Post by High Priestess on Sept 20, 2015 4:37:36 GMT
Original post:
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-93641
MORE TALES FROM THE AIRBNB OPEN!
Nic and Rach2 years ago
Glenn is that you? no goatie but more hair you look different from your profile picture... I thought it was Andrew at first... but both of you guys are appealing .
Reply Like Delete
Fleur, Dan and kids
Fleur, Dan and kids2 years ago
Is Glenn the dude with the red wine?
Reply Like Delete
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
No. Not me with red wine. =)
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Fleur, Dan and kids
Fleur, Dan and kids2 years ago
Lol! I am expecting one photo of you with a beverage of choice!
Lula and Larry
Lula and Larry2 years ago
Glenn is the one sitting on a chair?
Reply Like 2 replies•1 like Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Maria gets the prize!
Rick
Rick2 years ago
glenn should be wearing a "don't mess with Texas" tee shirt...
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
MORE TALES FROM THE AIRBNB OPEN!
Well, the day was long and the company was great, smiling hosts everywhere -- my day began at 5:30am, then taking BART from the East Bay to Embarcadero Station, and a nice energizing 2.7 mile walk through Financial District and North Beach over to Fort Mason, arriving just before 8am. We were greeted at the door and given blue wristbands and canvas bags containing personalized programs showing the workshops we had signed up for, little business cards with our email addresses preprinted on them, a magazine called "Pineapple" about Airbnb adventures in London, San Francisco, and Seoul, and a couple other goodies. We wandered through the event center enjoying the colors and lights and unique little meeting spaces that had been created. I found one little meeting space covered with large cushions, and sat down, upon which an Airbnb staffperson said this was the meditation area and asked if she could lead me in meditation. I sat quietly for a while. There were a lot of intriguing, light-filled "nooks and crannies" for people to go to between events, and there was some energizing music in the background at times.
There were inspirational talks by Chip Conley and Brian Chesky, as well as a superhost panel. An Italian host I had met the day before at the Airbnb tour said these talks had more "rhetoric" than he had expected, and we talked for a while about differences between Americans and Italians. I sat in on Glenn's talk, "Getting Your Listing Noticed" which I realized was one of the more substantial and helpful talks at the whole event. His workshops were quite large compared to the others, and people invariably milled around him at the end, full of more questions.
During one of the many times Evelyn and I ran into each other, we both noted that issues pertaining to struggles between Airbnb and city governments re home sharing (as have taken place recently in San Francisco, right here) were not the subject of any of the talks or workshops at the conference. I ran into Peter, organizer of the Home Sharers of San Francisco group, and talked to him about the issues in this city, and he said, of the recent successes, "That was only round one...some people are putting a measure on the ballot...." meaning an anti-Airbnb measure. We fumed together how nasty these Nimbys and anti-Airbnb folks can be, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, who lives in one of the wealthiest areas of SF and lately came out as one of the bigger Nimbys, against Airbnb -- I guess she feels that people with suitcases and watches still set at London time are destroying her Pacific Heights neighborhood. Gawd! Here's a link to a story about the Pacific Heights mansion that she and her wealthy husband live in: bit.ly/1vzcYqu
Peter's group is organizing to write a letter to her and I expressed my interest in helping with this work!
After all the workshops and talks, around 5pm we broke for social hour, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, walking around the concourse and looking out at the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge at night and the fishing ships coming in, party boats heading out of harbor -- someone stopped me and asked if I was from Portland, OR as she felt I was dressed in the "clothing ready to go hiking" that is typical of Portland, but I pointed out that this is how we dress in Berkeley, too (but San Francisco is another story...). THen she noted that the tell tale sign I was not from Portland was that I didn't have a beer in my hand, but a Whiskey Sour, and I concurred that this wasn't so stylish of me (and it had a bit too much alcohol) so I ditched the drink by the information booth after using it as a social prop for a while. I ran into Glenn again and we walked to and fro seeking the rest of his party from LA who were texting him as to their location, as they kept changing location --finally we decoded a cryptic text message about picnic tables and found Glenn's LA gang over in the lunch area at the back of the concourse --- and then we searched out others heading to our destination to share rides over to our dinner arrangements for the night --
I rode with a host who is nearly my next door neighbor, delighted to discover she was here too -- and also in our car were two Aussie hosts who led a workshop called "The LIghter Side of Hosting" -- they had hosts tell some of the more memorable stories about hosting, which they recorded, with the intention of creating a 'Zine full of host tales --we shared some of these tales in the car --
We drove around the Embarcadero past pedicabs and stacks of cars lined up at rush hour to get on the Bay Bridge -finally got to TRES Agaves restaurant, expecting dinner -- but were brought more drinks and hors d'ouevres. Met Evelyn there again who I had run into so much at this event that she said "my Airbnb Open is all about Deborah", and made hand motions as if to paint a big frame around me -- in her hilarious East Coast manner --such an intense and zesty woman! Maria echoed Evelyn and marveled she was meeting the same people over and over -- Maria at one point said she was tired but I pointed out that she and Evelyn were staying at a "wild Airbnb" with 5 others and I wondered if she'd get much rest with that gang!
