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In lugnet.org, James Brown writes:
<I didn't get much (read: any) response to this in the .org group, so I'm
guessing it doesn't get read much. Cross-posting to .general for exposure,
follow-ups set back to .org>
Hey all,
The Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) crew are considering forming a club, and it
occured to me that there are a bunch of organizations out there already, and
it would be a good idea, to poll them for information. It also occured to me
that it would be just a good idea in general to have these Q&A's as a
resource...so:
Questions for those of you in the various LUGs and LTCs:
How did you decide on a name?
How much did the existing conventions (Lego Users Group & Lego Train Club)
influence your decision?
What legal status (if any) does your club have?
What is the purpose of your club (trains, general building, etc)? If you don't
have a single focus, how do you determine priorities?
How diverse are you, geographically?
How do you get around the geographical limitations you do face (if any)?
How many members do you have?
How often do you meet?
How do you arrange for meeting space when you do meet?
What do you do at meetings?
Have you contacted, or attempted to contact The Lego Company or representatives
thereof?
If so, would you describe the experience as positive or negative?
Has The Lego Company (or representatives thereof) contacted you? Again, was it
a good experience or a bad experience?
Have you put on any shows?
If so, what suggestions would you have for other individuals or groups
considering putting on a show?
How well was your show received? (by the organizers, by the public, by whoever)
Do you get much disbelief when you tell people that you are (a member of) a
Lego fan club? How do you deal with it?
What advice would you have for others attempting to start a Lego club?
James
http://www.shades-of-night.com/lego/
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In lugnet.general, James Brown writes:
> In lugnet.org, James Brown writes:
> <I didn't get much (read: any) response to this in the .org group, so I'm
> guessing it doesn't get read much. Cross-posting to .general for exposure,
> follow-ups set back to .org>
>
> Hey all,
>
> The Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) crew are considering forming a club, and it
> occured to me that there are a bunch of organizations out there already, and
> it would be a good idea, to poll them for information. It also occured to me
> that it would be just a good idea in general to have these Q&A's as a
> resource...so:
> Questions for those of you in the various LUGs and LTCs:
I will try and share our experiances in setting up NELUG
>
> How did you decide on a name?
Initially we were considering an LTC but then decided to go with the more
generic LUG in order to increase participation (This was a very good idea in
retrospect). We also wanted to stay with some of the general naming
conventions that had been decided upon and we decided to go with a more broad
reagion hence New England and NELUG.
> How much did the existing conventions (Lego Users Group & Lego Train Club)
> influence your decision?
See above. Very much in terms of naming our group but not so much in terms of
how we hold meetings and how structured we are.
> What legal status (if any) does your club have?
None. We are just an unoffical group of LEGO fans that like to get together
every now and then.
> What is the purpose of your club (trains, general building, etc)? If you
> don't have a single focus, how do you determine priorities?
We are general building without a single focus. We don't really have any
priorities it is more like we waited to see what everyone else was into and
worked from there. We have a few Star Wars fans so that became a focus. We
also have a lot of Mindstorms fans so that is often a topic of discussion as
well.
Also we don't allway build at our meetings (Actually we almost never do) we
mostly just sit around and talk LEGO which is very fun. Occasionally one or
more of us will bring a model to share with the group and talk about as well.
Currently one of our members is working on setting up a Brick Wars game so that
will be the focus of one of our future meetings I am sure.
My suggestion would be to just ride it out and let things evolve. It has
worked for us so far.
> How diverse are you, geographically?
We cover the Six U.S. states that make up New England (Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine we also have a few
"out of region" members as well).
> How do you get around the geographical limitations you do face (if any)?
We cover a fairly large area so that meens that we can't all easily attend
meetings in other regions. So far all of our meetings have been in Eastern
Massachusetts because that is where the majority of our membership is from. We
are starting to build up a base of interest in Connecticut as well so I would
expect there might be a few meetings there in the near future.
Again if you are going to decide on a big region this is something you have to
let evolve. For example if you wanted to be an Alberta group maybe Edmonton
will be your base for membership and where most of your meetings are held.
Maybe then a pocket of interest develops in Calgary and then people will have
meeting there.
For the most part the group is a tool for getting people together. Don't feel
like you have to attend every meeting just because you got the group started.
You might only be able to go to Edmonton meetings but you can also be a go
between in order to get people from Calgary together. Eventually the Calgary
group will become self sufficiant and who know maybe eventually the Edmonton
and Calgary groups can have an annual event where you all get together for a
weekend.
