Convention Musings.
Jun. 20th, 2005 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
per_soloAm I a failure as a convention head?
No, not really.
Have I failed in aspects this year?
Oh, hell yes. Hindsight is 20/20. Suggestions were made on how we could improve things, but the problem is that, when suggestions are ever suggested to the club from "outsiders", those suggestions always get pushed aside. Hell, even when they are suggested by those in the club, there is usually a 50% (if not higher) chance that the person making the suggestion will be pointed to as "not having enough experience".
FOR FUTURE YEARS...we have GOT to nail our marketing down. Starting with targeted marketing. This year, we actually got someone who understands marketing...but they've had real life stuff as much as the rest of us. Fortunately, the person doing Marketing/Publicity next year looks like he REALLY has great ideas, and I hope to PLG that we are smart enough to listen to him.
Ideas of things that we need to do...we have GOT to get on community calendars as soon as possible..hell, if we could get on them for this years and next years and the year after, that would be a great step.
Local universities...we just, this year, got flyers out to IUPUI...we need to make sure that we get them to Marion, Wesleyan, ITT Tech, Phoenix University, basically, every educational institute that we can..we have people who live in Bloomington, and it's not that far a drive anyway...we need to get them there, too.
With said flyers, we need to have them specialized...if we have flyers going to a bookstore, the standard flyer, with the Author and Artist information on them is great...if a Comic Shop, the flyer needs to focus on the Artist, and Comic Book/Anime stuff that we do...the Colleges/Universities need to have targeted flyers with the literary/performance stuff that we do..the Play, the Masquerade, the Whose Line show (if we do it again next year), ANYTHING along those lines.
I know of at least 2 people (one of whom is reading this) who found our convention, last year, because of the Television spots we did...I wish to PLG that I'd had the budget to do those this year...but, in future years, we need targeted commercials...either in just the few weeks before the convention, to get people that have nothing going on...but then again, people that must plan things out in advance might need the 2 month "space" in order plan things out.
I guess part of the issue is looking at Gencon...when most of the geeks I know (I'm a geek too, as you know by reading this, so don't be offended) go to Gencon, before they walk in that door, they are registered, and know exactly what they are doing ALL WEEKEND. Before they even get there, they know exactly what rooms they are going to be in at which hours.
We need more of that.
Yes, we are a volunteer organization...yes, when you are such, you are totally reliant on the volunteers you have, but the pre-planning is a big part of anything. When I go to a convention, I generally know what I'm going to be doing there...at Archon, several years back, I knew that i was going to be running games, and just hanging out pimping Hex Games and Steve Jackson Games....at Marcon this year, I had NO plan...just went there to see friends, and do whatever.
And now I'm starting to Ramble. Jess...make sure your dad has a chance to read this (or a summary), since he's doing an integral job next year, and a bit of this should help him. I have other people who can talk to him in e-mail about what they've seen, and what their thoughts are...Tony...I think these are good suggestions to think about for '07, as well. From what I've seen of his thoughts so far, listen to Jess' Dad...with him as Publicity, I think things can turn around, at least for that aspect of the Convention/Club...
It doesn't change some of the other issues that have been noted, and that I've seen myself, but for the sake of the convention itself, that's a start.
And no, this isn't a pitying post...no need to post comments such as "Oh, but you've done a wonderful job". I know that I've done some things right, but several nowhere near as good as I could/should have. My biggest issue has been lack of planning, and lack of communication. And in some respects, a lack of understanding of what the people volunteering under me should be doing, or needed help with. I can say that I suck at some of this...and know that, no, I'm not being too hard on myself. I'm trying to be brutally honest with myself.
Comments that talk about HOW we can improve things, and what direction we should be going, and all that, will be left intact...any that are tryingto stroke my ego, well, those are fair game. :-)
No, not really.
Have I failed in aspects this year?
Oh, hell yes. Hindsight is 20/20. Suggestions were made on how we could improve things, but the problem is that, when suggestions are ever suggested to the club from "outsiders", those suggestions always get pushed aside. Hell, even when they are suggested by those in the club, there is usually a 50% (if not higher) chance that the person making the suggestion will be pointed to as "not having enough experience".