It got later and later, still no dinner, 9pm, no dinner. Here in the party alcove at the SOMA restaurant we had been given a speech, ukelele music, and then flamenco guitar music, but still no real food. People were starting to complain, eyes kept darting around, looking for the waiters with the trays of real food, not more tiny bits. I went over to Glenn's table and told him I'd overheard some hosts saying they were planning to leave our "dinner" so they could get dinner. Many of us were exuding a low grumble that we had gone out to the dinner that wasn't -- I myself had eaten so many of the tiny apertifs that I was no longer hungry, but a vegetarian among us who the meaty hors d'oeuvres didn't serve well made a loud enough noise and after much waiting, and apologies from the AIrbnb employees for the SNAFU, we were brought to tables and given menus and dinner was served at 10pm...just around bedtime for many of us! We shared the table with a host from North Carolina who dispensed such wise tales and advice about his hosting style. But once we got dinner we kind of ate and ran. My neighbor and I drove back over the Bay Bridge, and once arriving home we checked the program for the schedule and were relieved that we could sleep in a bit and arrive the next day around 9:30am, just in time to hear Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!
Reply Like 2 replies•8 likes Delete
Leah
Leah2 years ago
Great recap, loved the bit about the whiskey sour being a social prop!! LOL
mark
mark2 years ago
Deborah - thanks so much! "Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!" - THAT is fantastic news! Cant wait to hear more...
Louise
Louise2 years ago
Thanks, Deborah for sharing what the day was like. :-))
Reply Like Delete
Pauline
Pauline2 years ago
Thanks Deborah, so was that Paul and Justine you travelled in the car with. They are a lovely couple from Melbourne. Paul runs a couple of Airbnb Groups, one being Melbourne's Finest Hosts. Look forward to the next instalment !
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Thank you so much for letting me know this! I did hear that Paul ran a Melbourne group -- both of them were such marvelous, funny and warm people. I can easily see why they would make superb hosts!
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
Deborah - Thank you for providing such a detailed account of the day. It was so nice to finally meet you in person. =)
I was so completely exhausted after talking for what seemed like forever and then trying to help bail our host out of the dinner that never was I couldn't bear the thought of recapping the day. Thank you!
Reply Liked 2 replies•1 like Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Likewise, Glenn! I felt delighted to meet you -- it just is so sweet and fulfilling to actually meet people in person whom I've been interacting with online for a while -- you, and Maria, Evelyn and a couple others! I find it helpful to digest what happened to me to write it down, so it didn't feel like a task....
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
Oh maybe I'll get lucky if you took some notes on my session. =) Everyone keeps asking me for "the notes" and I wasn't using anything other than the outline I handed out. The whole hour was me talking from memory. Airbnb was supposed to record at least one of my sessions but I don't think that happened. =/
Karyo&Colin
Karyo&Colin2 years ago
I am loving reading your reports, Airbnb should snap you up!
Reply Liked 2 replies•3 likes Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
:-)))) THank you, how sweet!!
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
I agree!!
Deborah
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, the day was long and the company was great, smiling hosts everywhere -- my day began at 5:30am, then taking BART from the East Bay to Embarcadero Station, and a nice energizing 2.7 mile walk through Financial District and North Beach over to Fort Mason, arriving just before 8am. We were greeted at the door and given blue wristbands and canvas bags containing personalized programs showing the workshops we had signed up for, little business cards with our email addresses preprinted on them, a magazine called "Pineapple" about Airbnb adventures in London, San Francisco, and Seoul, and a couple other goodies. We wandered through the event center enjoying the colors and lights and unique little meeting spaces that had been created. I found one little meeting space covered with large cushions, and sat down, upon which an Airbnb staffperson said this was the meditation area and asked if she could lead me in meditation. I sat quietly for a while. There were a lot of intriguing, light-filled "nooks and crannies" for people to go to between events, and there was some energizing music in the background at times.
