New York Bear Den Promotional Drive

Photograph by Chaz Antonelli. Hamming it up in a shot that simultaneously promotes Bear Den’s lounge atmosphere and Internet stations. New York Bear Den at the Diversity Center of Queens, Alliance Building, 76-11 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights, 12 June 2011. ────────

Chaz put up a Web page promoting New York Bear Den utilizing many of the suggestions I gave him at our last gathering on 12 June. I had been musing about why Bear Café had been so outstandingly popular while Bear Den, built on a very similar model, is less well‐attended and can’t seem to even take in a month’s rent to the Diversity Center of Queens at a single gathering. However, existing aspects of Bear Den we might take for granted could draw new participants: I thought promoting Bear Den in part as a lounge with eclectic music might draw the type of men who frequent venues like Nowhere. Also, relegating the board games to one specific table would open up other tables to general conversation and make us appear less like a gaming group like Board Stiff was. Chaz came up with the timely ideas to promote the air conditioning, Internet access and the remodeled (or soon‐to‐be remodeled) washrooms. We need to apply these ideas to other modes of promotion, and hopefully our attendance will grow.

A steering committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for the thirteenth to discuss the initiatives the Den will put in place.

Related

• Chaz Antonelli, “What’s new at the Bear Den?,” n.d. [June 2011].
• Chaz Antonelli, “2011-06-12 Bear Den,” photo album, Picasa Web Albums, shot 12 June 2011.

• Last modified 31 March 2012.
• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/602SwWG9s.
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