We wanted to keep the whole thing a surprise for the crew, so posting in the forum was not an option. At the same time we wanted to invite as many people as possible - enter lizzytysh: lizzy was our “discrete publicity engine” and sent hundreds of private messages to spread the word.
My initial goal was to create a personalized card for each member of the crew, but it soon became clear we had enough donations and volunteers to do more. We spent a few days brainstorming ideas while more professionals from the forum volunteered their skills: imaginary friend (graphics design) and somewhat_nifty (copy editor). The growing group then voted on the top ideas and decided to create a personalized engraved glass plaque for each crew member.
We toyed with the idea of creating a photo album from the tour, but finding photos and getting permission to use them proved more difficult than we realized, so in the end, we scrapped the idea. Next came a great idea from Bridger15 who asked to “adopt” her favorite crew member. We took this idea a step further and invited everyone to adopt a crew member and write a personal letter to them. Maarten, our name tag master suggested that we make name tags and bracelets for the crew as well.
All the while, support from more and more forum members continued to pour in, we had all the help we could ask for and more than $2,000 USD in donations. At this point Jarkko stepped in and asked that we produce gifts for the band as well. Jarkko helped us revive the photo book idea and enabled us to gain access to a rich library of fan photos. We joined forces with MarieM’s group card project, and scubasam started creating the photo albums.
What followed was an intense period of working with manufacturers, designing, editing, ordering, shipping, printing, re-printing, checking, double-checking, packing and shipping again. When we started running against tight shipping deadlines, grannypoe agreed to accept shipments at her home in Las Vegas which bought us precious time.
When we arrived in Las Vegas on December 7 I had a whole suitcase full of project items. The rest of the items were delivered the next day, some by UPS, some by grannypoe. We had the glass plaques, personal letters, photo albums, printed cotton gift bags, and Maarten was bringing over the name tags and bracelets.
Friday, December 10 was our big day and I spent the morning in the lobby of my hotel meeting everyone who came over to sign their letters to the crew. Some just came to see the items and chat, which was wonderful. Then we moved everything to Caesar’s where MarieM graciously volunteered her room to be our staging area, The group cards for the performers were already there and a few minutes after 2:00pm kaimik, MarieM, scubasam and I started readying the gifts for the band and crew.
A few minutes after 3:00pm, as kaimik was stuffing the last item into the last bag my phone rang; it was Marilyn Ambach from the tour production. “Come over to the Colosseum right now please, the crew is ready for you” she said. We loaded everything onto a hotel bell cart as quickly as we could and rushed downstairs where a surprised and grateful group of crew members accepted the gifts: http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/post/217 ... he-leonard
Excited (and relieved) we went back to our rooms to get ready for the concert.
The project was a smashing success and I want to thank every single person who participated. Without your support, your enthusiasm and your participation, it would not have been possible to pull off such a unique and momentous ‘thank you’ to the crew and band.
Here’s a complete list of all donors and volunteers: http://weloveuhtc.files.wordpress.com/2 ... nteers.pdf
The project's website (now inactive): http://weloveuhtc.wordpress.com
