tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48345329406003396022024-02-08T08:37:38.155-05:00I am not a SMOFOne con runner's observations from 20+ years of organizing SF cons.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-14050797433786135922019-04-01T21:02:00.002-04:002019-04-01T21:02:30.493-04:00Trust<br />
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In the con business, trust is one of the most important
pieces of collateral that you have. People need to be able to believe that you
will meet what you state you will do. This is the currency on which successful
cons are built. Will every con live up to all their promises? No, that’s not
likely to happen with a volunteer organization. The frequency of failure,
though, is extremely important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
miss something on a rare occasion, and then immediately make up for it, that’s
okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s when a pattern of failure
takes shape that trust ends. When fans or pros feel like they can’t trust a
con, that con is doomed to fail, because people will stop attending.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gaining trust in the beginning is a lot easier than trying
to repair it later. It takes a lot of work, both from an organizational stand
point and through marketing, to regain people’s trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If things are bad enough, it might even
require a change in management. Fans, in particular, are more than willing to
take to social media to vent their frustrations. More than one person has been
forced out of running a con due to a lack of trust. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The converse is also true. When a fan or pro thinks you have
a well-run convention, they can help drive people to your con. It will not
happen with the frequency that negative comments will, but it does happen. Fans
and pros tend to take partial, mental ownership of a con. Once they do that, they
will want their friends at the con with them. That is the best advertising you
can get, and it doesn’t cost you any money. If a person does things the right
way, they might even find themselves in the enviable position of running a
convention for many years, maybe even to the point where they start to reach a
stage of burn out and get to pass the reigns of a successful convention to
someone else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One major blunder can wreck a convention, but so will
several small mistakes as well. Small errors can add up. A few mistakes are
bound to happen, but when the mistakes are so frequent that they outshine the positive,
the con’s trust will have been lost, or a least seriously placed in serious jeopardy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-49280769474443473272018-05-17T09:49:00.002-04:002019-03-21T05:52:43.154-04:00Uninviting Guests<br />
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This is now becoming a real issue within the con community.
Social media is beginning to lead concoms to second guess their decisions on
the guests they have invited. It’s beginning to happen more and more, and it’s
a very slippery slope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, let’s dig into whether you should un-invite a guest. My
first reaction is to ask, “What did the guest do to get uninvited?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think too often cons react to social media
without really doing any investigation into the allegations. Of course, if
concoms did more vetting in the beginning, it would help, but sometimes even
that doesn’t uncover everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As a concom, if you find yourself in a [crap] storm due to
your decision to invite a guest, the best thing you can do is say, “We hear you
and will be investigating this situation fully. Once we have made our decision,
we will make a public announcement of our plans. Please be patient as we work
through this decision.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Keep in mind that sometimes social media warriors are simply
reacting to things which are greatly exaggerated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s best to do your due diligence and find
out as many facts as possible. This is where you will need to do a “deep dive”
into the situation and uncover as much of the truth as you can. This includes
contacting the guest for their side of the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You must make a truly informed decision. I can’t stress this
enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you find that you have made an error in judgement,
contact the guest and explain the situation. Understand, though, that if you un-invite
a guest, you will be alienating their fans as well. You will need to decide if
you will do further damage to your con if make this move. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Once the guest is informed, you need to prepare a brief statement.
Don’t get into specifics as to why you made the choice you did, just that you
made a thorough investigation and made a choice which you believe is in the
best interest of the con and its members. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Side note: thorough investigations rarely take less than 3-4
days. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Good luck.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-2813870069236258152017-04-07T16:38:00.001-04:002017-04-07T16:38:05.063-04:00Why Can’t We Get This Right?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
[The following rant may sound like it’s directed at you - whoever you
might be - but it’s not. It’s merely a general note of a trend I’ve seen.]<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve noticed over the years that some of the worst people for ignoring
ad specs (size, color, file format, etc) are other con-runners. I’ve never
quite understood that. As con-runners, most of us have to put together a
program book. We take the time to lay out the book and then create a file that
specifies what size and format the ads should be submitted in for the book.
Well, at least we should be doing it that way, and I think most folks are doing
that. And, since some of us even take pride in trying to make the book look
attractive, we go to extra effort to get the ad sizes right before we announce
the correct formatting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, every year, some of the same folks who scream about making sure
the ad sizes and formats are correct for their book, turn around and send in
stuff to me that isn’t even close to meeting my ad specs. Now, I could
understand it if I hadn’t taken the time to create a web page with all of the
relevant information carefully detailed out, so that the advertiser knew what
was expected. But I do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And, I could also understand it if I didn’t provide a link to that page
on my social media requests for ads. But I do that, too. Heck, I even have a
PDF that I send out when requested. The same PDF that’s available for download
on my web page, where the ad specs are listed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, here’s my final point. Ad specs exist for a reason and we all know
it. We all curse under our breath when ads arrive that are not in the correct
format or in the correct size. So, why are we, collectively, so bad at putting
together ads that don’t meet the book’s specifications? My challenge to you, my
fellow con-runners, is to do a better job of working on meeting the ad specs.
And if you have questions, well, you know the drill… ask. I’m pretty sure the
program book editor would rather answer your question than get something that
doesn’t work in their book.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-47307567678959141842016-11-10T14:09:00.002-05:002016-11-10T14:12:28.447-05:00How to Deal With Financial Success<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of the things I’ve often been asked is “what are we going to do
with this year’s profits?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Normally, I respond with, “Nothing,… why, did you have something you
need the con to spend money on? We can talk about it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Smart businesses always hang on to their money as part of a “war chest”
because good years, profitable years, can easily be followed by bad ones. Industry conditions change all the time. And make no mistake, if you are running a
con, whether non-profit or for profit, you are running a business.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As an example, I was recently involved in a convention that made around
a 20% profit in one year, but then lost about 10% the following year. The
budget was not vastly different from year to year, we just had more competition
in the latter year. But, because we didn’t overspend, we still had a decent
war chest to work with for the coming year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that’s why smart businesses save their money. Competition, local or national economic/ political
issues, even just bad weather can impact your convention. In the example above,
we had a reasonably local con move their dates from 3 months prior to us in the
past, to our exact weekend. I’m sure they didn’t see us as direct competition,
but their convention did impact our attendance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, can you spend some of your profits? Sure. The idea is to not spend
heavily. If you need a piece of equipment, or if there is something you’d like
to try with the con, then spend some of it. Just don’t spend <i>all</i> of it. Hang on
to enough to help offset a bad year, because bad years happen to everyone…
well, maybe not DragonCon, but most cons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My suggestion is that 3 years makes a trend. If you continually grow
for 3 years, then maybe you can increase your budget and spend some of those
profits. Just remember, a bad year will eventually catch up to you and “kick
you in the teeth.” Make sure you have something saved to offset that day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-80201959712977839702016-08-31T11:06:00.001-04:002016-08-31T11:07:23.276-04:00Why Guests Should Respond (Politely) to an Invitation<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Okay, so you’ve been invited to be a guest at a convention. Maybe you
want to attend, but can’t, or maybe the con just doesn’t interest you. Either
way, you’ve decided not to attend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So that’s it, right? You let it go, because, hey, you’re really busy
and if you don’t respond, they’ll just move on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s why that’s a bad idea… You may have just “blackballed” yourself,
from not only this con, but others as well. Yes, cons <i>do</i> talk to each other. As
matter of fact, there are several Facebook pages out there, some public, some
not so public, where cons share information about everything from hotel issues
to guests (we assume there are similar forums for guests as well – and I, at
least, try to keep that in mind when interacting with any guests).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The best practice is to be honest with the con. And, if possible, also
try to be prompt in your reply. Yes, it’s best if you’re not <i>brutally</i> honest. Responding with, “Your
con sucks and I would never attend a con like yours if my life depended on it”
might not be a good approach. However, you can convey your message with, “I’ve
reviewed your webpage, and while I’m certain it’s a great con for your
attendees, I’m not certain I would be the best fit there. Thank you for
inviting me, though, and best of luck on your convention!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Con runners will get the idea, at least the smart ones will. And frankly,
those that aren’t smart don’t tend to last long in this business.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, what if the guest is a major player? Someone in high demand?
