Contemporary pin meets
- Thread starter Obi-Wan Pinobi
- Start date
shirley 38
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1999
- Messages
- 1,642
Hey Josh I remember you. I think we traded.
I have been in a position of heading a cheerleading program and believe me you will never please everyone.
Let Disney take the blame if something happens. Been there did that. shirley38
I have been in a position of heading a cheerleading program and believe me you will never please everyone.
Let Disney take the blame if something happens. Been there did that. shirley38
I get that all the time. It never surprises me to hear people say,"hey I think we traded before." Like I said I like to trade and meet lots of people that enjoy it the same. So there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we have traded. If you can remember what it was we traded I may just be able to recall it.
Josh
Josh
Raulandpinboy
<font color=blue>Table-dancing auctioneer<br><font
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2001
- Messages
- 1,705
Well regardless of what happens whether Disney takes over and runs it or not, I'll still go there I get a kick out of the people I've met and consider them all good friends, to be honest pins are secondary to me I have not traded in over three weeks and would care less if I traded in the next three weeks. Actually I'm pretty much done with pins, and just want to help the missus collect every Christmas pin ever made. Don't worry I'll still be there I just want to hang with my homies, chill with my grandkids, and play guess the flippin pin with the kids.
I have more fun just hanging out anyway, as to DTD don't get me wrong folks I have traded and will continue to trade there it is high end trading and not really set up for the newbie's.
Now as for Steve I love you man (not in that way you sickies) and Pepsi rules. For those that have not been come on down to the Contemporary, for now under the same management (Yet Another Shameless Plug)
You wont be disappointed you did.
I have more fun just hanging out anyway, as to DTD don't get me wrong folks I have traded and will continue to trade there it is high end trading and not really set up for the newbie's.
Now as for Steve I love you man (not in that way you sickies) and Pepsi rules. For those that have not been come on down to the Contemporary, for now under the same management (Yet Another Shameless Plug)
You wont be disappointed you did.
pintrader
<font color=FF66FF>Leader of the Conga Line to ton
- Joined
- May 18, 2000
- Messages
- 2,156
I am afraid many are misconstruing the purpose of the poll. We have not been offered a SuperTrader, or a Scoop. (They're already there as Disney guests enjoying their trading. J ) Disney has not offerred to take over the meet. They have meets all oever property they are trying to perfect. They see our meets as a good thing.
Let me see if there is a way to get this back on track. Way back in February, March of 2000, I would go to DTD just like everyone else to trade pins. In the beginning I had a few pins that others had not yet added to their collection As the weeks progressed, it became more and more difficult to get an 18 x 18 inch section of that one, short, single, green table., And once I acquired a space for my books I learned all too quickly that I didn't have anything that the "regulars" didn't already have. All that I had was the old stuff (6 months old) that everybody already had and the forecast for me to acquire pins that others did not have or could not get was not likely. As table top space was precious and I didn't have anything tradable (or so I thought) I moved back and began to be a spectator rather than a participant.
Being a spectator your emotions are removed. You see things quite differently. I began to notice that I heard over and over again two sentences. "Nah, you don't have anything I want/need."; and "Why would I want to trade you that pin? I can go right over there on that rack and buy it myself." As I stood in the peripherals I heard so many told the same thing. I watched their dejected faces and look of inadequacies. Their hurt feelings as they walked away telling their loved one what had just happened to them. Some of them their outright indignation at having been brushed off without so much as a care for that stranger's feelings. How many times did I hear I don't wanna start something like this.
I took the time to stop many of them and talk, sometimes trade. But of course we could not make our way up to the table so we sat in the floor on a corner. Sometimes we would walk outside and trade on the brick wall. As any of you who know me know, I have a SEVERE allergy to cigarette smoke. Going outside to that brick wall just did not work well for me, but I took the time to come to know that person. Listen to their hurt feelings they had just experienced. We traded names and addresses. Now most of these people can't help me get another pin that would make me a "BIG" trader downtown. But I liked the person. They liked me. The friendship was more important than the trade or the pin. For me that made me happy. I knew I wasn't missing out on any BIG potential trade because I didn't have that caliber traders I had made a new friend. They last long after fads fade.
Unfortunately, for the regulars of DTD, in their enthusiasm, and excitement, to be the first on their block with the highly sought after Holy Grail, they did not realize the long-term effect those two little sentences would have. If you were not experienced enough, or didn't have good enough pins no one would stop just to explain to you what was going on. Or how to get started. Oh, some of the good guys like Ward would. If a book was placed on the table in mid-conversation, he was one that you could count on to still be interestd in you as a person and continue the conversation he was in . That is how and why the Contemporary Pin Meet came to be. As I went religiously to DTD and watched children and adults who wanted to play with the grown-ups and experienced traders I stumbled onto something. We had all felt as if we had met W. C. Fields and he had told us "get away from me kid, ya bother me.". The regulars didn't mean to do that, but it happened while they weren't noticing.
