What Does it Take To Organize One?

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jimk
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What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by jimk »

OK, so you have to have:
  • a venue.....check
    good eats.....check
    good beer.....double check
    close accommodations to the venue...check
    a suggested song list TBA
...and the other stuff I'm leaving out. What is that other stuff? Kira, and whoever organizes the SoCal and MARF confluences....help me out here.

JimK
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paologregorio
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by paologregorio »

jimk wrote:OK, so you have to have:
  • a venue.....check
    good eats.....check
    good beer.....double check
    close accommodations to the venue...check
    a suggested song list TBA
...and the other stuff I'm leaving out. What is that other stuff? Kira, and whoever organizes the SoCal and MARF confluences....help me out here.

JimK
Interest is key!
First find out how many people are interested in the event so you'll know what type of venue you'll need.
Deciding what type of event you want to have is important as well; will it be more of a jamming type of event, or a display type of event? If it's the former, make sure you know some songs you can play together, and make sure you know a few drummer friends who are interested, and treat them as guests of honor! IIf it's the latter, make sure you have enough space.
Find out who's relatively local, and try to get a couple of other people involved.
Promote, promote, promote; keep reminding people of the event, and enticing them into showing up! Invite musicians you know who may not even own Ricks if they're good people, and interested; singers, drummers, keyboard players add if it's a jam.
Dane Wilder used to live in So Cal and was a fixture at all of our jams and SCARFs, and he now lives in Kansas, He also plays drums, bass, and guitar, and even sings.
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kiramdear
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by kiramdear »

A hole in one's head? :lol:

Seriously, Jim, it's like Paul sez. A lot of networking and promoting as well as well as the things you first mentioned. There's no secret to it. It's 90% willingness and 10% outreach and communication.

And a good bull whip. :twisted: :mrgreen: :lol:
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ajish4
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by ajish4 »

kiramdear wrote:A hole in one's head? :lol:

Seriously, Jim, it's like Paul sez. A lot of networking and promoting as well as well as the things you first mentioned. There's no secret to it. It's 90% willingness and 10% outreach and communication.

And a good bull whip. :twisted: :mrgreen: :lol:
Paul said it best....it's like herding cats!

Each day brings "I'll be there" or "have to cancel", or some other surprise from the venue....

DON'T GET DISCOURAGED. Easy to say, hard to do.

Seems the economy had an impact on these confluences. ALSO, try to be conscious of others confluences....for example, you don't want to schedule a confluence CLOSE to another regional confluence.

Keep in mind MARF is forming, it may be a good idea to check with the folks running that to try to firm up dates so you don't clash. Just some humble advice. DAMN frustrating to be trying to put together a confluence then another one pops up and draws folks away from yours.
Last edited by ajish4 on Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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8mileshigher
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by 8mileshigher »

Jim

Paulie 8) wrote the book on Confluence Organizing and has done a fantastic job in generating enthusiasm for these events !! :D
Kira has become the Sorcerer's Apprentice here with the tremendous effort she has done in a short time span getting BARC from the conceptual stage to the reality stage !!! :D
You can also check out this earlier thread
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=395548&start=0
Good Luck !!
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modrock
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by modrock »

It takes a Kira on your team to get things done :D :D :D :D
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kiramdear
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by kiramdear »

I trust that BARC is not stealing the fire from Scottfest, Tony? And I guess the folks down SOCAL way are planning something for later in the Summer, too, though it's still a "secret" at this point. I trust Joey would have told me if there was a conflict.
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ajish4
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by ajish4 »

kiramdear wrote:I trust that BARC is not stealing the fire from Scottfest, Tony? And I guess the folks down SOCAL way are planning something for later in the Summer, too, though it's still a "secret" at this point. I trust Joey would have told me if there was a conflict.
NOT at all Kira, that wasn't what I was trying to convey or imply.

By "confluence", I'm thinking of something MUCH more formal than Scottfest.

Scottfest is more of a meet & greet than a confluence. NO scheduled display or jam time, no venue or hotel rooms to book, just some folks hanging out at my house eating & drinking and passing a few RICS around. MUCH DIFFERENT. Local confluences are just that...LOCAL, but when its a BIGGIE like MARF or SOCAL, it's a different story.

Back when we were planning SERF, another confluence popped up while we were scheduling and many of the cancellations we received were due to folks attending a confluence closer to home as it were. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE, but trying to plan rooms, meals, transportation, evening activities, group admissions to Disney, you name it, while things start to unravel due to another (regional if you will) confluence coming on line. I REALLY feel strongly that should there be a (for lack of a better term) FORMAL REGIONAL CONFLUENCE, (like a MARF) consideration should be given to that confluence, that's all. A lot of money had to be committed to the SERF venue as to a minimum of rooms to be book to get qualify for the conference room, and when folks started to cancel, the cost almost put SERF out of business.