There’s little the con can do to impact the guests’ future revenues, so why
should the guest care if you’re not happy with them?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, here’s the deal. The good con organizers can last a lot longer
than the demand for a guest. Seriously, I’ve seen it. The con might not
survive, but good organizers are rare and tend to get recruited by other cons. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, consider this experience from my past: One very popular writer was
extremely nasty to a con I was involved with back in the 90s. Said author could
schedule personal appearances as often as they wanted, and was willing to brush
aside any con that didn’t fit their criteria, or desires.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Guess what, 20 years later I’m still running cons, and that guest is
now selling a lot, a whole lot, less books than in the past. Said individual
will likely never be booked by a con I’m involved with because they “burned
that bridge” many years back. And let me tell you, I’ve shared that story many
times at other cons. It is, after all, harder to unmake a bad reputation than
it is to create a good one to start with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, please, try to keep all of this in mind if you’re invited to be a
guest. I promise, a polite no is an okay answer, even if yes would make us
happier. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And if you run cons, try to remember that the opposite can happen to
you just as easily. You don’t want to find yourself receiving a lot of polite,
“thank you, but no” responses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-7262849532466981582016-04-13T15:48:00.001-04:002016-04-13T15:50:24.639-04:00Cons and Politics<div class="MsoNormal">
This is going to be a very short post. Well, probably.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During the last 3 weeks in NC, we have been completely buried
under “news” articles, either for or against HB2. As someone who partially owns a con in NC, I’m
staying the heck out of the most contentious part of the law… bathrooms. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This practice should be followed by every con runner out
there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why? Simply put, as a business owner, you will lose
either way. If you back one side, the other will walk away, probably taking
other folks with them. It’s for this
reason, we decided to adopt a politically neutral position for all issues when we
formed our company.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you own a convention, my advice would be for you to do
them same. Stay apolitical. Your company (con) has no business getting
involved with these arguments. It <i>will</i> hurt your business. Your con is no place
to jump up on a soapbox.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, having said that, let me add that avoiding
discrimination is actually a smart move for your business. Encouraging everyone, who interested in SF,
to attend your con, can increase your opportunities to be successful. Just make sure you have strong policies about
everyone needing to set aside their politics once they walk in the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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See, I told you it would be short.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-66072538189924134032016-03-03T14:25:00.005-05:002023-04-12T01:03:48.319-04:00Con Crud and the ConSuite<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">As my family awakens in our hotel room on Sunday morning
of our latest con, the incessant coughing is telling me we have it. Con Crud, the
bane of all con attendees. Sleep gets interrupted. Panels get skipped, and
misery runs rampant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">This inspired me to write a post on what we,
collectively, can do to prevent this plague (pun intended) on fandom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">The first step is making sure we wash our hands… a lot. Yeah,
I know, most of us wash our hands when we go to the restroom. But really, if
you think about it, how often do we really wash our hands throughout the
weekend? Do you hit the bathroom prior to grabbing that slice of pizza at the
concessions booth? If not, think back to how many people you have had the
opportunity to shake hands with that day. I’m not saying everyone is a carrier
of some dreaded virus, but it does increase your chances of picking up
something. And even if washing your hands isn’t possible on a frequent basis,
you could carry some hand sanitizer that you can use when no one is looking
(you don’t want to offend the guy you just shook hands with, after all).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">[Option B comes from Cami Walker, my con’s Marketing
Director. She says to make sure all of your costumes have gloves.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">Now that I’ve covered how you can personally reduce your
risk of Con Crud, let’s discuss what conventions can do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">The most common location for Con Crud to spread is the
ConSuite. There are lots of people handling items that can spread germs… ice
scoops, open bowls of chips, soda bottles, serving utensils, etc. Contact with
any of these things immediately after someone with dirty hands and/or a virus
has touched them, can result in you picking up an illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">My solution is for cons to move to more individually
wrapped items. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">I know, I know. I can hear ConSuites Directors everywhere
screaming as I write this, “That’s too expensive!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">Is it though? Is it really?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">Let’s take a look at the cost of soda as an example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">I’ve done the math, and ounce for ounce, the cost of soda
is pretty close for cans and 2L bottles. Now, if you don’t buy sodas when they
are on sale, then, yeah, maybe it’s cheaper for 2L bottles. But I’ve found the
cost at club stores is roughly the same. Also, often times the manufacturers
run sales on 12 packs of cans… buy 2 get 3 free kinds of deals. At $6.69 a 12
pack (a recent price at Harris Teeter grocery store), that means we could buy
five 12 packs for $13.38, or $0.22 a can. For those “keeping score at home,” that’s
$0.018 per ounce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">To be fair, the manufactures sometimes run sales on 2L
bottles also, which usually come in around $1.69/each. At 67 ounces, that’s
$0.025 per ounce. Even at $1.25 per bottle, the price would be the same per
ounce as the cans promo listed above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">Hopefully, this example is enough to persuade cons to
look a little deeper and actually see what the relative costs are for their
stock. Reducing Con Crud in the ConSuite should be a priority. And reducing Con
Crud in the ConSuite will absolutely reduce it at the con in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">And in case you’re wondering, yes, my </span><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.con-gregate.com/" target="_blank">convention</a></span><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">
serves individually packaged products. It has worked out fairly well for the
past two years. We haven’t had any reports of a massive attack of Con Crud, at
least not yet, anyway (that is not a challenge for Murphy!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 10pt;">*Note: prices listed above are for name brand sodas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-78203142937877199132015-01-15T11:54:00.002-05:002015-01-15T16:24:33.253-05:00Diversity<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Today I will address the issue of diversity at cons. First, let me say
that I am certainly NO expert in the field. And, as with any field, if you
don’t know that much about it, you should likely keep your mouth shut. For some
reason, I’m not doing that, however, so here are my uneducated observations on
this topic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
------------</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Let’s face it, most cons are run <u>by</u> white guys, <u>for</u> white guys. Recently, many cons have tried to be more inclusive towards women. As con
organizers, we’ve added harassment policies to minimize some of the blatant
objectification, and it is starting to work… some. There is still plenty of
work to do, but it’s getting better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The next step needs to be extending that concept out to people of
color. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Look around at the next con you attend. I’m betting that con isn’t
doing a great job of being inclusive. Even if there are a few fans or guests of
color, most likely the majority of the committee are folks of Western European
decent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I’ve heard comments like, “it’s mostly a white hobby.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
My answer to that is: is it really? Really and truly? Or are we simply
not making the con scene a safe place for people of color?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I had it pointed out to me a few months back that folks of color can
feel out of place at cons. That’s not being inclusive. That’s creating an event
that is comfortable to white people. It’s a cultural issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The other thing I hear is, “Is it really worth trying to make the con
more inclusive?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sure it is. People of color are just as interested in speculative
fiction as white people are. On a social equality note, we need to make cons
more open to people of color because it’s the right thing to do. If that
doesn’t sway your opinion, try looking at it like this: Its money you do not
currently have walking into your con at the moment. It is a fairly strong
untapped market.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
So, how do we make cons more inclusive? Well, the first piece of advice
I received from a person of color was (note, I asked someone who wasn’t white, because they've lived it),
“It starts with the committee. If your committee is diverse, I’m betting your
con will become diverse organically.” And that, frankly, is the right way to
grow your con. If you get folks of color
on the committee, I promise you they will point out areas where you can
improve. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The next step is to get guests of color. Once you have those two
pieces, you can begin to target your marketing to people of greater diversity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
So, to sum up… increase your con’s diversity. It’s the right thing to
do, and it just might be the lucrative thing to do as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-56522789726713005232014-10-16T13:50:00.002-04:002014-10-16T13:51:31.357-04:00Back from the grave!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
It’s the revival of<b> I am not a
SMOF</b>! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Originally, I had decided to stop posting to this blog because I’d
gotten “back in the game,” and it felt a bit hypocritical. Then someone
suggested that I keep blogging, but change the focus. I liked the idea, but quickly
found that I didn’t have any spare time between work, my daughter, and starting
up a new con. Well, one of those things has settled down a bit… most notably,
my staff has grown in number for <a href="http://www.con-gregate.com/" target="_blank">ConGregate</a>, so I’m not doing quite as many
things all at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Getting back to blogging did present another challenge… what to blog
about. I’ve decided, at least for now, to cover topics that I think all con
runners should deal with, even if we don’t think we should have to, due to some
ideological notion of conventions and fandom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Which brings me to today’s topic… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Harassment Policies <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A lot of cons today have adopted harassment policies, which is a good
thing. The issue I’m beginning to notice is that either the volunteers (staff
and gophers) don’t have a clear understanding of the policy, or, even worse,
they have never seen it. The same holds
true to the “rank and file” fan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Hopefully, you already have an easy to understand policy and all of
your staff is completely aware of it, and know how to handle harassment. But if not, here are my recommendations…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
If you are running a con, hold a harassment training session for all
the key staff members. Make sure they understand that it’s a serious matter,
and that they need to be aware of what the con has presented as the official
company policy. For all other volunteers, make sure they get the policy in
writing, either via email or print out, and make them sign a waiver stating
they’ve read and understand the policy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Educating fans will be a bit more difficult, but you can still have the
policy easily available to them via the web and/or program book, and you can
have them sign a waiver stating they will abide by the policy. The tough part,
of course, is making sure they know that they are required to live by the
policy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Now for the fun part of this issue, actually creating an effective
harassment policy that people can understand. When my staff and I wrote the
<a href="http://www.con-gregate.com/harassment.htm" target="_blank">harassment policy </a>for ConGregate, we did quite a lot of research on the topic.