There were inspirational talks by Chip Conley and Brian Chesky, as well as a superhost panel. An Italian host I had met the day before at the Airbnb tour said these talks had more "rhetoric" than he had expected, and we talked for a while about differences between Americans and Italians. I sat in on Glenn's talk, "Getting Your Listing Noticed" which I realized was one of the more substantial and helpful talks at the whole event. His workshops were quite large compared to the others, and people invariably milled around him at the end, full of more questions.
During one of the many times Evelyn and I ran into each other, we both noted that issues pertaining to struggles between Airbnb and city governments re home sharing (as have taken place recently in San Francisco, right here) were not the subject of any of the talks or workshops at the conference. I ran into Peter, organizer of the Home Sharers of San Francisco group, and talked to him about the issues in this city, and he said, of the recent successes, "That was only round one...some people are putting a measure on the ballot...." meaning an anti-Airbnb measure. We fumed together how nasty these Nimbys and anti-Airbnb folks can be, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, who lives in one of the wealthiest areas of SF and lately came out as one of the bigger Nimbys, against Airbnb -- I guess she feels that people with suitcases and watches still set at London time are destroying her Pacific Heights neighborhood. Gawd! Here's a link to a story about the Pacific Heights mansion that she and her wealthy husband live in: bit.ly/1vzcYqu
Peter's group is organizing to write a letter to her and I expressed my interest in helping with this work!
After all the workshops and talks, around 5pm we broke for social hour, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, walking around the concourse and looking out at the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge at night and the fishing ships coming in, party boats heading out of harbor -- someone stopped me and asked if I was from Portland, OR as she felt I was dressed in the "clothing ready to go hiking" that is typical of Portland, but I pointed out that this is how we dress in Berkeley, too (but San Francisco is another story...). THen she noted that the tell tale sign I was not from Portland was that I didn't have a beer in my hand, but a Whiskey Sour, and I concurred that this wasn't so stylish of me (and it had a bit too much alcohol) so I ditched the drink by the information booth after using it as a social prop for a while. I ran into Glenn again and we walked to and fro seeking the rest of his party from LA who were texting him as to their location, as they kept changing location --finally we decoded a cryptic text message about picnic tables and found Glenn's LA gang over in the lunch area at the back of the concourse --- and then we searched out others heading to our destination to share rides over to our dinner arrangements for the night --
I rode with a host who is nearly my next door neighbor, delighted to discover she was here too -- and also in our car were two Aussie hosts who led a workshop called "The LIghter Side of Hosting" -- they had hosts tell some of the more memorable stories about hosting, which they recorded, with the intention of creating a 'Zine full of host tales --we shared some of these tales in the car --
We drove around the Embarcadero past pedicabs and stacks of cars lined up at rush hour to get on the Bay Bridge -finally got to TRES Agaves restaurant, expecting dinner -- but were brought more drinks and hors d'ouevres. Met Evelyn there again who I had run into so much at this event that she said "my Airbnb Open is all about Deborah", and made hand motions as if to paint a big frame around me -- in her hilarious East Coast manner --such an intense and zesty woman! Maria echoed Evelyn and marveled she was meeting the same people over and over -- Maria at one point said she was tired but I pointed out that she and Evelyn were staying at a "wild Airbnb" with 5 others and I wondered if she'd get much rest with that gang!
It got later and later, still no dinner, 9pm, no dinner. Here in the party alcove at the SOMA restaurant we had been given a speech, ukelele music, and then flamenco guitar music, but still no real food. People were starting to complain, eyes kept darting around, looking for the waiters with the trays of real food, not more tiny bits. I went over to Glenn's table and told him I'd overheard some hosts saying they were planning to leave our "dinner" so they could get dinner. Many of us were exuding a low grumble that we had gone out to the dinner that wasn't -- I myself had eaten so many of the tiny apertifs that I was no longer hungry, but a vegetarian among us who the meaty hors d'oeuvres didn't serve well made a loud enough noise and after much waiting, and apologies from the AIrbnb employees for the SNAFU, we were brought to tables and given menus and dinner was served at 10pm...just around bedtime for many of us! We shared the table with a host from North Carolina who dispensed such wise tales and advice about his hosting style. But once we got dinner we kind of ate and ran. My neighbor and I drove back over the Bay Bridge, and once arriving home we checked the program for the schedule and were relieved that we could sleep in a bit and arrive the next day around 9:30am, just in time to hear Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!
