[Deptheads] 3 Weeks ago...

[Eric M. Aldrich I]

1. I like the idea of a "Kids Programming" department. We've discussed  
this numerous times. We'd just need a qualified individual to run it  
who wants to do it.

2. We're trying to keep the cost down on the guest expenses, so keep  
that in mind.

3. Yup and a room package too. Sheraton....

Eric

On Nov 6, 2009, at 10:12 AM, Victor B wrote:

> top of the head ideas--------------------------
>
> 1. Create a "Kids Programming" department.
> Boardgames has enough to do so a seperate department means getting  
> someone in charge that wants to do the job, will get their own  
> volunteers,and  will run and coordinate kid events on a schedule.
>
> 2. Discuss guests for a specific con and pick them 2 cons in advance.
> Unlike most other conventions we are 3 times a year. We have less  
> time to prepare between cons but do offer the flexibility for guests  
> to choose between 3 con dates per year.
> I have talked to several people in past 2 months for may or sept  
> 2009 (designers of miniature games, collectable games, role playing  
> game  designers, chris from EA and rock band, magic the gathering  
> champions to attend and do seminars and take on challengers, etc.) I  
> will pass the info on to eric A , Tim, and specific dept heads.
>
> Special guests and guest of honor, etc.----
> Having more than 1 guest is great and have 1 guest of honor.
> We can have a gamer guest of honor. It is open-ended.
> Heather needs to be informed of guests so she can know who they are,  
> what they did and do, their background, etc.
> Heather has to be in the loop.
>
> 3.Offer a VIP package.
>
> Have 50 vip badges availabe for the convention at an increased rate,
> Includes:
> --4-day VIP badge to the convention
> --Swag bag (easier to make 50 swag bags than 2000).
> --Strategicon t-shirt
> --Strategicon badge holder
> --1 hour early pre-registration
> --Autographed items from guests without waiting in line or having to  
> do the demo/event  (if the specific guest has cards or something  
> they bring and give out.
> --we can discuss with janice inviting the vips to the vendor meal on  
> saturday night.
> vendor, guest, staff and vip badges get in.
> That way the whole meal is a vip meal including vendors and our  
> guests. Heather shines as usual as she takes special guest to the  
> meal, guests are informed of meal and assisted as needed, staff gets  
> introduced to the guests, vips meet guests, and everyone gets good  
> food and the relaxed atmpsphere janice and the food servers provide.
>
> --we can have a vip and volunteer raffle. All vips and volunteers  
> get 1 raffle ticket to use for games and video games I or someone  
> else can get donated. Example; star trek 2009 dvd, rock band guitar  
> signed, champions online game, gift certificates to specific dealers  
> in dealers room, chaos in old war boardgame, box of flames of war  
> miniatures, d&d module signed by designer, etc. We offer a few good  
> prizes, This gets vips and volunteers interested.
>
>
> Just ideas to chew on
>
>
> V
>
>
>
>
>
> --- On Thu, 11/5/09, Evil5757 at aol.com <Evil5757 at aol.com> wrote:
>
> From: Evil5757 at aol.com <Evil5757 at aol.com>
> Subject: [Deptheads] 3 Weeks ago...
> To: deptheads at strategicon.net
> Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 4:38 PM
>
> 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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