I was fortunate that my Programming Director, a.k.a. my wife, is a Human
Resources professional with access to a lot of materials on the topic. Much of
our research pointed to a single format. Basically, the key takeaways were, be
specific about what harassment is, provide specific information on how to
report harassment, and give your policy teeth, but do not get too specific in
how you will deal with those who violate your policy. For last part, most of
the lawyers seemed to agree that it’s best to avoid automatically enforcing a
ban on people. It’s better to keep that as an option for repeat offenders, or
for those who commit a truly heinous offense. Understanding that harassment
runs a very wide gamut, from the socially inexperienced to outright hate crimes,
will help you create a policy that’s fair and easily to understand. Also keep in mind as you write your policy
that the courts have ruled that harassment is defined by the victim, and not by
the intent of harasser.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
And, since I brought up repercussions for the person who violates your
policy, I should probably mention how to best handle that part. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
When someone commits an act that is in violation of your policy, you
need to investigate the issue. I know, you’re not a cop (or maybe you are), but
it has to be done. Start by listening to the complaint from the victim, being
extremely careful not to blame the victim with your questions. Avoid saying things
like, “did you do anything that made this person feel their actions were okay?”
Just listen and get as many details as possible about who, when and where. Then,
document the allegation. Next, sit down with the other party, tell them they
have been accused of violating the harassment policy, and listen to their side.
Depending on the severity of their actions, and also their reaction to the
accusations, you will need to decide upon an appropriate response. For those
who are truly clueless, I recommend educating them on how they should behave
moving forward, and include a warning that future violations will get them
tossed out. I also suggest you tell them that they should avoid trying to
apologize to the victim, unless you, the con organizer, gain the victim’s
permission first. For those who have no remorse, or get flippant with you when
you inform them of the accusation, go ahead and toss them out, because that
person isn’t likely to be open to education. Finally, let the accused know why
you are tossing them out, and also tell them whether or not you plan to allow
them back into the con in future years. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
For the truly heinous actions, you might need to get the police
involved, but I recommend allowing the hotel and the victim to make that
decision. And yes, you need to report the person to the hotel if, in fact, they
did something illegal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
One final note: effective harassment policies should protect everyone.
I’m talking about everybody, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, race,
religion, and even political viewpoint. Attacking someone over their politics
is just as offensive as telling someone they are a fake fan. Neither of those comments
is appropriate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-48613970470372019982013-02-26T13:37:00.002-05:002013-02-26T13:43:55.770-05:00Review of MystiCon (2013)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Today I’m going to start my 2013 convention review series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know you all have been waiting “on the edge of your seat” for this… okay, maybe not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, perhaps some of the con organizers have… but, I digress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">First up this year is <a href="http://mysticon-va.com/" target="_blank">MystiCon</a>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MystiCon was held Feb 22-24 in Roanoke, VA at the Holiday Inn - Tanglewood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let’s get this out of the way immediately, MystiCon was a fun convention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you take a quick look below, you might notice that I have more negatives than positives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I highly suggest you not read anything into this fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The convention is well run, professional and fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the issues they experienced came from some very astounding growth rates between 2012 and 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you add about 450 people to an 850 person convention, bad things have a tendency to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The positive here is that most of those issues are fairly easy to solve prior to 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Good<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The programming was really good at this con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The panel topics were interesting, and the panels were well attended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">All of the guests that I dealt with were very personable and engaging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never got the feeling I could not approach any of the guests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The staff seemed very friendly and professional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed like they truly wanted to see people having a good time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The convention used the mobile app LiveCon to display their schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know other cons have used this app, but I hadn’t had a chance to really use it myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a guest, I like it a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have to carry a paper copy of my schedule around with me all weekend, which is a big plus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Dealer’s room was a decent size, with a nice selection of dealers and plenty of walk space (but see below).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The hotel appeared to be extremely flexible in working with convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check-in was very quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, while I had a few maintenance issues with my room once I arrived, the hotel resolved those immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally, the hotel sold reasonably priced (not hotel priced) concessions during all meal times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Possible Areas of Improvement (The Bad)</span></b><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pet Peeve time:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Name badges, again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know you have all read this before on my blog, but please, if you are a con organizer, make the names large enough on the badges so that they can easily be read from a distance of about 6 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had about 10 people ask me my name, and then apologize for asking, stating they couldn’t read my badge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally, I highly suggest MystiCon drop the watermark from behind the names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That just makes it even harder to read the badges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It is really not a good idea to have panel discussions going on in rooms that are next to concerts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The panelists should not have to shout at the audience, and vice versa. I experienced this at a couple of panels during the convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The next one is really just a minor irritant, but someone took most of the paragraph breaks out of my bio when it was placed in the program book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt it made me seem like I didn’t understand basic grammar, which is bad because I was listed as a blogger on the guest list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was a major bottleneck in the main hallway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The convention either needs to limit its attendance to about 900-1000 people, or find a way to get rid of the tables in that hallway (or possibly some of both).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also might be a good idea for Security to take a proactive role in organizing any long lines before they happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I had a situation where one of my scheduled events was cancelled, but I was not informed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the schedule changes during the con, it is mandatory that all guests involved be contacted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, the con might find it useful to request contact information from each guest, so they can be reached during the con.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Dealers Room was nice, but I do have one question: Where were the costume dealers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a good-sized Masquerade at this convention. It would have been nice to have a costume dealer or two.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The stage in the main programing room was outright dangerous. The convention needs to either push the hotel to buy a new stage or rent one that meets basic safety standards.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Okay, that’s it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said earlier, the con is very good, even with all my areas of improvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MystiCon is definitely going on my list of cons to go back to in 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-43573479395062724402013-02-10T19:21:00.000-05:002013-02-10T19:21:05.640-05:00Convention Accounting 102 – Cost Cutting (Guest Blog)
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’ve got to love it when you post an article an almost
immediately get an unsolicited, guest blog addendum to your post. :)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks John!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">* * *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">James raised some excellent points in his Convention
Accounting 101 piece. The incoherent ramblings I am going to dump on you should
also give convention staffers some food for thought, going into more detail on
reducing or controlling expenses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thinking like a business is critical for running a
convention. A staff that jumps in thinking that it’s going to be all fun and
work itself out is setting themselves up for failure. You could be extremely
organized and work from a business plan, or run it as a seat-of-the-pants
operation with a basic idea of what you need to do. I prefer more detail as it
allows you to reduce the appearance of Mister Murphy and his cohorts. Poor
planning can lead to unplanned costs… whether monetary, opportunity costs or
the goodwill of your attendees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Considering that for a convention with 750-800 attendees,
you may have less than 100 pre-regs, with the rest of your attendees paying at
the door. Door prices are of course higher, and the majority of the con's money
will come in over the 3 days of your convention. If you have 80 speakers,
assume each has a companion, so that accounts for 160 memberships; let’s say 25
for game-masters; a ballpark 60 for dealers and figure about 10-15 volunteers
(which may be far lower as we know cons are notoriously understaffed and we
poach each other’s staff - and shanghai/conscript/draft them when they attend
our events...) . In my example you could easily have 300 freebies out of an attendance
of 800. 300 freebies at $40 per weekend pass each = $12,000 in lost revenue
which could be looked at as an expense in and of itself. The only way to reduce
this is to of course reduce your guest list, which may not be advisable
depending on the amount of programming and activities you have. Alienating
dealers by reducing the number of comp badges they get for coming in as vendors
is not a good idea either as it would make a dealer think twice because that
second comp membership does eat into their profit margin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem that about 80% of a con’s funds come in over the
3 days of the event makes budgeting extremely difficult. It is almost a
necessity for a convention to already have seed money in place to cover at least
the required deposit on the facility. which can be as little as $500 to several
thousand dollars. Outside of a handful of pre-regs, you would have your
dealer’s room fees and cash on hand/seed money and that is all for your
starting capital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Repeat after me : Cost-cutting is your friend. Learn to be
Scrooge. Pinch every penny until it screams. Beg, borrow or steal… (ok,
stealing is bad – but you get the idea). Get creative with saving on your
expenses. Minimizing expenses (elimination is impossible) is in the best
interest of your convention and allows you the opportunity to put it on again
next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The main areas you can impact with cost-cutting measures are
as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hotel/Food and Beverage: Negotiate everything you can with
the host hotel to get your rental fees reduced or waived if you meet certain
room occupancy goals, i.e - 200 room-nights gets a 50% reduction in the cost of
the rental space (this is your single biggest expense, any reduction here pays
huge dividends in the long run as this can run into $5k or $10k easily) or
maybe even free at higher occupancy goals. Also negotiate a number of free
rooms for the entire weekend based on occupancy goals. See if the food and
beverage outlets are willing to set up and run a concession stand or light sandwich
station with subs and burgers that they can sell to attendees. That might get
you a further reduction in your facility cost. Negotiate with local restaurants
or suppliers for food or services. Carla Brindle with Mysticon has turned this
into an art form, bartering her cake-making skills to trade for services for
Mysticon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also look at how many rooms the convention is providing as
comp rooms for guests. Is it a deal breaker for the guest to have to pay for
his own room for the convention? In my opinion, Guests of Honor should have
their rooms covered by the convention. Is the convention covering any rooms for
staff members? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Office supplies and equipment: The majority of your staffers
should have PCs and printers. Utilize them to the utmost. Don’t be afraid of
buying remanufactured toner cartridges. Ravencon buys from Cartridgeworld which
can save anywhere from $15-$30 on a single toner cartridge. Utilize the
warehouse club stores for your office supplies as Staples and Office Depot
don’t come close to the savings. Plus buying in bulk, you have supplies to use
year over year – just make sure someone is in charge of inventorying it and has
a master list of what box everything is located in when you break down at the
end. (not nervous breakdown, that usually occurs on Saturday night after the
evening entertainment starts and I can inspect the room parties but I usually
wind up hanging out with James and the Baen Barflies, but I digress….) Detailing
one of the staff members as an office manager to keep track of administrative
tasks like this really helps things run smoothly, and prevents over-purchasing
unneeded surplus supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Printing: If the con staff can print materials on their home
printers to save the convention money, do it. Con staffers attend a lot of
conventions and usually take their home convention flyers with them which helps
with your advertising. Any single page items should be printed from a home
printer and save the printing budget for your program book and schedule signs.