That is when and where and how I drew the mental line about the trading practices of DTD. There is not a single thing wrong with trading happening the way it is does there. There simply was no place for a new beginner to enter the trading waters. The way things were set up you just had to be able to jump in with both feet. We needed what I called a "wading pool". A way to comfortably build up your collection and confidence, so you could wade right up to the deep end and swim with the big boys. I never meant to begin a "them" and "us" It was already started, I was simply trying to find a way to build a bridge.
After exploring how to build this bridge I came up with an idea. One that took many months of planning and arranging. Probably about a year. I began our first meet on May 11, 2001. It has grown from there on it's own merit.
While I have heard some wild "sales" jobs on why the lesser experience person should make the trade being offerred I have never put a lable on DTD WoD traders other than what I personally call the "High Rollers" . I do not mean that in any negative manner. It is in fact a level of achievement of which to be proud.
As for Everyone knowing who put in the work, and who got the word out. Yes, that is important to me. I did not do any of it alone. I can't tell you the countless hours that Ed, Donna and I have put into making this what it is. There are many others that have contributed. They keep putting credit back to me because my former identity was yanked from under my feet. They have worked hard to see that that doesn't happen again. Ed is VP of his company and Donna is mom to three and grandmother to ??? in addition to being an invaluable member of her company until her retirement. They already have a purpose in life an identity. In the beginning the knowlege for myself is enough. Many of you have jobs or children or organizations that are your identity. You are the engineer or the mommy or something else that is your identy. I don't. Pins are my therapy. They are my medicine that my insurance does not cover. Josh is right to a degree, I really just want to be known and recognized as the pin lady. Many on property have called me the Pin Ambassador. I didn't give myself that name, but I love it and use it now. I also focus on the new guest pin trading experience. It is not a political platform. It is a means of identity that I have otherwise missing in my life.
I drive an hour and a half every Friday and Saturday. This week it was Thursday too. I do not see what I do as a burden. I love this more than I do the pin trades anymore. I wish Disney would say "Hey Kathryn our revenues are up. We have been able to put x number of people back on the schedule just becuase of Friday nights. (This has been shared with me by managers or team leaders in EVERY corner or Contemporary). I would be elated if they said, "Here, stay overnight on us since your car has 180,000 miles on it and you live 75 miles away. Here, you and a guest have a meal on us tonight and tomorrow night. It's not 1% of the revenue your meets have generated over the last 6 months." But Disney doesn't do that. So I make the best of everything. I stay with marvelous people I have met like Ed and Donna or Lauree and Malcolm. I intrude on their private family time because they go out of their way to make it easier for me to do what I love.
I am much like Ed. I look forward to the social hour. I, personally feel more comfortable knowing that I am in a pin trading atmosphere where taking advantage of others is not tolerated. We feel very strongly about making the trader aware of the pins involved. What they do with that knowledge is up to them. But it is unfair to expect someone to make a fair trade without knowing as much information as they can. We get involved when we have been asked to. Sometimes that request happens earlier in the day and the unsuspecting regular doesn't know a newbie asked us to oversee (overhear) what is going on.
There are meets all over the place people come to the ones they are comfortable to come to. Just keep this one thing in mind. Those of us who know this board exists are probably more seasoned than someone who just took their first trip to Disney this year and never even knew of this phenomenon, much less of this board. THEY are the ones I started the Contemporary meets for but all are invited. Over the last few weeks I have noticed more and more of the regular Friday night DTD trades at the Contemporary. Our family shares the same values as Disney. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Use integrity to make your trade and no one will have anything to criticize. Any by all means attend any meet at any location at which you are comfortable. We are all guests of Disney.
My purpose for this poll was to let Disney see some of the thread of thanks that have splattered these pages. As the search was not functioning this seemed a backward way of getting some of those put up here again. Please forgive me for seeming to encourage a "them" and "us" situation. Thanks for your time to read all this.
Let me see if there is a way to get this back on track. Way back in February, March of 2000, I would go to DTD just like everyone else to trade pins. In the beginning I had a few pins that others had not yet added to their collection As the weeks progressed, it became more and more difficult to get an 18 x 18 inch section of that one, short, single, green table., And once I acquired a space for my books I learned all too quickly that I didn't have anything that the "regulars" didn't already have. All that I had was the old stuff (6 months old) that everybody already had and the forecast for me to acquire pins that others did not have or could not get was not likely. As table top space was precious and I didn't have anything tradable (or so I thought) I moved back and began to be a spectator rather than a participant.
