[Deptheads] Child Care at the Convention
Sarah Harrington
sarah.harrington at gmail.com
Mon Feb 11 13:32:05 PST 2008
Pasadena! RPG Ops approves this plan....... If only 'cause it's where I
live!
I will say that the area definitely doesn't seem geared towards 'family
friendly'. Mostly that's fine 'cause you're in the hotel, but I know /I/
would never have been allowed to attend a con in that kind of an area when I
was a teen, not without my folks, and they aren't gamers.
WOuld it be possible to charge a small fee for the child care--to help
offset the cost--and have some of our volunteers run games in there
throughout the day? We'd have to be clear that our volunteers were /not/
there for child care, but having games running throughout the day for kids
might me we could could have a 'child badge' or some such.
On 2/11/08, Eric Burgess <erburgess at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Just to add to this: I've had many board gamers say they would come out if
> the con were in a nicer area. OC has definitely been suggested but even
> Pasadena isn't bad (Gamex used to be based in the Pasadena Hilton for a
> while) or perhaps out a ways into the Inland Empire (near Ontario Airport).
> Not sure what would be best but I've definitely heard this feedback a fair
> amount.
>
> --
> ...ERB
>
> Boardgame Babylon - 2007 Board Game Internet Award winner for Best
> Podcast/Videocast
>
>
> On Feb 11, 2008 11:42 AM, Norman Carlson <carlsonnorm at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > I can check with the hotels around Disneyland again, sense i work at
> > the convention center it will be easy for me.
> >
> > Norm
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Eric M. Aldrich I <ealdrich at penguinlust.org>
> > To: deptheads at strategicon.net
> >
> > Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 10:45:15 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Child Care at the Convention
> >
> > The cons actually all started in Orange County -- Orccon was first held
> > at CSU Fullerton (I think, I wasn't there for this one), Gateway at the
> > Sheraton Anaheim (next to Disneyland) and Gamex at Chapman College.
> >
> > For the sake of those that travel, we'd have to be near John Wayne
> > airport. The earliest moving is realistic is 2010.
> >
> > I'm not opposed to this, but we'd have to plan this out thoroughly.
> >
> > Eric
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 11, 2008 at 10:33:38AM -0800, DB wrote:
> > > If we?re truly serious about aiming for families, long term plans
> > might be
> > > to move the con to family-friendly Orange County. I?m just saying
> > that
> > > having the con at a hotel near crummy-neighborhood LAX on a street
> > full of
> > > strip clubs isn?t exactly a family environment. Plus, since real
> > estate in
> > > Los Angeles urban area is so high, the middle-class family audience
> > that
> > > would show up at the con doesn?t live anywhere close. Plus, if we
> > were in
> > > Orange County, we?d be that much more accessible to bedroom
> > communities in
> > > san diego, riverside and san bernardino counties. When the con
> > started in
> > > the L.A. Area all those years ago, it was a very different demographic
> > that
> > > lived in the city. We might need to reconsider our location in the
> > coming
> > > years and make the jump to where our intended attendees actually live.
> > >
> > > - Denys
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 2/11/08 8:24 AM, "Heather Hughes" <heather at gibsongirl.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I have all the information she (Lisa) aquired on that . I still
> > have the
> > > > company info. In 2007 it was too much of a cost with a new
> > convention
> > > > management for us to afford, so we put it on the back burner. We
> > can revisit
> > > > it again at the next meeting if you like. I will call the service
> > again in
> > > > anticpation of a more detailed discussion on their services and cost
> > for May.
> > > >
> > > > Heather
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 2/8/08, Norman Carlson <carlsonnorm at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > >> We need to attract the family to the con, as Patrick stated "The
> > con is
> > > >> getting older, and we need it to get younger or our con is dying a
> > slow
> > > >> death", we started working on this in 2005, by acquiring a licensed
> > bonded
> > > >> company to run a kids room. Lisa was handling this for us and has
> > a lot of
> > > >> information that we could probably get from her. If i remember
> > correctly she
> > > >> had a company that we where considering in right before the con was
> > sold.
> > > >>
> > > >> Norm
> > > >>
> > > >> ----- Original Message ----
> > > >> From: DB <noldor at gmail.com>
> > > >> To: deptheads at strategicon.net
> > > >> Sent: Friday, February 8, 2008 7:54:57 AM
> > > >> Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Re: Computer Room Tourneys
> > > >>
> > > >> I think we should put Rob in charge of day care. I imagine pursuits
> > > >> throughout the con like something out of Logan's Run. Carousel!
> > Carousel!
> > > >>
> > > >> - Den
> > > >>
> > > >> -----Original Message-----
> > > >> From: "Karl Kreder" <zeotter at gmail.com>
> > > >>
> > > >> Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 07:51:32
> > > >> To:deptheads at strategicon.net
> > > >> Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Re: Computer Room Tourneys
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> We have a large family group of 3 families worth of kids (about
> > 8-10 of them,
> > > >> ages from around 6 to 13) and 4 adults. They have come to the last
> > 3 cons
> > > >> and say that they bring the kids to get them off the video games
> > for a
> > > >> weekend. Just an FYI
> > > >>
> > > >> On Feb 7, 2008 10:30 PM, Robert Lionheart <spinachcat at yahoo.com
> > > >> <mailto:spinachcat at yahoo.com> > wrote: If you truly want to tap the
> > family
> > > >> market, you need a fully funded kids room with babysitting / kids
> > play
> > > >> volunteers. Kubla has this and its a huge resource drain, but they
> > are
> > > >> betting on the long term idea of a family oriented convention.