Don’t be afraid to price around for printing costs. Ravencon has used the same
printer for our program books for the last four years, but we still get bids
every year from all the major printers in the area. Also do not forget that
your program book can be used as a revenue source, or at minimum to pay for the
majority of the cost of producing it. Your guest of honor’s publisher may be
willing to purchase a full page ad to promote an upcoming release.
Self-published or small press authors will purchase ad space as well. A local
game shop has taken out a full page of ad space for the last 3 years in the
Ravencon program book and we have a fair number of patrons who will take out
half-page, quarter-page and business card sized ads as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Badges and lanyards: In the last seven years that I have
been actively involved in conventions I have seen many different approaches as
to how badges are handled. Disposable sleeves with a pin backing seem to be
pretty common, but I am also seeing more conventions using vinyl pocket sleeves
with a lanyard that can be collected and reused just by replacing the printed
badge. For Wrath of Con we used laminated numbered badges donated by a local
printshop where the attendees would write their name on the faceplate with a
Sharpie. Conventions can pool their resources and do a group purchase of badge
supplies to take advantage of volume discounts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Con suite: A con suite can be a huge expense or a minimal
line item. It could be as elaborate as MarsCon’s with a menu of bulk food
prepared and refrigerated (i.e chili, pasta, soups) or as simple as RavenCon’s
(pre-packaged single serving foods, sandwiches, pop-tarts, cookies, crackers,
chips and whole fruits). Some conventions may simply set up a pot-luck style
affair where the staffers or even attendees bring in food items. You will have
to strike a balance between cost, ease of preparation, cleanup, leftovers and
even the potential liabilities around preparing food for public consumption.
Having the con suite director and staff responsible for scouting out pricing
ahead of time and staying within budget is important. Sometimes the warehouse
stores are the best sources, sometimes not. Bulk purchasing is usually the best
way to stretch your dollars. If your con suite has sodas, the convention must
choose between the low cost (and waste) of two liter bottles versus the higher
cost , but less waste and less cleanup of canned drinks. Everything I have
stated above about a con suite is equally applicable to a Green Room as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A con suite can also be a thorny subject in your
negotiations with the hotel as it deprives the hotel’s food and beverage outlet
of the opportunity to earn additional revenue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Vehicular cost: All your prep supplies have to be
transported to the convention site, and you must be able to make supply runs
throughout the weekend. If any staff members have access to trucks or vans for
transporting supplies, then this cost is minimal. If not then a vehicle needs
to be rented, which for a U-haul pickup or van starts at $20 a day plus
mileage, fuel and insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Art room: If you have an art room/show, then you need to
have racks for display. This is where being on friendly terms with neighboring
conventions will work out to your mutual advantage. The great folks at Anime
Mid-Atlantic have been gracious enough to provide us with their wire racks plus
run our anime room in exchange for a fan table and a dozen weekend passes.
Otherwise, you will have to beg, borrow, steal, build or buy your own display
racks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sound system: Events in large rooms will need an adequate
sound system – especially band performances, masquerade competitions and
charity auctions. Hotels will provide sound equipment at an additional cost
(outside of the facility rental), otherwise equipment must be procured from an
outside source. Talk to a local deejay service or ask another convention if
they have a sound system they are willing to loan out for the week in exchange
for some free passes. MarsCon has been gracious enough to provide Ravencon
access to their sound system for the last several years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Storage: One last expense to consider is year round storage.
I can see a few folks scratching their heads at this one---- A convention will
have leftover supplies and equipment that must be stored safely and securely
until the following year’s convention. Donated shed space at a staffer’s house
can help save money, but at some point people get tired of tripping over
convention gear to get to their fishing poles and lawn equipment. If any of the
con staff has a paid storage space that is underutilized, con supplies could be
stored there and possibly help the staffer defray the cost of their storage
space. If there are multiple cons in the local area, storage spaces could be
shared along with supplies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope my disjointed ramblings have given any potential
con-runners some food for thought on how to help make your event profitable, or
at least minimize any red ink associated with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-John Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About the author: John Jones has been a staff member with
Ravencon (</span><a href="http://www.ravencon.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.ravencon.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">) since 2007,
and has been the vice-chair since 2009. He was also Volunteer and Operations
Director for Wrath of Con in Panama City , Florida in 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-64105582478429474232013-02-07T15:02:00.001-05:002013-02-07T15:02:04.907-05:00Convention Accounting 101 - Budgeting<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">When it comes to accounting, running a convention is pretty much like any other business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, there are some things that are unique to cons, but pretty much all business comes down to income vs. expenses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Seems pretty straight forward, huh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, frankly, it really is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important thing to remember is that your books (accounting, not your SF library) have to end up with more money coming in than going out... kind of like your check register.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who don’t know what a check register is, ask someone who is over 30 years of age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have them explain having to manually keep track of your income, and checks written, in a check register.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">To help you manage your books, I suggest either getting a program like Quick Books, or utilizing a spreadsheet program like Excel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you go the route of spreadsheet, make sure to track your income and expenses separately, but also have a summation page that compares the two. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">To begin your convention, you will need to start with a budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, you need to record everything you expect to spend money on, as well as everything you think will generate your con income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Expenses<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">For expenses, you literally to need to add in projections for everything from pens to airlines tickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it costs money, you need to have a “line item” in your budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may be able to circumvent certain expenses (I know people who used to make copies of fliers at work, for example), but until you are absolutely certain that something will not cost any money, it needs to be in your budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some sample items might include: paper, pens, laminate for badges, hotel rooms, PO boxes, airline tickets, hotel convention space, consuite food, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have never created a con budget, you might want to enlist some experienced help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barring that, you might try to see if a successful convention will let you have a peek at a previous year’s budget to get you started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">No matter how you create your budget, my primary advice on expenses is that you need to be liberal in your projections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cons often fail because of unforeseen expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have some “padding” in your expense budget, you might find that useful later on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Income<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Income is not nearly as complex as expenses, and thus many people consider it the easier part of the budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, the hardest thing to do is to try to come up with a solid projection of income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some areas to make sure you include are registrations, dealer tables, and sponsorships. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">When it comes to budgeting your income, be very conservative. If you expect to have 500 people at your con, consider that you may well give away 200 memberships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds high, doesn’t it. You have to consider a number of factors in this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do dealers get any memberships included with their tables?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many total volunteers do you realistically need to staff your con?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you considering GM’s as part of your staff?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many guest and companion badges will you be giving away?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s been my experience that “comps” can add up quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, you need to try to keep the number to a minimum, but understand that the minimum might be higher than you expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the remaining 300 memberships, many of those will be at your lowest offered registration rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly, you will have folks pay “at the door” rates, but I typically only budget that number to be a small percentage of my overall memberships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The next major area of income is the dealer room, assuming you plan to sell dealer spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure your dealer room manager has a realistic idea of how many spaces will be available to be sold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best way to do this is to lay out the space early on and keep the layout moving forward. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, keep in mind you might have to give away up to 10% of your spaces to guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will seriously cut into your income.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Now we come to sponsorships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sponsorships are easy to budget for. Until you get one, simply enter $0.00 into the budget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Final Steps<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Once everything is in your budget, check out your summary page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are the expenses higher than your income?