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Collecting => Customs Community and Group Projects => Customs => Celebration IV - Ultimate Group Project => Topic started by: Phrubruh on February 5, 2007, 09:58 AM

Title: Decision made
Post by: Phrubruh on February 5, 2007, 09:58 AM
Just a small update. We are still waiting for LFL to give us the thumbs up or thumbs down on booth space. I asked Mary about this at LFL, she says she is behind getting these things out but hopes to have a yes or no soon.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 5, 2007, 12:24 PM
Paul, man I feel bad for you - it seems like all they do is give you the run around... apparently it's not just us though.

Bill Cable sent an email to everyone, this link is worth reading -

http://threads.rebelscum.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2382303

If they won't let us load our own things... I think we've got a major problem.

Also, I did get a PM from Niub Niub to try and discuss some things.  I'm wondering if Paul you should talk to him?  I can if you want, but maybe we can try and set up a chat with him sometime in the next week or so?  what are your thoughts on that?

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 5, 2007, 03:27 PM
I don't know if that is true as far as fan clubs displays are concerned. If that were true, no fan club would be able to setup. I'm really thinking that this has to more with exhibitors (like Hasbro or Lego with huge displays) and dealers. It doesn't make sense they would make fan clubs follow this rule.

Maybe we should hand out directions at the fan booth to an off site where the diorama is displayed. That way we can make it as big as we want. However, I don't think LFL would like that.

As for Niub Niub I'd prefer if you handle it Justin.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Smartypants1635 on February 5, 2007, 08:30 PM
By the looks of it we have nothing to worry about, its for dealers, not fan booths. If it does come down to fan booths, I will definately pay for all of my stuff to be "loaded" and more :)
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 6, 2007, 12:55 AM
I should be talking with Niub Niub about this soon... heard back from him again today, so that's good news!

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: PenDragon on February 6, 2007, 08:12 AM
Awesomey excelent - thanks for heading that up, Chewie!
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 13, 2007, 09:37 AM
Back in the coal mines we are still waiting on LFL.  :-\ :'(
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 13, 2007, 11:38 AM
If we take up Niub Niub's offer, should we just forget the whole LFL deal?  I know a lot of work went into the pitch to them, but maybe we should tell them that we couldn't afford to wait so long, and were able to get booth space from another source - that they can let someone else use it? 

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: PenDragon on February 13, 2007, 02:14 PM
For what it's worth, I'd rather not just let it go. If we can get the booth, I think we should take it - it's no skin off our back to wait to hear, is it?

Then again, perhaps my expectation of what we are capable of are a bit overreaching. :-\
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 13, 2007, 03:02 PM
Well the way I'm approaching it is we can't really do "both" - just one seems to be hard enough to coordinate... and I would hate to ask Frank to let us use his space, then if we get the nod from LFL, to tell him "thanks, but no thanks." 

I completely see what you're saying, but I think the most sensible way to move forward is taking Niub Niub up on his offer... if we agree we're using his space, and that's it - there's nothing holding us back from moving forward/finalizing construction - is there?  I know that in about a month, I'm going to be almost completely out of touch on this project because of so many other things I have going on - baby coming, finishing basement, working on baby room.  Come April, I might not even have workspace for customizing for a few months.

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: PenDragon on February 13, 2007, 04:39 PM
To clarify: I meant take the booth & Franks offer (not sure if that came across or not) ;D


Cuz I'm greedy.



But yeah, you're right it'd probably be pretty tough to pull both together.

Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 13, 2007, 08:45 PM
I say we go with Frank's offer and if LFL come thru we can use the space for miscellanous displays or even "sublease" it out to another group such as Kris's SWStarTours.net site. I'm on the crew there and I know Kris would love to be represented.

I have a feeling LFL will come thru within weeks of actual event leaving us no time to build anything.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 13, 2007, 09:37 PM
That sounds good Paul, heck if we get the extra spot from LFL, it could even just have some misc. customs on it.  But letting Kris use it if we don't end up needing it would be a great idea.

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Ryan on February 13, 2007, 09:45 PM
Playing devil's advocate again... We were close to needing to scrap the project because we didn't have enough people to staff a both, add to that we may be helping Frank out too and we don't have near enough people to cover the booth even if LFL gives it to us. I say we ditch the booth entirely and go with Frank's space.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 14, 2007, 12:07 AM
Decisions, decisions!!!   ;D

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: BrentS on February 14, 2007, 09:53 AM
Playing devil's advocate again... We were close to needing to scrap the project because we didn't have enough people to staff a both, add to that we may be helping Frank out too and we don't have near enough people to cover the booth even if LFL gives it to us. I say we ditch the booth entirely and go with Frank's space.

