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Begin forwarded message:
From: Jim Hunkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun Aug 3, 2003 2:25:19 PM US/Pacific To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Show management - quantity and quality
Guys,
I have seen some discussion recently about how QL shows are put on. I also noticed that Quanta has moved into a bi-monthly publication schedule. This brings some thoughts to mind that, as I tend to do so easily, I would like to share.
First, my hat off to the guys running Quanta. I know that going bi-monthly was a tough decision but it was well past its time. I found it actually someone annoying getting a magazine that was often almost empty of content, just to try to keep with a monthly publication schedule (through no fault of the editor nor lack of trying). I find that sending Quanta out every other month and making sure that it has some content just makes total sense. And doing it on the alternate months with QL Today was perfect. Something new to look forward every month!
What does that have to do with the shows? Actually quite a bit. Now that our community is rather small and tight nit, new software and hardware is limited in number and introduction. Trying to keep publishing and doing shows on a very tight back-to-back pace may not really make sense.
The way I picture it (and it is only a picture being isolated like I am on the west coast of the US) is that for the normal get together and everyday business, this should be done in the different user's groups regular meetings.
The shows should be managed together in a time frame and location matrix that would spread them out over an even time spread and location coverage. This would help insure that new stuff would be sufficient to keep the interest up and that everyone could get to one or two near them at least every year.
Now this alone will not be enough I suspect since, to be frank, there are just not enough of us developing new stuff or doing major updates. The few that are very active can only do so much and the rest of us are bogged down with other obligations so new material is spread fairly thinly out.
So how can a show be spruced up and made interesting? I would like to use the QL US show for an example of a good way of doing things.
Since the US is such a large land mass out with so few QL users, to get us to travel that far, even once a year, the show has to be more than a bunch of tables with stuff on them. What Al has set up for our show over here is a lot more than this.
First, he somehow convinces the traders to fly over from Europe every time - not cheap and I am sure not profitable in any way or shape or form. Then he arranges for a series of talks by different people of products, how to do things, etc. Even my old brain learns new things with these. Then he tops it off with the social aspect. He sets up dinners and meals for us all to sit around, talk old and new times, and be totally relaxed and kick back. While he doesn't necessarily encourage it, he allows those of us from the bad side of social graces to wander out into the evening for some very sociable drinking and other non-sense. He even takes the effort to make sure there is something for the other half of the attendees who don't really care about our addiction to be entertained with activities such as sight seeing and such.
Now this is all a lot of work. But if it is planned out ahead of time, only tackled once per location per group (notice the word group - more than one person would be helpful to arrange everything), it really isn't that hard to do. Probably the hardest thing is talking the people into committing their arrival and perhaps to doing a talk (funny though, some of us seem to be naturals, at least once we get started).
Just some thoughts on all this. In summary, fewer may be better both for shows and publication, as long as they are properly coordinated amongst each other and well planned out. Now who wants to volunteer to be a central point for mapping out the show locations and times :) [ assuming that anyone takes this seriously ].
Cheers, jim