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, you have some work to do, either by cutting expenses or finding more income (or, most likely, some of both).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">After “tweaking” your budget, if the expenses are still higher, my best advice is to stop there and review your business model.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most likely you will need to cancel, or at least postpone your convention… because you are truly headed for financial disaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Assuming you do finally get the income to come in higher than your expenses, there is still one step you need to take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strongly suggest that you let someone with some convention experience review your budget. Be patient with this part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not uncommon for things to unravel at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s okay, it just means you have more work to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Once the budget is finalized, you can move on to actually running your con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind, however, your budget is going to be somewhat fluid as you move forward towards your con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, you will need to replace your projections with real numbers as you go along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be prepared to make adjustments to keep the income higher than our expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do that, you will mostly likely be okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-72995693431443672172012-11-15T17:07:00.002-05:002012-11-15T17:07:54.621-05:00Inclusion<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I have recently been made aware of a Facebook post [a certain guest] had made regarding women who show up at cons dressed in provocative, but genre appropriate, costuming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue seems to be that [guest] believes these women are not really fans, but merely desperate women looking to increase their self-esteem by attracting the attention of “drooling fan boys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I’m not writing this post to complain, or single out anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I’d like to call on all conventions to establish inclusion policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize that some folks take offense to “non-fans” attending cons, but I have to ask… why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the early 80’s, I was only dipping my proverbial toes in the water of fandom when I attended my first con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the fans back then had treated me like an outsider, I probably would not be sitting here writing this blog today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">As fans we should welcome everyone who attends and try to be inclusive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That “non-fan” must have SOME interest in the genre, or she/he would not have created the costume in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit I have no hard evidence on this next point, but I have a hunch that if we collectively befriend this “non-fan,” instead of berating them, there is a significantly greater chance that person will become a life-long fan (assuming he/she isn’t already).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And really, what’s the harm in trying?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">So, what can cons do to help?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, how about each con writes <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>up an inclusion policy? It doesn’t have to be a long policy, just state that the con openly promotes inclusion and/or openly discourages exclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of us in fandom have experienced exclusion at some point in our lives, and we know it doesn’t feel very good to be excluded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Now, if you’re not a con organizer, you can still help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practice your own inclusion policy by walking up to the person and saying “Hi.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please note, though, this is not an excuse to become a “drooling fan boy.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, this is not a suggestion for you to try to pick-up said “non-fan girl.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My guess is if you try to make her your friend, she’ll let you know if she’s interested in a date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if she doesn’t, well, you’re no worse off than you were before you said “hello.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">So, in conclusion, as fans, I say let’s all try to make sure inclusion is a very real thing at conventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And con organizers; let’s try to ensure that folks know it’s not okay to exclude people, just because someone doesn’t think they’re a “real fan.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-21042688984886416592012-10-27T16:40:00.000-04:002012-10-27T17:39:49.618-04:00Auctions - Guest blog<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Everette Beach has </span><span style="line-height: 14px;">graciously consented to </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">write a guest blog on Auctions for me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">As a quick introduction, let me begin by saying, I realize that it's possible you don't know Everette. You should, but it's possible you don't. Everette was, quite literally, the only person I wanted to have write this post. For those who don't know him, Everette has managed auctions for cons as small as StellarCon and RavenCon to cons as large as, well, DragonCon. As a matter of fact, he recently completed his first stint as Director of Charity Events for DragonCon, where he managed a number of events that tallied around $45,000 in money raised for their charities. So, yeah, I guess you could say he knows what he's doing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Thanks Everette! I truly appreciate you taking the time to write this!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">My name is Everette Beach, and I am probably best known
as “the guy who does the charity auctions” at cons. 20 years since my first auction, but I’m not
a professional auctioneer, nor do I recommend you have one do your
auction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Many things contribute to holding a successful auction,
but they can be summed up in 3 words: planning, planning, planning. I won’t go into much detail here, but will hit
the highlights of the major areas that need to be planned for such as: what charity will the auction be supporting,
where to get donations, room size and layout, when to hold the auction, how
long the auction will take, how many staff members will be needed, how to track
the bids, what payment methods will be accepted, etc… Let’s my thoughts on these:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">First decide why you are having a charity auction. If the answer is “other cons have one”, then
you may not even need to have one, lots of conventions don’t. If you do decide to have one, you need to
pick the charity your auction will be in support of. I recommend asking your staff for
recommendations of local charities or local chapters of national organizations.
Picking a charity that means something to your staff helps keep people more
involved. Picking a local charity makes it much easier to ask for donations
from local companies. And local
companies will donate items for a charity auction if you ask them. Hotels,
restaurants, even Walmarts have donated to auctions I have run in the
past. But, because of the nature of our
audience, the items that will do best, will be “genre” items; sci-fi or fantasy
related items, and especially one of a kind and signed items. Your staff and your guests can be great
sources of donations from the contacts they have, and be sure and ask your
dealers for donations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The number of items you expect to sell, and the number of
people you expect to attend will be one of the main factors used to determine the
room size you need and how long the auction will take. When setting up the
room, you want to allow space on the stage area to display the items for
sale. The person or people who are
tracking the bids and taking payments will need a table set up near the
stage. Also allow space for the items
that have been sold to be stored securely until they are paid for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">One of the most common mistakes I see is not allowing
enough time before the auction to set up the room, and after the auction for
checking out the buyers. It takes time to setup the tables, unbox the stored
items, get the areas set up for managing the bids and payments, etc. I recommend you also allow a few minutes for
the audience get a close look at the items before starting the auction. Most people want to wait until all the items
have been sold before they pay for and pick up their items, so you need to
allow enough time for this. The amount
of time will depend on the size of the auction and number of people attending.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">When you schedule the auction will probably depend on the
availability of space and what other events are scheduled more than anything
else. I have seen auctions held anywhere from Friday night to Sunday morning,
it really depends on the convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">How many people do you need to run the auction? I have run auctions with as few as 3 people
(but I don’t recommend it!) Here’s the
general way that I like to staff an auction.
First you need an auctioneer. Like I said before, this doesn’t need to
be a professional auctioneer. Personally, I recommend it NOT be a professional
auctioneer. I have seen an auction where
most of the audience left because they could not understand what the auctioneer
was saying. I think someone who has good
stage presence, has knowledge of sci-fi and fantasy items (because frankly,
that’s what the crowd is at the con for), and can keep the audience entertained
will do the best job for you. On that
note, I also want to say that you can go too far in the other direction. Make sure that the auctioneer understands
that this is an auction, not a variety show, and that the main focus is to sell
the items as the best price you can. For
these reasons I don’t usually like to use celebrities on stage. Most of them,
with a few exceptions, want to entertain the audience more than sell the items,
and that cuts into your time dramatically.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Other than the auctioneer, you will need a floor manager,
who will keep track of the items that have been sold, until they are paid
for. You will need “runners”, who will
carry the current item being sold out into the audience to be seen closer by
the bidders. The clerk will be the person who tracks the final bid and bidder
for each item. The cashier is who will collect
money and prints receipts for the buyers.
I recommend that even at a small auction, you have a minimum of 5 people
assigned to the auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Decide on the methods of payment. The only thing I have
to say about this is that you WILL raise more money at the auction if you take
credit cards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Last item: how to track the bids. This varies greatly. I have seen auctions
where bids were recorded on index cards, in spreadsheets, in purchased auction
software, and in custom written programs.
