AUSTRA-USA WEBSITE
WELCOME
ABOUT US
EVENT VIDEOS
FAQ'S and OTHER INFO
MEMBERS BUSINESS LISTING
Welcome To AustraUSA Cultural Group - in Los Angeles and Orange County and now in St Louis Missouri.
The BEST connection for Australians and Kiwis in the USA!
Policies, Terms And Conditions
PROMOTIONAL POLICY
The Group's Use of The Participant's Name, Likeness, for promotional purposes.
AustraLA and Austra USA shall be refered to as ?The Group?. AustraLA and Austra USA member, event participant, and or visitor shall be refferred to as ?The Participant?. The Participant understands and agrees that The Group shall have the right to create and make any use of any description, photograph, or other record of the Participant's involvement in the functions and activities of The Group, the Participant?s name and likeness, for administrative purposes and for purposes of promoting The Group, (which may include printed, audio and video material and other forms of media) with out compensation to The Participant. The Participant further understands and agrees that The Group shall have the right to display at The Group?s premises or websites.
Upon rsvp'ing to The Group's event or activity, the participant agrees to these tems and conditions.
PARTICIPATION
We encourage every member show up to one event at least every 3 months if you can - though we know the life of an expat can be really unpredictable. If there isn't something on the calendar that you are interested in, or if the times don't suit your schedule, you may organise your own event, or post a new topic on the message boards to open up a dialog for others to engage in.
We also ask that you participate on the message boards as often as you can when you are in town. We understand that many of us are traveling or on visits to Australia. By keeping in regular contact, this lets us and others know you have interest in the group, it shows you are interested in being involved in the social network, and the things going on in our community.
Also RSVP'ing..this is very important in the group. Whether its a strong yes, a undecided maybe, or a strong no, any answer is greatly appreciated. This lets us also know you have an interest in the group and the events we have scheduled. Once you have attended an event, please rate the event and the venue so we know the interests of the members and can schedule events accordingly.
FEEDBACK
After an event, meetup will send you a short survey asking you to give a rating on the event. It is really important that you fill this out (it will only take a moment). Please bear in mind that our core purpose it to get you to connect with others. Also, when giving the event a rating, ask yourself if our event posting was indicative of the actual event. Your event rating (STARS) goes towards our overall rating as a group on meetup.
So if you enjoyed the company of the group for example, but the movie sucked... please dont give us a low rating because of a bad hollywood director. Ask yourself if you made connections. Were the people friendly? Did I get to chat with people? This is our purpose and this is what we want to get rated on. As we are a group of volunteers, we run AustraLA in our spare time, and we always need extra help. If you think something could be improved, perhaps hold off on your review and tell us about it, so we can fix it next time!
The better our overall rating, more new people will want to join in our activites, and the better our group becomes.
Also, please leave a comment - this helps new people who come to the site see what a great bunch of people we are. OR, it may encourage a new member to rsvp for an event.
Your event organiser will also email you after the event, inviting you to give any feedback. We want to know what you think so we can continue to improve. We love to hear what you enjoy about our group too, so if we are doing something right, telling us will make sure we keep on doing what ever it is!
MEMBERSHIP FEES and Information
Commencing June 1, 2007, we will collect annual membership dues of $10 per person, per year (not per meetup account which may have more than one person). This money will help cover the costs associated with using meetup and will also help offset event costs and other costs associated with web hosting. We also hope this will allow us to generate a kitty which will allow us to provide better events with more free stuff and prizes.
As of August 1st 2007...
Paid Members can bring 2 guests to any event for free (unless otherwise specified - EG Annual Aussie BBQ) - additional guests $5.
Non-members must pay $7 per event including $7 per guest (unless other wise specified - EG Annual Aussie BBQ). Visitors fees are separate to membership fees and are NOT considered as a partial payment for membership.
All other costs involved with the activity (such as meal costs) are the responsibility of the attendee and not AustraLA Events and are separate to any AustraLA visitor fees or membership dues
If a member is removed or decides to leave the group at any time, they will not receive a refund of their dues.
Dues can paid through paypal(the preferred method) or if you wish to pay by cheque or cash, please contact us at info@austraLAevents.com.
MEMBERSHIP FLUCTUATIONS
You may notice that our membership may be high one day then lower the next day. That is because we remove visitors who's 2 week trial period has ended. We do this to keep our site current and as up to date as possible, so you'll know that if you contact someone, you'll know that they are around and open to making new friends.
EVENT LEADERS
Anyone can become an event leader. It is a great way to meet new people as you are the central contact person ANd you get to choose the activity!
Leading an event is the same as is you were going to arrange a dinner or activity with friends. Set the date, time, cost, venue, location and activity, then post your event and your friends attend. When you arrvie at the event, come early, post the meetup signs, and introduce everyone. And that's it!
We do ask that whn you become an event leader, that you agree to hold the event as advertised, and if in the case where the event can not go ahead it should be rescheduled where possible - NOT CANCELLED. Remember, when you post an event, people change their plans to attend and are relying on you as an event leader to lead the event, and it is your responsibility to follow through with your commitment.
COURTESY
Our group relies greatly on member participation. This is what makes our group both better and different from many others. We operate more like a community. Our members are dedicated and have a vested interest in our events and how well our group runs. All of this is put together by volunteers who give their valuable time for no other reason than to connect people with each other, and to provide an established community for both new comers to California (we've all been there) and existing residents who like to feel connected to their 'Australian-ness'.
Most of our events have a guest limit, so we expect you to update your RSVP (in advance where possible) if you are unable to attend. This will allow Event Leaders/Hosts to alter event details to accommodate for the change in number and it will also allow others to RSVP (especially if the event was booked out and there was a waiting list).
Our Event Leaders and Hosts put in a lot of effort, time and research both before and during the event they have organised, and this is why we hope that everyone understands the importance of updating your RSVP (in advance where possible) out of courtesy for others.
NO SHOWS
If a member RSVP's 'yes' to an event and does not attend, this is considered a 'no-show'.
As most of our events have a set guest limit, we expect members to update their RSVP if they have siad YES to the event, but then are unable to attend. If you are unable to attend an event, it is common courtesy to update your RSVP so another member can attend in your place. We understand that things come up at the last minute; however, if a member has 3 consequtive 'no-shows', that member is removed from the group.
Each event leader gives their contact details - just give them a call to let them know you cant make it if something comes up - no worries.
Membership dismissal
Please let us know if anyone is soliciting via our site, or is advertising other non-approved groups or forums for personal gain, without our prior consent. Misuse of our database or services is something we take seriously, and is grounds for termination of membership.
In case of SPAM - INAPPROPRIATE EMAIL CONTACT - UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR
We have NEVER had this problem, however, if for any reason this occurs, we have an action plan.
If you ever receive an email which you believe is SPAM from any of our members, please notify us immediately so we can report it to MEETUP.
Likewise, if your receive an email containing inappropriate content, don't hesitate to let us know so we can take immediate action.
Lastly, if you attended an event and found someones behaviour to be inappropriate, we need to know so we can resolve the issue.
If you have any questions or comments regarding our group, you are always welcome to contact our Group Organiser. We will always listen and take what you have to say on board and see how we can implement your ideas to make our group better.
(We compiled sections of this page from members questions and ideas!)
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