Hello all,
Bruce Mai asked for “lessons learned” from the CC-24 staff and I’d
like to share some of my observations. He also requested the cross
post to runacc and CC-25. There’s only 55 days before we return to
the Hotel Fort Des Moines for the start of DemiCon, so there isn’t as
much time to process and analyze, as I’d like, so this may be a bit
rambled and disjointed, but I better get to this before DemiCon
demands take over my brain.
Please feel free to ask questions or for clarification on any of my
comments or any other CC-24 related topics. Other staff may have
different thoughts and observations that I hope they find time to
share with you too. We did some things well and some things we could
have done better I’ll try and point out both.
First lesson is it is never too early After our bid was
officially accepted we did contact some people and businesses.
Understandably they were unable to make a firm commitment 3+ years
out so we decided to hold off on further contacts until a little
later. However, in some cases, things went from too early to
suddenly being too late. If I were to do it again I would make all
the contacts I could think of as early as possible and keep a
spreadsheet of when to check back. I’d also do regular email updates
with these contacts (or postcards for those without email) probably
once a quarter or so. Nothing fancy just something to keep Costume-
Con on their radar screen so they didn’t forget and book something
else between the personal contacts.
We needed a program co-director who was better known in costuming
circles. I’m glad we had a local person chairing the program because
we could take advantage of local resources, but we were at a
disadvantage when contacting the costume community. For costume
clubs hosting a Costume-Con this probably would end up being one and
the same person. However, since our club is not a costuming
organization that wasn’t an option for us. Things turned out okay,
but it was a struggle at times for our program director when
contacting those in the costuming community. The problem was two
fold. One, knowing who to contact for various topics and two, the
comfort level of those contacted with someone they really didn’t know.
One thing that caught us by surprise was the issue of tag-a-longs.
By that I mean there were spouses, significant others, friends, etc.
that weren’t costumers, but wanted to “tag-a-long” at times during
the convention. These folks wanted some sort of special rate since
they wouldn’t technically be participating at the convention just
watching. We did not make special accommodations for tag-a-longs.
It was hard to turn away folks willing to give us money, but it
seemed unfair to those that had already purchased memberships to
create a new option so late in the process. Future CCs might want to
consider whether a tag-a-long rate is appropriate. We did not badge
the display lobby, and in fact we encouraged the curious to visit the
dealers and look at the display costumes. In some cases this
resulted in ticket sales.
While I’m talking about it here’s our rate structure for those that
might be curious.
$65 4/2003 12/2003
$75 1/2004 12/2004
$85 1/2005 12/2005
$95 Full weekend $40 for kids 5 12 (starting 1/1/2006)
$40 one-day memberships for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One-days
included the evening show or event. ($20 children 5 12)
$25 Monday only membership. This was more a formality for
insurance purposes. I don’t believe we sold any.
$10 Masquerade tickets $5 children 5 12. Entry into show only did
not include access to ConSuite. We didn’t plan on selling tickets to
the FFS, but had requests and ended up selling 6 at $5 each.
$250 Family membership (2 adults, 2 or more children) this rate was
for immediate families only and not for extended, or faux families.
$125 Dealer package included one table and one membership.
$75 per additional dealer tables
We did not promote our family membership mostly to avoid any issues
these types of packages tend to invite. We had a local family with
three kids ask if there was a family rate. Our intention was that a
nuclear family (as in parents and children) would not have to pay
more than $250 to attend CC-24. Perhaps we should have been braver
and promoted this option more.
We did not have a policy for badge loaning. It was only briefly a
concern at CC-24 and goes along with the tag-a-long problem. Future
committees might want to think about what they want to do about the
issue.
I am glad we decided to sell show tickets for the masquerades. This
was a help with tag-a-longs and we also sold some to the general
public. I don’t have an exact count of the show tickets sold, but do
believe it was over $100. Worth the effort at least.
We should have used a presenter’s form for our panelists, one that
listed equipment needed, etc. A form would have standardized
requests and reminded panelist to let us know what they needed in a
timely matter. We managed to cover most everything, but a
presenter’s form might have saved us a minor bump or two.
There were a couple of double booking issues with the schedule.
