[Deptheads] Information Requested

[Evil5757 at aol.com]

Hello everyone.
 
It has been almost a week since I put out the below message, and I have  
received no input from anyone yet.  After re-reading it, I wanted to make  sure 
everyone knows the intent of it.  As a convention, we should be  working to 
improve our weaknesses and strengthen the convention as a whole. I am  asking 
everyone for their input on which departments are most in need of  improvement OR 
have the most room for improvement, whichever fits the  situation.  
 
The last convention management team failed for 2 primary reasons,  
complacency and a "that's not my department" attitude.  Don't fall into  that trap.  
Work your department, help the others.  When we started,  everyone worked as a 
TEAM to get things better.  Don't let the teamwork  end.  In about a year, the 
convention will have a big hurdle to jump -  rising prices no matter where we 
go.  the only way to combat this is with  attendance - more attendance for ALL 
DEPARTMENTS.  I would love to see the  computer room having to be moved to a 
room like the Penthouse because they have  4 Rock Band set-ups and all are 
being used in a weekend long tournament.  I  would love for Collectibles to have 
to move into a full ballroom because they  have a Regional qualifier for a M:TG 
event with 400 people.  I would love  to see Boardgames need another room 
because they have a 248 person Axis and  Allies tournament like I used to run at 
Origins. I would love to see Heather get  the entire Fantasy Flight staff out 
here with their own room running their  events to a packed house.
 
Should I not do anything about it because those aren't my departments? 
 
Ok, enough rant.  Please send me your feelings on how our departments  stack 
up so I can compile a "priority list" and get it to Eric so we can talk  about 
it next meeting and see what we can do to help each department.
 
John
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
 

From:   (mailto:Evil5757 at aol.com) 
To: _deptheads at strategicon.net_ (mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net) 
Sent: 10/29/2008 11:39:06 PM 
Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Boardgames  Query


You are absolutely right, we are getting worse at getting along,  period. We 
are all fighting the circumstances, and that has led to fighting  each other 
to protect each department's interests.
 
I was going to suggest this when things calmed down a bit, but now  seems 
like a good place to start.  The saying "we are as strong as our  weakest link" 
is sooo true at every convention I have been staff on since  1978.  The 
complaints that are published in writing or word of mouth  always focus on the 
weakest link at a convention, sometimes inversely.   Remember when people stopped 
coming to Strategicon because it was a "card  convention"?  It is so easy to 
look at what we do best and GO FOR  IT!  The best conventions I have ever worked 
with put their attention  on problem areas and areas that needed to grow 
rather than what they were  strong with.  
 
When I first joined Strategicon, the first thing I said was we needed  to get 
collectibles and LARPs going again, and that was our primary focus  for the 
first 2 conventions.  We now have solid departments that are  steadily 
improving each convention.  This is what we need to focus  on.  Earlier I was 
criticized for my opinion because I am not in the  RPG department.  Well, now I am 
putting together a staff to run a  Gaming Community Department, trying to bring 
open gaming back to the  rightful place it should be.  I want input from 
Victor.  I want  input from Janice.  I want input from Chris.  I want input from  
Heather.  I want input from EVERYONE.  I don't care if they are  not a part of 
the Community Gaming Department.  Sometimes people see  things better or at a 
different angle than if they are in the middle of it.  That is how we also keep 
from getting set in our ways and complacent (which  we are starting to do).
 
The state of things as I see them:
 
Boardgames - Great job, slow steady improvement on little things to  fine 
tune constantly being done.
 
Collectibles - Great turnaround from where we are a year ago.   Still room to 
improve the attendance with word-of-mouth and some big  tournaments or some 
kind of big draw.
 
Dealers Room - holding steady.  Even with the turmoil, Janice has  done a 
good job of filling the place with various products.  Getting  rid of exclusivity 
for non-mfrs a plus. Getting mfrs in is next goal.
 
Computers - Good job with a department I was ready to give up on until  we 
could have a big internet network to go with.  Good job proving me  wring and I 
have a great computer guy starting in my department who can help  out if you 
need it. 
 