Reply
Great recap, loved the bit about the whiskey sour being a social prop!! LOL
Reply:
Deborah - thanks so much! "Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!" - THAT is fantastic news! Cant wait to hear more...
Reply
Louise
Thanks, Deborah for sharing what the day was like. :-))
Reply
Thanks Deborah, so was that Paul and Justine you travelled in the car with. They are a lovely couple from Melbourne. Paul runs a couple of Airbnb Groups, one being Melbourne's Finest Hosts. Look forward to the next instalment !
Reply
Deborah
Thank you so much for letting me know this! I did hear that Paul ran a Melbourne group -- both of them were such marvelous, funny and warm people. I can easily see why they would make superb hosts!
Reply
Glenn
Deborah - Thank you for providing such a detailed account of the day. It was so nice to finally meet you in person. =)
I was so completely exhausted after talking for what seemed like forever and then trying to help bail our host out of the dinner that never was I couldn't bear the thought of recapping the day. Thank you!
Reply
Deborah
Likewise, Glenn! I felt delighted to meet you -- it just is so sweet and fulfilling to actually meet people in person whom I've been interacting with online for a while -- you, and Maria, Evelyn and a couple others! I find it helpful to digest what happened to me to write it down, so it didn't feel like a task....
Reply
Glenn
Oh maybe I'll get lucky if you took some notes on my session. =) Everyone keeps asking me for "the notes" and I wasn't using anything other than the outline I handed out. The whole hour was me talking from memory. Airbnb was supposed to record at least one of my sessions but I don't think that happened. =/
Reply
I am loving reading your reports, Airbnb should snap you up!
Reply
Deborah
:-)))) THank you, how sweet!!
Reply
Glenn
I agree!!
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-93641
MORE TALES FROM THE AIRBNB OPEN!
Nic and Rach2 years ago
Glenn is that you? no goatie but more hair you look different from your profile picture... I thought it was Andrew at first... but both of you guys are appealing .
Reply Like Delete
Fleur, Dan and kids
Fleur, Dan and kids2 years ago
Is Glenn the dude with the red wine?
Reply Like Delete
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
No. Not me with red wine. =)
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Fleur, Dan and kids
Fleur, Dan and kids2 years ago
Lol! I am expecting one photo of you with a beverage of choice!
Lula and Larry
Lula and Larry2 years ago
Glenn is the one sitting on a chair?
Reply Like 2 replies•1 like Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Maria gets the prize!
Rick
Rick2 years ago
glenn should be wearing a "don't mess with Texas" tee shirt...
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
MORE TALES FROM THE AIRBNB OPEN!
Well, the day was long and the company was great, smiling hosts everywhere -- my day began at 5:30am, then taking BART from the East Bay to Embarcadero Station, and a nice energizing 2.7 mile walk through Financial District and North Beach over to Fort Mason, arriving just before 8am. We were greeted at the door and given blue wristbands and canvas bags containing personalized programs showing the workshops we had signed up for, little business cards with our email addresses preprinted on them, a magazine called "Pineapple" about Airbnb adventures in London, San Francisco, and Seoul, and a couple other goodies. We wandered through the event center enjoying the colors and lights and unique little meeting spaces that had been created. I found one little meeting space covered with large cushions, and sat down, upon which an Airbnb staffperson said this was the meditation area and asked if she could lead me in meditation. I sat quietly for a while. There were a lot of intriguing, light-filled "nooks and crannies" for people to go to between events, and there was some energizing music in the background at times.
There were inspirational talks by Chip Conley and Brian Chesky, as well as a superhost panel. An Italian host I had met the day before at the Airbnb tour said these talks had more "rhetoric" than he had expected, and we talked for a while about differences between Americans and Italians. I sat in on Glenn's talk, "Getting Your Listing Noticed" which I realized was one of the more substantial and helpful talks at the whole event. His workshops were quite large compared to the others, and people invariably milled around him at the end, full of more questions.