I'm with Ryan on this.  I think we are setting up for a logistical nightmare.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 14, 2007, 10:23 AM
I've decided that we will keep the booth and offer it up to Kris or someone else to use. We won't have any content in the booth that we will be in charge of. We will have our dio in Franks booth and help him out with whatever he needs.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Jeff on February 14, 2007, 11:19 AM
I've decided that we will keep the booth and offer it up to Kris or someone else to use.

Wow.  I don't have a lot to do with the UGP anymore, but I have to say that is a terrible idea. 

A lot of fan groups are competing for those free booths.  They took the time to put together an application and send it in to GenCon.  If you get one of the free booths and then turn around and offer it to another group, that is pretty lame IMHO. 

I am pretty sure that LFL and GenCon set up the booth approval process for a reason and that reason wasn't to decide which groups get to give their booths away.   If you don't end up needing your booth, you should probably let LFL/GenCon know so they can give it to another Fan Club who took the time to go through the approval process instead of you just giving it to whoever you feel like.

In your application, you submitted the names of people who wished to use the booth for a specific purpose... think LFL/GenCon is going to be happy with those people to see a totally different group in your booth, especailly if it is a group that they never approved to be there, especailly when there are other fan groups they turned down so you could be there?

Just something to think about...
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Ryan on February 14, 2007, 11:31 AM
I'm with Jeff on this one. Keeping the booth is a bad idea no matter how we try to spin it, keeping the booth won't be a good thing. Adding to what Jeff said... They can ban our entire group from the con for giving our booth away without approval. They have all our names on the application. I for one wouldn't be to thrilled if that were the case...
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 14, 2007, 11:49 AM
Yeah I can see that point, I'm very afraid of pissing off LFL. 

BTW, I sent Niub Niub a pretty detailed email last night to his work account, hopefully will hear back from him soon...

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: BrentS on February 14, 2007, 12:33 PM
I agree with the others, I don't think it would be fair to just give our booth away.  We proposed very specific ideas in that booth and for us not to fufill our commitment makes us look bad.  I think the LFL/gencon staff would understand if we found another suitable alternative for displaying our project.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 17, 2007, 02:29 PM
Fine. We'll ditch the booth if and when LFL ever gets back to me.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on February 21, 2007, 04:48 PM
Still no word from "you know who". I guess its a mute point.
Title: WE HAVE CONFIRMATION !!!
Post by: NiubNiub on February 21, 2007, 09:00 PM
hey Guys,
great news...
I have gotten confirmation from Lucasfilm that it is OK for you guys to display your GIANT DIORAMA in the visitors diorama
exhibition area which is inside the diorama workshop.

If you have visited my site or been to C2 and C3 you then know I loved to share others work next to mine to motivate the most people into starting to display at home.

Your Diorama being SO big, will of course be the centerpiece and sit on a 9 X 24 foot wide table.
i am hoping that another 7-10 high quality dioramas from other visitors will be displayed next to yours as well.

I hope this is good news for you.
Even though it isn't your OWN personal space.

Of course you can have signage next to the diorama saying who made it but remember that since it will be showcased next to others,
people will be lining up to take pictures. hope thats ok.
There is space BEHIND the table if you wish to place 2 or 3 chairs to sit at if you want to answer questions people may have of your work.

any questions, feel free to contact me here or on my web email
comments@niubniubsuniverse.com
Enjoy. C4 will be SO much fun !!!!
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 21, 2007, 09:28 PM
Whoo Hoo!!!! 

Frank you are the best.  Wow, thank you, thank you from all of us!

9 x 24?  Holy cow... I think we were thinking we were down to 9 x 6... 9 x 24??  Wow.

Guys we have to seriously roll our sleeves up now and get to work.

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: NiubNiub on February 21, 2007, 09:55 PM
you are VERY welcome

I am glad you brought it to my attention.
I have been banned from rebelscum and their forums (how old is phil wise? grow up man, life is short)
so I would have not been able to find out about your project had you not written to me direct.

