[MR] try a low cost event was Re: event fees

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 I think, Rebecca, that no one has forgotten what you said but that the gist of your note what that we should be able to put on $5 daytrip events across the kingdom. I don't know but my guess would be that the $5 day trips are held at very inexpensive sites with significant attendance that can be pretty much counted on.

Though, without knowing which events, it's hard to consider how they managed low gate fees ... decide if the overall value is balanced .... to make any real comparison. And therein, I think, lies the real issue with this conversation ... one event is not the same as another ... maybe not apples and oranges but certainly apples and pears.

The price of the site cannot be the only factor considered. The cost of the site isn't the only thing that drives the price of the event.

A $5 gate fee for Sagas of the Stone was possible because the sponsoring canton has a relationship with the church 

The UnEvents and University events Sacred Stone and the Canton of Crois Brigte have hosted at the Winston Salem State University are possible because we have a member of the group who works there and is willing to give up the entirety of each of those days ... so we have the site for free.

For events at the Elchinburg site, we start with a baseline of $6 a person for site cost. Which is a real boon for autocrats because it allows us to host War of the Wings with gate fees for $10 and $11 gate for four years ... and has allowed Crois Brigte and Baelfire Dunn to host specific-discipline events without worrying as much about losing their shirts ... the site fee was covered whether 10 people or 100 came through the gate.

And so more than $5 for everyone on site ... but all the activities we wanted to do were possible, recreation that a lot of people want to enjoy was possible. More drives the decision on gate fee than site cost ... and profit, I am here to tell you, was not a driving force either.

Baelfire Dunn hasn't hosted an event in a while. They couldn't know how many people would attend the event ... The autocrat calculated on 100 attendance ... she had no way to know 280 people would choose to come out.

Sagas put out food for lunch and again ... could not know if 50 people would attend or 150.

War of the Wings, the first year Barono Rozsa set the gate fee based on the number of people we anticipated attending .... which I believe we anticipated to be about 250 ... till pre-reg got close to that ... and then gate exceeded that number just a bit ... 640-some people that first year. That event has not made a profit in excess of $470 

But think with me, if you will ... we've grown from 640 some ... to 750 some ... to 820 some ... to 950 some ... So each year we have to plan for growth while buffering the barony from the potential loss that bad weather would bring. So, I set my gate fee and made my budget based on the expected attendance of 1,000 but keeping the possible bad-weather attendance of 400 always in mind.

I'm currently planning the baronial Winter Solstice event ... at a church where we have a connection and reputation so we get a decent price ... and since I want to have an amazing winter party with food all day and games and companionship and music ... and because I won't know if 100 will attend or 50 .... the gate fee will be $8. I might could do $6 ... but I can't know that at this point. Do I need to include $1 or $2 per person to cover the site fee? I don't know. Ask me on Dec 12.

Keeping the costs in mind, being vigilant of expenses, trying to make a memorable time for people to come to ... These are all important considerations.

Minding the finances of the sponsoring group and doing everything you can to make sure the group doesn't lose money is also important and yes, trying to build in the potential of a reasonable profit ... these are all things a good autocrat is going to do. ~Should~ do.

If all I consider is having a cheap event we'll have no value at all nine times out of ten. We'll have a cheap event. And I promise you that my family is not really that far off not being able to afford this crazy hobby a lot of the time. I would be incensed if I spent the time and money to go to an event that was just cheap ... 

I hope this makes sense. I'm not trying to disrespect you or slam you ... and I'm not saying your point doesn't have any validity ... but price cannot be the entirety of the equation.

~gise







 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Becky McEllistrem <bmcellis at yahoo.com>
To: atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Sent: Sun, Jun 27, 2010 6:51 pm
Subject: Re: [MR] try a low cost event was Re:  event fees


And there was a great Feast of St. Pyr story and a comment that several events 

in the past 3 months had $5.00 day trip fees which is why I knew that it was 

possible.  We like forgetting that part.





--- On Sun, 6/27/10, Laurie Clarkston <garadh at verizon.net> wrote:



> From: Laurie Clarkston <garadh at verizon.net>

> Subject: Re: [MR] try a low cost event was Re:  event fees

> To: "Becky McEllistrem" <bmcellis at yahoo.com>, atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org

> Date: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 10:35 AM

> Lady Rebecca,

> 

> I think you do have something to prove.  You have

> thrown out

> the remark that it is realistically possible to have a good

> $5

> event.

> 



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