They can all work so long as you plan it out beforehand and make sure
that what you choose fits the size of the auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I’ve run a little longer than I meant to, but wanted to
make sure to hit all the main points I thought should be made. If you are planning to run an auction and
would like to talk in deeper detail about your auction planning, I’d be glad
to. Just contact James and he will give
you my contact info. Good luck and I
hope you make lots of money for whatever charity you choose to support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">-Everette Beach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-74865430751521152462012-10-26T14:55:00.001-04:002012-11-13T16:20:16.249-05:00Accommodating Your Guests… The Late Request<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to cons I’ve been involved with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have your guest list mostly developed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve got folks from various genres scheduled to attend the con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of your budget is allocated... then it happens… one of your guests writes with a “special request.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Never mind that your guest policy is clearly spelled out on your website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forget the fact that you have exchanged a number of emails, and even had the guest sign a contract that specially defines what the each party’s responsibilities are for the con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guest has blind-sided you with something that had not previously been discussed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Many times, these requests are things like the guest needs 4 passes for some friends that are in area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The friends aren’t fans, so the guest didn’t expect them to attend, and as such didn’t ask for comps before now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another example would be, (this one really happened) the guest just noticed the hotel is pet friendly and has severe pet allergies. Can you put them up in the hotel down the street?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">So, what do you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Many con-runners first inclination is to either to say “no” without any real thought process other than, “It’s against our policy,” or to immediately say “yes” for fear of losing the guest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">My suggestion is that the best course of action is somewhere in the middle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">So, how do you get to the middle ground?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">First, try to avoid “group think” on the ConCom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is usually where hasty decisions originate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Second, slow down your process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t stress this part enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slow down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breathe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The next thing you should do is to contact the guest for more information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A phone call works best for this (avoid using email if at all possible).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to find out where this request is coming from and exactly what it means to the guest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, how does it affect them being a guest?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Once you are armed with as much information as possible, tell the guest you will see what you can do about accommodating them and let them know you will get back with them after you’ve had some time to discuss it with the committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Again, don’t get in a rush to answer this request.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">There are several things you should consider, including:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Does this request destroy your budget completely?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What are the long-term PR ramifications of a negative response? (Keep in mind, guests use social media too.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">How reasonable is the guest’s request?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">If the guest doesn’t attend, will it affect your paid attendance?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Do you ever want to have the guest back at the convention in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Is there an alternative solution that will work just as well for the guest?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">There are other things to consider of course, but the main point here is to try to look at the request from the guest’s perspective and balance that with the need to maintain the con’s long-term health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Once you’ve made your decision, contact the guest to let them what you’ve decided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, this is best done by phone, but I’d also follow it up with an email, just so it’s in writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">If the answer is not positive for the guest, try to be as sympathetic as you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let them know you have looked at it from every angle you could come up with, but you just can’t work it out in your budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may not prevent the guest from trashing your con all over the internet, but it will certainly lessen the chance that they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the convention has made an honest attempt to help out the guest, that’s really all you can do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Okay, that’s it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual, feel free to comment/ask questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Oh, and keep an eye out for a future guest blog. Everette Beach informed me that he is close to finishing a post on Auctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-16563491895562848532012-09-26T15:38:00.002-04:002012-09-26T15:40:13.651-04:00The Care and Feeding of Special Events<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">What are special events?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, most traditional cons consider things like concerts, auctions, dances, and even the costume contest (or masquerade) to fall into the category of “special events.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted, special may be a bit of an overstatement, but these events are different than, say, panel discussions, which comprise the vast majority of many conventions’ programming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The problem I have seen at a lot of cons recently is that their Programming Heads (Directors, Coordinators, etc.) are very skilled at scheduling panels, but not so skilled at scheduling special events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have ever run an event at a con, chances are you found yourself to be short on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s because Programming Heads frequently fail to allow for an adequate amount of set up and tear down time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, I guarantee the Programming Head didn’t do that to you on purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They simply didn’t know to ask you how much time you needed before and after your event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So, in an effort to help out the area cons, I’ve decided to present some known logistical issues for each type of special event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this information in mind, Programming Heads can approach scheduling with some questions in mind that may allow for a smoother running convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I am going to provide some recommended times to handle some the logistics, but don’t take my word as “gospel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contact the person who will be running the event and get their input as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Dance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Dances typically need time to have the room reset (move chairs), as well as set up any lights and sound that will be used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s best to give the DJ no less than 30 minutes to prep the room before the dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the dance, the room will have to be set back to the way it was, which will require another 30 minutes (at least).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Costume Contest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The time needed for the costume contest can vary greatly with your facility and the number of entrants you have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will have to consider how long to allocate for each entrant (30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes?) and multiple that by the maximum number you expect and then add time for the MC to talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This last part is almost always longer than you think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">If the entrants have to move through the audience, you will want to make sure to remove some chairs to give them adequate walking space, which will add to the set up time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">You have to provide time for the judges to deliberate, and then the MC has to present the awards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will be followed by folks wanting to take pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once pictures are done, you will need to reset the room after the event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">My best recommendation is to find someone who has run a costume contest before and work with them very closely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Auctions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve seen well established cons mess this first part up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a rule of thumb, you need to allow no less than 30 minutes on either side of the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need time to set up and to tear down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You also need time to collect everyone’s money after the auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As for the run time on the auction itself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it depends on how much stuff you have to sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not make this judgment based on what you have collected before the con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good Auction Coordinator can double the amount of merchandise available for sale by hitting up the dealers prior to the auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">If you have a verbose auctioneer, you need to allow time for that person to talk as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">For a typical regional con that has less than 1000 people, I suggestion allowing 90 minutes for the actual auction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re keeping score at home, this means you need allocate the room to the auction for 2.5 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Concerts<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the most difficult event to try to schedule because there is no good way to anticipate how much equipment the band will bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I highly recommend you talk to the band and find out how long they plan to play, and then ask if they have a technical director.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they do, ask that person how long they need for load in and load out (use those words, trust me on this).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Tech Director usually has a pretty solid idea how long this will take. Also, while you a talking to them, you need to find out what their technical requirements are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They might be expecting you to provide some equipment, which may, or may not, need to be set up prior to the load in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Additional Notes<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t rush your time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If something runs late, you can’t plan to cut your costume contest by 30 minutes to try to get back on schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure that you continue to allow the time you have scheduled for your special events, even if that means everything starts a little later than planned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If you are doing an event for the first time, add extra time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you do the event more often, your times will become more accurate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lastly, make sure you have enough operations staff scheduled to help around these events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moving 100 chairs takes 1-2 people much longer than it takes 4-5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This also allows you to dedicate staff to watching the doors if you need to keep attendees out of the room for a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">* * *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Okay, so that’s it for this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope it helps. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And speaking of help, I hope to have a guest blog up soon on running Auctions (Hint to Everette!!!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><em>Special thanks to Tera Fulbright for her highly experienced help with the post<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-17130112000747953662012-08-10T11:42:00.003-04:002012-08-10T11:42:38.785-04:00Harassment at Conventions – ConComs Need to Work to Stop It<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Wow, fandom has had a quite a bit to talk about recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the harassment situation at ReaderCon and some key members of ConCarolinas dropping off of the ConCom suddenly, it hasn’t exactly been a quiet summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m going to cover the issue of ConCom dynamics in a later post, but I want to cover the harassment thing in this post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Let me start by saying that I don’t know anyone involved in the situation at ReaderCon, so I’m not going to speak too much on what happened there, specifically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do want to discuss harassment in general though, as it needs to be addressed at more conventions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">No person, male, female or otherwise (it’s a big universe, anything is possible) should ever be made to feel uncomfortable by their fellow convention attendees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would encourage all conventions to adopt an anti-harassment policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important reason is that it’s the right thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if that’s not a good enough reason for you, consider that it’s also good PR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With what happened at ReaderCon still fresh in people minds (it was all over the internet), cons really need to step up their awareness and concentrate on the prevention and education of this topic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Where to start? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, there’s Nerdiquette 101 (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/Nerdiquette101" target="_blank">check out the FB page</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nerdiquette 101 provides a handout you can either print or place in your con’s program book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also conduct panel discussions on dealing with harassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I have been a participant on more than one panel, so if this sounds like an advertisement, it kind of is, but not really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I didn’t come up this idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the brain child of Laura Haywood-Cory, Allegra Torres, and Cheralyn Lambeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They deserve the majority of the credit for this project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are really not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sure where to start, I would suggest inviting members of that group to speak on the topic at your next con.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As for an anti-harassment policy, I’ve recently had discussions with some business savvy individuals who recommend that you avoid getting too specific with the policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the things that I took away from all of the discussions on the ReaderCon situation was their zero tolerance, “you are banned for life if you break this rule,” policy was broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree that cons need to be decisive and firm on their anti-harassment policy, but they also have to allow for the fact that some folks are just too socially clueless for words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those folks need to be pulled aside, educated and warned not to do it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they repeat their behavior, well, okay, ban them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, some occurrences are simply unforgivable, and those folks deserve to get bounced from the con without a warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess my point is that each case is somewhat different, and your policy should allow you to treat each case differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just be sure that you treat similar cases equally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody should get a pass just because they are a guest or because of their status in fandom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be fair, but firm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">For more information on harassment at cons, just do a quick Google search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are blogs and articles all over the place that can you can pull information from, I assure you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a hot topic right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Okay, that’s it for this post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take care of each other, and have a great next con!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-48354270691234864332012-07-02T18:36:00.000-04:002012-07-02T18:36:01.102-04:00ConTemporal<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura Haywood-Cory has posted a review of ConTemporal. Since I was only there for about 6 hours, I'll point you to her review for an inside look this first year con.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://laurahcory1.livejournal.com/85509.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://laurahcory1.livejournal.com/85509.html</span></a><br />
