To our Hosts, here are a few tips that may be helpful as you plan for your presentation this year.
Members are expected to host every four to seven years. The club will contact you generally one year in advance of your date. You will be expected to pick a topic, speaker, venue and provide the club with a 200 word narrative about the program.
Please know that you can contact your program chair at any time as you are planning your event. We will work with you in any way you may need in order to make your event successful.
The Club, since its inception in 1880, has been dependent on the good will and diligence of its members for its success. As you prepare for your presentation, you can know that you are adding to a long illustrious history as well as providing entertainment, education and just plain fun to your co-members. Thank you!
VENUES
Hosts may choose any location they wish, as long as it is reasonably convenient, will accommodate as many as 50 people, and is accessible to all members including our older friends. Past meetings have been held in private homes, Morris Arboretum, Chestnut Hill College, Moore College of Art, Wills Eye Hospital, Strawberry Mansion, Sedgwick Theatre, the Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing, Cathedral Village, the Germantown Historical Society, and the parish houses of several churches, So you can see that the choices are wide open! The most frequently used venues have been the Social Room of Chestnut Hill Meeting House, Germantown Friends SocialRoom and The Hill at Whitemarsh.
Please download this PDF for the most up-to-date list of rates.
The Chestnut Hill Meeting House is located at 20E. Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia 19118-3505. The main phone number is 215-247-3553.
For questions about renting a space, contact Storm Evans, acting Meeting Secretary. Email your completed request form to info@chestnuthillquakers.com. You can view the venue options and check the Friends schedule for availability.
Information about the Germantown Friends Social Room at 47 West Coulter Street in Germantown, may be obtained from Joanne Sharpless at Germantown Friends School. Phone number, 215-951-2300. Please note that this room has proven to be uncomfortably cool in mid-winter.
The Hill at Whitemarsh is located at 4000 Fox Hound Drive, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444.
Information may be obtained from Stephanie Bradley, Dining Catering Manager at 215-402-8776 or Stephanie.bradley@thehillatwhitemarsh.org. There are several room choices and catering can be arranged from their facilities. The Hill also can provide audio/visual equipment and support. Rates are as follows: Theater (seating 40 people until 9pm is $125, including AV equipment. Food will be set up outside the theater. The Founders Room seats 80 people and is available for $175 until 9pm. A $25 fee is required for AV equipment. Food will be set up in the Founders room prior to the start of the program.
Whatever place is chosen, the hosts are responsible for all financial arrangements associated with the evening. It is advisable to visit the site well in advance to scope out the details.
INVITATIONS
Hosts are responsible for creating an attractive flyer for their evening’s presentation. The Club Secretary will email your flyer to the master membership list. You are encouraged to invite friends and interested parties to attend your presentation. Please provide the Secretary with a count of names of your guests. Invitations are emailed four weeks in advance of the event with positive response requested. A reminder is sent a week in advance.
PRESENTATIONS
Please plan to come early to set up chairs, refreshments, etc. as necessary. Hosts are encouraged to stand near the door in an informal receiving line to greet members and guests as they arrive. The meeting should start right at 7:30 PM. The President/co-presidents will begin the meeting with general business and a special welcome to all guests. The President will introduce you as hosts for the evening. (We will be in touch ahead of time for appropriate information that will help us with this introduction.) You, as host, will then make your presentation or introduce your speaker. Programs usually run about 40 minutes or so, plus some time for Q&A and discussion. The social hour begins at 8:30, following the presentation. This is an important aspect of the Club’s tradition.
All topics in the realm of Science, Art, Literature, and History are fair game, as stated in Article II of the Club’s Rules. Only partisan politics and religion are not allowed, according to Rule XIII. Please give us the title of your presentation along with a very brief synopsis ahead of time for our annual calendar of events.
CLUB MICROPHONE AND AUDIO/VISUAL EQUIPMENT
A/V equipment is the responsibility of the presenter., however, the club owns a projector, microphone and speaker. These items are available for you to use, upon request. If you choose to use it, you are responsible to ensure that your laptop is compatible with the system.
THE SECRETARY
The secretary will send out your flyer to the membership lists and provide you with an RSVP count prior to your event. Each member and guest will receive a name tag when they attend a meeting, so please remember to provide your guests names in advance of the event.
REFRESHMENTS
Hosts are responsible for providing refreshments for the social time. This includes set up, serving (if needed), as well as for the clean-up required by the venue you have chosen. Some of the long-term members enjoy keeping the old Club tradition of serving coffee ice cream and raspberry sherbet. However, you should feel free to serve whatever you wish. Small finger foods, sweet and savory, from brownies, cookies, small cakes, tea sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers are typical. (We know some members come directly from work to the meetings and very much appreciate the refreshments!) Cider, wine, lemonade, iced tea, juices and decaffeinated coffee are always popular beverages.