Partly because of a last minute shuffle of panels and partly because
we didn’t complete some communication loops. Confirmation emails
were to go out to panelist, but not everyone confirmed their
schedules. We should have been more thorough in double-checking
after every shift in the schedule. Also, I don’t think we made note
of things like who the MC for the shows were and who the judges and
judges’ liaisons were. Not sure if that was a contributing factor in
double booking or not, but it was certainly something we needed to
know and keep track of better.
It worked out well for us to have 15 minutes between panels. This
gave panelists time to set up and tear down. It also gave
participants time to make a bathroom stop or visit the ConSuite. It
did mean we burned some potential programming time, but I think the
trade off was worth it. I’d be curious to hear other opinions.
Collecting announcements for the shows and events at registration
worked well. To my knowledge there were no requested announcements
or awards that were over looked. In most cases the MCs also provided
opportunity for announcements to come from the floor just in case
we’d forgotten or missed something also a good plan.
We stumbled into an opportunity to do a service project rather late
into things. We decided to go ahead and offer the project to the
attendees anyway. We were able to complete 46 trauma dolls used to
aid hospitals and EMS personnel when interacting with children.
Participants also cut, sewed and turned several more in preparation
for other organizations to work on. The trauma doll organizers were
thrilled. There were some attendees who took patterns and contact
information to start similar programs in their local area. It was
nice to have a chance to do for others and make a difference in the
community at large. I just wish we’d found out about the program
sooner so we could have included information in the program book and
on the schedule. This is also the sort of activity that generates
good publicity too.
Budget concerns directed some of our choices. For instance we
elected to print the schedule and hotel map in the program book
rather than as a separate publication. Also along the same line we
chose not to publish bios of the panelists thus saving several pages
in the program book. Money was only part of the decision for just
listing names of panelists. There was also the logistics of
collecting all the necessary information. It became apparent that we
weren’t going to be able to gather information on all the
participants in time for publication; another point for it is never
too early.
We also didn’t print a food guide. Fortunately we have a local paper
that publishes a free dining/activity guide including a map.
We were very conservative on the number of program books we ordered.
We did print a one-page schedule that we used for one-day memberships
on Saturday especially so we wouldn’t run out of the books too soon.
We did get more at-the-door memberships than we had expected.
One of our best assets was the Hotel Fort Des Moines; we are
fortunate to have an established and an on going relationship with a
very classy facility. We also had the luxury of space to burn. This
allowed us to offer a workroom, discussion room and a video room
without compromising program potential. We were also able to provide
a rehearsal space that matched the stage size for participants to
practice their presentations. Not every Costume-Con will have these
options because of space limitations in available (and affordable)
facilities. However, I’m glad we were able to offer them and I know
they were all used at various times during the weekend.
Video room Because we had the extra space we decided to set up a
video room for the weekend. We had a number of epic movies to show
and the plan was to view the masquerade videos after the shows here
too. Unfortunately there was some miscommunication and we were only
able to run the SF show once on Saturday and didn’t get a chance to
run the Historical or FFS. The video room could also be an option
for tag-a-longs and possibly children’s programming too. Again not
every facility will have the extra space to provide an on going video
room, but if the space is available I think it can be a useful
service.
Judges Chambers – The hotel layout allowed us to provide a room for
judges for the weekend. Judges for all the shows were able to use the
room for deliberation, storage and pre-judging for the Historical
Masquerade. We set up a computer and printer to generate
certificates on demand. This arrangement worked very well especially
after we oriented our judges’ tech so he knew what content to include
on the certificates.
Having computers and printers on site was extremely useful. We
printed the programs for the masquerades as needed and we were able
to provide entry forms and release forms on demand. Once all the
participant data was entered into our database we could generate
specific forms for the MC, judges, tech crew, green room and any
other reports necessary. This saved us the expense and time of
running out for copies. It also allowed us to make corrections and
additions right up to the last minute. We did have a last minute
addition to the Historical masquerade and I’m glad we were able to
accommodate the entry and include the entry information on the
program.
I’d just like to thank the MDs for being flexible and understanding
with first time Costumers who were unfamiliar with the usual
procedures.