The size of the tables is the max space to give you, of course what you dont need can go to another diorama

though I wonder who will have the courage to be next to your MEGA city :)

can't wait.
are you guys driving that down?
what materials will you be using?
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 21, 2007, 11:23 PM
Cool, so you got my email.

We'll need to discuss and come up with final dimensions very soon.  We've had a bit of back and forth on the dimensions.  I think 9 x 24 might be a little larger than we can do, but what I do I know?  We might need to scale down to 9 x 15 or something - I think that is more realistic.  But I'd like to hear what Phruby, Glassman, Ryan and others think.  We should nail down a definitely size no later than this weekend.

Again thank you, and for the life of me, I have no idea why they would not want you associated with them.  That's a shame.

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Jesse James on February 22, 2007, 01:18 AM
Quote
I have been banned from rebelscum and their forums


Then you're in the right place Frank...  I think half our staff's banned from Scum. :)  Not me of course... [/end angel halo]

That's a generous offer to host the UGP in your space at C4 Frank, and alleviates the issue of space for the crew setting this up. 

If I may make a suggestion...  9x24 is massive and given the response to production I'd definitely scale that back somewhat Justin...  I think 9x15 is pushing it even.  That's a good bit to fill out when you think about it... 

Consider some larger structures to fill portions if too much space becomes a concern...  Quick larger foamcore structures could be a positive answer to that dilemma.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Glassman6 on February 22, 2007, 01:04 PM
This is great news NN, thanks for helping out.

SO are we back to the 9 x9 demensions? Like he said the total area is 9x24, there may be alot of others wh want to display their stuff.
So whe shouldnt "hoard" the entire table.

So if we do 9x9, 2 questions. Do we add back a spaceport?  Second, if we are the "center piece of the 9x24 tables and there is area to walk behind, is there place for the "scenic backdrop"? I was thinking it would be in a corner and we would have 2 side to hang the backdrop, but if its in the center of a table that has no "walls" do we do a backdrop at all?

Thoughts?

Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 22, 2007, 01:09 PM
If it's not against a wall, then I don't think we'll be able to have a backdrop.  Any idea Niub Niub if this is possible?  It doesn't sound like it is to me...

On the dimensions, 9 x 9 might work... I tend to think of dioramas though in more of a rectangle shape... maybe that's just me.  What if we went 6 x 12 for the floor plan on it instead?  I would "think" we can add in the spaceport.  It might just have an Imperial Shuttle and a couple small ships though.

You know what I think would look cool in it in the spaceport?  A couple of repainted Skyhoppers.

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: NiubNiub on February 22, 2007, 06:04 PM
9 X 24 is the MAX space I can allot to YOUR diorama
if smaller that is ok, but cannot be bigger

the entire visitor diorama section is 92 feet X 9 feet.

so if you want to go to 15 feet wide that works good.

Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: BrentS on February 22, 2007, 09:01 PM
Awesome news Frank.  Thanks so much for helping us out with this!!! 

I've got some endor figures to send your way too!
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Ryan on February 23, 2007, 10:30 PM
What wonderful time to be without internet... ::)

I think that for now 6' deep x 9' wide is a good size. We have had a enough people drop out or not show interest anymore than filling out much larger than that will be tricky. Should any figures tip over they will be easier to fix as well. I'm big enough that I can reach almost anywhere within that space. Any bigger and we'd have to partially take apart the diorama. I did post a new blueprint in the concept thread here it is too if you want to check it out...

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_Blue_print_mockup_animated2.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/Blue_print_mockup_animated2.jpg)

Another thing to consider is we have about two months before these need to be shipped and it took 1 month to make 1 building and another for a piece of terrain. I think going bigger would really be pushing it. I'm going to be busy enough these next few months as is. It makes it easy to divvy up the terrain between 2-3 people too. 2' x 2' is nice and mangeable.

That being said if we make a lot of progress quickly we can go bigger. I just don't want us to stretch ourselves too thin and then end up with a half full diorama. Hopefully we can make a lot of progress quickly and get this made a little bigger. For now though I say we stick with 9' x 6' and then we can go from there if we still have time.

