited.

In conclusion this party brought new meaning to the word 'disappointment' and in remembrance of our suffering we have completely forgotten the purpose of the event. Feel free to remind me why I dragged the whole family down there. Yes, it really was that bad.

Edited August 18, 2007 by ADouglas

[LivinginKata]

Be fair to TV.... George did say to come early (like 17.30) to ensure food & drinks still available, and would only be available until at latest 20.30, or earlier. We certainly enjoyed our early night out and I repeat my sincere thanks to TV & My Phuket.

In my caption I mentioned 'free loader'. I coined this from My Phuket Editor-in-Chief Alasdair Forbes announcement over the PA. Not a very subtle remark, and did not endear me or my companions.

I don't mind buying my own drinks and food, but let's make future venues in a rather less expensive & glamorous bar resturant.

Edited August 19, 2007 by LivinginKata

[Sir Burr]

In my caption I mentioned 'free loader'. I coined this from My Phuket Editor-in-Chief Alasdair Forbes announcement over the PA.

Sounds like he just stated the obvious.....

[dr_Pat_Pong]

In my caption I mentioned 'free loader'. I coined this from My Phuket Editor-in-Chief Alasdair Forbes announcement over the PA.

Sounds like he just stated the obvious.....

[Wellington]

One of the few parties from which we have ever had to leave early in order to find some food and drink at another location, (worldwide, let alone in Thailand). If I had been one of the hosts I would have felt extremely embarrassed for being responsible for the presence of so many hungry and thirsty people. Incidently, I met some nice people who were also disappointed and hungry.

Nota Bene: Do not invite people to a food and drinks party if you do not have sufficient food and drinks for the people that you have invited.

In conclusion this party brought new meaning to the word 'disappointment' and in remembrance of our suffering we have completely forgotten the purpose of the event. Feel free to remind me why I dragged the whole family down there. Yes, it really was that bad.

Maybe to prevent reactions like this one George should consider accepting requests only from Thai residents and ThaiVisa members who have at least one year here under their belt , which would exclude those who just joined ThaiVisa to be eligible to come to the party.

If you study the acceptance list before it was closed you will note quite a few of the latter category!

[Sir Burr]

One of the few parties from which we have ever had to leave early in order to find some food and drink at another location, (worldwide, let alone in Thailand). If I had been one of the hosts I would have felt extremely embarrassed for being responsible for the presence of so many hungry and thirsty people. Incidently, I met some nice people who were also disappointed and hungry.

Nota Bene: Do not invite people to a food and drinks party if you do not have sufficient food and drinks for the people that you have invited.

In conclusion this party brought new meaning to the word 'disappointment' and in remembrance of our suffering we have completely forgotten the purpose of the event. Feel free to remind me why I dragged the whole family down there. Yes, it really was that bad.

Maybe to prevent reactions like this one George should consider accepting requests only from Thai residents and ThaiVisa members who have at least one year here under their belt , which would exclude those who just joined ThaiVisa to be eligible to come to the party.

If you study the acceptance list before it was closed you will note quite a few of the latter category!

Hmmmm.....methinks ADouglas's complaint would still be the same if your proposals were adopted.

The complaint he posted was only his fifth post. Could he be a thwarted free-loader?

Edited August 19, 2007 by Sir Burr

[mrsouza]

Thank you all for coming, I think it was great, better than expected. We had almost 200 signups, and around 120 people showed up (calculated drop-out). Originally the plan was to limit the party to 100 persons, but we decided to let in all the people that signed up.

A few remarks:

- Regarding food supply and drinks. There was a small miscalculation regarding demand and supply. 60 liters of beer ran out in little over one hour, you guys sure are a thirsty bunch.

- Everyone was issued a name tag so that you could recognize each others screen names. Not sure why someone here stated differently.

- Alasdair's remark about "free loaders" was a joke, come on. Being a cynic is a requirement for living in Phuket.

- Quite a lot of people stayed after the free drinks stopped being served at 20:30, so I would not say people rushed out at 19:30.

- Buckwheat brought in ribs for over 100 persons, and it disappeared faster than an ice cube in hel_l. Thanks Buckwheat, you're the best. Next time we have to stack up a few more pigs for the BBQ though.

Here are some more photos from the party:

http://myphuketmag.com/gallery/

Hope to see you all again soon!

[fiddlehead]

Maybe to prevent reactions like this one George should consider accepting requests only from Thai residents and ThaiVisa members who have at least one year here under their belt , which would exclude those who just joined ThaiVisa to be eligible to come to the party.

If you study the acceptance list before it was closed you will note quite a few of the latter category!

Or better yet, make it so they have to be on the forum at least 5 years and/or have at least 15,000 posts.

Edited August 19, 2007 by fiddlehead

[momtomany]

As new residents to Phuket, we were very pleased to attend the Thai Visa party. It afforded us the opportunity to meet new friends and as we arrived well within the suggested time frame, we enjoyed the good food and drinks. Thank you to our hosts.

[Jingjok]

Thank you all for coming, I think it was great, better than expected. We had almost 200 signups, and around 120 people showed up (calculated drop-out). Originally the plan was to limit the party to 100 persons, but we decided to let in all the people that signed up.

A few remarks:

- Regarding food supply and drinks. There was a small miscalculation regarding demand and supply. 60 liters of beer ran out in little over one hour, you guys sure are a thirsty bunch.

- Everyone was issued a name tag so that you could recognize each others screen names. Not sure why someone here stated differently.

