Please allow me to clear some things up.
The venue has not been decided yet. Lourjel, thank you for taking the time to ring up Cafe 1771 to ask about their wifi service but the post on Cafe 1771 was just a suggestion.
To be honest, and I have discussed this
at length with the admin representative, I am not comfortable holding the event at Cafe 1771 because of their fairly high price point. When I started planning for this event I've decided to go for a venue that is comfortable, relaxing and offers food and beverages at competitive prices without sacrificing quality and taste because not everyone attending is a professional.
You might argue that no one has to order if they don't want to but wouldn't it be rude to the establishment if, say, only a third of our group would do so?
Here's one of the many links that feature the menu of Cafe 1771. For all the internet sleuthing I've done, I did not manage to find the beverage menu and can not tell you how much a drink would set you back. I will, however, call them up tomorrow to ask about the prices and if a group as big as ours would need to place a reservation and if there's a fee involved.
Getting this event off the ground is no easy task for me. But because I do want this even to happen, I am trying ridiculously hard to accommodate everyone, the old and the new members, the professionals and the students alike; to make sure that it'll be held at a venue that's apt for us and that everyone will enjoy themselves.
If you'll grant me a little more honesty, allow me to say that my confidence in pulling this event off is growing thin. I do have a venue in mind but I'm starting to think that it'll disappoint the group because it is nothing like Cafe 1771. It's not as fancy, not as grand and not as spacious.
Pardon the long post and please excuse my venting as well. I'll have everything finalized on my end by Sunday at the latest. I will run it by the admin then and see what they think. Hopefully, we'll agree and I'll be able to announce the final venue and time.
Thank you for your patience.
-Jem