<br />Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-62421608143959077912012-06-12T19:20:00.004-04:002012-06-12T19:20:53.318-04:00Post Con<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">You’ve just spent a
whole year putting together a convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re tired, relieved, and ready for a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s just about when folks start telling you
everything that was great about your convention, and… what needs more work.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Let’s face it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the hardest things in the world for
convention organizers to hear is criticism about their con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There seems to be an almost universal
reaction to hearing your con isn’t perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Specifically, we con runners immediately jump to the defense of our
event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our initial reaction is to
explain why things were the way they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We want folks to understand that we really did think it through ahead of
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact is however, the person
asking you to fix something doesn’t really care why it’s broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want you to take what they say and try
to find a way to make it work better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not that they hated the convention (okay, well, it’s possible they
did), it’s just that they didn’t like that one little aspect of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind, that person cared enough about
your event to offer a suggestion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As you are probably
already aware, a lot of your attendees will want a say in the next convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s probably best if you go ahead and ask for
their input online and/or at a “Con in Review” panel during the
convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By providing a venue for
them to give their views, you can get a lot of those concerns dealt with early,
instead of having to deal with fielding comments for several months after the
con.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now that you have been a
dutiful con organizer, you will need to address all of the feedback you have
received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s my recommendation for
how best to handle critiques?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Write them down, make a note of any
recommendations you receive, and let everyone know you will address their
concerns with the committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Then I want to you to
promptly set it aside for at least a week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The one week portion of
this process is important, because that’s about the minimum amount of time that
the entire ConCom should get away from each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a week or so, reconvene the committee
and hold a “post mortem,” so that the staff can review the convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is best done using classic brainstorming
methods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If you are not familiar
with how brainstorming works, here’s the one I like to use:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">[You will need paper and
pens (try to make these identical) and some way to display the suggestions
where everyone can read them -- chalkboard, dry-erase board, flip chart, LCD
projector… something.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Begin
by stressing to everyone that there are no right and no wrong suggestions; and
that all issues submitted are to be considered as areas that need attention,
even if the majority of committee doesn’t believe there is a problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ask
everyone to submit the problems that they saw in writing, and add in the ones
you have collected from any outside comments. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Randomly
pick an issue to be read aloud, and then ask folks to write down a suggestion
for alleviating the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
solutions are collected and written up on the board (or whatever you are using)
so everyone can see them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A
vote is taken and the top 2-3 suggestions are left on the board (erase the
rest) and then, and only then, are they discussed. At this point, it’s best to
remind everyone of the ground rules (there are no bad ideas).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once
everyone is finished discussing the solutions, a final vote is taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Write down the solution for the next year’s
convention, and move one to the next issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Using this method helps
to take some of the emotion out of dealing with the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also might allow for some problems to be
brought forward where the person might otherwise be too intimidated to bring it
up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The final step in the
process is for someone to hit the website, email lists, and various social
media sites and let the world know what issues were discussed and what you
decided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now, take another week
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or three.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-23062966355475410182012-05-25T19:09:00.000-04:002012-11-09T12:21:02.872-05:00RavenCon 2012<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I need to start by apologizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been really <s>lazy</s> motivationally challenged lately when it comes to writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the problem has been available time, and part has been that I wasn’t really “in the mood’ to write.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess it’s a good thing I don’t write for a living, huh?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so I promised Mike Pederson I would be placing a review of RavenCon on my blog, so here ‘tis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravencon.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RavenCon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was held on April 13-15, 2012 at the </span><a href="http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/richmond/ricko/hoteldetail?"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holiday Inn Koger Center </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in Richmond, VA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Good<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are always a lot of good things which come out of RavenCon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The convention is well organized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know their limitations and their strengths, and they tend to capitalize on their strengths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m going to hit on just a few of the positives in this blog:</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Guest scheduling was nicely inventive at this con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was initially apprehensive of their idea, but it seemed to have worked well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brandon Blackmoor sent out an email approximately one week out from the convention providing me with a link to a Google Spreadsheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The panel schedule was listed there, with spaces for up to 6 panelists open under each panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guests were allowed to sign up for the panels they wanted to participate on, and note if they wished to moderate the panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant that each guest was responsible for allowing time for things like meals and sleep. If he didn’t eat, it was his own fault.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The program book was well designed and attractive, but I’ve come to expect that from Mike Pederson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything less than great would be a disappointment at this con.</span></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dealer room had a nice variety of dealers and was spacious enough to allow for people to get past those who were patronizing the various tables.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The names badges were large enough to read at a reasonable distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you know this is a pet peeve of mine.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They added the schedule to </span><a href="http://livecon.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LiveCon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, for mobile devices.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poss</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ible Areas of Improvement (The Bad)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For all of the great things about RavenCon, there were just a few areas that could use a little, tiny, bit of work.</span></span></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Signing up for panels ahead of time was great, but defaulting to 6 panlists was overkill in at least one of the rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I heard other guests comment on that during the con, and have faith that if the room is only about 600 square feet in size, RavenCon will reduce the number of panelist slots next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Auction started late and was rushed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, I was told, was caused by last minute additions to the costume contest, which happened just prior to the auction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My rule of thumb on this is to never, ever, allow people to enter the costume contest at the last minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend announcing a deadline for folks to enter, and then sticking to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I have now had my first, “will someone please shut that guy up,” experience on a panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t really RavenCon’s fault, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the moderator’s fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, I wanted to mention it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Speaking of moderators, the Program Director assigned moderators for the panels where no one had signed up to fill that role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a tad bit surprised to find out I was moderating two panels, since I didn’t volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a better policy would be for the convention to drop a quick email to the guest and ask if they are willing to moderate. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>LiveCon cons looks really slick on the iPhone, but aweful on Andriod. The developer needs to get the app updated for Andriod, which is the OS on nearly 50% of the mobile devices.</o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></ul>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overall, RavenCon is one of my favorite cons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, I would have to give them 4.5 out of 5 stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some areas that need to be improved on, but those do not detract from the overall con experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never been to RavenCon, give it try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s well worth the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-75323320133477513842012-04-11T21:30:00.001-04:002012-04-12T10:33:43.006-04:00Nerdiquette 101<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura Haywood-Cory has convinced me to help with her with an education project she has titled Nerdiquette 101.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The concept behind the project is to help some of our fellow con attendees to better understand what is and is not acceptable behavior at conventions (any time really).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s truly a disgrace that we have to even contemplate starting a project like this in 2012, but it seems some members of fandom are still lacking in social skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Note: The project also has an additional side bonus of promoting positive hygiene practices as well.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The background for Nerdiquette 101 stems from a series of bad experiences that a number of female SF fans have suffered through over the last several years (and some guys too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally what happens is that some socially inept individual makes a horrible remark, or performs some inexcusable action, which leaves the woman feeling very uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of these experiences falls into the “dude, that’s just not acceptable” category, yet, sadly, many of the offenders have no idea that their behavior needs improvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our goal is as follows:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To educate the fans who are lacking in social skills</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To encourage women to report improper behavior to the con staff or hotel staff</span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To educate the various ConComs that they need to take any reported offense seriously</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To provide conventions written materials that can be included in program books or on “freebie” tables</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will be hosting our first ever panel for this project at </span><a href="http://www.ravencon.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RavenCon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> this weekend (Friday, 5pm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please stop by if you are at the con. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you not going to RavenCon, Laura has recently created a </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Nerdiquette101"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nerdiquette 101 page on Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She already has a one page info handout posted there for ConComs who wish to start taking action now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will post more on this project as it develops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-66562704871088898572012-04-01T20:18:00.000-04:002016-03-10T14:33:08.122-05:00How to Know When It's Time to Quit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today, guest blogger Tera Fulbright will address getting out
