[TheForge] ABANA conference details: tents, organization mode

[Saint Phlip]

On 2/20/07, Bruce Freeman <freemab222 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Dave,

> Granted, the tents Phlip and I mentioned are a lot
> smaller than 40x100.  Maybe you really need tents that
> big.  (Though if they're just a sun shade, I don't
> know why several little tents wouldn't work just as
> well.)  But the storage issue wouldn't be an issue at
> all if the tents were owned, and regularly used, by
> the affiliates.  ROI would be better too.

Yep. I can see a program where ABANA ponies up some base cash for the
tents, and allows affiliates to use them, and buy them from them. That
way, you're giving a small affiliate a leg up on owning something
decent, and getting good use for your dollar as well.

> As to setting up, etc., I can't comment.  I've seen
> some such things set up and broken down.  If an
> insurance company thinks folks who can blacksmith
> can't learn to set up a tent properly, maybe we need a
> new insurance company that doesn't have its head up
> their @$$.

Really. I mean, if a bunch of blacksmiths can't figure out how to
pound a stake in and tie a rope to it, maybe they better take up
crocheting. Hel, most of us in SCA who merchant our wares MAKE tent
stakes. It was one of the first things I taught my apprentice, for a
good sized tent for a merchant at a RennFaire. Granted it wasn't a
huge pair- 5/8" stock, 3 ft long, but if I can make them, I sure as
Hel can pound them in (or get my apprentice to do it) in the right
spot.

And, who says we hafta set up on asphault in the first place?

> As for common food service - has anyone on the ABANA
> board actually asked attendees their preferences?
> Seems to me there's a tendency to assume we know
> what's best for everybody.  It can come as a real
> shock to some when they finally get around to asking
> for opinions.
>
> I've been to only one conference, but I don't remember
> that the food was anything but mediocre - college
> cafeteria fare.  Choice is always preferable.  Give
> people a common DINING area, perhaps, or preferably
> several, but what you think is good food I may not
> even be able to digest!

Yep. I wasn't impressed by the options for the tickets at Seattle, and
I don't recall seeing an air conditioner anywhere. What I did see was
a bunch of tables crammed in under a tent, with not a lot of people
using them most of the time.

Pennsic solution is to allow a variety of food merchants, each with
their own PA food service license to set up in a particular area. Some
have seating, some don't, but there are plenty of communal places to
sit.

You guys keep talking about the logistics of dealing with 500 -1000
people (which number, you note, is shrinking), but we, in the SCA,
deal with those numbers frequently- and Pennsic, which I'm telling you
about, deals with 13,000 people- mostly letting them sort themselves
out. And while Pennsic is our biggest event, we have several other
events that have attendees numbering 2000- 5000. We consider 500 or so
people a local event- and trust me, SCAdians aren't exactly wealthy.

> Meanwhile, by having a number of outside caterers,
> etc., providing the food, you don't have all your eggs
> in one basket.  Wasn't there some discussion about
> food poisoning in Seattle?

Yep. But, that can happen anywhere. OTOH, I've helped cook and serve a
variety of feasts for SCA events, in several Kingdoms (would be
equivalent to a regional group) and nary a case of food poisoning. We
even have special arrangements to deal with allergies- and we're
amateurs (although admittedly my cooking mentor is a professional
chef, who has worked at 3 and 4 star restaurants). But, I've run a
feast for 80 people all by myself, from choosing the menu to buying
the food to cooking and serving the food, all on time, under budget,
and with Medieval German recipes to boot. Once you start working on
that sort of scale, upping the numbers isn't really a problem. And,
keep in mind, I'm an AMATEUR. What could we het if we actually allowed
professionals to do their thing?

> You have different view of the phrase "run it like a
> business" than I do.  You were speaking of money
> handling.  I was speaking of keeping employees.  Most
> business get away being run the way the are only
> because they pay money.  Take away that factor and
> there is little incentive for the employee.
>
> Bruce
> NJ

Agreed, Bruce. We have no trouble getting and keeping volunteers in
SCA- in fact, we often hafta find something for all the volunteers to
do. Why? Because what we do is try to make everything as much fun as
we can for everybody.

I really think you guys need to look at SCA for a model. We were where
ABANA was at one point, and now we're doing nothing but expanding.
And, like ABANA, SCA is an all volunteer organization, formed around a
similar interest.

If you guys are aware that you need to change things for the better,
you need to look at actually CHANGING them.

-- 
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.