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Advice? GIRS Future Events Discussion

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Fence13, Oct 27, 2016.

Would you like to see a combined fresh/salt event?

  1. Yes

  2. No

Results are only viewable after voting.
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  1. Oct 27, 2016 #1
    Fence13 Des Moines

    Fence13 Experienced Reefkeeper

    1,226
    Des Moines
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    Okay, this is my attempt to try this again and hopefully get a better result then the last conversation. I tried to type this up while at work and got distracted several times so I hope this goes together coherently.

    It basically comes down to this: As treasurer, I do not want the club to spend thousands of dollars on an event that you the people do not want to do. We hold these fests for our members. All of you give me your $19.12 (the PayPal monster gets their cut) and I want to make sure you get something out of it. I'd rather give everyone $50 then put $5,000 into a bad event. (Disclaimer: No one is getting $50). Also, we cannot do this without your help.

    There has been a recent trend with the fests held by GIRS, mainly centered around a lack of volunteer help. Therefore, I would like to use this thread to do several things:

    1) What do people like at fests? What makes you show up?
    a) Vendors? High end? low end? Hobby sellers only? Dry good vendors?
    b) Food? Do you care about this?
    c) Raffle? Do you care about member only? Do you like big or small prizes? Few or many?
    d) Members only? Open to the public?
    2) If there was a spring fest in DSM would you volunteer to help plan/coordinate/etc.?
    3) Use the voting buttons to give your opinion on combined saltwater/fresh water events.

    Over the past several years, a fest used to be a big production where we would bring in speakers (2 or 3), hold a raffle (of donated goods and spend about $1200), and a mix of vendors and hobbyists. The trend has been in the declining population of volunteers. The slack is normally picked up by a board member or two, but this places a lot of stress and strain on the member. For Fall Fest we tried to do something different, and cut back on the size of the production. Members only, no speakers, smaller raffle. There was still a lot of work put in from a small group of people, most were board members. By focusing more on what members want to see, we hope to streamline the process and make it easier for those involved in planning.

    The current designs for the combined fresh/salt spring fest require a lot of work. Yes the board voted to explore this option, but there are several things that still need done: We need to know what the club wants out of this event, we also need to know there are a lot of volunteers we can depend on for planning, setup, and tear down. No contracts have been signed, and no money has been paid yet. But we only have two weeks to decide (as a club) on what we want to happen.
     
  2. Oct 27, 2016 #2
    Dave Des Moines Area

    Dave Experienced Reefkeeper

    1,749
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    I vote (selfishly!) For a DIY food event in Des Moines as we are into our last bag..I can host if need be.

    Regarding the fest, I would prefer all salt but willing to support a joint if that is the decision.
     
  3. Oct 27, 2016 #3
    TrieuLy Des Moines, IA

    TrieuLy Good Enough Reefkeeper

    28
    Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
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    I recently just joined this club and I would like to get involved more into this club (at least something to do beside housework). You should consider to add one more volunteer (me) for the upcoming Spring Fest or any events. I like to get to know more people, so I can take more advantages on you guys. ;)

    In my opinion, I think combining both salt and fresh would be a great idea. Maybe it's a once a while thing. That way you can bring more attention to more people, bring more people to the club. Trust me, I actually know a lot more freshwater owners than salt owners, even though I'm a salt. At least there is a place to explore more on both ends. :D
     
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  4. Oct 27, 2016 #4
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

    Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    8,876
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    Thanks for posting this Chris!

    With reference to the FW/SW joint event, I had intended to post a thread outlining the idea and include a poll - this thread takes care of the poll so I'll very quickly and briefly spell out the rough outline of what I saw happening. I'll try to keep all the super fine details out of it so that it's not a legendary mega post

    - Small entrance fee ($5 or less)

    - Members free (possibly spouses as well - that was yet to be hashed out, not for discussion here though, just throwing that out there)

    - Food, possibly by Smouse as fundraiser (may be only option due to ISF regs)

    - Saltwater starter/knowledge/Q&A table manned by GIRS members, non-saltys strongly encouraged to bring questions there first

    - Tons and tons and tons and tons of advertising (someone has volunteered recently to become Social Media coordinator)

    - A really big grand prize raffle, like a full tank setup (someone has also stepped up with interest in taking over Vendor Relations)

    - My thought was and always has been a floor separation of hobby types with dry good and mixed vendors in the middle or something like that, the space is gigantic (Knapp Animal Learning Center, Iowa State Fairground)

    - Night before setup for salt vendors

    - Vendor tables charge on a per table basis across the board, $25 per table, if you need power the first table is $30-35 (ISF now sticks you with outlet charges)

    - Very large spaces would be available for big vendors that need it on a "booth" type space basis (TBD)

    After much thought:

    - Tables available to all hobbyists GIRS Members (edited), limit only on space, same as the past

    - Tables available to premium members, same as before

    - Commercial coral vendors: hand picked from a pool of interested vendors, limited to a much smaller amount than before (instead of 10 to 12, we may only have 3 or 4 - this is a major shift in thought and is not final, it hasn't really even been discussed much). This is even if we can get a quality coral vendor to want to come anymore (the way things have gone in the past few years, it might be slim pickings - just being honest here)

    - Non-coral Livestock vendors, no limit really, just as space allows (so we're talking vendors that bring majorly fish and inverts and such)
    Note: table fees for commercial vendors are the same as everyone else. This is also a major shift from the past.

