[Deptheads] So Cal ASL Demo

Fri Apr 4 10:13:16 PDT 2008

Just my two cents here - sounds like the work Nyquist has been doing is
getting some results. With the potential gains at 50 or so players, doesn't
that type of outreach make more fiscal sense? It's just like the M&M thing -
it's a good idea to talk to people, give them some space, and encourage
low-level special guests with just a badge and not much more. But spending a
more than that is chasing a pretty small crowd. The potential for getting
your return in badges and spending on Board Games in general or RPG is a lot
larger because you can draw from a larger crowd.

I think it will take more than a year to convince some groups to come back
and that keeping up with them is more important than throwing money at the
problem.

...ERB

On Fri, Apr 4, 2008 at 9:57 AM, Robert Lionheart <spinachcat at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Patrick, don't bullshit the bullshitter.
>
> Boardgaming exists because we throw money there.  Throw $1000 at RPGA and
> they will triple in size too.  Prize money brings attendees and keeps them
> coming back.  Offer $200 Halo tourneys and we will be swamped with Halo
> players.
>
> We just saved $5000 by throwing RPGs under the bus.   The loss of private
> rooms will diminish RPG attendance by anywhere from 25% - 60%, depending on
> the reaction of the GMs so we need to fill those numbers from somewhere
> else.   Just for comparison, when Conquest SF dropped private rooms, they
> lost 40% of RPG attendees and the difference in RPG between Conquest LA 1
> and 2 was an 80% drop.   Hopefully the D&D 4e push will minimize the loss
> for us.
>
> If we could entice 50+ ASL people to come by putting $500 into prizes for
> a Welcome Back tourney, that would be very good business.   I suggest these
> prizes be bought with our wholesale license instead of dealer dollars to
> maximize the amount of goodies.
>
> Strategicon has had new ownership for a year.   That was the soft sell
> time.  Any group that has not returned needs a hard sell.
>
> - Robert
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Patrick Havert <patrickhavert at sbcglobal.net>* wrote:
>
> Robert,
>
> Their peeve is the previous admin asked them to stop coming to the con, as
> they took space away from CCG players.
>
> We will NOT throw money at anyone.  The SoCal ASL club comes so they can
> recruit more people to play ASL.  They provide some prizes, and sell ASL in
> the dealers room.  It is a win-win for both of us, even if we do not run a
> giant ASL tourney like they do.  Hopefully they'll be willing to run their
> february con here at our february con, but hard selling them is a bad
> choice, and one we don't have to make.
>
> In Boardgames we have $1000 less then the previous admin to give prizes,
> so we need to use them judiciously.  This is a BUSINESS, and we need to take
> that into consideration, as otherwise this con will be gone.
>
> -Patrick
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Robert Lionheart <spinachcat at yahoo.com>
> *To:* deptheads at strategicon.net
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 03, 2008 11:18 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Deptheads] So Cal ASL Demo
>
> What is the ASL's main peeve?
>
> If we want to lure them back, how about giving their leadership Special
> Guest status and throwing several ASL tourneys with lots of prize support.
> If we really want them to show, then throw dollars at the problem.
>
> If dollars doesn't heal the rift, then its time to develop our own ASL
> team.   We can throw in a case of Ensure as a peace offering.
>
> - R
>
>
>
> *thatericn at aol.com* wrote:
>
> Hey all:
>
> Actually last year, a few other club members came by as well, purchasing
> badges.  What was nice with this year's negotiation was that it really
> wasn't a negotiation - I just reminded them of the event and re-extended the
> invite... Done.
>
> My suggestion would be to inquire about possibly getting them more
> involved in the future.  Orccons are probably out of the picture now, since
> they have a competing event in Feb., but maybe we can strengthen their
> interest, and get them to Gateway too.  If we can build trust, my hope would
> be that down the line we could get them with us at Orccons, possibly running
> a con-within-the-con, not unlike the Warhammer event.
>
> No matter what, it feels better to have some of they old rifts healing or
> vanishing.  Having a healthy ASL presence is likely to be a strong
> word-of-mouth topic with about 20% of our attendees; especially if it shows
> up in reviews and blogs.
>
> Eric N.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Heather Hughes <heather at gibsongirl.net>
> To: deptheads at strategicon.net
> Sent: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 7:01 pm
> Subject: Re: [Deptheads] So Cal ASL Demo
>
>  That's good, Devi contacted them a year ago, and told them about the new
> convention ownership.  They still were not very interested in coming.  We
> know they are a group of about 75 members, but I guess 3 is better than
> none, and maybe they will continue to come in greater numbers as time goes
> on.
>
> Heather
>
>
> On 4/1/08, thatericn at aol.com <thatericn at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hello all, but particularly Patrick and Eric A.:
> >
> > I got an enthusiastic response from the So Cal ASL Club.  Their
> > president, Jim Aikens, has confirmed their attendance, with the same number
> > of badges as last year (3).
> >
> > Patrick, if you'd like, I'll pass along your e-mail address to him, if
> > you want...
> >
> > Eric N.
> >  ------------------------------
> > Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides<http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000015>
> > .
> >
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