Subject:
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Re: BrickFest registration fees (was: LEGO Adult Fan Convention at Legoland California?)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.events, lugnet.events.brickfest
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Date:
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Sat, 9 Sep 2006 09:44:35 GMT
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Viewed:
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5341 times
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In lugnet.events, Jake McKee wrote:
> In lugnet.events, Anthony Sava wrote:
>
> > Yes, there are groups making money off of Brickfest - the hotels, the brick
> > bazaar sellers, etc. But Brickfest itself is supposed to be about the
> > comraderie, as you said. Quite honestly I can't see how any one person
> > spends thousands of man hours on putting a single Brickfest together - all of
> > the events are fan-driven with the exception of the big group meeting/LEGO
> > Q&A. Yeah, I'm sure there's plenty of behind-the-scenes stuff, but last I
> > looked every theme had its' own volunteer organizer(s), so that just leaves
> > organizing the event as a whole.
>
> Anthony, all due respect when I say this - I think you're woefully
> underestimating the time required to put on such an event. I'm in no way
> speaking for Christina or the BF volunteers, but I know from my own experience
> of trying to organize groups and events that it's "Death by 1000 paper cuts".
>
> Let's think about what an event organizer might have to be responsible for
> beyond the specific theme content itself:
>
> - Locating and securing the venue
> - Signing agreements, possibly working with lawyers
> - Arranging for the appropriate amount of tables, chairs, etc.
> - Organizing, scheduling and overseeing a group of volunteers from around the
> country in multiple time zones with multiple time slots to work together
> - Writing copy for event programs
> - Final proofing all printed materials
> - Approving print materials (this alone could take hours on hours)
> - Working with fire marshal or facility managers on building/safety code issues
> - Overseeing initial Web site requirements and then implementation
> - Planning food, if necessary
> - Working with vendors for the bazaar
> - Working with LEGO employees
> - Tracking down missing deliveries/packages
> - Choosing name badge styles/design
> - Costing out said name badges, and working on design work, printing, delivery,
> etc.
> - Choosing speaker line up and building an event schedule
> - Tracking down speakers to get technical requirements
> - Ensure rooms have necessary technical requirements
> - Finding radios for the volunteers to speak to each other
> - Choosing and producing volunteer thank you gift
> - Writing up Web site content
>
> My list could go on for as long as my fingers could continue to type. And each
> one of those items could be hours on hours of work. Sure, working with the
> printer to deliver master files, sign off on proofs, accept final delivery,
> double check final deliver, and then follow-up if there are any issues may seem
> like a trivial task, and sometimes it might be. But when you stack 1000 trivial
> tasks together, the time adds up. Fast. Really really fast. I once spent 6 hours
> on the phone trying to organize the details of a single dinner for 10
> colleagues. Or heck, ever tried to pick a restaurant for lunch with more than 3
> people?
>
> Saying something like "so that just leaves organizing the event as a whole" is
> like saying "Building a house is just putting up a few walls, what's the big
> deal?".
>
> Jake
> ---
> Jake McKee
> Webmaster - BIP
> Private Citizen
There you have it Todd and you people who want to put on an event in
California--pretty much a blue print for what needs to be done (+ getting Jake's
fingers a massage so he could keep typing). As I said when first started down
this thread--I do not begrudge anyone who pulls off an event such as Joe did
this year of making some money out of it--just as would not begrudge Christina
if she does so next year or in years past. It is a very time consuming job, Just
the hours spent by them dealing with a hard headed guy like me on something as
trivial as name badges--as Jake says--can take hours. Making sure the list is
correct, the design correct, the bricks are available, etc., etc.
In fact,thinking about it, you guys might want to just hire someone to run the
thing allowing them a % of the take. The ultimate goal is after all having the
event--not necessarily organizing the event. But however it works out, there
needs to be a person in charge who makes the final decisions, whose signature is
on the contract for the hotel, for the insurance, for the security, for the
catering, And in the end,that person is at risk if something falls apart--for
taking that risk compensation should be paid if at all possible.
BricksWest today would still be cranking if not for the financial side of the
game. I happened to go to the first one--a complete non-LEGO person just to see
what it was all about--and really everyone had a great time, from what I could
tell. Peyton and I thought it the strangest thing when a whole room full of
people stood up and cheered when some exec. from LEGO pulled a Santa Fe Chief
train engine out of a box. Now that is brand loyalty when you cheer a train
engine.
Tommy Armstrong
Who now kind of understands why those people cheered for a toy train engine.
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