> How many members do you have?
49 and rising fast. That is in only 4 months of having a web site and having
meetings. Truthfully I thought we would start with around 5 or 6 members and
then slowly move up from there. I did not expect the metioric rise in interest
that we have had. It has really been a great experiance.
> How often do you meet?
Whenever we feel like it :). I would guess about once every 3 or 4 weeks or so
and usually in just small groups at peoples houses although we may be able to
use some conferance room space at one of the local univeristies and that will
help to get more people together.
> How do you arrange for meeting space when you do meet?
If it is at someones house that is easy. Otherwise someone will usually speak
up and take the ball and run with it so to speak. Usually whoever is closest
or in a position of influence will make the arrangements.
> What do you do at meetings?
Mostly talk LEGO. Although we do talk about group projects and some of us will
bring models for "show and tell". Believe me, when you get together you will
probably just start talking and before you know it it will be 11pm and past you
bed time :)
> Have you contacted, or attempted to contact The Lego Company or
> representatives thereof?
Not yet although we have been talking about it to see what our best approach
would be.
>
> If so, would you describe the experience as positive or negative?
>
> Has The Lego Company (or representatives thereof) contacted you? Again, was
> it a good experience or a bad experience?
No and I don't really expect to be contacted unless we do something that they
don't like :( . I would really just try and keep things small and informal to
start. Don't worry about TLC contacting you or having a relationship with you.
Just have fun and if we all get big enough who knows maybe someday they will
publically recognize us although I would not count on it in the near future or
possibly at all.
>
> Have you put on any shows?
We had a display at the MIT Mindfest.
http://www.nelug.org/mindfest99/
> If so, what suggestions would you have for other individuals or groups
> considering putting on a show?
We did this very spurt of the moment and if actually turned out very well. If
you have the time you should probably decide on a focus and build from there.
It is also nice to have handouts and signs that display the fact that you are a
private group and that you display is from private collections. Do Not Touch
signs are a necessity no matter how much you don't want to put them out. We
learned that one real quick.
>
> How well was your show received? (by the organizers, by the public, by
> whoever)
It was received very well. We were a bit out of the focus of the Robotics
theme of the event but people still really liked looking at our models and we
even got to talk to some LEGO reps which was very interesting.
>
> Do you get much disbelief when you tell people that you are (a member of) a
> Lego fan club? How do you deal with it?
I think all AFOL's run into this from time to time. I would say don't worry
about it and let your creations talk for themselves. I would also say don't
try and convert people either because that can just make things worse. If they
don't like LEGO so be it. Believe me your creations can work wonders and if
they don't... oh well.
>
> What advice would you have for others attempting to start a Lego club?
All I would suggest is that if you have 4 or 5 people interested then that is
enough. If you have the money I would highly recommend getting a web site and
a domain name like www.nelug.org or www.baylug.org etc. This makes you look
alot bigger than you really are and that helps in getting people interested.
Eric Kingsley
The New England LEGO Users Group
http://www.nelug.org/
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In lugnet.general, James Brown writes:
> In lugnet.org, James Brown writes:
> <I didn't get much (read: any) response to this in the .org group, so I'm
> guessing it doesn't get read much. Cross-posting to .general for exposure,
> follow-ups set back to .org>
We (NOVALTC) meant to reply, but I think it got lost in the shuffle. :)
> Hey all,
>
> The Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) crew are considering forming a club, and it
> occured to me that there are a bunch of organizations out there already, and
> it would be a good idea, to poll them for information. It also occured to me
> that it would be just a good idea in general to have these Q&A's as a
> resource...so:
> Questions for those of you in the various LUGs and LTCs:
>
> How did you decide on a name?
Well, for us, the of the founding member lives in Norther Virginia, so he
decided on NOrthern VirginiA Lego Train Club. It wasn't until the third member
(me) that a non-Virginian joined. We are currently considering a new name, as
some of our recent members aren't into trains as much as other themes. Among
the names we are considering are:
NOVALTC (i.e. keeping the old one)
NOVALUG (changing from a train group to a general Lego group)
WAMALUG (WAshington Metro Area Lego User Group)
>
> How much did the existing conventions (Lego Users Group & Lego Train Club)
> influence your decision?
As you can see, we are using a four letter prefix instead of many other groups'
two. This is to avoid confusion (i.e. is NVLTC "Northern Virginia" or
"Nevada"?) and so it is easy to pronounce.
> What legal status (if any) does your club have?
None, we are unofficial.