of running conventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This topic is
one that is “near and dear” to my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you organize conventions, I encourage you to get out of the business before
you lose your friends and sanity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks Tera!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* * *</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently read a great post by David B Coe on “</span><a href="http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/the-writing-life-when-do-you-give-up/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Writing
life: when do you give up?</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote
one of the best answers I have ever read: <span style="color: black;">“No, the
time to quit is when you don’t feel anything anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think this applies to every
activity/commitment/adventure you do in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it is particularly true in conrunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to my resume, I ran or helped run
cons from 1996 to 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s 13
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thirteen years where I ran cons,
ran programming, talked to guests or arranged special events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, there are people out there
that have been running cons 20+, 30+ or more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I think that one characteristic that those who still organize conventions
share is a passion for the job.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you run a convention, you
live and breathe that con for at least 13-14 months of your life, if not
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the setup, the actual con,
and the post-con, you are constantly dealing with several of aspects of the business
of the convention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made the decision to stop being
involved when I no longer cared about the success or failure of the convention.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t care if the attendees or the
guests had fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew then it was time
to get out, so I quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, I’ve
helped… I’ve answered questions… but I haven’t “run” them.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think it is important to have a
passion for this type of volunteer work.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You have to want it; for most of us, we don’t get paid to run cons.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is a time commitment we give as
volunteers.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And as con organizers, one
of things we must be aware of is how much time and energy it takes to run a
con.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It can take a lot out of you,
particularly if you, which I suspect most of you reading this are, also work a
full-time job/have families/etc.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes,
we have to realize that we can’t do it all and give up something.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, that’s con running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When running cons takes the place of your
family, your friends, your job or any other aspect of your life, then it is
time to take a close look at why you are doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you no longer care if the attendee can
find the panel room they are looking for, or if the guest has eaten that
day;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when you no longer care if the art
show artwork gets sent back to the artists or if the dealers had a good weekend,
it’s time to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Realizing that you no longer have
a passion for something can be a painful experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then, you can do what the rest of us do…
offer advice to the new folks who have the passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe, just maybe, they can run a little
longer than you did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please note the switch back and
forth between ‘you’ and ‘we’ … once a con runner, always a con runner?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-4804797216958420672012-03-16T20:37:00.002-04:002012-03-16T20:45:53.883-04:00Know Your Guests, and Know Them Well<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided it was time for a “soapbox” type post, so today’s
blog topic will be, “Know Your Guests, and Know Them Well!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, stop! I didn’t mean it like that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Seriously, though, I keep seeing one problem repeat itself,
over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ConCom members do
not appear to be researching their guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only explanation I can attribute to this situation is the growing
trend of conventions to invite large quantities of guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly, with the size of some the guest
lists I’ve seen recently, I suspect that the staff does not have time to
properly review each guest’s qualifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it’s not even a matter of whether or not the individual should be a
guest in the first place (that’s a different topic), but rather what the guests
sometimes get scheduled to do during the convention.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s an example… Not so long ago, a friend of mine who has
X professional job, was invited to be a guest at a convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she received her schedule, it showed
that she was to sit in on Y panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Y
panel topic was something my friend literally knew nothing about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only conclusion we could come up with was
that the programming director had not done any research into what types of
discussions would be best for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
make matters worse, the guest, who, as I’ve mentioned, has X professional job
(listed plainly in her bio), was not asked to sit on any panels that dealt her
job, even though that job was why she was invited to be a guest in the first
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The truly bad thing is that this situation isn’t limited to
just one of the people I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
easily be referring to either of two different guests at that convention.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what can be done to combat this trend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start by having the ConCom, all of them,
read the guests’ bios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly, there
are a lot of benefits in having the ConCom know exactly who the guests are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does it show respect for the guests,
it allows the staff to speak intelligently about the guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re the dealer room coordinator, for
example, you just might find a potential dealer asking questions about a
specific guest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not having to say, “Um,
I’m not certain, but you can look up that information our website,” makes it
look like the ConCom knows what they’re doing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
The next thing I recommend is limiting the guest list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the guest list is too big, you are never
going to get anyone to read all of the bios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Besides that, there are other benefits to limiting the guest list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will offer one of my many mistakes as an example
of why this is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2001, I invited
over 50 guests to attend StellarCon’s 25th<span style="font-size: small;"> anniversary convention.
That turned out to be far, far too many guests for a convention of 600 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had some events where there were 7-8
panelists sitting on the same panel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many of the moderators had a hard time controlling the panel with that
many guests wanting to contribute. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I guess the next natural question is, “Where should you
cap your guest list?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personally, I
think no more than 5% of the expected attendance would be a good upper limit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind that by placing a cap on the guest
list you are trying to make the guest list manageable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
will also help you make sure that you have something for all of the guests to
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No guest wants to be invited to a
convention where they only sit on 1-2 panels during the weekend, nor do they
like sitting on a panel with only 4 people in the audience because the con had
to schedule too many panels in order to accommodate all of the guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And trust me on this last part, you
really do not want to have to put 8-9 guests on the same panel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Okay, I think that’s enough of a rant for one blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to put away my soapbox now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feel free to make comments below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-61088005258662108562012-03-09T12:12:00.004-05:002012-03-23T10:05:24.782-04:00Moderating Panels<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's an interesting post on moderating panels by Misty Massey.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="post-headline">
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.magicalwords.net/misty-massey/moderating-in-moderation/">Moderating in Moderation</a></span></h1>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you are a convention organizer or SF genre professional, I highly recommend reading this blog post.</span></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834532940600339602.post-75144086565571630242012-03-08T11:11:00.001-05:002013-02-26T10:09:12.627-05:00Review of StellarCon 36<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have, for the last week or so, been debating on whether I should write a review of </span><a href="http://www.stellarcon.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">StellarCon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the FGoH, I was uncertain if it would be appropriate for me to make comments on the convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After considering the situation for a few days, what I’ve decided to do is write the review, but do so from the perspective of a guest, not a convention organizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[I think it’s important for the reader to note that StellarCon is in an interesting position, due to the fact that it is owned by a student organization from UNCG.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means they have to deal with a few wrinkles that other cons don’t typically face.]</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">StellarCon 36 was held March 2-4, 2012 at the Best Western Plus, in High Point, NC.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Good</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a guest, I was greeted with an email from the Con Manager (Chair), shortly before the con, stating that my hotel room was registered under the convention, and I would need to contact him to get my key once I arrived at the con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially, I was very concerned about this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing the convention (intimately) from the ConCom side, I was concerned that it might be difficult to find the Con Manager when I arrived. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had visions of him being pulled in six different directions all day on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This turned out to not be a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked in with guest reg when I arrived and they contacted the Con Manager to bring me the key to my room in very short order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allowed me to bypass all of the hassles of dealing with the hotel front desk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My family’s badges were ready to go when we arrived, with all names spelled correctly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The convention provided me with a tent card that had my name on one side and my schedule on the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t a new thing for StellarCon, but it was helpful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the panels I sat on had strong attendance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell you how concerned I was that some of the panels would end up being my fellow panelists and me talking to empty chairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels really good to have an audience show up for your panel, believe me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The con suite seemed to have food during most meal times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Possible Areas of Improvement (The Bad)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The convention only provided bios for the GoH’s and Special Guests in the program book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was inconvenient, as most guests like to know who is sitting on their scheduled panels with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked the Con Manager about the reasoning for this, and was informed that many of the bios provided were really long and the ConCom did not have enough space in the program for all of the bios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My recommendation for the future is that they request 2 bios from each guest, a comprehensive one for the website, and a shorter one (2 paragraphs) for the program book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any guest that only provides one bio will have to understand that it will be subject to editing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have edited some of the guest bios in my day (heck, I‘ve had to write a few), and no one seemed really irritated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure the guests would prefer to have an edited bio, than no bio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The schedule provided to me ahead of the con did not have the readings/signings listed on the individual guests’ pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you didn’t look at the readings/signings on the schedule grid, you had no idea you were scheduled for those, at least I didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was not contacted about being a moderator before I received my schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some guests (not me, thankfully) are apprehensive about being a moderator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something that should be asked ahead of the schedule being released.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">StellarCon hit my pet peeve... The names on the badges were too small to read without violating people’s personal space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really disappointed me, as I have mentioned this to the convention multiple times in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I’m begging all of the convention organizers out there, if you can’t easily make out the name on the badge at a distance of about six feet, the font is too small and you need to fix it.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, the last area is one that the con has to weigh very carefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel is starting to noticeably fall apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest concern I heard, and I heard it frequently, was that the air conditioning in people’s sleeping rooms did not work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went into a few of my friends' rooms and could really tell a difference between their room and mine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The challenge is that the hotel is just about the only site that falls into the con’s budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I had some good advice for this one, but frankly I don’t. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, that’s it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to rank StellarCon 36 as I did with SheVaCon, because as the FGoH, and a previous ConCom member, there is obviously some bias on my part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do want to say, however, that I did see some improvement in the convention over recent years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly hope they continue that trend.</span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17657274341817861060noreply@blogger.com1