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Subject: 
Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest
Date: 
Fri, 8 Sep 2006 22:35:11 GMT
Viewed: 
5809 times
  
In lugnet.events, Kelly McKiernan wrote:
   In lugnet.events, Anthony Sava wrote:
   In lugnet.events, Kelly McKiernan wrote:
   In lugnet.events, Anthony Sava wrote:
   I’m sorry but the minute an organizer of Brickfest starts making money off of the event itself, compensation or not, I’m not going. If this was the case this year, I’m glad I didn’t go.

If you feel you got your money’s worth (~$20/day) from the privilege of attending and participating, does it really matter where the money goes? Unless the event is stated as a charity event (which I don’t recall BrickFest ever being billed as), I’m not concerned with the final destination of registration fees. Just as long as the bottom line’s enough to keep it happening year after year.

Yes, it matters to me where the money goes. Why?

What do *I* get out of brickfest? I get discounted LEGO, see new LEGO products, display my stuff, see other people’s stuff and talk to other LEGO fans.

snip

So... I don’t get enough out of Brickfest to make it worth my while to go if I know that my registration fee is not a simple reembursement of the cost of running the event.

I’m not following your reasoning linking what you feel you get (or don’t get) and where your money goes. Nevertheless. To make a simple comparison, do you eat at a fast-food restaurant, knowing that your money is not covering just the cost of the ingredients?

There’s no difference between handing your money to a pimply-faced 15-year-old burger slinger and forking over $60 to attend BrickFest. You receive value for either one, hopefully in proportion to the amount paid. What happens to that money afterwards is irrelevant to you, since it’s no longer yours. You traded it for something.

This is called “economics”.

To back up to another thing brought up, one of the things I recall Joe talking about when he began setting up BrickFest ‘06 was that he also wondered where the money went, and wanted his event to be more transparent. I’m sure he’ll welcome this opportunity to provide numbers, when he gets a chance.

Kelly

I don’t work for the restaurant when I eat there. Thus this is not a valid comparison.

Let’s look at it this way: A regular venue, say, a business expo, the attendees are there for personal gain. They pay their entry fee and do their business with profit in mind, whether it be selling their widget, making contacts or buying a widget for their widget machine. Everyone’s happy.

However.

The Brickfest organizers put on this expo where they invite all these AFOLs to attend their event. Why do the AFOLs come? Not for profit. They come to share ideas, visit with friends and show off their creations.

Now let’s say for the sake of argument that the Brickfest organizers are making a profit from Brickfest. Brickfest has now become no better than a zoo.

Brickfest invites AFOLs to attend. They pay their dues, part of which, as we’ve decided for arguments sake goes right into the organizer’s pocket. Certain AFOLs then decide to take on even more responsibility and volunteer their services to do the Brickfest organizer’s job in organizing the different themes of the event for no compensation.

And then Brickfest invites the public, who also pay their dues, to come see what? The AFOLs creations, which would not be there if the AFOLs had not come. So the public pays their dues, comes in and looks at all the animals in their cages, I mean, AFOLs and their creations. A for-profit organization in this situation is getting money from three sources: The public, The exihibits, and the help (by saving money by not paying the help).

In essence, the attending AFOLs are making money for the Brickfest organizers without making money for themselves. They are a perverted combination of zoo exhibit, natural resource and employee.

A not-for-profit organization, however, would be getting a boost of reembursement from the public, as well as reenbursement from the exhibits, and a load off their backs by getting volunteer help.

The difference is a side-show versus a public exhibition.

That is my reasoning. Agree with it or not, you won’t change my mind.

--Anthony



Message has 4 Replies:
  Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
 
Anthony Wrote: (...) You are absolutely correct to this point (...) Well to many, including myself, a well run zoo is a cultural resource that has value and needs to be sustained and nurtured. Literally thousands of people volunteer their time and (...) (18 years ago, 9-Sep-06, to lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest, FTX)
  Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
 
(...) I'm only going to speak (type?) for myself here. I came... because it was fun. A of fun. And I learned an amazing amount of things, and was deeply inspired by a lot of the things I saw (interpretation: I will steal a lot of cool ideas from the (...) (18 years ago, 9-Sep-06, to lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest, FTX)
  Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
 
Well, agree or not, Anthony's making a valid point. Some AFOLs may feel used or exploited if the event is a for-profit one, while others don't mind, so long as they get their money's worth. I think the problem is that people don't know. I guess (...) (18 years ago, 9-Sep-06, to lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest)  
  Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
 
In lugnet.events, Anthony Sava wrote: Snip (...) After lamblasting Anthony for his estimate of time, I would like to support him a little on his arguement here. I think it is a little disengenous for an organizer not to be upfront with where the (...) (18 years ago, 12-Sep-06, to lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
 
(...) I'm not following your reasoning linking what you feel you get (or don't get) and where your money goes. Nevertheless. To make a simple comparison, do you eat at a fast-food restaurant, knowing that your money is not covering just the cost of (...) (18 years ago, 8-Sep-06, to lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest, FTX)

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