>
> What is the purpose of your club (trains, general building, etc)? If you
> don't have a single focus, how do you determine priorities?
Well, we are considering becoming a LUG instead of an LTC. As for
focus/priorities, many people are concentrating on Trains and Town, but members
can do what they want. :)
>
> How diverse are you, geographically?
Most members are located in Northern Virginia, but there are a few of us in
Maryland and Washington DC.
>
> How do you get around the geographical limitations you do face (if any)?
Well, for the most part, it doesn't take any member more than an hour to get to
the current meeting place. Unless they are like me and get lost easily. :)
> How many members do you have?
I believe we currently have 12 members. We do have a couple prospective
members who have yet to/cannot join the mailing list.
>
> How often do you meet?
Irregularly. ;) Actually, we've had three meetings so far (we've been
around for four months), with another one coming up this Friday(1).
>
> How do you arrange for meeting space when you do meet?
One member has a very nice community room in her apartment building, which is
where we've been meeting recently. The first time we just met at Union Station
in Washington DC.
>
> What do you do at meetings?
Talk about Lego bricks, trends, sets, etc; set up train layouts; bring trade
fodder; and show off MOCs(2).
>
> Have you contacted, or attempted to contact The Lego Company or
> representatives thereof?
Nope, but we do have some contact with the new Lego Store manager.
>
> Has The Lego Company (or representatives thereof) contacted you? Again, was
> it a good experience or a bad experience?
Nope, and I doubt they would unless we did something not to their liking.
>
> Have you put on any shows?
We are planning on having a setup at the Gaithersburg GATS in February.
>
> Do you get much disbelief when you tell people that you are (a member of) a
> Lego fan club? How do you deal with it?
I get some disbelieving looks, and head shaking, to which I just give a
mischievous grin. ;)
Also, its fun to see the blank looks and feigned interest of my family and
friends every time I bring up Legos. :)
>
> What advice would you have for others attempting to start a Lego club?
Just do it! :) It helps to have three or four people though. ;)
Jeff
1 - We'll be meeting at Potomac Mills mall for the grand opening of the Lego
store, this Friday (Nov. 19). The mall opens at 8am, and the stores open at
10am.
2 - And drop them too! Luckily, I've damaged the model enough to know how to
put it back together, so there was no harm done. :)
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In lugnet.org, Jeff Stembel writes:
-- blah blah blah snip ---
>
> 1 - We'll be meeting at Potomac Mills mall for the grand opening of the Lego
> store, this Friday (Nov. 19). The mall opens at 8am, and the stores open at
> 10am.
Woah! I'm there!
I'll just have to remember to leave my wallet at home.
I wonder if they will have any 2000 sets?
KL
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In lugnet.org, Kevin Loch writes:
> In lugnet.org, Jeff Stembel writes:
> -- blah blah blah snip ---
> >
> > 1 - We'll be meeting at Potomac Mills mall for the grand opening of the Lego
> > store, this Friday (Nov. 19). The mall opens at 8am, and the stores open at
> > 10am.
>
> Woah! I'm there!
> I'll just have to remember to leave my wallet at home.
>
> I wonder if they will have any 2000 sets?
>
> KL
New LEGO store?!?! Where is Potomic Falls, I'm thinking DC area, am I correct?
Does anyone have a street address for the mall, and the hours.
Thanks
Ryan
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In lugnet.org, Ryan Dennett writes:
Potomac Mills mall is that mega outlet mall on I95 in Prince William County.
Just drive south on 95 from dc and you'll see it on your right a minute or
so after you cross Bull Run.
Trivia fact: Potomac Mills mall is by far the largest tourist attraction
in Virginia (not Williamsburg, not Mt Vernon, not Montpiller, not
Kings Dominioin, etc.)
Hey, NOVALUG should offer to set up a display in the new store. It might
inspire more sales from children and adults. I'll offer up my supercar
collection (This is unusual in that the latest model actually shows
the best compared to the previous generations, nostalgia aside).
Of coure what we really need is something comparable to the NELUG SW display.
> New LEGO store?!?! Where is Potomic Falls, I'm thinking DC area, am I correct?
> Does anyone have a street address for the mall, and the hours.
>
> Thanks
> Ryan
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Jeff Stembel wrote:
> 2 - And drop them too! Luckily, I've damaged the model enough to know how to
> put it back together, so there was no harm done. :)
Jeff,
Again, I am truly sorry. Me and gravity- we just don't get along ;)
-Chris
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