    Raffle: combined effort of both clubs to put together what could possibly be one of the biggest raffles ever (with a goal of spending nothing to get said donations)

    Auction: live auction with a professional auctioneer, there would be a % of each item sold split up between the 2 clubs and the auctioneer (exact details TBD). Things like being able to pay $1 to bump an item to the next on the block, $1 to establish a reserve price on an item, anyone can add an item to the auction, many more details (nothing has been finalized)

    Speaker 1: Scott Fellman has already committed and is waiting for the go-ahead. Scott was with Unique Corals and now is with another company he started I believe Tannin, it's FW, so he can hit both angles. He is very excited to come to Iowa and speak. At least he was the last time I communicated with him, who knows now

    Speaker 2: possibly a well renowned FW speaker from eastern iowa may speak and I think for free

    Speaker 3: possible, nothing discussed yet, would be SW speaker and local and free or low cost

    Event sponsor: there may be a local sponsor kicking in funds

    Concerns:
    Ceacich Aquatics while being a new club is well on the path to establishing NPO status, which is a rather lengthy and complicated process which has become more and more complicated over the years (after approval of everything by the Secretary of State, the application is nearly 100 pages long and requires a huge effort). The point is that they are doing it the right way with the right purpose, setting it up formally and legally and correctly following every law to the letter.

    Even if their NPO status is not fully established by the time of the fest (this is a possibility) then there are a few ways of doing things that would need to be re-worked, but those only relate to how money is handled/split and would not majorly affect how the show was presented to the attendees, and would not affect us from a financial perspective although it may affect them. The point is that we are not going to put ourselves in a position (and we never were going to put ourselves in a position) of propping up another club for their benefit at the cost of GIRS or GIRS membership financially. That would be monumentally stupid as that might put our own NPO status in question and we are not monumentally stupid.

    But they are a real club and there is some drama with them too but the vast majority of people in the hobby could really care less about the people that are throwing spears, they just want to have a good event and hang out with fellow hobbyists.

    I believe that a successful joint event could happen if done right with creativity and ingenuity. Even if it comes down to physically and financially being 2 completely separate events sharing the same space and the only thing the is split between the 2 groups is the cost of the venue and that's it, I think it could be a successful event.

    All of this is of course subject to change and modification and zero things are actually set in stone.

    But I can't run it. I'm stressed out. I will consult and put people together but I gotta be behind the scenes. So unless someone else steps up to take charge and put together a team of people who want to have a great event, it's not going to happen.

    Oops, well...legendary mega post after all. Hope you read it all, it was my master plan to bring something cool to the table. I hope someone else thinks it's as cool of an idea as I did now that I laid it all out.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2016
  5. Oct 27, 2016 #5
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

    Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    8,876
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    Hey man hope all that Seachem stuff you won at FF is working for you! I'm stopping in at Taki tomorrow to clean the scrubber but no one is ever there then

    Here's a link for you to check out regarding volunteering:
    https://www.greateriowareefsociety.org/threads/girs-committees.25245/
     
  6. Oct 28, 2016 #6
    hart

    hart Well-Known ReefKeeper

    730
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    I can't really speak to the logistical side of things, but I personally would really enjoy having fresh with the show. I don't have a proper reef tank now, but still go to frag fest in DM - I don't need to buy anything SW, but I would pick up stuff for my FW tanks. I think it would increase traffic to the fest and maybe even get people to try reefkeeping. Maybe a good opportunity for vendors to sell intro kits like biocubes? I would also like to see a FW section on the forum here, as there isn't a good FW Iowa site I found, but that is another thing.

    And if mixing FW and salt sucks, well then that is just 1 fest. Don't have to do it again.
     
  7. Oct 28, 2016 #7
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

    375
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    Okay let's begin...

    1st - let's plan a get togeather right away with representation from the fresh and salt side. Do a supper somewhere. Invite BOD and People interested in helping in the planning process. We can use this as the kick off.

    2nd - I turly beleave that having a mixed show will not hurt the club by any means. Separation, sure meaning splitting the room. Not building a "WALL". My reason behind this is simple... We all enjoy our hobby. Why not share it? I don't like fresh water personally, but I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that's where I started. It's nice to see the changes and why not show off IMO the better side lol.

    3rd - We are out of time to try and make up our minds on joining forces if we want to lock down the fair grounds as a location. With that said, let's start among the GIRS side the discussion of a back up location in the event the fresh/salt mix doesn't come togeather. I have a location in mind that is cheap in comparison and most of the work has already been discussed/worked out last year. And the deposit is fully refunded if cancellation is done 30 days in advance.

