Hey all. I am thinking it's about time that we had a large messy meetup here in So. Cal. I know there are enough of us around that we could put something together. I do not want do something half-assed so I am asking for help. I would love to hear from those of you who have planned or attended an event anywhere with what worked and what didnt. I would also like to hear from any of you in the So Cal area who would like to help plan. I am just starting so no location or dates yet.

I have been thinking along the same lines. In theory this isn't too difficult, but the practical logistics are hard.

I think the biggest issue is finding a venue. Honestly what you need is an open space with some privacy where you can clean up easily - a hose, a drain, and (ideally) a bathroom with a shower. You'd just want to be able to hose the liquidy stuff down the drain and sweep up any leftover solids. One option that has been mentioned before is Jade's ranch in Tarzana - never been there but at least she understands and supports what we're all about. I don't know what the rental fees would be for, say, half a day - but it'd probably be worth it.

I also did some looking for more 'industrial' venues - renting out a studio or warehouse or something. Being LA, there are plenty of these places available for filming, but it's hard to tell if there are adequate cleanup facilities at any of them. Some are kind of expensive because they assume you're going to be filming a movie or commercial there. And of course there's the issue of - what if the owner wants to know what you're doing there?

There's also, e.g., an AirBnB, but that's usually someone's home and I'd be very worried about messing it up in a way that wouldn't be able to be easily cleaned.

And then there are other considerations:

* Money: Renting a venue would cost money, buying supplies costs money. Some of us are better off than others. I'd hope that with a decent sized group this could be managed. This is not going to be a money-making event for anybody, including the organizers, so hopefully everyone just chocks it up to being part of their entertainment budget and has a good time.

* Synchronicity: People are busy and you'd have to find a date when enough people can commit, so it'd have to be planned pretty far in advance to give people time to reserve the day.

* Flakes: It seems that, even when things are well-arranged, some people just flake out. As long as there are a few people that show up and there are enough supplies, it should still be fun. Perhaps asking for a nonrefundable contribution to the event in advance would be a way to limit this.

* Weirdos: Hey, let's be honest on this one - some people are weird. Meeting up with anonymous Internet strangers for an event like this - well, there are always risks that somebody will be That Guy who ruins it for everyone. Not obtaining consent, getting mess all over the place and ruining the venue for whoever rented the place, showing up in a gimp outfit and parading around outside so that the police get called, etc. Some kind of vetting process would be great, but getting everyone together for an actual messy event is likely to be hard enough; getting them together for social hour beforehand so everyone can vet everybody else is probably nigh-impossible. I've had some very nice experiences with meetups but you're always kinda rolling the dice I guess.

* Preferences and boundaries: I think with a group, people have to moderate their expectations. If somebody has a very specific kink they've ALWAYS wanted to satisfy, and they see this as their One Big Opportunity to do so, then they might get real excitable and angsty if it doesn't or can't happen. People have GOT to be chill about this sort of thing and enjoy an event for what it is.

Ultimately, though, I think it comes down to an appropriate venue and good timing. I'm willing to help sponsor (to a reasonable extent) an event like this if other cool people are also invested. If everybody is well-behaved and open-minded, it could be a very fun afternoon of enjoying an unusual hobby with other like-minded folks.

I'm not sure how big you want the event to be, but my guess is that a larger event will be more difficult to plan and therefore less likely to happen. If you have a private backyard with a hose, you could probably have a good-sized event without the hassle of trying to find a venue that would allow this. A big pie fight in someone's backyard would still be excellent.

As for planning, if you're clear up front about the rules, I generally think that might weed out a lot of people that would cause problems for the other people that attend. There is a woman on UMD named PennyBanks who has organized gatherings in London - you might want to reach out to her for specific planning advice.

I'd definitely attend!

I would love to drive down for some fun this Friday or Saturday if anyone wants to host something

Sounds like fun!