MikeMoore
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Posts posted by MikeMoore
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6 hours ago, MRechlicz said:
Mike,
I am getting a 404 error when I try to look at the vendor layout.
Mike
Not sure what’s wrong there. I’ve got a message in to our web guru to see if we can’t get that sorted out. Thanks for the heads up!
Mike
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Like I said Duke, I really hope you'll be able to make it, so we'll start praying out here!
Mike
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Duke, I sure hope you're able to make it. I'll give you room for more display models than you had last year if you do! As for the banquet, while we may be forgoing the dinner, we think the desert reception makes a great opportunity to get together with everyone at the end of the convention, and since it doesn't cost a small fortune, we're hoping EVERYONE makes it and makes it a great party to wrap up on.
Mike
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All,
While we've been quiet on the website front, we have been very busy behind the scenes.
Registration is now live. We have a link to the IPMS store shopping cart for on-line registration, and we have a fillable PDF downloadable for those who prefer to register by mail. Model registration will follow later.
We've announced two off site events. One is a tour to the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville AL, the other is a BBQ dinner at the Songbirds Guitar Museum in Chattanooga. Both of these will be excellent activities. Check the site for more info on both.
We've got a list of vendors who have reserved tables posted. It's a MONSTER list and it's turning into a historic vendor hall. The current record for vendor tables at a Nats is 424 in Atlanta in 2005. We currently have 431 tables reserved. With 5 months to go before the convention, even with some drop outs we really like our chances for setting a record for number of vendor tables.
In a huge change from past conventions, we are going without a banquet. See the website for more details, but we're going to have a $5 desert reception to be followed by the awards. We should have seating for over 1000 for the reception and awards, and we're really hoping to have a huge party to wrap up this year's convention.
We also have a rather extensive list of seminars that we're working on. Topics and presenters are currently listed on the website, and a schedule will follow soon.
Finally, for now, we are really trying to emphasize display only models. We want to see as many as folks are willing to bring. Again, see the website for details.
Any questions? Let me know. My email is on the Home page of the Convention Website!
Thanks
Mike Moore
2019 Convention Chairman
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Mike,
My apologies for the late response to your message. We spent some time late last year working on our local show held in January. But we are now back to full focus on the Nats! Expect registration to go live in the next week or so. We will also be getting vendor lists and seminar lists up soon.
Mike
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14 minutes ago, MikeBrickman said:
I called Monday evening, and the Marriott told me they were full. I could have a room for Wednesday and Thursday, but had to move out by noon Friday. Big help. So I then called Day's Inn. All rooms with two Queen beds were gone. Only rooms with a single King bed are left. I booked 2 rooms - one for me and one for my vending business partner. I'm willing to bet that at least 40% of the rooms booked will be cancelled before July 1st, but both the Marriott and Day's Inn refuse to keep waiting lists....
Mike, there are still plenty of rooms available at the Read House. It's a 1/2 block farther away then the Day's Inn, and $10 a night cheaper than the Marriott. And having just undergone a major renovation (as in they closed and gutted it, not just redid finishes) it will be VERY nice.
Mike Moore
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Another hotel update.
The Marriott is pretty much sold out. There are king rooms available on Wednesday and Saturday nights, but nothing in between. Until and unless there are cancellations, the Marriott is sold out.
The Day's Inn still has rooms for the whole convention, but for Friday night, they are down to Kings only, so if you don't want to share a bed, you'll need to bring an air mattress.
The Read House still has lots of rooms.
Mike
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Marriott Updatae -
There are still rooms available. However, due to the way the block was assigned, there are currently no double rooms left in the block for Saturday night the 10th, only King rooms. In talking with the National reservations desk, it appears that there are still double rooms in the hotel, but we can't get them added to the block until Monday when the sales folks come back to work. But it does sound like they are very limited. Check back on Monday to see if there are any doubles available on the 10th.
There are still plenty of rooms at the Day's Inn and the Read House.
Mike
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Ok, here’s what I know.
First, yes, parking is not included in the room rate at the Marriott. In the interests of full disclosure I’ll make note of that on our website. It also isn’t included in the rate for the Read House.
Second, I don’t know where we stand exactly in regards to a sell out at the Marriott, but as of earlier this afternoon it was selling very quickly. I don’t know if I can get anyone in sales tomorrow, but I’ll check and see if they can tell me where we stand in regards to selling out.
Mike Moore
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Hello, the availability of hotel rooms for a National Convention is always a hot topic. We've tried to be as honest and transparent as we can regarding when the room blocks will be opened up and available for reservations. We announced in Phoenix that we thought it would happen in Mid-September, and I didn't realize how accurate that was.
Let this serve as the official announcement (or one of several) that the room blocks for all three convention hotels will be open, and reservation links posted on the convention website (www.ipmsusanationals.com), on Friday September 14, 2018. There are three hotels at this point:
1) The Marriott. This hotel is physically attached to the Chattanooga Convention Center, and will therefore be the most convenient. The room rate is $144/night.
2) The Day's Inn Rivergate. About a block and a half away, it's a very easy walk to the CCC, and for the budge conscious, the room rate is $109/night.
3) The Read House. A historic downtown hotel, it's just now wrapping up a complete renovation. I'm told they left the "ghost room" alone, but I don't know what they did with the room that housed Al Capone as he was transported from Florida to Chicago to stand trial. An easy 2 block walk to the CCC, the room rate is $134/night.
