Convenor's Report
4th Annual General Meeting
19 March 2008
Submitted by: Gord DeVillers

I was welcomed to the Sadleir House team as Convenor in the first days of October 2007. I was 
fortunate enough to have at my hands a system of booking procedures and fee structures 
developed with care and experience, and in no need of major changes. My immediate task 
became to position myself as the go-to person for all booking enquiries in the house, a task that 
had been previously performed by both the Steward and our OWSP staff in the absence of a 
dedicated convenor. 

I endeavoured to make Sadleir House as welcoming as possible, and take pride in the fact that 
our staff were able to accommodate nearly every booking request that came into our office. If an 
event was not booked it was because there was no room in the house, and the organizers could 
not be flexible with their dates. When the House is full, the feeling that something special is 
happening here is at its strongest. I like to think that the experiences I have gained during my 
five months as convenor will help Sadleir House to shape the role of convenor, and aid in the 
development of booking policies and fee structures.

Much of our fee structure had been decided before my arrival, and so it was left to me to 
monitor its use and determine how effectively it was meeting the needs of our users. The 
structure consisted of:  $20/hr charge to individual uses unaffiliated with any community group, 
looking to use the house for private functions such as parties, or for commercial uses such as 
dance classes or yoga classes; $15/hr charge for not-for-profit groups such as community 
organizations (e.g. COIN, Kawartha Ploughshares, Religious Society of Friends, KYO), or 
government  and academic department usage; $10/hr for large-levy student groups (e.g. OPIRG, 
Trent Radio, Trent Annual, Arthur); $8/hr for small levy  (e.g. TQC, KWIC, Trent Film); $5/hr 
for non-levied student groups (e.g. Anne Shirley Theatre Company, Trent Equestrian Club, 
Trent Latin Swing Dance Club). Where more latitude is necessary in the fee structure is in the 
$5/hr category. Groups calling themselves 'working groups', who are usually break off groups 
affiliated with OPIRG or TQC, and unregistered non-levied student groups come to the house 
expecting the $5/hr charge. Our solution has been to give them the $5 rate instead of loosing 
them as customers, since they do not have the organizational funding to pay $15/hr. for the 
community group rate. However, I do think we need to broaden our eligibility requirements for 
this rate, perhaps calling it something other than non-levied student rate. Dwayne and I have had 
some interesting discussions into opening up a room of the Senior Common Room as a no-frills 
bookable space for these small groups with limited resources.

Part of my responsibility as convenor was to generate statistics that monitored house usage for 
each month, and to break down usage across categories such as room used, usage by billed group 
type, and usage by tenant type. I have set up a spreadsheet that can be easily updated each month 
and provides our administration with one comprehensive document that has all relevant 
information centrally located. The data can be easily manipulated to answer usage enquiries cross 
referenced across the sets indicated above.

Systems: 
Google calendar: is now our main tool for tracking bookings. It has been linked to our public 
calendar on our website, and we can specify which events can be seen by the public, and which 
by staff only. Advantages of this system include quick access, remote availability, and centralized 
information. This system allows staff to quickly access any date and to give immediate answers to 
walk-in or phone-in enquiries as to specific date and room availability enquiries.
Security: Due to recent security concerns the House has implemented new strategies to ensure 
the safety of both the property and persons of Sadleir House staff and tenants. New measures 
include a locked drop box for payments in the office, and a list of opening, mid-shift, and closing 
procedures that staff must sign-off on after each round.

Bookings:
Conference booking: This is an exciting new avenue for Sadleir House events, which has the 
potential to bring many new people into the house, often providing experiences that show the 
House at its best, that is full of action and serving the community. This year we have had two 
conferences both of them attracting international participants: a conference on ethical 
purchasing, and another on developing community activism. Both conferences involved much 
planning, and a need for Sadleir House to stay flexible as the organizers worked to define their 
needs. Working around our recurring Sunday afternoon bookings was an issue for both events, 
forcing both conferences to wrap up a little earlier than planned. However, the overall 
experience for conference organizers, attendees, and House staff was positive. I have a feeling 
that the hard work and success of these events will lead to more organizers considering Sadleir 
House as a conference venue. 
Birthday parties and department socials: We have had quite a few successful private parties 
so far this year. They have been very lucrative for our bar, and have been easy to manage since 
all guests are invited, and there is a general sense of conviviality at these events that lessen 
security concerns and incidents. Some of the more successful parties involved musical acts like 
Slips and the High Fives or high-calibre djs travelling from Ottawa and Toronto to work their 
magic.
General Space Usage: Sadleir House has seen all kinds of activity in ye_08. Here is who have 
been through this year: Ontario Public Interest Research Group, Kawartha World Issues Centre, 
Sociology Department, Ninth wave Enterprises, Kawartha Youth Orchestra , Trent Film Society, 
Vera Jones' yoga, Steph Park's Yoga (2 weekly sessions), Charlene Shipps's Yoga and Adam 
Prinsen's Yoga, Travelling World Community Film Festival, CUPE 3908,  Disorientation Week, 
Horizons of Friendship, Graduate Students Association, Otonabee College Cabinet, 
Peterborough English Country Dancers, TQC, Doors Open Peterborough, Uranium Mining 
Information Session, Latin Furour Dance Class, Trent Annual, Peterborough Life Drawers, 
Champlain College Cabinet, PAU, Women's Studies, ACO, Trent International Program, Arthur, 
In From the Cold, TUFA, Fleming College Museum Management, Transmissions, The Hoop 
Revolution, Trent Radio, Seeds for Justice, Searchlight Theatre, Trent Equestrian Club, Trent 
International Socialists, Trent Latin Swing Dance Club, Council on Race Relations, Cultural 
Studies, COIN, Park Place for Youth, Milkweed pre-School, Religious Society of Friends, the 
Mandolin Orchestra, Scottish Country Dancers, AMINNS, the Housing-Coop, PFLAG, English 
Department, Green-UP, and no doubt a few others I have missed. This list is a veritable who's 
who of Not-for-Profit and community based activism and activities in Peterborough: proof 
positive of Sadleir House's vitality and of its important role in the community.
 