Hey Frank do you know how many people you would be able to get into the Convention early to set up? I know Jesse had one hell of a time trying to get just ONE VIP badge so he could get in to set up the FFURG booth. He had to sneak others in at the loading dock or they wouldn't have been able to get it all set up. And I know ours will be more involved than that. I figure since we have help on the inside (;)) we should be able to get a few? Right now I know I'll need one, Phruby will need one, and maybe two or more people if you can swing it. Anyways dio Assignments should be here by the end of the weekend and we can get started.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: NiubNiub on February 24, 2007, 01:12 AM
I'm afraid I can't help you with the badges.
People/fans who place their dioramas on display do so to show their work to the fans and don't count as "staff" if you will
but more like exhibitors of the workshop.

I only have 5 passes given to me to find my "staff"
certainly NOT V.I.P. LOL not even I get that I am afraid.

If I were to give my passes to you guys, I wouldn't have anyone helping me at the workshop.
Now I could offer you a pass if you want to work at the workshop, but that would take you away from YOUR area.
I assume you want to sit and mingle with the fans behind your diorama.

I can however let you in the day before during SET UP
just go to loading doack and give my name and mention the dioramas builders in the fan hall

sorry about the passes.

Since you had already contacted Mary at Lucasfilm, she may be able to asnwer you if she can send you
passes for your crew.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on February 24, 2007, 01:30 AM
Frank thanks again for the information you're feeding us.  I have a feeling we'd be in a sinking ship without your assistance and communication to us.

Regarding the design - I like Ryan's layout a LOT.  Very specific on what needs to be made with the buildings being labeled like that.

As for the terrain... are we going with the ready mat?  I am still an advocate of one person making the terrain and bringing it with them (so it looks consistent and we don't have to piece it together).  Ryan had made a small version of one at one time that looked excellent.  One thing we really ought to do in my opinion is have several baggies of lichen on hand that can be added at the end to cover up any possible seams or buildup of some shrubbery around the city wall.

I am going to try and be the one that makes the main wall.  I think having two people do it will be too hard to do.  People will use differnet methods, color, texture, etc.  It just wouldn't look right.  I will know within 2 weeks if this is something I can fully commit to (and I do intend to) - a lot depends on what I can or can't get done the next couple weeks.

And again, GREAT job on that map Ryan.  I am seeing this as a lot more doable about now.

DAMN I can not wait to see this thing and am depressed that I can't be there in person...  :-\

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on March 14, 2007, 10:28 AM
After a few more emails to Mary at LFL, I've gotten NO responses back about the fan booth or anything for that matter. It seems a little rude that they won't even say that they still havn't decided or even to say we are or not accepted. I mean we did do everything they asked and to not even receive a simple acknoledgment back seems in poor form.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: NiubNiub on March 15, 2007, 04:53 PM
Don't feel it's just about you Phurby.
be aware that I now work below Mary on the 4th floor and it sometimes takes 1 week or more for her to get back to me.

She works like 9 am to midnight preparing the convention
imagine having to organise EVERYTHING.

we are just lower on the priority. and as for "rude" no replies...

After my ILM interview last year, it took them 8 months !!!!! to reply to my whats hapening email.
and I was a chosen candidate.

Sadly, the company is so big that they  receive tons of emails and ONLY reply when they ...
A) have an answer
B) need to find something out NOW

imagine how many emails and time it would take to reply to the "i dont know yet, stay tuned..." crowd.
I know I felt the same way as you, why dont they at least just acknoledge the email, even if its bad news.

I finally learned how it all works. Hope this helps clarify some of your concerns.

ps... I too sometimes take a little longer then I wish to reply to my mails, but I do reply.
frank
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: patreektherodian on March 15, 2007, 10:05 PM
All hail wise old Niub!


ps gonna send you some pics soon.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on March 16, 2007, 09:59 AM
That's good to hear Frank. I'm just a little concerned that their web site said they will respond by January 31st. Mary even told me she was running a week late and promissed it that weekend. Of course that was a month and half ago. I guess the whole thing is a mute point anyway. I'm just really thankful for your help.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on March 17, 2007, 11:37 AM
I just got an email from Mary Franklin. We are approved. She will be mailing information this week.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Ryan on March 17, 2007, 04:47 PM
So we still intend to ditch the booth, correct? We already had planned on using Frank's space, we should contact Mary ASAP and let her know we aren't going to use the space...
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Daigo-Bah on March 18, 2007, 10:27 AM
LOL- now we have too much space!
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on March 18, 2007, 02:50 PM
I agree, we ought to go with Frank's space.  I feel much better doing that... but of course it's definitely awkward not using the space they alloted for us, but wow here it is mid March and we just now find out.  What else were we supposed to do but see what our options were, and accept a definite offer over something that might or might not pan out?

