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

[Kelly Keck]

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 11:54 AM, Robert Van Rens <rvanrens at hotmail.com>wrote:

> > I think that's more realistic that the status quo and a great test for
> individual areas to see if my theory is correct.  Although I don't know that
> it has to be unofficial - just do a scaled down smaller low cost type of
> event once that has almost no cost and see what event attendance is like for
> that versus your regular events and publicize it as much as you publicize
> others or even more.  If event attendance is low I'm wrong.  If it's high
> I'm right.
> >
> > Rebecca
> >
>
> Or, the event may succeed or fail based on a set of circumstances totally
> beyond the control of the event staff; weather, holiday traffic, competition
> from another, well-established and popular event with an air-conditioned
> hall, Royal Progress, etc. etc.  While site fee may be a major determining
> factor for you, that doesn't mean it is for everyone.
> Eadric the Potter



I think that's a really important thing to keep in mind.  Careful budgeting
and site-shopping might trim a few bucks off the daytrip fee, but it won't
make an event that SCAdian X doesn't want to go to (for all the reasons you
mentioned or any number of others) into one they *do.*  To have a meaningful
comparison, you'd need to compare events of a similar style with about the
same sorts of activities, with similar weather and competition from their
neighbors, whose main difference was cost.

It's also important to note that a more expensive site might result in a
cheaper overall trip.  A site that allows camping is going to cost more, but
paying a camping fee is much cheaper than staying in a hotel.  Similarly, if
a site has no kitchen facilities, there's less likely to be dayboard or a
lunch for sale, (not to mention feast, since we're talking about
day-tripping).  Even when an offered lunch costs extra, it's usually more
and better food than you could get running out to a fast-food place or
swinging by Wawa on your way to the event. (Personally, I'm a big fan of
dayboards as an event attender.  You want to tack a few extra bucks onto my
site fee and I don't have to remember to pack a lunch, or leave in the
middle of the day to get food?  Sign me up.)

Adriana Michaels