FOR FUTURE YEARS...we have GOT to nail our marketing down. Starting with targeted marketing. This year, we actually got someone who understands marketing...but they've had real life stuff as much as the rest of us. Fortunately, the person doing Marketing/Publicity next year looks like he REALLY has great ideas, and I hope to PLG that we are smart enough to listen to him.
Ideas of things that we need to do...we have GOT to get on community calendars as soon as possible..hell, if we could get on them for this years and next years and the year after, that would be a great step.
Local universities...we just, this year, got flyers out to IUPUI...we need to make sure that we get them to Marion, Wesleyan, ITT Tech, Phoenix University, basically, every educational institute that we can..we have people who live in Bloomington, and it's not that far a drive anyway...we need to get them there, too.
With said flyers, we need to have them specialized...if we have flyers going to a bookstore, the standard flyer, with the Author and Artist information on them is great...if a Comic Shop, the flyer needs to focus on the Artist, and Comic Book/Anime stuff that we do...the Colleges/Universities need to have targeted flyers with the literary/performance stuff that we do..the Play, the Masquerade, the Whose Line show (if we do it again next year), ANYTHING along those lines.
I know of at least 2 people (one of whom is reading this) who found our convention, last year, because of the Television spots we did...I wish to PLG that I'd had the budget to do those this year...but, in future years, we need targeted commercials...either in just the few weeks before the convention, to get people that have nothing going on...but then again, people that must plan things out in advance might need the 2 month "space" in order plan things out.
I guess part of the issue is looking at Gencon...when most of the geeks I know (I'm a geek too, as you know by reading this, so don't be offended) go to Gencon, before they walk in that door, they are registered, and know exactly what they are doing ALL WEEKEND. Before they even get there, they know exactly what rooms they are going to be in at which hours.
We need more of that.
Yes, we are a volunteer organization...yes, when you are such, you are totally reliant on the volunteers you have, but the pre-planning is a big part of anything. When I go to a convention, I generally know what I'm going to be doing there...at Archon, several years back, I knew that i was going to be running games, and just hanging out pimping Hex Games and Steve Jackson Games....at Marcon this year, I had NO plan...just went there to see friends, and do whatever.
And now I'm starting to Ramble. Jess...make sure your dad has a chance to read this (or a summary), since he's doing an integral job next year, and a bit of this should help him. I have other people who can talk to him in e-mail about what they've seen, and what their thoughts are...Tony...I think these are good suggestions to think about for '07, as well. From what I've seen of his thoughts so far, listen to Jess' Dad...with him as Publicity, I think things can turn around, at least for that aspect of the Convention/Club...
It doesn't change some of the other issues that have been noted, and that I've seen myself, but for the sake of the convention itself, that's a start.
And no, this isn't a pitying post...no need to post comments such as "Oh, but you've done a wonderful job". I know that I've done some things right, but several nowhere near as good as I could/should have. My biggest issue has been lack of planning, and lack of communication. And in some respects, a lack of understanding of what the people volunteering under me should be doing, or needed help with. I can say that I suck at some of this...and know that, no, I'm not being too hard on myself. I'm trying to be brutally honest with myself.
Comments that talk about HOW we can improve things, and what direction we should be going, and all that, will be left intact...any that are tryingto stroke my ego, well, those are fair game. :-)
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no subject
Date: 2005-06-21 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-22 04:21 pm (UTC)However, you have become friends with a two of the people who didn't have as good an experience, and when I joined, it was due to Echo and friends of hers whom I'd latched onto, and became friends with as well..and, well, it's kinda hard for me not to be vocal at times...
In short, I've seen both sides..I've seen where people have been welcomes in, but I've seen more instances of a form of elitism...and the sad state of it is that without the club pulling new people in, it will atrophy..it's already been happening the last few years...I've put some ideas into how I think that can be fixed, as have others..the member "outreach" is a good step, because we do tend to just fit into our own little groups...
Ugh, Rambling. :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-06-22 11:06 pm (UTC)as for the other two i know who've had problems....there's issues there that i understand....won't elaborate here but i understand.
think though that if you're up for outreach all you really need to do is just outreach. i'm sure you're not the only one up for it. bring some people and at least they'll have you to be friends with. just a thought.