[MR] The Cost of Doing Business

Mon Apr 13 07:29:27 PDT 2009

Jonathan,

I know how to budget for an event.  Really.  I even know how to account for fixed expenses like the $1500 Kingdom Event Tax.  

TRM solicited cousel from the Kingdom.  As is my duty as a Peer, I presented my concerns.  I am not interested in being told that my concerns are wrong, and that I should just go along with what I think is a bad idea.

If TRM wish to take my thoughts under advisement, or simply hit "delete", that is their choice.  I have yet to see any actual refutation of my concerns, although I certainly hope to.

YIS, Eadric the Potter

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: David Ritterskamp <jonnyb70 at hotmail.com>

Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:16:05 
To: <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
Subject: [MR] The Cost of Doing Business

The simple solution to the $500 dilemma is to bake it into the budget of the alternate site.  Considering that attendance at a Kingdom event typically has a minimum of 210 and a max of...well, a lot more than that, you're looking at an increase per person of maybe two bucks at most.  It's no big secret that a kingdom event budget already has $1500 profit baked into its budget.  So, if you switch to an alternate site for whatever reason, you're on the hook for that $500 deposit to Betsy-Jeff.  

 That's literally the cost of doing business with the sites you have available to you today.  If you nail down a site by giving them $$, and you change your mind a few months beforehand, that's the cost of doing business.  Betsy Jeff is a great site with great staff but they can't take a loss just because something changed.  

 If you don't have a site nailed down beforehand, you're left with what we've had the last several reigns, namely, people scrambling desperately around with weeks to go before a Kingdom event.

 Nor do I think that people will stop attending events in droves simply because of a fee increase.  If they do, clearly this position would have to be rethought, but if you've been in one of those groups of people scrambling desperately around with weeks to go before an event because something fell apart at just about the last minute, it's worth a little bit of $ not to have to do that any more.

 Regards

 Jonathan Blackbow

 There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. -Niccolo M.

