[TheForge] ABANA conference details: tents, organization mode

[Dave Mudge]

Suggesting those tiny little tents comes from a good place in your
heart and I thank you for your creative thinking. There are several
other aspects to the tenting (and tenting is a small issue). ABANA
does not and can not afford to inventory (own) lots of 'stuff'. We
already have two containers jam-packed full of conference stuff like
forges, wires, display cases.etc. We have no place to store things
like tents for two years between conferences.
The tents that we use are more like 40' x 100'. We rent them because
the rental company will 'professionally' set them up, take them down,
repair the stake holes in the asphalt, and absorb the cost of any
damage or repair and releases ABANA from one more liability. I don't
think that the insurance company would let us set up our own even if
we had enough volunteer crew to do it.

On 2/19/07, Bruce Freeman <freemab222 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> And THAT tent/tarp is expensive in my book!  NJBA has
> one maybe a quarter that size that cost maybe a few
> hundred dollars, rather than thousands.  Takes a few
> men to set it up...
>
> Maybe the whole approach to giving large conferences
> is at fault.  Imagine a system in which the several
> affiliates each sponsored a demonstrator at some
> central regional conference.  Each affiliate would be
> responsible for tools, tent, bleachers, etc.  ABANA,
> or someone respresenting ABANA, could coordinate to
> provide resources common to all.

.......This idea has merit, keep working on it.
>
> Creative solutions to problems could be found because
> there'd be more brains working on the problem
> ("distributed control" rather than "centralized
> control").
>
> For example, why a single, centralized food service?
> Because we're running these on campuses, that's why.
> Get them off campus.  Allow local food businesses,
> caterers, hot dog trucks, lunch wagons, etc., to come
> in and set up, and take their lumps if their food is
> mediocre and nobody buys it.

..........There are several reasons for the centralized services in
the big conference.
People enjoy the camaraderie of eating together in a nice air conditioned cafe.
>From the producer's point of view, you want to keep your people
together and on-site. ABANA makes a little money on the food and rooms
as well.
>
> The major fault of ABANA and most other volunteer
> organizations is that they are run like businesses.
> Who the hell wants a second - unpaid! - job?  People
> want to be "paid" for their work, but the pay doesn't
> have to be money.  I like getting paid by having an
> opportunity to contribute, having my contributions
> appreciated by others, participatiing in camaraderie,
> etc.  But if the organization is such that volunteers
> don't get to do what they want to do, then they burn
> out  quickly.

..........I am glad that you recognise that we are a VOLUNTEER run
organization and that the board does not receive any monitory
compensation for their work. As far as running the organization like a
business, we have a $150k trust that pays for affiliate grants and the
conferences are running over $350k....... publications are around
$150k , and a $50k executive secretary, we had better try to run it
like a business and not waste the member's money.
dave m
>
> Bruce
> NJ
> --- Saint Phlip <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:
>
> > On 2/19/07, Dave Mudge <dave at magichammer.net> wrote:
> > > ......Just the tents at Richmond cost us $30k.
> >
> >
> >
> http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10052&catalogId2=10001&ftCatalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1&division=FarmTek&searchMethod=wcSearch&searchType=ANY&searchBeginIndex=0&searchDefaultPerPage=10&ftSearchBeginIndex=0&ftSearchDefaultPerPage=10&mfPartNumber=104513
> >
> > Or goto www.farmtek.com
> >
> > Item number 104513
> >
> > --
> > Saint Phlip
> >
> > Heat it up
> > Hit it hard
> > Repent as necessary.
> >
> > Priorities:
> >
> > It's the smith who makes the tools, not the tools
> > which make the smith.
> > _______________________________________________
>