During one of the many times Evelyn and I ran into each other, we both noted that issues pertaining to struggles between Airbnb and city governments re home sharing (as have taken place recently in San Francisco, right here) were not the subject of any of the talks or workshops at the conference. I ran into Peter, organizer of the Home Sharers of San Francisco group, and talked to him about the issues in this city, and he said, of the recent successes, "That was only round one...some people are putting a measure on the ballot...." meaning an anti-Airbnb measure. We fumed together how nasty these Nimbys and anti-Airbnb folks can be, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, who lives in one of the wealthiest areas of SF and lately came out as one of the bigger Nimbys, against Airbnb -- I guess she feels that people with suitcases and watches still set at London time are destroying her Pacific Heights neighborhood. Gawd! Here's a link to a story about the Pacific Heights mansion that she and her wealthy husband live in: bit.ly/1vzcYqu
Peter's group is organizing to write a letter to her and I expressed my interest in helping with this work!
After all the workshops and talks, around 5pm we broke for social hour, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, walking around the concourse and looking out at the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge at night and the fishing ships coming in, party boats heading out of harbor -- someone stopped me and asked if I was from Portland, OR as she felt I was dressed in the "clothing ready to go hiking" that is typical of Portland, but I pointed out that this is how we dress in Berkeley, too (but San Francisco is another story...). THen she noted that the tell tale sign I was not from Portland was that I didn't have a beer in my hand, but a Whiskey Sour, and I concurred that this wasn't so stylish of me (and it had a bit too much alcohol) so I ditched the drink by the information booth after using it as a social prop for a while. I ran into Glenn again and we walked to and fro seeking the rest of his party from LA who were texting him as to their location, as they kept changing location --finally we decoded a cryptic text message about picnic tables and found Glenn's LA gang over in the lunch area at the back of the concourse --- and then we searched out others heading to our destination to share rides over to our dinner arrangements for the night --
I rode with a host who is nearly my next door neighbor, delighted to discover she was here too -- and also in our car were two Aussie hosts who led a workshop called "The LIghter Side of Hosting" -- they had hosts tell some of the more memorable stories about hosting, which they recorded, with the intention of creating a 'Zine full of host tales --we shared some of these tales in the car --
We drove around the Embarcadero past pedicabs and stacks of cars lined up at rush hour to get on the Bay Bridge -finally got to TRES Agaves restaurant, expecting dinner -- but were brought more drinks and hors d'ouevres. Met Evelyn there again who I had run into so much at this event that she said "my Airbnb Open is all about Deborah", and made hand motions as if to paint a big frame around me -- in her hilarious East Coast manner --such an intense and zesty woman! Maria echoed Evelyn and marveled she was meeting the same people over and over -- Maria at one point said she was tired but I pointed out that she and Evelyn were staying at a "wild Airbnb" with 5 others and I wondered if she'd get much rest with that gang!
It got later and later, still no dinner, 9pm, no dinner. Here in the party alcove at the SOMA restaurant we had been given a speech, ukelele music, and then flamenco guitar music, but still no real food. People were starting to complain, eyes kept darting around, looking for the waiters with the trays of real food, not more tiny bits. I went over to Glenn's table and told him I'd overheard some hosts saying they were planning to leave our "dinner" so they could get dinner. Many of us were exuding a low grumble that we had gone out to the dinner that wasn't -- I myself had eaten so many of the tiny apertifs that I was no longer hungry, but a vegetarian among us who the meaty hors d'oeuvres didn't serve well made a loud enough noise and after much waiting, and apologies from the AIrbnb employees for the SNAFU, we were brought to tables and given menus and dinner was served at 10pm...just around bedtime for many of us! We shared the table with a host from North Carolina who dispensed such wise tales and advice about his hosting style. But once we got dinner we kind of ate and ran. My neighbor and I drove back over the Bay Bridge, and once arriving home we checked the program for the schedule and were relieved that we could sleep in a bit and arrive the next day around 9:30am, just in time to hear Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!
Reply Like 2 replies•8 likes Delete
Leah
Leah2 years ago
Great recap, loved the bit about the whiskey sour being a social prop!! LOL
mark
mark2 years ago
Deborah - thanks so much! "Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!" - THAT is fantastic news! Cant wait to hear more...