Liquor License: 
Our liquor license is no longer the issue it once was. Our Caterer's Endorsement has been 
working well, allowing us to setup our bar not only in the Dining Hall, but occasionally in Hobbs 
for licensed events in that space. We are currently considering licensing the entire house on event 
by event basis, with our first attempt being for the John Watlin birthday party scheduled for the 
end of April.

Equipment: 
Audio/Visual: Our performance audio gear in the Dining Hall is currently in a state of flux as 
equipment that had been on semi-permanent loan by Jill Staveley is to be removed at some 
point.  Jill and John Muir are currently assessing the condition of amplifiers, mixing boards, 
equalizers and the cabinet speakers owned by Sadleir House, and making repairs where possible. 
We experienced a recurring crackle somewhere in the audio mix early last autumn, and, while 
scheduling repairs, we begun to use the Yorkville powered speakers when possible. The 
simplicity of using these speakers allowed us to easily provide sound gear to some events that did 
not require the full service of an audio tech. For example, if an event was looking to simply use a 
laptop to play music, the speakers would be setup, Sadleir House staff would set the levels, and 
no stuff was charged with watching over the sound board for the evening. Now that we have 
speakers and an amplifier by the kitchen door, events with minimally challenging music 
requirements, such as playing straight from a portable music player, can plug into the amp. As a 
courtesy Sadleir House could stand to have a few miniplug to rca adaptors on hand, since guests 
rarely come equipped with them and are often disappointed to discover they require them.
our equipment Includes: 2 x SM58, 2 x SM57,2 x Apex DI Boxes, XLR cables, 4 x mic stands, 
2 x Tannoy Monitor speakers (lecture hall), VCR (OPIRG), DVD (in conjunction with Trent 
Film), Projection Screen – Dining Hall (In Conjunction with Trent Film), Projector (In 
Conjunction with Trent Film), Projection Screen – Lecture Hall (is not in great condition), 
Overhead Projector, 2 x Television (one is not yet fully functional for video), CD player (one 
disc tray), 16 channel Snake , 2 x Yorkville powered Monitors , CD player (multiple disc), 4 Par 
38 lighting fixtures , 4 – 8 channel lighting dimmer box , extension cords & power bars, and a 
new amplifier, dvd/cd player, and speakers in place above the kitchen in the Dining Hall.
Furniture: Our furniture is well used and is in high demand by our event planners. With the 
exception of the rolling chairs living in the link, all of the house's seating is used on a regular 
basis. It was a coup for the house to receive approximately 30 more chairs at the end of 
February. These chairs were fitted with rubber feet to make them available for use in Hobbs and 
the Dining Hall. We can currently provide seating for almost eighty in the Dining Hall. Our 
supply of tables is used regularly, particularly by the 'By the Bushel' crew, who turn the Lecture 
Hall into a production room for their weekly hamper filling routine. Dwayne has gone to lengths 
to clear the furniture from the back of the Lecture Hall, and the space can now accommodate 
more seating, almost 70 closely placed chairs, for a/v presentations. The House is still in need of 
some portable coat racks that can be placed in the foyer by the door to the Lecture Hall or by 
the North Entrance for large events in the Lecture Hall. However, there are the coat racks 
outside of the SCR that have seen much use this winter.

OWSP Employees:
We have been extremely fortunate with our OWSP staff, who have shown dedication, 
enthusiasm and commitment to Sadleir House, and who have not hesitated to approach us with 
their needs, concerns and ideas.  Sincere thanks to Laura Perry, Robin Smith, Nicholas Ferrio, 
and Ryan Perk. A special thanks go to our short notice event staff of Cindy Manlow and Sarah 
Mackillican who both came through in various staffing pinches.

In considering the last 6 months I see a busy, vibrant time for the house, full of activity, and 
pushing our staff to further define and refine what it is we do best. People come to the house to 
be a part of a community, that not only meets at the house, but is, in an important way, aided in 
existing because of the house. It has been only 4 years, but already the PRCSA and Sadleir House 
have reclaimed its proud and important role in Peterborough's exciting cultural scene. Keep up 
the good work!

Gord DeVillers
Sadleir House Convenor
Prepared February 2008
For the 4th Annual PRCSA AGM
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