Doll Meets - Public or Private?

I have not been to a meet myself yet either. I can't make the weekend meets that are near me because of work and no one has been interesting in a weekday meet...so I don't know if I'll ever get to attend one but I want to desperately.

Anyway, I'd go to either a public or private meet. I don't think a private meet is so bad because you are all gathering for one reason, your dolls, so I don't think there's such a safety issue there...but to a private meet I wouldn't bring ALL my dolls, I'd bring maybe two or three at the most. I don't even think I'd bring all my dolls to a public meet.

A public meet would be fun because I love when random strangers ask me about my dolls. I carried my little Dev around the hospital with me when I was visiting my uncle the other day and so many people asked about him. One person said she was going to look into them because she thought they were awesome. I took some to school with me too one day and now my friend wants to get one of her own.

I'd love to do a meet in the park near my house because it does have awesome areas that can be used for free, including a huge concert stage. (You're allowed to use it, sit on it, dance, sing on it as long as the park is not using it at the time, which they hardly do) there's also a huge picnic area and restrooms to use. So it'd be a blast to do one there...but again haven't found anyone in my area interested.

I'd also host a meet at my house because, well I wouldn't mind at all. It'd be fun to do a crafting meet or themed meet.

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
This would really depend on who was hosting the meet. If it was someone I had never met before, absolutely not. I wouldn't be brave enough (especially if I didn't know anyone else) and I would probably feel pretty uncomfortable. If it was someone I didn't know pretty well, still probably a no for the same reasons. I'm glad that I was able to attend my first meet in a library meeting room - a public place but away from the general public. Now if it was just a get together with doll friends that I know, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
On the flip-side, no, I also wouldn't feel comfortable hosting a regular, public doll meet in my home because having strangers over would make things uncomfortable. Also, knowing how I would feel as a newcomer to a group that met in a private home, I wouldn't want to make new group members feel that way either. Not to mention, there are some limitations to having company over with my current living situation (currently my house is in dire need of a new paint job so I'm kind of embarrassed by it, and I have pets, one of which is a special needs dog who is pretty afraid of strangers). I think it'd also be kind of stressful on me to make sure everything is clean and tidy and all that. And of course the fear that someone I didn't know might do something or take something they weren't supposed to, sadly. ): But if it was just a get together with doll friends that I know and trust (and could explain away the ugly paint in my house), then it would be ok.

 

That is a good point. Maybe it just feels far away because I live in the country. Everything seems far away out here, especially in winter.

A library actually sounds like a great place to have a doll meet. Generally quiet and not a lot of people there. I'll have to keep that in mind.

 

I'm the paranoid sort, so if I were to host a private meet, I would have everyone meet in a public location first, and then take everyone to my home once we've all gotten together. In my opinion, the public meeting place works because it takes away any worries we all have of the "internet stalker." If younger hobbyists are coming, it helps their parents feel safer if they meet in public first, where there are a lot of witnesses if something should go wrong. Plus, if you meet in or around a restaurant, it lets those hosting the meet off the hook as far as feeding everyone goes.

As I've said, though, I'm the paranoid sort, and tend to err on the side of extra-cautious.

 

I've only been to 2 meets a few years ago as a tagalong when I first got into the hobby. One was in a home and the other was at a library. Personally I much prefered the library one. It was really weird to go to a complete strangers house, where I didn't know a single person. I kinda shut down and hide in the cornor that day and got stuck next to a rude and smelly lady. Not good times... But the library one was cool. Everyone was relaxed and had a huge place to roam...

But I would host a meetup if I had a big enough house (I live in a studio apartment!) and meet everyone before at a public place. You can always kick out someone thats being an ass in your home ...

 

Both have their pros and cons, and I've been to many of each. I absolutely do not like restaurant meets, because it tends to become more about food and random chatter than the dolls, and it's not a comfortable environment. House meets do tend toward random chatter, but at least in that place it's a more comfortable place without any random members of the public observing.

I tend to prefer public meets at themed locations, myself. Public meets, for me, are an opportunity to go somewhere for the purpose of photographing dolls. The zoo, the aquarium, a garden, and so on. Great artistic opportunities.

