Subject:
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Re: BrickWorld 2007 - who's getting paid?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.events.brickworld
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Date:
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Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:29:10 GMT
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Viewed:
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6995 times
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In lugnet.events.brickworld, Bryan Bonahoom wrote:
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In lugnet.events.brickworld, Marc Nelson Jr. wrote:
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In lugnet.events.brickworld, Marc Nelson Jr. wrote:
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Since I just asked this
question about BrickFest PDX 2007...
Can the organizers of BrickWorld 2007 tell us who (if anyone) will be
profiting from this year’s event?
I noticed this statement
from a few months back:
None of the event or theme coordinators are making any money from
BrickWorld. All funds that are collected, both registration fees and public
admission, will go toward making BrickWorld a better event.
Is this statement still operative? If registration fees/public admission
exceed expenses, where will the money go?
Marc Nelson Jr.
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I have been informed by the event coordinators that BrickWorld is a
for-profit event owned by Bryan Bonahoom and Adam Tucker, and that they
would control any potential profits from the event.
The statement quoted above is apparently incorrect. I thank Bryan and Adam
for providing the correct information.
Marc Nelson Jr.
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Community -
We at Brickworld do not like the concept of this discussion so we have
remained quiet pulicly. We responded privately to Mr. Nelson because he, and
he alone, seemed to be asking a question. Nr. Nelson has chosen to take part
of our private reponse and post it to a public forum.
His misstatements above indicate clearly that he does NOT understand how
busniesses work. I would like to add a few general FACTS:
1) Just because an organization is NOT FOR PROFIT (NPO), doesn’t mean that
the owners/organizers aren’t *profiting*. All it means is that the business
entity doesn’t pay dividends to the owner(s). The owners could still be
employed by the business and paid a regular salary or a bonus.
2) Just because an organization is FOR PROFIT doesn’t mean they are making
any money at all - either pay or dividends.
3) Setting up and managing an NPO requires significantly more money be paid
to the government, to attorneys and to accountants. A large purpose of
forming an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) is just that. To limit the
personal liability of the owners in case there is a major issue or lawsuit
filed.
4) David Gregory’s statement was not incorrect - or we would have corrected
it at the time it was posted.
5) Organizers of large AFOL events do it for the love of the brick, not the
money. I make a lot of money with my day job and don’t need to profit from
this. I wanted to give back to the community. This is the attitude of ALL
the Brickworld Team. I am excited that the vast majority of the posts from
the community have defended the event and tried to focus the energy on the
event.
We have no intent to engage this thread further and we hope that the rest of
you will put your passion for either attacking or defending “the cause” aside
and simply let this die. I just wanted to set the facts straight.
As I told Mr. Nelson in the private email - continuing these threads only
upsets people. And, this is not the purpose of having a forum on Lugnet. I
feel badly that he was compelled to try and quote our private email publicly
and hope that he considers this pain before he does it to anyone else in the
future.
We hope to see you all at Brickworld. It will be a wonderful event!!!
Best Regards, Bryan
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I understand that non-profits pay their workers - my wife works for one! But
non-profits don’t have ‘owners’ who can lay claim to any extra funds; they are
run by boards who are obligated to use those funds to further the goals of the
organization. Obviously, not all businesses turn a profit. But all businesses
are capable of turning a profit, while
non-profits are not. My wife’s boss can’t clean out the bank account if her
organization is in the black this year - the owner of a for-profit business can.
You seem to want to have it both ways. If you don’t need the money and didn’t
start BrickWorld to make money, just state that any leftover funds will be
refunded to attendees. If you do want to keep the proceeds from the event, just
say so. That is certainly your right. I (and most people here on LUGNET) believe
that it is perfectly fine for someone to make money for running an AFOL event -
as long as they are upfront about it.
Since there seems to be a dispute betweeen David Gregory’s statement (which you
maintain is correct), and your answer to me, I will post your answer in its
entirety. Potential attendees and AFOLs in general can draw their own
conclusions.
Marc,
While we (Adam Tucker and I - the two owners of Brickworld) certainly
appreciate your interest in Brickworld and your curiousity about the money, your
statement on the Brickfest forum (yes, we read both forums) is correct;
Brickworld is a privately owned business and IF we make any money, it is our
choice what to do with it.
Before you go off thinking that making money is a bad thing please remember
that we are taking a significant financial risk to bring Brickworld to life for
the community. We are risking upwards of $65K and working a lot of hours...If
you still think that making a little money in the end (if that happens) is a bad
thing, then we wish you well and regret that you won’t be a part of Brickworld.
If you think the efforts this team of 20 people are putting into making
Brickworld happen might produce a fun, exciting and informative event, then
please join us in Chicago.
We also choose not to respond publicly to your post because someone else will
always find a way to latch on to some sentence and the whole thing turns into a
long drawn out trail where everyone gets upset. Adam and I do not control our
coordinators and it would not surprise me to see one or more of them “jump” to
our defense because they are aware of the details and risks.
We hope to see you at Brickworld...the more the merrier (for everyone).
Best Regards, Bryan and Adam
Marc Nelson Jr.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: BrickWorld 2007 - who's getting paid?
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| (...) I don't have any affiliation with BrickWorld. I'm not even attending, since, well, I don't make enough profit of my own to afford the travel. The fact is, they *don't* have to be upfront about it. It's their business. They've stated that they (...) (18 years ago, 15-Mar-07, to lugnet.events.brickworld, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: BrickWorld 2007 - who's getting paid?
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| (...) Community - We at Brickworld do not like the concept of this discussion so we have remained quiet pulicly. We responded privately to Mr. Nelson because he, and he alone, seemed to be asking a question. Nr. Nelson has chosen to take part of our (...) (18 years ago, 15-Mar-07, to lugnet.events.brickworld, FTX)
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