*The proposal - Stay the course, finish the plan.*
Keeping the whole space, finishing it and making it vibrant again. I am a
fan of 'the devil you know' rather than gamble on a new landlord that could
be worse or even the same.
This is one fact, AssentWorks will be moving in 3 / 5 years. They will be
up sizing and modernizing. We should make similar plans for the same time
frame, plan on saving a sizable sum of money so in 3/5 years we can move to
a much better location. My hope is that we will need to to move to
accommodate all the members!
Our problem is not too much space but rather not enough members to fill it,
or the glass half full viewpoint. After all the number crunching by the
collective minds of SkullSpace even a new place would be tight. We need to
start more memberships drives at more events, even on a corner during
Fringe fest works. New member swag like free shirts and pins with sign up.
We may not make any money for their first month but we will not lose any
either. Getting more things to sell with our logo on them, pens, USB drive,
lanyards, lunchboxes, sheets, and flamethrowers!
Right now we do not have a large motivation to join unless the person is
very interested already, lets generate that interest.
Just a few ideas for getting people in the door:
- Offer the classroom at a low rate ( ~$15 / day ) to RRC and U of M /
W students or TA's for talks and study sessions.
- Get more posters up at more tech oriented places like Winnipeg
Technical College and Tech-Voc.
- Offer space / classes to community groups that fit our demographic.
With current numbers and a budget as determined by many other people ( Jay,
Mark, A Mike ) if we keep our current space we are sitting about $300-$400
net income before renovations.
I look a the next 6 months and come up with the following:
*- Comic-Con*
- Donation drive to $2000 - $5000 based on attendance from last year of
20,000! ( 10% at $1 each )
- Merchandise sales ( net $300-$500 )
- New member sign ups (3-7)
- More people in the door to visit ( 10-15 )
*- Jimcon*
- Donation drive to $500 based on ~400 people in the door
- Merchandise sales ( net $75 )
- New member signups ( personal goal of 10, low as 3 )
- Exposure to a tight knit demographic.
*- Anniversary party ( Last year was ~$2000 )*
- Donations drive to $1000
- Merchandise sales ( net $100 )
- New member sign ups ( 5-6 )
*- 5 more Hackathons*
- Donation drives to $200
- Merchandise sales ( net $100 )
- New members ( 1 per )
- Increased drink machine and snacks revenue
- Hard to judge but say %30 increase based on more public attendance
- Justins electrical donation drive
- Was $1300 in donations at this writing
All totaled up it is hard to tell what we will make but if I take half
of minimum the expected numbers above I get $5492 ($1300 dedicated) and 13
new members or $460/month. All that in only 6 months time. This is at the
bare minimum estimate and will fit the sine curve of membership that has
been talked about. Summer was slow, always is, we should see more people in
the space more often in the winter months. This would cover our back bills
to AssentWorks** and start a healthy fund for renovations to our electrical.
The goal in finishing rooms like the games room is to attract a
slightly different demographic of members that only need a small amount of
power and space
The workshop is tough due to power but we can always survive with one
extension cord and use one tool at a time. The electronics shop is coming
along quickly as well.
I know we have a lot of unfinished space and the main reasons is has
not been completed falls squarely on me. I was the driving force behind
renovations and I basically took the summer off for camping, being outside
and to work on my own house and yard.
For that I apologize to the membership at large. I realize I have
failed you at least in part.
I am making it a* personal goal* that if we keep the whole space that the
following would be done:
- Games room will be presentable for Jim-Con in 3 weeks.
- Finished pony walls in a few areas that need them.
- Computer lab set up and partly powered
- Fresh paint on new walls to make the whole ~4000 sqft presentable for
the Anniversary party.
- Weather seal the windows in all areas ( partly done )
I plan on only my labor so any other help or direct donations would be
appreciated. Hell, buy me food on the weekends and I'll be tickled pink!
As a last resort we can always put into our legal agreement with
AssentWorks to cede the back rooms in the future at our discretion if we
find money still tight at that time.
I will be giving a shorter but more details presentation before the
vote but feel free to ask anything here.
Michael 'Gorgeous' Loney
** The back bills are still debated but that's another topic, I am talking
worst case scenario.
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