Registration - Cleaned up VERY nicely.  Steady improvement each  convention 
and I heard no complaints at all this last convention.  I am  sure there is 
some behind the scenes logistics you are looking to improve  on.
 
Auction - Seems to be that moving it to Monday has improved  things.  Maybe 
if we could get the listing of items up for auction out  earlier it might 
improve attendance?  i don't really know, but might be  worth a try (sign-up lots 
on Saturday, post lots on Sunday, auction on  monday?).
 
RPGs - The variety of games has been improving steadily.  There  are a LOT of 
games not represented though, including out of print ones that  can be run.  
Remember, gamers love to reminisce.  if you have a  blue Planet or a Space 
Opera game, people will get in on them and take home  good memories of cons past. 
 RPG players seem to replay convention  history in their head more than any 
other, old RPGs bring those memories  back.
 
RPGA - Seems to have a good system going with getting current modules  
quickly.  Back East, we used to have "This Convention Only" modules  that were 
extremely popular.  Can we find out if we can do something  like this and how we 
can make "Strategion Modules"?
 
Miniatures - Sat and Sun good....Fri and Mon bad.  We badly need  to help 
Jose and Robyn make this department a 4 dayer.
 
Special Projects - improving every convention, but still 3 or 4  conventions 
away from being the 24/7 gaming location it is intended to  be.  Adding a 
Battlestar Galactica large scale space combat game early  this year and a 1/100 
scale Wooden Ships and Iron Men game at the end of the  year.
 
Marketing - This has always been sticky because there is not a lot of  money 
to put into it.  I have always felt that big impressive "LOOK AT  ME" tshirts 
people can buy from us then advertise for us at their gaming  clubs or with 
their friends is always the best investment of money (get your  money back and 
free advertising).  We have about a month until Eric  wants to get our 
marketing push out there for February.....please cost out  and put some ideas out here 
that we can work with or find better prices  on.
 
Movie Room - Strange, because ideally we want everyone gaming and not  have 
spare time to watch a movie. However, we want the movie list to make  people 
say "I wish I had time to see that" so that anytime they want to take  a break, 
grab a soda and a sandwich and sit down to watch a movie, they  still enjoy 
themselves.  We need to publish the movie list on a poster  though, BEFORE the 
movie is playing.
 
Program - We have the basics in place, and with Eric working on the  
extraction program this should be a strong point by the end of the  year.  With 
everything growing though, we need to decide - larger book,  smaller print, or what 
do we cut out?
 
Open Gaming - Sucks.  Scattered all throughout the convention  instead of a 
single location building energy. Everyone who is stretched  for space should be 
asking open gamers to leave their area and come to  Community Gaming.  
 
At this late hour, I probably forgot a department or 2, but  you get the 
idea.  Our attention needs to be focused on our  weakest links, Open Gaming and 
Marketing, and on our  links that have the potential to improve the most, 
Computers,  Miniatures, and Collectibles as I see it. 
 
Yes, i know people will say I put open gaming in there because I run  it, but 
I volunteered to run it because I see how much it needs  attention.
 
What I would like to ask EVERYONE to do it write down the  departments I have 
listed above (boardgames, collectibles, marketing, etc.)  and make a list of 
strongest to weakest as you see them. No personality  conflicts.  No 
department wars.  Please put them in order of  whatever you feel more comfortable 
doing, either weakest to strongest OR  strongest to "most room for improvement," as 
I listed collectibles  earlier.  Strong, but a huge upside is possible the 
way Victor is  running it.
 
If you don't want to post it "out there" email it to me directly and I  will 
put your input anonymously with everyone else's when I compile  it.
 
John
 



**************Plan your next getaway with AOL Travel.  Check out Today's Hot 
5 Travel Deals! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212416248x1200771803/aol?redir=http://travel.aol.com/discount-travel?ncid=emlcntustrav00000001)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mordred.punk.net/pipermail/deptheads/attachments/20081103/d0be372e/attachment.htm