- Alasdair's remark about "free loaders" was a joke, come on. Being a cynic is a requirement for living in Phuket.

- Quite a lot of people stayed after the free drinks stopped being served at 20:30, so I would not say people rushed out at 19:30.

- Buckwheat brought in ribs for over 100 persons, and it disappeared faster than an ice cube in hel_l. Thanks Buckwheat, you're the best. Next time we have to stack up a few more pigs for the BBQ though.

Here are some more photos from the party:

http://myphuketmag.com/gallery/

Hope to see you all again soon!

A gracious reply from MrSouza - I assume you are one of the hosts/organisers?

It must be disheartening to organise, and presumably pay for, a party to whom you invite many strangers, only to be bombarded with complaints and abuse the day after.

No one said it would be easy

But if ribs for ‘over 100 persons’ were supplied, and around 120 persons turned up, why did so many of the 120 fail to get any? Something does not add up here.

I’d heard these were good and would have liked to try them. Or *even*, God forbid, pay for some if the free supply was exhausted!

Having just checked the original invitation thread, you’re right, George does say arrive at 17.30 to ensure free food and drinks. This is crazy: It will ensure any greedy ‘freeloaders’ turn up early, leaving those like myself and many others who arrive at a more civilised time to go hungry and thirsty.

Echoing the comment by LivingInKata about the price of Ratri, I’m sure many felt trapped into either having to pay for what is expensive food and drink at full retail price, or to go hungry, or as many did, to leave. Early.

Please don’t take all this the wrong way: it is meant in the spirit of constructive criticism.

As others have mentioned, I suggest a voucher system - easily issued with the name cards, or maybe forming part of the name card itself to save on printing - would remove most of the problems. It would also enable precise control of catering quantities.

Then perhaps negotiating a special (and substantial) discount on food and drink purchased later by the guests from whatever venue is chosen.

Discuss

Edited August 19, 2007 by Jingjok

[mrsouza]

A gracious reply from MrSouza - I assume you are one of the hosts/organisers?

It must be disheartening to organise, and presumably pay for, a party to whom you invite many strangers, only to be bombarded with complaints and abuse the day after.

No one said it would be easy

But if ribs for ‘over 100 persons’ were supplied, and around 120 persons turned up, why did so many of the 120 fail to get any? Something does not add up here.

Yeah, I am with the My Phuket team. To be honest, this was the first time we organized an event like this, so we didn't expect things to be perfect. But it was a good party and, I guess, a way to kill a few hours after a long week of hard rain and hard work for all invited.

I would like to make a small correction to your post, a majority of the people here seem to have enjoyed the party. The complaints will of course be taken into account for the next one. We will, however, not change our attitude and sarcasm, learn to live with it.

I agree that the prices at this venue is maybe a little over the top (no pun intended), once the freebies were finished. Most of us live here and don't mind paying for drinks, but at a more modest price level. Ratri is a great place though and I think it served well for our maiden party.

Suggestions for location of the next party are more than welcome. I am sure I can convince George to co-host another one in the near future.

[Chantal]

Wow - this just goes to show that you cannot please all of the people all of the time. I must have been at a different party to some members. Perhaps I took too much advantage of the free wine flowing. Many people simply went upstairs afterwards to listen to the band and have a few more drinks at their own expense. What a pleasure after having such a wonderful start to the evening.

[El Taco Loco]

The party was great. The people were great. The band was out of this world. For some people, the glass is either half empty or half full. Mine was half full.

I have never been to a perfect party. I doubt I ever will. Perhaps those who are complaining so loudly have some valid points, but at the end of the day, it took a herculean effort to launch it and kudos go to TV and the MPM team.

Thank the effort, not the outcome.

[Austhaied]

One of the few parties from which we have ever had to leave early in order to find some food and drink at another location, (worldwide, let alone in Thailand). If I had been one of the hosts I would have felt extremely embarrassed for being responsible for the presence of so many hungry and thirsty people. Incidently, I met some nice people who were also disappointed and hungry.

Nota Bene: Do not invite people to a food and drinks party if you do not have sufficient food and drinks for the people that you have invited.

In conclusion this party brought new meaning to the word 'disappointment' and in remembrance of our suffering we have completely forgotten the purpose of the event. Feel free to remind me why I dragged the whole family down there. Yes, it really was that bad.

You sign up for free food and drink then you complain . Please PM me for a map to the airport.

[Quero]

I would like to add my thanks, to MyPhuket for reaching out to TV members, to TV staff for facilitating the event, and to Buckwheat for providing sustenance. I'm an infrequent poster, but have been a member for some time and was curious to put some faces to screen names. I did meet some of the movers-and-shakers as well as frequent posters (even spotting livinginkata). For me it was an enjoyable evening.

For the hosts, I hope that the party achieved its goal, which was to introduce the new magazine MyPhuket. It's a sweet little publication featuring some interestingly offbeat perspectives on island life and Thai culture. Kudos to the publishers, and may you enjoy ever growing success!

As far as food and drink go, I arrived in time to partake, and observed the waiters and waitresses going around quite a lot offering refills. I did leave early (9:00) to go get a meal, but mainly because I'm vegetarian and so my share of the (by all accounts delicious) ribs went to some other freeloader.

Parties of this sort are not meant to be full dinners, people! It's finger food and some alcohol to lubricate a social event. Those of you who were looking for a proper meal unfortunately missed the point. Oh well, you still have your copy of the magazine I hope, so do take the time to look through it!