Louise
Louise2 years ago
Thanks, Deborah for sharing what the day was like. :-))
Reply Like Delete
Pauline
Pauline2 years ago
Thanks Deborah, so was that Paul and Justine you travelled in the car with. They are a lovely couple from Melbourne. Paul runs a couple of Airbnb Groups, one being Melbourne's Finest Hosts. Look forward to the next instalment !
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Thank you so much for letting me know this! I did hear that Paul ran a Melbourne group -- both of them were such marvelous, funny and warm people. I can easily see why they would make superb hosts!
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
Deborah - Thank you for providing such a detailed account of the day. It was so nice to finally meet you in person. =)
I was so completely exhausted after talking for what seemed like forever and then trying to help bail our host out of the dinner that never was I couldn't bear the thought of recapping the day. Thank you!
Reply Liked 2 replies•1 like Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
Likewise, Glenn! I felt delighted to meet you -- it just is so sweet and fulfilling to actually meet people in person whom I've been interacting with online for a while -- you, and Maria, Evelyn and a couple others! I find it helpful to digest what happened to me to write it down, so it didn't feel like a task....
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
Oh maybe I'll get lucky if you took some notes on my session. =) Everyone keeps asking me for "the notes" and I wasn't using anything other than the outline I handed out. The whole hour was me talking from memory. Airbnb was supposed to record at least one of my sessions but I don't think that happened. =/
Karyo&Colin
Karyo&Colin2 years ago
I am loving reading your reports, Airbnb should snap you up!
Reply Liked 2 replies•3 likes Delete
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
:-)))) THank you, how sweet!!
Glenn
Glenn2 years ago
I agree!!
Deborah
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, the day was long and the company was great, smiling hosts everywhere -- my day began at 5:30am, then taking BART from the East Bay to Embarcadero Station, and a nice energizing 2.7 mile walk through Financial District and North Beach over to Fort Mason, arriving just before 8am. We were greeted at the door and given blue wristbands and canvas bags containing personalized programs showing the workshops we had signed up for, little business cards with our email addresses preprinted on them, a magazine called "Pineapple" about Airbnb adventures in London, San Francisco, and Seoul, and a couple other goodies. We wandered through the event center enjoying the colors and lights and unique little meeting spaces that had been created. I found one little meeting space covered with large cushions, and sat down, upon which an Airbnb staffperson said this was the meditation area and asked if she could lead me in meditation. I sat quietly for a while. There were a lot of intriguing, light-filled "nooks and crannies" for people to go to between events, and there was some energizing music in the background at times.
There were inspirational talks by Chip Conley and Brian Chesky, as well as a superhost panel. An Italian host I had met the day before at the Airbnb tour said these talks had more "rhetoric" than he had expected, and we talked for a while about differences between Americans and Italians. I sat in on Glenn's talk, "Getting Your Listing Noticed" which I realized was one of the more substantial and helpful talks at the whole event. His workshops were quite large compared to the others, and people invariably milled around him at the end, full of more questions.
During one of the many times Evelyn and I ran into each other, we both noted that issues pertaining to struggles between Airbnb and city governments re home sharing (as have taken place recently in San Francisco, right here) were not the subject of any of the talks or workshops at the conference. I ran into Peter, organizer of the Home Sharers of San Francisco group, and talked to him about the issues in this city, and he said, of the recent successes, "That was only round one...some people are putting a measure on the ballot...." meaning an anti-Airbnb measure. We fumed together how nasty these Nimbys and anti-Airbnb folks can be, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, who lives in one of the wealthiest areas of SF and lately came out as one of the bigger Nimbys, against Airbnb -- I guess she feels that people with suitcases and watches still set at London time are destroying her Pacific Heights neighborhood. Gawd! Here's a link to a story about the Pacific Heights mansion that she and her wealthy husband live in: bit.ly/1vzcYqu
Peter's group is organizing to write a letter to her and I expressed my interest in helping with this work!