> > An enhanced
> > > >> video game room is a double-edged situation. While should bring
> > the
> > > >> attention of the younger audience, you run the distinct risk of
> > such an area
> > > >> becoming a "kids' area" when the convention is not set up with
> > personnel to
> > > >> deal with such an area. The security issues alone are quite
> > daunting as
> > > >> are equipment liabilities. One time a kid goes missing due to
> > completely
> > > >> innocent wandering and you can bet the crap will hit the fan at
> > high speed.
> > > >> While this may not have been an issue when only a handful of kids
> > are
> > > >> present, try to juggle this problem with five times the number of
> > young
> > > >> children. Also, is ANYONE on our !
> > > >> staff trained and licensed to monitor children in a commercial
> > space?
> > > >> Also, I do not believe we have to aim that young at all. The high
> > school /
> > > >> college crowd / young adult market is very good and the older /
> > returning
> > > >> gamer is another choice target. If the convention wants to focus
> > on family
> > > >> entertainment that is quite possible BUT there would need to be
> > significant
> > > >> changes to make that happen. To make that happen, the convention
> > would need
> > > >> a much more mundane family game track. Stuff that people
> > recognize. I
> > > >> don't mean members of BBG. I mean people who shop at ToysRus and
> > never
> > > >> heard of Catan. I am taking Chutes & Ladders and games where
> > families can
> > > >> play as a whole with other families. You would have to Disneyesque
> > things
> > > >> to a great degree. There would have to be MUCH more focus aimed at
> > > >> entertaining the 6-10 year old and their parents at the same
> > event. If
> > > >> you look at family marketing, you will see that the family focused
> > event
> > > >> marketing has a maj!
> > > >> or keystone - they market the idea that only people there are other
> > fa
> > > >> milies. Families view this as an important factor in the
> > assumption of fun
> > > >> and safety. Go view advertisements for zoos, Legoland, Whatever on
> > Ice and
> > > >> other family focused events. They do NOT include single males in
> > their
> > > >> marketing. In fact, these people do not exist in Family Marketing
> > World.
> > > >> Last time I checked, males attending without kids is our main
> > demographic.
> > > >> Otherwise, just saying "sure, bring your kids" is not enough to
> > draw anyone.
> > > >> Currently, there is NO reason to bring your family to the
> > convention if you
> > > >> have 6-11 year old children. We have ZERO focus on their needs and
> > we do
> > > >> NOT have a child secure atmosphere.
> > > >>
> > > >> - Robert
> > > >>
> > > >> Patrick Havert <patrickhavert at sbcglobal.net
> > > >> <mailto:patrickhavert at sbcglobal.net> > wrote: Robert, As head of
> > marketing
> > > >> do you think Teen parents may look at the website? Come on and
> > grow up,
> > > >> unless we do something that younger kids can attend they have no
> > reason to go
> > > >> to the con and neither do their families. If we eliminate that
> > group for a
> > > >> few years, do you think they'll really come back? The con is
> > getting older,
> > > >> and we need it to get younger or our con is dying a slow death. I
> > admit that
> > > >> teens are better, but we want people to be able to bring their
> > families, if
> > > >> we don't let's just put up signs on the website that say 12+ years
> > old only
> > > >> so we can eliminate any family groups with younger kids. If you
> > can explain
> > > >> why lounge is better than Zone for teens, I'd love to hear it. You
> > seem
> > > >> pretty jaded for someone trying to get people to attend the con,
> > maybe we
> > > >> should call it one of your names to really lower expectations.
> > -Patrick
> > > >> ----- Original Message ----- F!
> > > >> rom: Robert Lionheart <mailto:spinachcat at yahoo.com> To:
> > > >> deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>
> > Sent:
> > > >> Thursday, February 07, 2008 5:14 PM Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Re:
> > Computer
> > > >> Room Tourneys
> > > >> Oh gods Patrick, are we doing it "for the children"? That's it!
> > We're
> > > >> going with Video Game Bordello! Halo Orgy starts at noon! I like
> > the
> > > >> non-family connotation of Lounge because we do not want the Video
> > Game Space
> > > >> become the Babysitter Zone. We do not want parents using the con
> > as a dump
> > > >> zone for their rugrats. I am quite sure Janice isn't signing up
> > for
> > > >> Strategicon Day Care, aka Dungeons & Diapers. We want teens, not
> > kids, as
> > > >> attendees. Kids are walking liabilities. Teens are walking
> > wallets and
> > > >> awesome impule buyers for the dealer's room. Kids are a resource
> > drain while
> > > >> Teens are networking gold. The 12+ crowd is far far far more
> > desirable than
> > > >> the 6-11 range. - Robert
> > > >>
> > > >> Patrick Havert <patrickhavert at sbcglobal.net
> > > >> <mailto:patrickhavert at sbcglobal.net> > wrote: I agree with Janice
> > in that
> > > >> Lounge has a kind of non-family connotation associated with it,
> > that we do
> > > >> not want to foster. How about Video Game Zone, Video Games Live,
> > or
> > > >> Interactive Gaming?
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--
Sarah "Piper" Harrington
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