Being a spectator your emotions are removed. You see things quite differently. I began to notice that I heard over and over again two sentences. "Nah, you don't have anything I want/need."; and "Why would I want to trade you that pin? I can go right over there on that rack and buy it myself." As I stood in the peripherals I heard so many told the same thing. I watched their dejected faces and look of inadequacies. Their hurt feelings as they walked away telling their loved one what had just happened to them. Some of them their outright indignation at having been brushed off without so much as a care for that stranger's feelings. How many times did I hear I don't wanna start something like this.
I took the time to stop many of them and talk, sometimes trade. But of course we could not make our way up to the table so we sat in the floor on a corner. Sometimes we would walk outside and trade on the brick wall. As any of you who know me know, I have a SEVERE allergy to cigarette smoke. Going outside to that brick wall just did not work well for me, but I took the time to come to know that person. Listen to their hurt feelings they had just experienced. We traded names and addresses. Now most of these people can't help me get another pin that would make me a "BIG" trader downtown. But I liked the person. They liked me. The friendship was more important than the trade or the pin. For me that made me happy. I knew I wasn't missing out on any BIG potential trade because I didn't have that caliber traders I had made a new friend. They last long after fads fade.
Unfortunately, for the regulars of DTD, in their enthusiasm, and excitement, to be the first on their block with the highly sought after Holy Grail, they did not realize the long-term effect those two little sentences would have. If you were not experienced enough, or didn't have good enough pins no one would stop just to explain to you what was going on. Or how to get started. Oh, some of the good guys like Ward would. If a book was placed on the table in mid-conversation, he was one that you could count on to still be interestd in you as a person and continue the conversation he was in . That is how and why the Contemporary Pin Meet came to be. As I went religiously to DTD and watched children and adults who wanted to play with the grown-ups and experienced traders I stumbled onto something. We had all felt as if we had met W. C. Fields and he had told us "get away from me kid, ya bother me.". The regulars didn't mean to do that, but it happened while they weren't noticing.
That is when and where and how I drew the mental line about the trading practices of DTD. There is not a single thing wrong with trading happening the way it is does there. There simply was no place for a new beginner to enter the trading waters. The way things were set up you just had to be able to jump in with both feet. We needed what I called a "wading pool". A way to comfortably build up your collection and confidence, so you could wade right up to the deep end and swim with the big boys. I never meant to begin a "them" and "us" It was already started, I was simply trying to find a way to build a bridge.
After exploring how to build this bridge I came up with an idea. One that took many months of planning and arranging. Probably about a year. I began our first meet on May 11, 2001. It has grown from there on it's own merit.
While I have heard some wild "sales" jobs on why the lesser experience person should make the trade being offerred I have never put a lable on DTD WoD traders other than what I personally call the "High Rollers" . I do not mean that in any negative manner. It is in fact a level of achievement of which to be proud.
As for Everyone knowing who put in the work, and who got the word out. Yes, that is important to me. I did not do any of it alone. I can't tell you the countless hours that Ed, Donna and I have put into making this what it is. There are many others that have contributed. They keep putting credit back to me because my former identity was yanked from under my feet. They have worked hard to see that that doesn't happen again. Ed is VP of his company and Donna is mom to three and grandmother to ??? in addition to being an invaluable member of her company until her retirement. They already have a purpose in life an identity. In the beginning the knowlege for myself is enough. Many of you have jobs or children or organizations that are your identity. You are the engineer or the mommy or something else that is your identy. I don't. Pins are my therapy. They are my medicine that my insurance does not cover. Josh is right to a degree, I really just want to be known and recognized as the pin lady. Many on property have called me the Pin Ambassador. I didn't give myself that name, but I love it and use it now. I also focus on the new guest pin trading experience. It is not a political platform. It is a means of identity that I have otherwise missing in my life.
I drive an hour and a half every Friday and Saturday. This week it was Thursday too. I do not see what I do as a burden. I love this more than I do the pin trades anymore. I wish Disney would say "Hey Kathryn our revenues are up. We have been able to put x number of people back on the schedule just becuase of Friday nights. (This has been shared with me by managers or team leaders in EVERY corner or Contemporary). I would be elated if they said, "Here, stay overnight on us since your car has 180,000 miles on it and you live 75 miles away. Here, you and a guest have a meal on us tonight and tomorrow night. It's not 1% of the revenue your meets have generated over the last 6 months." But Disney doesn't do that. So I make the best of everything. I stay with marvelous people I have met like Ed and Donna or Lauree and Malcolm. I intrude on their private family time because they go out of their way to make it easier for me to do what I love.