But everyone has their preference, that just happens to be mine. :3 I'm hosting a house meet myself next week, and there will be one stranger attending in addition to the usual suspects. ^__^ I look forward to meeting new people.

 

Sorry you did not feel comfortable coming to my house for the Halloween meet this last weekend. I regularly host 2 meets a year for the BJD group and another 2 meets a year for fashion doll group. I have a house large enough that it can comfortably accommodate a group of people.

I honestly prefer house meets because it is a lot more relaxed in the way that you are not limited by space or time (food court tables, store hours) and that you are not obligated to purchase something (restaurant or at a doll shop).

The person risking the most out of a house meet is the actual host. Now a group of people know where you live exactly, the layout of your house, and what you own. That is why I never post my address to any forum directly and I request for people to PM me for it. That is what you can do for security and no one has stolen anything from me or broken into my home because of a doll meet. Some people are too stressed out by having a gathering or have anxiety with people in their homes but that is not me.

I honestly like meeting new people and I like sharing this hobby as I can with others. People who come into my house as strangers usually leave as a good friend and I easily welcome them the next time they can come over.

I have attended meets nearly everywhere you can think of: restaurants, hotels, libraries, homes, stores, food courts, gardens, malls, convention centers.

Everyone is a stranger to someone else until you take the time to meet them. Life is too short to let shyness rule your life IMHO.

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
The first doll meet I ever attended WAS at someones home, and it was a sleepover to boot. Did I know anyone? Not really, but I said 'sod it' and went anyway, and I had a great time ^.^

Most of the meets I've attended have been in quite public places (Zoo, Botanic Gardens, cafe's ect) we'll set up camp virtually anywhere. So we are quite used to dealing with the public XD

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
Perhaps, but I still live with my parents so I'd have to clear my family out for the day lol!

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
I would be a bit uncomfortable unless I had someone with me that I had met previously. That comes from being terribly shy. I tend to prefer public meets so that when people start to get bored or hungry they can wander off without feeling guilty since there really are other things to do in the area.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
I tried it once, but there are very few doll people in my area. most of which are considerably younger than me, and there was absolutely zero interest.

 

I don't have a problem with meetups in people's homes or in public places -- I go to both. The only problem I sometimes have with people's houses is if they have cats -- I'm quite allergic to cats. However, it's not always a huge problem as it partly depends on if the cats are about, if the hair was swept up, and how much carpet/upholstery there is. Other than that, meetups in people's residences do have the advantage of not having to carry dolls around, they're good for customization meetups, you don't have to worry about overstaying your welcome at a restaurant or whatever, and you don't have to guard against the general public.

I would be willing to host meetups, but I'm not well situated to do it at the moment. I'm hoping to be able to move sometime in the near future, and then I would definitely consider it. Right now I don't have a lot of space and there's some drama with my upstairs neighbors.

 

I'd be very interested to see what kind of dolls you have. I love unusual BJDs.

 

I wish we had a larger group of BJD people here in Asheville - I'm trying to set up some sort of meet & I can think of maybe 3 people who have dolls around here The nearest meet is some 200 miles away usually.
I go to various meets all the time - most are in public places (we get to order food!) I'm thinking the doll meets that happen in parks etc look really cool (lots of photo ops etc).
I have held meets (not doll but book club) in my house - no room now tho - & I've gone to meets (again, not doll - actually SCA & Star Trek) in people's houses. I might think twice about taking my pricey little dolls to a strange house, or having strangers show up at my own place!
I really like the meets at conventions BTW!

 

"How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?"
Generally I like to meet people somewhere neutral first, in case we don't get along well. The first 'meetup' I ever went to was at a cafe in a bookstore, and it was pretty sweet for getting to know (at the time) the only other person in the area. Now we tend to have meetings at peoples houses/apartments depending on how many of us are showing up. I do tend to favor meetings at peoples homes because knowing my luck I'd forget something, and its easier to search a home than it is a public space like a park, or a mall.

"Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?"
Considering I live in a 400sq foot apartment with two other adults and a baby... not really. If I ever had the space I'd certainly consider it.

 

I've gone to public and private meets, I personally like them both. A public meet allows me great photo opportunities and private meets allow more one on one time without the interference of on-lookers.

 

I'd probably go if I knew at least one of the people going, even if I didn't personally know the host.
However I would not host a meet at home. No, not happening. I'm just not comfortable enough having many people in my private domain!

 

All of the meetups I've been to so far are public/semi-public. V. good experiences. I can see that things can be a little chaotic if it's at a place w/a lot of non-bjd foot traffic.

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
I'm okay with that. However, I also belong to a hobby club where our members regularly host introductions/meetups for new members in their own home. So I've had a lot of positive experiences in that aspect.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
Can't. Substantial space limitation + roommates. If I have my own space, it may be considered.

Mme. duBunny

 

In my area we usually have a meet-up at somebody's home and lately it's been at my place. I don't mind since it saves me the trouble of going anywhere and my place is big enough to host a group of people.

We had one outdoor picnic meet last year and since the weather was great that day it was nice as well, but myself I still prefer indoor meets. Outdoors I was a bit worried about my doll, although we had gathered them to the center of our blanket. I think a photography-oriented outdoor meet could be interesting though, our meets usually are mostly doll-chatty.

The thing is, my city is small at an international scale and the most people we've ever had is 7. At average we usually have 4-5 people. So organizing any specific themed meet would probably mean even fewer people attending...

But back to indoor meets! Since we have so few people and those who come are mostly regulars whose company I enjoy, I'm happy to host them. Every once in a while we have some newcomer but still the circle is quite small. As a host I don't mind if someone I don't know beforehand says they're coming to the meet. Except if I know they're underage (I'm talking mainly under 16 here). Somehow it makes me feel very nervous that an unknown underaged child is coming over unsupervised. Once a kid who had indentified herself as 14-year-old (or 13-15, I can't remember now..) in our local forum said that they'd be coming to the meet. I had to PM her and ask that she has gotten her parents' permission to attend. She didn't reply to me but in the end she didn't show up either.

I know I wouldn't want my child of that age (I don't have children though) to go to some stranger's house just like that. But I was also nervous for myself. I know that adults who attend would be responsible for themselves. But what if a kid of 15 or under broke something? By law I can't demand them to compensate for damages. I could ask their parents (since they are in fact responsible for their kid at this age), but in this case I wouldn't know them. And that would be some call to the kid's parents: "Hey, your kid came to my house to a doll meet and accidentally dropped my SD to the floor and now I'd like you to pay for the 1200eur doll that's damaged, thank you!" If the kid came with his/her parents, I'd be much more comfortable with it!

 

How do you feel about going to Doll Meets at someone's private home?
I've been to one, and even with all the cars in and around the host's driveway indicating we were in the right place, my daughter (dolly companion) knew a couple of the people either from online or NDK in Denver. Everybody made us feel very welcome, no strange vibes, no questions were considered 'noob', and there were so many varieties of personalities, artistic abilities, and dolls that it wasn't hard to find someone to talk to. It was absolutely amazing! I didn't even have, or want, a doll at that time!

As for any theft concerns, doors were closed where folks weren't welcome, and her Doll Room, with complete sets etc, was only visited by a couple of people at a time, with the host present. I certainly couldn't blame her, and it offered the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments.

Would you ever consider hosting a doll meet at your house?
After that grand experience, definitely yes. Now, 40 people are not going to show up here, as I live at least an hour away from the nearest member, and 3 hours away from others. Amazingly, everybody's idea of distance and travel is different, and two of my guests are from 3 hours away! Here, all dolls that live here can come out, it's easy to stash things out of the way, and if the weather's nice there are opportunities for different environments for photography.

Not everybody is a stranger, though I must admit that I do not recall everybody I met at the one event I attended. Nevertheless, I'm excited for the small group who rsvp'd. I'm hoping that the person who finally succeeded in turning me on to a doll, creating a desire for these resin companions, comes. (goes off to see if I can recall her name)