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on March 18, 2007, 04:07 PM
There are pros and cons both ways. I havn't decided which way to go yet. There are certain financial and control benefits by going with our assigned booth. I need the leadership to pm me and to list out what you think are the pros and cons privately to me.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: CHEWIE on March 20, 2007, 04:06 PM
We discussed via PM... I'd prefer going with Frank's space, but then again, I am not going to be physically there and there benefits to using the LFL space.  I say this is ultimately Phruby's call (and I know it's not an easy decision).

 :P
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: NiubNiub on March 22, 2007, 07:20 PM
Why don't you use the Diorama Tables space fopr your DISPLAY SPACE, and keep your BOOTH space to meet and greet people. It's in the same room, you can ask Mary to place your fan table right next to the workshop if that is at all possible.

This way, at your table you will be able to give out shirts, posters, whatever you feel like doing that wont mix up and confuse workshop visitors with our own giveaways.

I think this would be best.
what do you think?

frank
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: PenDragon on March 22, 2007, 08:47 PM
I am so glad you said that, Frank.

I've really wanted to ask if we could have the best of both worlds. But, until now, I didn't really push for it 'cause I thought it might be looked at as greedy.   Seems like your idea would be a great way to get around that. And for what it's worth, the idea gets my vote.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Ryan on March 23, 2007, 03:47 AM
Again I say we go with Frank and ditch the booth. I've got a few problems with some of the pros that have been listed so far. I can't stress enough how I much I do not like the idea of a booth now that it isn't our only option...

Pros:

  • One free pass. Admittedly this would be nice but it does have drawbacks which I will get to later.
  • Control over table and not worrying about stepping on someone's toes. I guess.
  • Distinction. Maybe.

Cons:

  • These booths are corner booths. That means one view of the diorama will be almost completely obstructed. Considering that is was designed to have three views this is not very favorable. With Frank's space I'm sure he would be willing to let us have a few feet on either side since he was willing to give us 24 feet of space for the diorama.
  • Constantly having to staff the booth. I realize we do have a considerable amount of people going for the weekend, and some people have no problems working the booth. BUT I think that not having to make schedules is one less thing to stress about in the following weeks is one less thing to stress about. It is almost inevitable that if we had a booth at least one of us staffing it would have some conflict on a scheduled time. It is good to get things scheduled quickly, but the only problem is that we don't know what the convention schedule is, and what cool events/panels/interviews there will be. I can easily foresee someone having scheduled booth time during the one event they want to go to the most at the con. Ultimately booth time will feel like a chore. And this is supposed to be all for fun. Not having to constantly staff a booth will give us all more flexibility. We lose that stuck at a booth.
  • On a similar note, what if we have one person staffing the booth for 2-3 hours alone, and they suddenly have to go the restroom?
  • The kiddies... I know a few of you here will be bringing your kids. I know I would not for the life of my have been able to just stand still for about an hour around a booth when I was a wee lad. Going with Frank's space gives us more flexibility on this too. If any of the kids need to go to the bathroom or want to walk around a bit, the parents can leave without worrying about leaving the booth unattended. And if they are just plain bored we are in Frank's space... Just send them over to work on a tree for the Endor diorama. That way they are entertained and they are right where you can still see them while working the UGP.
  • Setup. Have fun doing this all by your lonesome Phruby. From experience I know these people are real douche bags when it comes to letting people in to set-up. Jesse had to beg and plead for just 1 free VIP pass for the FFURG booth. And even after he had it they wouldn't let anyone else in to help him. He had to try and sneak people in at the loading docks. Compared to how much set-up we have they had hardly anything. So you may get a free pass but you will be doing most of the work by yourself or risk getting kicked out for sneaking people in. And have fun trying to set up all 56 square feet by yourself. Blending the seams in the terrain, perfectly laying the tile, finding just the right set-up for the city (even though we will have a rough layout once I know all the building sizes,) and setting up a few hundred figures doesn't really sound like a one man job. With Frank's space we may not get any VIP passes but we shouldn't have any trouble getting a few people in to set-up. Oh and not to mention how do we decide who gets the pass? Is Phruby going to get it by default because he had the idea for the UGP, or does the person who spent the most money and has to be there for the setup, or do we give it to someone who couldn't otherwise afford it, or someone else entirely?
  • We told Frank we would use his space. Personally I'd feel a lot worse about canceling on Frank than on Mary Franklin and LFL. Mary should be able to find a group to fill the booth fairly easily. This is good as it lets more people get involved and will make the fan hall more diverse, making it more enjoyable. It's common courtesy as well to any other groups out there. And I think Frank said he was having trouble filling up the visitors diorama section. Having us back means he has a huge space to fill. Not only that Frank has been instrumental in the success of this hobby, he deserves this.
  • Security. The more space we are allotted the less we will have to worry about the table being bumped. With a booth it will happen. It happened quite a bit at the FFURG booth. Figures will fall over but we want to do what we can to decrease the frequency of which they do so. Flimsy curtains were all that separated the booths at C3, so we would even have to worry about bumping coming from our neighboring booths as well.

