[Deptheads] 3 Weeks ago...

[Evil5757 at aol.com]

Everyone,
 
I have resent the below EMail I from mid-October asking everyone's  input 
on possible solutions to areas we can improve for  the Conventions for 2010 
because I haven't seen any responses at all. If we  are going to truly 
improve the entire Convention as we say we want to, we need  input from everyone 
on new ideas to be looked at and brain stormed.
 
Anyone have anything to start?
 
John 
 
OK Everyone.
 
We've had the discussion, now let's put it to use.
 
As I said at the meeting, we ALL need to stop thinking as separate  
Departments and start thinking about the Convention as a whole. We need to  become 
a team that when one department says "I need help with this" everyone  
thinks of constructive ways the department can be helped. In the past, this  
convention has become stagnant because of every department watching out for  
itself (I've even gotten the comment "That's not my department" from old  
management department heads).
 
We have some IMMEDIATE needs that don't need to be argued about, but we  
need input from EVERYONE on ideas to make them work.  For instance:
 
Heather and Devi, you have run special events with special guests for the  
past couple of years. Everyone in the Miniatures department (myself 
included)  have been trying things that have worked in the past.  Using what you 
have  known and learned over the past years, what kind of "out of the box" 
event/guest  or whatever can you think of that would spark life back into 
Miniature?
 
Janice, our LARP department is in big trouble as we discussed at the  
meeting. Can you think how we can use the facilities/visibility of the  Dealer's 
Room to help bring more people or groups into the Con for LARPs?
 
Eric B, another department that is sagging is our Seminars. What local, low 
 cost boardgame names can you think of we can get to give some seminars 
about  game design, upcoming games, whatever that would attract the boardgame 
attendees  to the Seminar room?
 
I'm not picking on anyone or pointing anyone out except to show that people 
 who are not directly involved with a department can make a major 
contribution to  the department.  the above requests are real, I think these people 
can come  up with some creative thinking to address the problems listed and I 
look forward  to reading their answers.
 
Let's use this list to constructively brainstorm.  the way I see it  (and I 
could be wrong, just my thoughts):
 
Boardgames is doing fine...we can hold off on this department while the  
others get the fixes they need.
 
Registration is doing fine...smoothest I've ever seen it at  Strategicon.
 
RPGA is doing fine...let them keep going as they are.
 
RPGs is doing fine...Micheal will be working to get different systems in  
the mix as discussed at the meeting, and needs an assistant but the program 
is  on target.
 
Collectibles is doing good...Victor has done a great job, but needs a  
"local assist," someone in the area who can assist him between conventions to  
drum up local gamers and such for growth.
 
LARPs might need a new director.  They got screwed over pretty good  last 
con and we need to give them some hugs and kisses in 2010.
 
Seminars...what seminars?  EVERYONE needs to get a couple of Seminars  from 
their departments and rebuild the genre. "In the old days" people used to  
go to Conventions and do nothing but sit in the Seminar rooms all con and 
listen  and PARTICIPATE.  I believe Seminars still have a  lot to offer the  
convention and we need to get them going again.
 
Dealer's Room is doing good....we still want to be a convention that  
manufactures attend and maybe AEG could be the beginning of it...?
 
Computers are doing good...we have the PS3/XBox craze working for us and it 
 seems to be picking up speed.
 
Miniatures....as stated before last convention we need to rebuild this  
department from the ground up. Tim said over half the events were from my group 
 last time...we need to drum up events and attendees badly. As mentioned 
above,  "out of the box" thinking is required if we are to do anything the 
miniatures  community will notice....it can't be the same old thing, we need 
new  ideas.
 
So everyone...look at the list, pick a department and make a constructive  
comment/idea.  We know what is going wrong with EVERY department, let's  
hear ideas on how to make improvements with EVERY department (concentrating on  
the problem areas). Along with that is the requirement for the Department 
Head  of the department getting the idea to not throw away any idea, but 
think  through "How can I use that thought" to make things better and get back 
to this  list with "How about this.." so we can further brainstorm to help 
things  out.
 
John
 
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