All I'm saying is to have some common courtesy when planning, that's all.
Just trying to give Jim some advice...not an off handed shot at anyone....just conveying my experiences a few years back. It was very frustrating.
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kiramdear
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by kiramdear »

Thanks, Tony!

BARC is not nearly as complicated as what you describe. The only financial commitment we have is for the studio proper, and even that can be cancelled 48 hours prior, god forbid. The rest is up to the individuals to find rooms, etc. Looks like it's going to be a pretty decent turnout, too. Woody is coming down from Oregon and the gang (maybe five or six) is coming up from SOCAL. That's about as far as our attraction reaches.

There hasn't been a lot of physical work in planning this event. I went and visited the studio and took a few pics and booked it, but the rest has been accomplished from the comfort of my lounge (thank you macintosh). The actual attendees are putting in the bulk of the effort in getting here.

There is still a lot left to do, however, in the way of getting tables and chairs and lighting, decorations, etc. together. I'm still pounding skulls to try to square that away so that we're not going to be just standing around in these bare, gloomy practice spaces.

Gary is offering his place for a Friday pre-jam jam, too. That should be nice for the folks who want to bone up beforehand. And of course, the guest bands are really going to be the icing on the cake. I'm rounding up a bass rig for whoever needs it, but that's the extent of my physical effort so far in that regard. This has all been DIY for the members except for my yammering on, pretty much.
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rickenbrother
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by rickenbrother »

As far as I know, Scottfest was planned around timing of Scott's Floriduh vacation and BARC was planned around when most people who would be willing to attend, could do so. Therefore, I don't see either one could have intentionally stole any thunder from the other. I wish I could attend both. Unfortunately due to the condition of my foot, I might not make it to either. :(

I'm hoping there's SCARF later this summer or even possibly in October, but I wouldn't want it too close to MARF...not that many besides Paul W have been traveling far to SoCal for the past couple of years anyway. The people on the east coast and mid west will tend to go to MARF, the SoCal people will tend to go to SCARF. At the last MARF, the only west coast people that attended were Kenny and I. The other long distance travelers to MARF were Trotty and GG.

I like going to as many confluences as I can. It's the only time I get to see certain forum friends that I don't always get to see. Plus I get to drool over their Ricks.
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collin
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by collin »

Main ingredient = LOCATION



A large reason that many of the confluences are on the coasts is because that's where the largest concentration of forumites are. (Which might be a hurdle in Kansas, Jim).
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jimk
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by jimk »

OK....HARC ain't gonna happen this summer. I'm still turning over the idea and deciding if I want to do it, or not at all.

Dane Wilder lives in Kansas?? :shock: :shock: Miengottemhimmelriekj! Must have been some tremendous job offer, 'cause there's no other excuse, unless that is he's running away from home! :lol:

Back to what kind of confluence....I think a jam would be nice. Since Rickophiles are spread pretty thinly in the Heartland, that would probably be best. Getting one or two bands to be ringers, so to speak might be feasible.

As far as location.....there's more of Everything you could possibly want on either coast. That fact is abundantly clear to even the most isolated, insular of Midwesterners. They either ignore that, or at the very least don't let it get them down and plan their lives, events, and gauge their expectations accordingly. There's more truth to what Garrison Keillor has to say about life in Lake Woebegon than you might think.

Thanks for all the tips. Meanwhile, I'm still thinking it over.
JimK

P.S. I'd consider a half dozen people in attendance a smashing success.
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by jps »

ajish4 wrote:
kiramdear wrote:Scottfest is more of a meet & greet than a confluence.
Is he signing autographs? Posing for pics? :mrgreen:
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by beatbyrd »

jimk wrote:OK....HARC ain't gonna happen this summer. I'm still turning over the idea and deciding if I want to do it, or not at all.
Thanks for all the tips. Meanwhile, I'm still thinking it over.
JimK

P.S. I'd consider a half dozen people in attendance a smashing success.
Hi Jim,
How 'bout a 3 or 4 day mini vacation to SoCal, for the next jam? I seem to recall that long distance travelers are treated as guests of honor. I think the amount of honor is based on distance traveled, but I might be wrong on that! You'd probably at least get a nice breakfast.....
Tom
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jimk
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Re: What Does it Take To Organize One?

Post by jimk »

Next year a Rick confluence on the Left Coast is looking like top travel priority in part because I have family up in Oregon. So it would be no problem to hop a train down to SoCal. Hope to meet many of you then.
JimK
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