Non issues:

  • "Not having someone stand in the middle of a room talking about this one diorama while others are completely unrepresented." This was a non-issue at C3, Frank had his staff wandering the visitor’s dio area to help answer questions about the various individual dios. Us talking about ours isn't going to make us look pretentious or callous. It being the biggest dio, short of Endor of course, it is deserving of a staff of it's own. We don't want to thins out Frank's staff. I'm sure we could help out with the others too if they need help.
  • More booths dedicated to our hobby. Frank has a HUGE chunk out of the hall. No one will notice or care about one more or less booths. Raising awareness comes more from the people actively participating in dio building. Ours is more, 'Hey look what we can do!' Not that there is anything wrong with that mind you. But there are people here who often talk of bringing the community together. So why segregate the dioramas? It doesn't seem to me like it portrays that message. 
  • "Holding our own contests without stepping on some else's toes." As long as we check with Frank I'm sure he wouldn't mind us running a contest or two of our own. Frank is a real nice guy, I'm sure he would understand.
  • "Complete control over the table and what is handed out." We can't hand things out if we are in Frank's area? Where did that idea come from? Again I'm sure if we check with him he'd be more than happy to oblige.
  • "Exposure - Extensive web coverage by JD and Yak no matter what table it is at. We also have our own web site to display pictures. The idea is to raise awareness of our hobby. Both Franks and our booth do that." I do agree here.
  • "Not just another diorama among many - Distinction." Even if we are separate, we will still be another diorama among many. Geography won't really change that. We will still be fairly distinct because of our size, and hopefully the quality.


I really see very little reasoning behind going with the LFL booth, that and I feel it is completely the wrong direction to go with this project now that we have a much better option. We should let Mary know that the booth will no longer be needed. And she can give it to one of the other deserving fan groups that was on the bubble and didn't get space.


Keeping in mind what Frank just said, I'd still like to go with exclusively his space. And I'd have no problems ditching any giveaways if that were to get too consusing. Even if the booth is right near his, we still not only have to staff that, but we may need someone actually by the dioram itself. There is only so much you can do away from it.

One other con of going excluively with the LFL that I just thought of is that we will likely get only one table. I remember Jesse was saying something of the sort happened to them and they had to go scrounging for more elsewhere, and if I remember correctly they may have even had to borrow them from Frank.

One vote here to stick exclusively with Frank's space.
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: patreektherodian on March 23, 2007, 07:54 AM
I don't understand what the fuss is about. Did we not say we were going with Frank a long time ago?
Title: Re: Still waiting on LFL....
Post by: Phrubruh on March 23, 2007, 11:08 AM
Ok. After weighing everyone opinions, I've decided to go with Frank's place. The way I see it, the potental headaches and stresses that were are going to have to endure will be alot less without the fan booth.

We are however still going to need volunteers to be around the diorama to keep an eye on things but they do have the freedom to go do other things. There will not be any security around the diorama. We're going to have to act on faith that people won't steal since there isn't really anything we can do about it. I do want to have a free drawing during the convention to get rid of some of the larger non returnable  pieces. I think that will be ok.

If this is ok by everyone I'll let Mary know.
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: BrentS on March 23, 2007, 02:46 PM
Works for me. 

From what I remember from C3 - the Dioramas were separated by a rope or something.  People were very respectful of the displays.
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Daigo-Bah on March 23, 2007, 06:26 PM
Phrube, that sounds great!  I'll be sending you another package in about a week or so too.  I'll let you know when!
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: NiubNiub on March 23, 2007, 08:52 PM
hey guys....

doing some catchup reading...

now remember... your display in the diorama workshop is NOT A BOOTH
yes indeed it is an area dedicated to the promotion of the hobby, a way to showcase to the people what can be done to display figures.