We used a digital camera and photo printer to take judges’ photos in
the green room. Finding film for a Polaroid camera is increasingly
difficult not to mention expensive. The digital camera arrangement
seemed to work well. The photos are larger and clearer too as a
bonus.
On line masquerade registration Les developed a system that allowed
attendees to enter the masquerades on line. All the forms and
releases were there as well as space to request lighting and other
technical assistance. They could return and edit their entries and
even up load their music. Masquerade Directors could view all the
entries in their show, but participants could only view their own
information. We did have some entries use the system and it seemed
to work fine. I think there is a lot of potential for this system
especially if we could get more people to use it. It would certainly
make planning for necessary tech time easier if we knew in advance
how many potential entries to expect.
I personally really enjoyed the runway layout for the FFS and I also
appreciated showing the sketches of the designs in the show as well
as some of the winning designs that weren’t represented in the show.
I thought these arrangements really allowed the audience to get a
good look at the designs and to get an appreciation for the folio
process in general. The layout provided nearly three times the front
row space as the masquerade stage layout. However, this is just the
perspective of someone who was watching the show and I’ve no idea how
this layout worked for the participants of the show. I do know that
there wasn’t sufficient time for the participants to get a full
rehearsal on the stage. I don’t know why that was, but even so
things seemed to go just wonderfully.
Because of the gambling laws in Iowa we couldn’t hold a raffle as
some Costume-Cons in the past have had. We put together a creative
fundraiser selling stars for the Walk-of-Fame. I don’t have final
figures yet, but we did sell one Studio Mogul package and 4 or 5
other stars as well as several “star tails” which came with
individual tickets. Most people declined to take their star tail and
just took the tickets.
Tech Crew Seal of Approval Award came about as recognition for the
entry that makes the most of their time with the tech crew. Our tech
crew has done tech at several venues. We’ve also competed in various
masquerades. One thing we’ve come to realize is there is some times
an incorrect perception that some participants have of the purpose of
Tech Rehearsal. This is actually a rehearsal for the tech crew not
for the entry. Entries should show up with their music ready to go,
with a stage movement presentation, and with any props and/or large
or awkward costume pieces such as masks, hats, shoes etc. It is also
very helpful for the lighting crew if some part of the costume is
present so the optimum lighting can be determined. We thought a tech
award would help raise awareness of the need for participants to be
prepared and make the most of their tech time. As it happened this
year nearly every entry was mostly prepared. I still think the award
is a good way to raise awareness about what makes for a good tech
check and consequently a good presentation.
Suggestions for future shows, please schedule tech checks to end by
5:00 pm or 5:30 pm at the latest. This is important for several
reasons. First and foremost it gives everyone time for dinner, the
tech crew, contestants, MDs, etc. It also allows time to fix any
glitches that might become evident during the checks. If for some
reason tech checks have to run past 5:30 then plan to have food
brought into you tech, stage and masquerade crew.
Masquerade directors please, please, please do the math. We’ve had
the unenviable task of starting tech checks over 2 hours behind
schedule because there were 30 plus entries each promised a ten-
minute slot between 1 and 4. That’s nearly twice the number of
entries for the time allotted. You want to talk about stress. Yikes!
The scheduling of tech checks also illustrates how important it is
for entries to pre-register rather than waiting until at the Con to
do so. It is much easier to collapse extra time than it is to try
and find extra time.
If at all possible arrange rehearsal space for entries to practice
their presentations. Sometimes there isn’t an opportunity for an
entry to practice their presentation prior to arriving at the
convention. This is particularly true for a Costume-Con where
members of an entry may be from all over the country. However, it
still isn’t fair to the other entries in a show to allow one or two
to monopolize the tech crew’s time for their own rehearsal. CC-24
made sure to have space set aside for participants to practice their
presentations. This helps the tech checks proceed efficiently and to
stay on time.
There were lots of other things we would have liked to do, but budget
constraints dictated otherwise. I won’t go into all the money
optional things since this has already been a much longer discourse
than I’d imagined when I started. I hope future committees are able
to glean a few useful things. I know we certainly took advantage of
these forums to minimize the number of wheels we had to reinvent.
Running CC-24 was a privilege and a pleasure. I’m looking forward to
CC-25 and beyond.
Sallie