    4th - Speakers! We do not need to pay some hobby YouTube sensation to fly in and stay at a hotel to speak for 45mins to an hour. We have very talented people right here in this club. Topics you may ask??? That's to easy... intro to salt for one speaker. This can be explaining a basic salt setup or commen misconceptions or even both. 2nd speaker, planted aquarium setup basics. What it takes to be successful in operating a planted tank... what equipment is needed or even a showcase of freshwater planted landscapes. We are blessed in this area to have so many knowledgeable people. Let's use them. Some may say... but b_braz what if we can't get anyone to do it???? Also easy fix, pay them! Still cheaper then flying in speakers paying for there food and putting them up in a hotel.

    Finally I will finish with this long *** post with this...
    This club and its events require a lot of work to maintain, setup, plan, or even create events and a functional website that allows all of us to connect. With out the help of our members we can not succeed. Going forward we need to all realize that opinions may differ and that's okay, but let's keep things respectful and not dwell on the past. Let's drive forward to make Spring Fest 2017 a note worthy event regardless of difference in opinions (Fresh/Salt combo). You never know if you don't try. Also Vote B_braz for President! Lol
     
  8. Oct 28, 2016 #8
    Sponge Marshalltown, IA

    Sponge Expert Reefkeeper Vendor

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    There have been a couple swaps put on by the FW Clubs where SW tables were also there. I have not attended those but have gotten some feedback from others (both FW and SW sellers). Those who have spoken to me who were in SW indicated it was "very slow" and not worth their time. FW people told me that it was very slow and attendance was low. All 4 swaps(over the past 2 years) were described the same by the individuals who spoke to me...take it as you will.

    My opinion is that swaps have really gone down hill over the past 3 years in the central part of the states(Ia, Ne, Il, Wis, Minn, Ohio,etc). The big cities like Chicago, etc have good attendance yet but I've not heard retailers/vendors(who make a living at this) as a whole say their sales were great. Many reasons for this which I won't elaborate on. WIth that said, I believe that trying a Fest with FW & SW would be ok. I would not like for the club to be splitting anything but the normal venue cost, etc. Splitting for an Auctioneer and such, I don't feel would be a good idea unless a lot of hobbyists are willing to risk getting $3 for a frag. I think trying a 1/2 SW side and !/2 FW side for the 1st Fest would be fine. This would lower the Club's risk. Just my 2 cents from what I've seen and heard...
     
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  9. Oct 29, 2016 #9
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    Thank you for your input. I personally feel that the hobby as a whole is currently in a slump. It's my understanding this even includes MACNA turnout compared to just a few years ago. However there really is no reason that a Des Moines fest cannot be a premier event if we truely work hard at it and come together as a team. We have all the talent and contacts in this club to make it happen.
     
  10. Oct 29, 2016 #10
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

    375
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    Let's just do it this way...

    Meeting in Johnston at Camp Dodge In the evening of one of the following nights. Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of this next week. Let's say 6-8pm arrive as you can and leave when you must. We will ensure that minutes are taken and posted for those that could not make it. This needs to happen within this next week due to time restrictions involving the venue for the fest. I'm even okay with it happening this weekend yet if we need to.

    I have a large conference / theater room that we may use. Invite the FW contacts, and anyone else who wishes to attend. Attendance does not have to mean you wish to volunteer, just simply want to listen in or voice opinions. All should be welcomed and should be held as an open forum. Let's call it a town hall if you will. I will spring for the pizzas. Expect a PowerPoint to keep the "Town Hall" on track.
     
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  11. Oct 29, 2016 #11
    avratney Aurora

    avratney

    115
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    I think fw/sw event would be great
     
  12. Oct 29, 2016 #12
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    That's great. Will you be able to come to Johnston for a meeting on this topic?
     
  13. Oct 29, 2016 #13
    avratney Aurora

    avratney

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    Depending on work maybe but that is a 3 hour drive and me and my wife are owner operators of telecommunications company keeps pretty busy
     
  14. Oct 29, 2016 #14
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

    375
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    Maybe we can set you up via conference call. I have the ability to have up to 30 callers on the line in my conference room.
     
  15. Oct 29, 2016 #15
    Ray/Jen_Reefin Davenport, IA

    Ray/Jen_Reefin 2016 Vice President / 2015 Volunteer of the year.

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    Do you have a line that people can call in on to join the conference call, or do u need to call us?
     
  16. Oct 29, 2016 #16
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

    Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

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    The military doesn't mess around man!
     
  17. Oct 29, 2016 #17
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

    375
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    I will put out the number when we lock down what night. You will call in.
     
  18. Oct 30, 2016 #18
    blackx-runner Cedar Rapids, IA

    blackx-runner Administrator Website Team Leadership Team

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    Just a note on speakers. Masna will reimburse us the speaker costs for one speaker a year. U think it's still only one. They have a list of eligible speakers. So it's not terribly expensive to fly in and have one big name speaker a year for an event.
    I do agree that a local speaker would be great. I also think some kind of interactive demo or workshop would go over well.
     
  19. Oct 30, 2016 #19
    avratney Aurora

    avratney

    115
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    I would be willing to conference in my wife and I have been discussing be more active about the club
     
  20. Oct 30, 2016 #20
    B_Braz

    B_Braz Well-Known ReefKeeper

    375
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    Okay I will post the dial in instructions when we determine the best night. Please vote for what night and time works best.
     
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