Yours will indeed be the BIGGEST in SIZE but not exclusive to the space intended for VISITOR displays like in the past.
I dont like the event to be all about ME, which is why i am MOST pleased to offer you a place to show off your awesome work.
Im gonna try an attach an image to show you the layout of the workshop.
your diorama is TOP center.

there will be some chairs available for you to sit behind the table it is standing on for you to answer questions and all.

but - without sounding like a total dick (can I say that? :P) please understand it is still the endor workshop, its not a space for gathering that will block access to the participants of the workshop.
or TWO booths connected to one environment (floor space)

ex.... your idea for a drawing. I think thats very cool, but you cannot say have 100 people gathered around while people are trying to build trees.
does this make sense?

thats why I think the idea of both spaces is even BETTER for you guys.
being in the VISITOR area, you have a BIGGER space at the workshop to display then if you had just the same fan booth as the others

but if you are in YOUR the booth you can do ANYTHING that YOU WANT.
giveaways - prizes - folders - pamflets - promotion of your website etc... and still point people at the display and vice versa.
when at the diorama can have a sign saying visit our booth for more info and how it was created or something like that

I hope this makes sence and clears things up a little.
frank

Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: PenDragon on March 23, 2007, 11:30 PM
So if I understand correctly (and please correct me if I'm wrong):

No booth = No "giveaways - prizes - folders ... etc "

No booth = No good advertising for Ultimate Group Project / Jedi Defender / YakFace / elmeaux.com / JackPoint.com, outside of maybe a folded pamphlet that we could put on the table that holds our dio

No booth = Judde Lulos is the largest dio in the Visitor Provence of  Niub-land, but is not much of a force unto itself (besides the fact that it's absolutely beautiful, of course ;) ).


Yes booth = we CAN have all that stuff mentioned above, more, AND SPACE AT NUIB's

Yes booth = a bigger total space, for the betterment of the entire hobby



I'm probably sounding like an ass here, but I'm just trying to play Devil's Advocate. I hate to see this project be anything less than what it's capable of.  :-\

Oh, and Frank, no matter what you say (unless you take away the offering of space), I'm pretty sure no one thinks that you're a dick.  ;D
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Phrubruh on March 24, 2007, 07:05 PM
Frank's got a great point. I havn't sent anything off to Mary yet so we still have the booth. I think we should keep the booth for literature handouts and contests while still pointing people to see the real display over at Franks. Heck, Frank could also store a few things there if he wants. This way we can help point people over to Frank, we still get any passes that come along with it and we don't have to worry about manning the empty booth 24 hours a day. It makes for a good offsite meeting area or lounge to hang out in and visit each other without getting in Frank's way. It's kind of the best of both worlds.

I really like this idea. What say you all? 
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: PenDragon on March 24, 2007, 07:44 PM
Ya know my vote :)
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Daigo-Bah on March 24, 2007, 08:16 PM
I mean, they're both free spaces, so why not!  I wish I was going to be there...
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 24, 2007, 09:08 PM
I say Take both of them, it will really spread us all out and will also allow us to do what we want with it.
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: NiubNiub on March 24, 2007, 10:28 PM
It makes for a good offsite meeting area or lounge to hang out in and visit each other without getting in Frank's way.

This is EXACTLY what I was trying to say LOL.
It is YOUR UNIQUE space, you will have spcae to put a banner have people hang out, without getting in the way of people at the workshop.
The reason I mention this often is that as opposed to the other years, the set up this time is built in a ROTATION design, meaning people wont be sitting at the SAME table the whole construction of their tree. There will be a LOT of walking around and carrying 4 foot trees from one table to the next.

If you have say a group of 12 or more people standing talking about how excited you are for transformers to come out (;p) it might block the path for a tree person to walk to their next station.