After all the workshops and talks, around 5pm we broke for social hour, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, walking around the concourse and looking out at the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge at night and the fishing ships coming in, party boats heading out of harbor -- someone stopped me and asked if I was from Portland, OR as she felt I was dressed in the "clothing ready to go hiking" that is typical of Portland, but I pointed out that this is how we dress in Berkeley, too (but San Francisco is another story...). THen she noted that the tell tale sign I was not from Portland was that I didn't have a beer in my hand, but a Whiskey Sour, and I concurred that this wasn't so stylish of me (and it had a bit too much alcohol) so I ditched the drink by the information booth after using it as a social prop for a while. I ran into Glenn again and we walked to and fro seeking the rest of his party from LA who were texting him as to their location, as they kept changing location --finally we decoded a cryptic text message about picnic tables and found Glenn's LA gang over in the lunch area at the back of the concourse --- and then we searched out others heading to our destination to share rides over to our dinner arrangements for the night --
I rode with a host who is nearly my next door neighbor, delighted to discover she was here too -- and also in our car were two Aussie hosts who led a workshop called "The LIghter Side of Hosting" -- they had hosts tell some of the more memorable stories about hosting, which they recorded, with the intention of creating a 'Zine full of host tales --we shared some of these tales in the car --
We drove around the Embarcadero past pedicabs and stacks of cars lined up at rush hour to get on the Bay Bridge -finally got to TRES Agaves restaurant, expecting dinner -- but were brought more drinks and hors d'ouevres. Met Evelyn there again who I had run into so much at this event that she said "my Airbnb Open is all about Deborah", and made hand motions as if to paint a big frame around me -- in her hilarious East Coast manner --such an intense and zesty woman! Maria echoed Evelyn and marveled she was meeting the same people over and over -- Maria at one point said she was tired but I pointed out that she and Evelyn were staying at a "wild Airbnb" with 5 others and I wondered if she'd get much rest with that gang!
It got later and later, still no dinner, 9pm, no dinner. Here in the party alcove at the SOMA restaurant we had been given a speech, ukelele music, and then flamenco guitar music, but still no real food. People were starting to complain, eyes kept darting around, looking for the waiters with the trays of real food, not more tiny bits. I went over to Glenn's table and told him I'd overheard some hosts saying they were planning to leave our "dinner" so they could get dinner. Many of us were exuding a low grumble that we had gone out to the dinner that wasn't -- I myself had eaten so many of the tiny apertifs that I was no longer hungry, but a vegetarian among us who the meaty hors d'oeuvres didn't serve well made a loud enough noise and after much waiting, and apologies from the AIrbnb employees for the SNAFU, we were brought to tables and given menus and dinner was served at 10pm...just around bedtime for many of us! We shared the table with a host from North Carolina who dispensed such wise tales and advice about his hosting style. But once we got dinner we kind of ate and ran. My neighbor and I drove back over the Bay Bridge, and once arriving home we checked the program for the schedule and were relieved that we could sleep in a bit and arrive the next day around 9:30am, just in time to hear Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!
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Great recap, loved the bit about the whiskey sour being a social prop!! LOL
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Deborah - thanks so much! "Chip Conley, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk talk about how the company wants to work more closely with hosts. I will report on that talk later!" - THAT is fantastic news! Cant wait to hear more...
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Louise
Thanks, Deborah for sharing what the day was like. :-))
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Thanks Deborah, so was that Paul and Justine you travelled in the car with. They are a lovely couple from Melbourne. Paul runs a couple of Airbnb Groups, one being Melbourne's Finest Hosts. Look forward to the next instalment !
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Deborah
Thank you so much for letting me know this! I did hear that Paul ran a Melbourne group -- both of them were such marvelous, funny and warm people. I can easily see why they would make superb hosts!
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Glenn
Deborah - Thank you for providing such a detailed account of the day. It was so nice to finally meet you in person. =)
I was so completely exhausted after talking for what seemed like forever and then trying to help bail our host out of the dinner that never was I couldn't bear the thought of recapping the day. Thank you!
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Deborah
Likewise, Glenn! I felt delighted to meet you -- it just is so sweet and fulfilling to actually meet people in person whom I've been interacting with online for a while -- you, and Maria, Evelyn and a couple others! I find it helpful to digest what happened to me to write it down, so it didn't feel like a task....
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Glenn
Oh maybe I'll get lucky if you took some notes on my session. =) Everyone keeps asking me for "the notes" and I wasn't using anything other than the outline I handed out. The whole hour was me talking from memory. Airbnb was supposed to record at least one of my sessions but I don't think that happened. =/
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I am loving reading your reports, Airbnb should snap you up!
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Deborah
:-)))) THank you, how sweet!!
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Glenn
I agree!!