I am much like Ed. I look forward to the social hour. I, personally feel more comfortable knowing that I am in a pin trading atmosphere where taking advantage of others is not tolerated. We feel very strongly about making the trader aware of the pins involved. What they do with that knowledge is up to them. But it is unfair to expect someone to make a fair trade without knowing as much information as they can. We get involved when we have been asked to. Sometimes that request happens earlier in the day and the unsuspecting regular doesn't know a newbie asked us to oversee (overhear) what is going on.
There are meets all over the place people come to the ones they are comfortable to come to. Just keep this one thing in mind. Those of us who know this board exists are probably more seasoned than someone who just took their first trip to Disney this year and never even knew of this phenomenon, much less of this board. THEY are the ones I started the Contemporary meets for but all are invited. Over the last few weeks I have noticed more and more of the regular Friday night DTD trades at the Contemporary. Our family shares the same values as Disney. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Use integrity to make your trade and no one will have anything to criticize. Any by all means attend any meet at any location at which you are comfortable. We are all guests of Disney.
My purpose for this poll was to let Disney see some of the thread of thanks that have splattered these pages. As the search was not functioning this seemed a backward way of getting some of those put up here again. Please forgive me for seeming to encourage a "them" and "us" situation. Thanks for your time to read all this.
eye R.N.
<font color=660000>Many TF's like pins ;-)</font><
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2000
- Messages
- 1,252
but that one was. . . comfortable, that's it, comfortable I did do some trading, but more talking. The folks were friendly thier collections great, even if I didn't have what they were looking for.
I am looking forward to getting to another meet in April and hope I find it the same way it was in November.
Denise
I am looking forward to getting to another meet in April and hope I find it the same way it was in November.
Denise
We have been to the contemporary meet 4 or 5 times now and it is great.
On a different note, I understand some of the hotel people are trying to stop the meets because the guests in the hotel rooms are complaining about the noise. This was expressed to us last Friday night at the pin meet.
Sounds like the meet is becoming too popular. Maybe Disney will move us into a convention room if guests are complaining.
On a different note, I understand some of the hotel people are trying to stop the meets because the guests in the hotel rooms are complaining about the noise. This was expressed to us last Friday night at the pin meet.
Sounds like the meet is becoming too popular. Maybe Disney will move us into a convention room if guests are complaining.
Eeyore's Pal
Trading pins since before there were rubber backs
- Joined
- Nov 14, 1999
- Messages
- 3,779
I have more to say -- what a surprise! 
I love the Contemporary and Poly meets for the pintrading and the comraderie. Someone said the "comfort" -- that too. It's like a party with old friends who happen to have a common interest.
I trade at DTD too, and I enjoy that too. But it is definitely a different atmosphere, and not the best introduction to pintrading for a novice to this hobby.
Both types of meets have their place. Maybe that's the best answer. It's nice to have a choice.
I love the Contemporary and Poly meets for the pintrading and the comraderie. Someone said the "comfort" -- that too. It's like a party with old friends who happen to have a common interest.
I trade at DTD too, and I enjoy that too. But it is definitely a different atmosphere, and not the best introduction to pintrading for a novice to this hobby.
Both types of meets have their place. Maybe that's the best answer. It's nice to have a choice.
I have been reading posts about the Contemporary Friday night pin meets for some time now, and I'm thrilled that I should be able to attend my first one next Friday. I've already told my (non-pin trading) DW that I'll be spending significant time there. It sounds like exactly the type of pin meet at which I'll be comfortable, and I hope to meet many of the people who's posts I've been reading for months.
Steve
Steve
Perdita&Pongo
Platinum DCL Cruiser and BWV DVC Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2000
- Messages
- 1,522
Brimel - It will be so nice to meet you next Friday! That's great that you are including the Contemporary meet in your plans - it surely is a must-do while at WDW. I always make it a part of each of my visits to The World.
Thanks to Kathryn, we all have this wonderful trading atmosphere to look forward to on Friday nights at WDW. She gets a big whattawoman from me for sure!!!
~Nancy~
Thanks to Kathryn, we all have this wonderful trading atmosphere to look forward to on Friday nights at WDW. She gets a big whattawoman from me for sure!!!
~Nancy~
wdw4us2
<font color=blue>Not only a DIS Vet, but a 33 year
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2000
- Messages
- 3,698
Add me to the others who feel "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". We have attended on more than one occasion during our trips to WDW. The thing that really impressed me about the way Kathryn runs the meets is that I don't have to watch my DD and DS during every trade they make. I have never met a nicer bunch of people when it comes to encouraging "kid pin traders". One of the traders actually gave my daughter a CM Goofy pin just because my daughter mentioned that we always trade for Goofy pins to give my husband (he isn't afflicted with the pin trading sickness). I have also ventured to DTD to trade, and have never had a good experience there. I don't think the Contemporary or the Polynesian meets need "official" Disney presence - they are fine the way they are now!
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