I think if you've been to the past conventions and to my site you guys know that I am not a swelled headded person and not asking you to take both spaces because I want to claim the entire workshop as MINE MINE MINE :)

let me quote the next post so we can put this to rest now that we know you will use the tables space of the workshop and your booth for self promotion.

back to work for me. frank
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Famine on March 24, 2007, 10:35 PM
Fantastic idea. 8)

Kevin
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: PenDragon on March 24, 2007, 10:42 PM
Oh, and late HAPPY BIRTH DAY Niubster!  (Good to see that your site is being updated so often!)
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: NiubNiub on March 24, 2007, 10:56 PM
So if I understand correctly (and please correct me if I'm wrong):

1) No booth = No "giveaways - prizes - folders ... etc "

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
Folders next to your diorama, a sign with your names, club etc... is ok and a MUST, I will not take credit for your creation. this was never my intention in offering the visitors display section.
can have giveaways like pins, tshirts yes, , For a PRIZE means a contest or a DRAWING which could cause conflict with the rules of gencon and cause problems for the workshop area.
which is the reason I mentioned that if you have a contest for prizes, it is best done at a booth.

REMEMBER - you cannot sell tickets for a contest - state lottery crap prohibits such things without a permit. I tried last year and found out the hard way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) No booth = No good advertising for Ultimate Group Project / Jedi Defender / YakFace / elmeaux.com / JackPoint.com, outside of maybe a folded pamphlet that we could put on the table that holds our dio

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
NO, you CAN advertise, I have ZERO problem you placing a foamcore sign next to the diorama with the Ultimate Logo, Visit us at our booth, Prizes every hour at the booth, that is fine.
Logos of Jedi Defender, Yak, advertisers etc... that helped with the project is a definete YES, I have no problems there if its a THANK YOU type thing. Thanks to Yak for supporting us.
If its publicity only like a 30 foot yak banner well thats another thing :P that would not work.

You can have postcards, pamflets, no prob, but that would be a good thing to have at your space (booth) as well. Make a sign that says Visit our booth for more info.
Of course there is a space with chairs that I planned out for you guys so you can have your guys man the dio AS WELL as the booth to tell people to go back and forth.
You can also hand out promo stuff/giveaways at the chairs, but if I were you I would think up giveaways or such that make people visit both to max your exposure.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) No booth = Judde Lulos is the largest dio in the Visitor Provence of  Niub-land, but is not much of a force unto itself (besides the fact that it's absolutely beautiful, of course ;) ).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
Yes it will be the biggest in size but best? mmmm, I would think Jamie Follis might have something to say about that ;p LOL

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


4) Yes booth = we CAN have all that stuff mentioned above, more, AND SPACE AT NUIB's

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
At the Ewok Landscaping you have 9 3feet X 8feet tables for you to place your diorama on.
at your booth you can dance NAKED with Twilek girls if you wish :) yes - that means ANYTHING since I cannot get into trouble for what you do there :)


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5) Yes booth = a bigger total space, for the betterment of the entire hobby

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
Yes that is very true.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm probably sounding like an ass here, but I'm just trying to play Devil's Advocate. I hate to see this project be anything less than what it's capable of.  :-\

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, and Frank, no matter what you say (unless you take away the offering of space), I'm pretty sure no one thinks that you're a dick.  ;D


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Niub says :
I've changed my mind, since Mary gave you a tiny space you wont need my big space anymore - oops did I say that out loud? ;p LOL
I appreciate that I am not a dick :) hee hee

see you at the show !!!!

frank


Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: PenDragon on March 24, 2007, 11:28 PM
Ok, so dancing naked with Twilek girls...

I'll get right on that.  ;D

Too bad about the 30 foot Yak banner tho ... 


;) Seriously, thanks for the clarifications my man.
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Phrubruh on March 24, 2007, 11:35 PM
Cool. Sorry Frank we've never done this before. Its been a great learning experience. Sometimes we are a little thick headed around here. Well...mostly me. :P  I guess that is what happens when everything gets discussed in a committee.

Happy Birthday dude!

So Tom, you need to get ahold of the dancing Twilek girls. I hear their is a spearment Rhino not far from the convension center. We won't go into how I know this.  :-[
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 25, 2007, 08:48 PM
Do tell ;)
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: patreektherodian on March 25, 2007, 09:21 PM
What is a spearment Rhino?
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: PenDragon on March 25, 2007, 10:59 PM
I can't say, but I can tell you that google's first few results paint a pretty clear picture  ;)
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: Phrubruh on March 26, 2007, 09:45 AM
It's chewing gum.  ;)
Title: Re: Decision made
Post by: patreektherodian on March 26, 2007, 11:42 AM
YUMMY!!!!!

But nothing beats those kinds of places than the one's in Montreal   (They RULE!!!)