 > From: rvanrens at hotmail.com
 > To: mered95 at hotmail.com; atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
 > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:07:49 +0000
 > Subject: Re: [MR] and now the business stuff starts
 > 
 > Your Majesty,
 > 
 > With all due respect, I understand the problem. As seneschal of a group that has had two bids declined because of distance issues, I am fully aware of the paucity of suitable sites.
 > 
 > I also would suggest that a $500 penalty for hosting Crown elsewhere is not a trivial sum. When combined with the Kingdom's cut of 50 percent of the profits, that makes hosting Crown locally much less financially feasible.
 > 
 > I get that this is an attempt to find a solution to a difficult problem. I just think that this solution isn't the optimal one. And I readily confess I don't have a better suggestion.
 > 
 > YIS,
 > 
 > Eadric the Potter
 > 
 > Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
 > 
 > -----Original Message-----
 > From: Esa Kirkepatrike <mered95 at hotmail.com>
 > 
 > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:53:40 
 > To: <rvanrens at hotmail.com>; <logan at ebonwoulfe.com>; <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
 > Subject: RE: [MR] and now the business stuff starts
 > 
 > 
 > Magister Eadric,
 >  
 > As was previously stated, groups that plan ahead and submit a well formulated bid will be fully considered and if selected, will have to incorporate the $500 penalty for canceling BJP only if the site can not be rented out. There is no way to select a site that makes everyone happy all of the time. However, Atlantia has a growing issue with bid problems and as other kindgdoms have already done, we have to start investigating the alternatives. 
 >  
 > HRM Esa
 >  
 > > From: rvanrens at hotmail.com
 > > To: logan at ebonwoulfe.com; atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
 > > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:48:35 +0000
 > > Subject: Re: [MR] and now the business stuff starts
 > > 
 > > Well, I guess this precludes the Barony of Highland Foorde from hosting Crown for the forseeable future. Royal decrees aside, there is no way I (as seneschal) am going to be able to convince enough people from the Barony to drive 7 to 10 hours to staff an event.
 > > 
 > > The only people this "conveniences" are the groups in the central part of the Kingdom. Now, instead of a reasonable expection that once in a while, Crown will be a reasonable trip away, I will always have a full day's drive to attend.
 > > 
 > > Putting on my merchant's hat for a moment, let me point out that it's not cost effective for me to drive 8 hours, get a new tax license in a state known for exceptionally Byzantine tax laws, and expect to show a reasonable return for time and trouble. As such, I very much doubt that I will be attending as a merchant.
 > > 
 > > Because merchanting is my actual real-life job, I doubt that I can justify regular attendance in a non-merchanting capacity. Of course, most East Kingdom events are actually closer to me than Betsy Jeff-Penn.
 > > 
 > > I don't expect the Kingdom to go out of its way to accomodate those of us on the northern marches, but this smacks to me of the Kingdom instituting a policy that discommodes those of us out here in the howling wilderness.
 > > 
 > > As a Peer of the Realm, it is my duty to advise Your Majesties. Sometimes, that advice is that I think you are making a mistake. In this case, I think that you are doing just that. I understand the nature of the basic problem, I just feel this is the wrong solution.
 > > 
 > > Yours In Service,
 > > 
 > > Magister Eadric the Potter
 > > 
 > > Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
 > > 
 > > -----Original Message-----
 > > From: logan <logan at ebonwoulfe.com>
 > > 
 > > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:05:37 
 > > To: <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
 > > Subject: [MR] and now the business stuff starts
 > > 
 > > 
 > > folks, as many of you are aware ive been involved in dealing with the many
 > > issues we have getting bids in for sites in which to hold kingdom events.
 > > the problems are the same every time and most all of them are site related
 > > (location, booking, etc).  most kingdoms utilize permanent sites for certain
 > > events.  this solves many of the repeating problems such as being able to
 > > book an event in such a short amount of time.  to that end her majesty and i
 > > are considering a solution to this problem and would like to receive council
 > > from you.
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > i have enjoyed a growing rapport with the director at the site we used this
 > > weekend for our coronation (he is an awesome guy so its really not something
 > > difficult to do).  our thoughts are to implement a contract with the site
 > > (betsy jeff-penn) for a few years to host atlantias crown tourneys.  this
 > > does a few things and the highlights are:
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > centrally located site (this is as close to the center of the kingdom as you
 > > can get)
 > > 
 > > excellent site that is very sca friendly (very nice cabins, awesome kitchen,
 > > easy accessibility to all parts of the site, perfect field, wet site, pet
 > > friendly, modern, easy road access from the interstate)
 > > 
 > > affordable (and even more so with a long term contract)
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > ive been thinking about this for a long time personally and i spoke with the
 > > director about it some months ago and he is very willing to discuss the
 > > particulars with me including a reduction in costs.  the region is weather
 > > friendly for both fall and spring crown (no ice storms, no hurricanes). 
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > my thought is to create a simple hosting sequence that revolves around the
 > > kingdom for each barony.  this allows every group a chance to play host and
 > > it also gives a lot of notice for that group to get a staff together.  if,
 > > say, ponte alto knows they have fall crown in 2011 they can fill all of the
 > > staff positions they need to in plenty of time.  this also allows them to
 > > find someone from outside their borders to fill in when needed.  its is
 > > crown so there really isnt a lot of staff positions to fill anyway.  now if
 > > someone from deep in sc or md wins crown and wants to use a different site
 > > we still have options.  first, the director of the site said that there
 > > probably wouldnt be a penalty if they could rent the site out on the weekend
 > > we had reserved when i asked him about that.  given nearly 5 months to find
 > > a replacement we stand a good chance that this would happen.  if not its
 > > still a simple fix to budget the $500 (or so) into the bid for a replacement
 > > site.
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > so, take some time considering this and please let us know what you think.
 > > pros and cons.  you can send them directly to us off list or discuss your
 > > ideas here.
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > regards
 > > 
 > > logan
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
 > > "I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was
 > > hell." 
 > > Harry S Truman 
 > > 
 > > "If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his
 > > vengeance need not be feared"
 > > Niccolo Machiavelli
 > > 
 > >  <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com/ <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com/>  <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com/ <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com/> > > www.ebonwoulfe.com <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com>  <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com <http://www.ebonwoulfe.com> > 
 > > www.fighterpractice.com <http://www.fighterpractice.com>  <http://www.fighterpractice.com <http://www.fighterpractice.com> > 
 > > 
 > >  
 > > 
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