Hey I noticed that other states are having Meet and greets have I just missed the MN ones or have we had one? And if not should we put one together?

Creative

Between a few indiscreet, or possibly malicious, voices and an LE contingent that seems to feel a successful M&G would be a black eye for them, there hasn't been much luck scheduling such things around here. A successful M&G in Minnesota will be essentially UTR so tell the ladies you know that you would like to attend one and maybe someone will invite you. IMHO.

That's a sure way to attract LE attention.  These days, it has to all be done via back channels.

got it soo strictly email through TER?

It is of course easier to recognize someone through PMs than it would be through email which may be very different from their handle.

But be aware that many people aren't going to want to meet their fellow hobbyists as friends. I can think of lots of good reasons (married, public figure, etc) but the fact is that just in the last day I saw a post from someone that stated "no wonder you have to pay for it". That doesn't sound like someone has a very high opinion of hobbyists, even though they themselves are in the hobby.

Things that make ya go hmmmm.....

well lots of assholes in the world eh? I think it would be fun to meet and greet and see if we can get some of the girls to join us, I just don't want guys trying to "buy" services that night... it is not for that I do not want to host an "Eyes Wide Shut" party... even though that would be fun

Big party was organized only to be cancelled at last minute. Not sure what is wrong with
a party, but now there is paranoia all around, which is too bad. Think about it, what would they
do, arrest you for attending a party?

True, they can't arrest you.
But they could take photos of people attending.  
Photos that could be embarrassing if seen by family or employers.  
They don't have to put you in the legal system, to put you in a bind.

I don't think any of us would want to see LE show up at a party even though they wouldn't have grounds to arrest anyone unless they do see something illegal or discover someone has an outstanding warrant.  They might even take someone in just for the intimidation factor if they discover even something as low level as an unpaid traffic ticket.   AFAIK, you are still required to give your name to them if they ask.

...it should be just socializing with no hookups arranged at the party. Exchanging of contact info would be acceptable, tho. A dress code could also be considered. I would attend a M&G if it were held in a location where I could quickly and easily leave if I felt uncomfortable for any reason. It's good to have a certain level of healthy paranoia about these parties. Working parties and Eyes Wide Shut parties are best left to those who are adept at organizing those and have expertise in verifying attendees' hobby credentials and IDs. There's nothing illegal about attending a party like this but LE can try to infiltrate them to obtain intel on the local hobby community. Even if they know the party's location, they can photograph attendees as they come and go and record their license plate numbers to identify them. Taking a cab to a M&G would be smart but not foolproof. M&Gs are successfully and frequently held across the country so why not here?

agreed- however most M&G ARE planned that way, socializing only. If you're clean and prepared to give your name should uninvited guests show, then you are the ideal guest for such a gathering. If this is the WORST thing that can happen, (and it should be, there should be no funny business!) there is probably enough interest. This scares away hobbyists who are married or have a public presence, I understand fully although we all take risks and have something to lose.  We all have our reasons for being discrete and that must be respected. There is always risk and this is why no business can take place at a gathering- that would be creating trouble, or at least worrying about it so much that no fun can be had...

Having said that, there are 2 very important things that you need to be aware of: 1) This board is NOT the place to plan it- just it's mention freaks many out. LE does lurk this board, we do not need to clue them in. 2) a reiteration of 1) back channels need to be used for this communication.

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They used to be more common around here, like maybe 5-7 years ago.  I never attended any but they seemed to be held maybe every 4-6 months or so.  Times have changed, the MN ecosystem has been through a lot of phases.  Some of you guys probably remember back in 200-2003 or so, times were pretty good and everyone got along.

There was no cat fighting between gals, or guys, except the occasional spat between Morgan, Misty, or Madison.  They were always short-lived.  Everyone in the twin cities was in the 150-200 per hour range, which also made it easier for the less proven newbies to charge something like 150 and not have any stigma associated with being new.  Life was good there for a while.  There was a stable core of maybe 30-40 well known locals that had been around for years, references were easy, hell, girls were doing doubles with everybody, they'd even refer guys to other girls.  Ah, the good ol' days.

Sometime around 2003 all of the twin cities providers all went insane over night.  They would see all these traveler ads...  Miami Companions, Taylors, etc. always around the 300 mark, and so suddenly, in unison, literally 90% of all MN providers went to 300.

What a total mess.  Volume went down.  Competition went up.  Travelers FLOODED MN because there was no longer any price delta.  Used to be 40 locals and 3 travelers on Eros.  Remember 2003?  Everyday there was 40 locals and 100 travelers here.  Places like Miami Companions often had 4-5 girls here every week, and that was just one of maybe 10+ national agencies.  Some of the best known, long-time locals started trying to form agency-like groups like Fast Pass, and they got cross-wise with LE, and we all suspected that was due to in-fighting, not over-zealous enforcement.

I said then, and I will say again all these years later...  It was the end of the good ol' days, the end of the meet and greet, the end of civility...  And turned out to be the end of the careers of all but maybe 3-4 locals that are still around from those days.

Look on Backpage...  and look at how many escorts on TER have only 1 or 2 reviews ever--the huge, huge majority...  It's just not the same ecosystem any more, it's much more transient, much more anonymous.  The days, I believe, of MN meet and greets are far, far behind us.

Just my thoughts.

You shouldn't be such a stranger; we could use your perspective here more often!  Drop me a line sometime.

Yeh, I popped in back in 2010 and made a post back then, but, I think my last active posts here were more like 6 or 7 years ago.  For all kinds of reasons I decided it was now time to dabble a little agin, long story...  But then I got NCNS'ed today on my first try back in the pool.  Welcome back to the hobby, dammit.  Been a long time, I don't know how to reach you and I am not a VIP here so no way to connect easily on here...  If you have the email address I used back in the BOB days, shoot me a line there.  -OZ

And, being a looooong time contributor and always having been well-behaved here, I am hoping someone might help put in good words to get me unmoderated.

OK, I sent you an email (or at least I sent one to what I hope is your email address).  If you don't get it, reply to this post and we will figure out another way.

No luck, unless that Canadian Pharmacy spam was from you, LOL

OK, I created a throw away id at [email protected].  Email me from you real one and I will send you back mine.

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vorlon, I sent something yesterday, if you don't see it, check your junk mail folder or let me know here