The specialized "true" Star Trek conventions were started by a small group of Trekkies, commonly referred to as "The Committee" – not to be confused with the similarly named one, organized by Roddenberry and several science fiction writers in 1967, for the very first "save Star Trek" letter campaign (not the famed 1968 one) – , who combined their money, and rented a hotel ballroom, in the hope of getting a group of like-minded fans together. Committee member Joan Winston, whose main responsibility was that of the dealer's room, gives a detailed account of the first convention in Star Trek Lives!. Other members included Allan Asherman, Eileen Becker, Elyse Pines, Steve Rosenstein and Al Schuster.