Again, all three blocks will be opened up on 9-14-18 with reservation links posted on the convention website - www.ipmsusanationals.com
Thanks
Mike Moore
Convention Chairman
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Guys, the 2019 Convention Website is LIVE.
www.ipmsusanationals.com
we are still adding content, and we expect the hotel reservations to go live by Mid-September.
I’ll be monitoring the forums, so if you have questions, please ask. I can’t promise an immediate response, but I’ll work hard to make sure you get answers as quickly as I can.
Mike Moore
2019 IPMS USA National Convention Chairman
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I'm sorry, the convention is my vacation, and I intend to be comfortable while on vacation. And I am most comfortable in shorts. Given that I work from home, I wear shorts year round. Most of the guys in my chapter have never seen me in long pants. i don't typically attend the banquet, but a requirement or a strong suggestion that I dress in long pants would ensure I never attend...a fact that might well prompt such a rule!
Seriously, times and customs change. A relaxation of the "dress code" at the banquet seems a pretty minor thing. Like I said, it's a vacation, let's let folks be comfortable. If that means dressing in a coat and tie, or slacks and sport shirt, or shorts and a decent t-shirt, it's all good to me.
Mike
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Well, since he's doing nothing wrong or illegal, I agree, there is nothing that can absolutley be done to prevent him, or others like him from doing what they do. I think the best thing for show hosts to do is to politely ask vendors to not sell out until "x" time. I think that if we explain that we are concerned about the long term health and vialbility of our shows, I believe the majority of them will understand and go along. And if we get wind that someone is badgering people for deals, we politely invite them to leave the show.
Mike
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Gil,
I can't really speak for the Wright Field Scale Modeler's, the hosts of the show, but I can tell you that Izzet was there on Friday plying his trade, and he did in fact make a couple deals before apparently being made aware of the fact that his presence wasn't appreciated. From what I was able to piece together, after he made a couple of deals, he was approached by a show official and asked to hold off until noon on Saturday, the same thing I asked him to do two years ago when he came to Chattanooga, and the same thing I asked all our vendors in Chattanooga to do this year.
I can also attest to the fact that when he isn't happy he get's very beligerant. When he saw me on Friday, he threatened to sue me (on the grounds that I was being discriminatory) for having used his name in addressing the subject on our club website leading up to our show this year. There were more than a few folks within ear shot and at least a couple were concerned that he was going to start swinging. I apologized to him for any percieved offense, and explained that I meant none. My sole intent was to ask our vendors to stick to the agreement I made with him the year before and not sell out before noon on Sunday. I didn't insist on it, or make it a condition of getting tables at the show, and I never said not to sell to him. Never the less, he, and apparently his attorney, felt I had infringed upon him. After telling me how he would never come to our show again (drat, drat, and double drat), and would spread the word to everyone he knows that we are bad people, ultimately all I was able to do was apologize again to him and tell him if he wished to sue me, go ahead, he won't get much! I saw him in the corridor outside the vendor room about an hour later, and then never saw him again, so I assume he left.
All in all, I remain convinced that he, and others like him, are bad for shows. He didn't do it this time, but he has in the past cleared enough tables out to be noticable. He also aggrivates vendors who don't want to sell by badgering them, as he did both in Chattanooga and last weekend. And he brings no benefit to the show aside from possibly paying general admission. If he was at least buying a couple of tables and putting what he just bought back on a table for the duration of the show, that would be one thing. But he comes in, buys up bargains early, leaves empty tables in his wake, and goes home and either stocks a retail store, or, probably puts it on eBay. We all know that a lot of folks go to shows more for the vendors than anything. Enough empty tables and those folks will likely stop coming to shows. I just don't see an upside to him. Granted, the threat to sue me MAY be coloring my thinking a little...
Mike
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Dick is correct. If folks want to buy out tables, and vendors want to sell out, there really isn't much we can do about it. We can ask everyone to hold off, but it is a free market, and buyers and sellers will do pretty much as they please.
However, I disagree that there is no harm done, particulary with a two day show. As has been mentioned many, many times, one of the primary reasons folks go to shows is to shop vendors. If they start seeing empty tables, or believe there is a good chance that much of the "good" stuff will be gone due to buy outs, I believe they may be disinclined to come to shows. It's possible that I'm paranoid and overstating, but from conversations I've had, I don't really think so.
In my opinion, and what we've done in Chattanooga, the best thing to do is ask both vendors and buy outers to hold off on buying/selling out until "x" time. That way, everyone through the door before then has a good opportunity to shop, and the folks interested in buying/selling out can still do so. I think that if the request is made up front, and politely, most will understand that the health of shows is the concern, and will cooperate.
Mike
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Happy to help Tim. I can't remember who originally developed them, but Panda bought them probably 6-7 years ago. I got my sets from Rob Ervin when he still had Formations, and I believe that Rob had a hand in developing some of the tracks. I don't think you'll be disappointed with them.
Mike
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Tim,
Have you looked at the Panda Plastic tracks? They are individual link tracks, but they go together pretty easily. When I used them, I built my own jig, and I didn't have any trouble putting them together. They were definitely not a nightmare to assemble as some other brands have a reputation to be.
http://shermantracks.com/index.html
Good luck!
Mike
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As always, I find it astonishing that a registration fee of $40-$50 can be considered expensive. To those that say that charging for convention registration would dissuade someone from bringing display models, I think you're looking at it, and selling it, the wrong way. The guy who brings display only models isn't paying $50 for the privilege of displaying models. He's paying $50 to participate in the IPMS USA National Convention. Just like contest entrants, displaying models is only one part of that experience. If there is a problem with that perception, I think there is a larger problem with the Nats in general and we need to look at ways of adding value to the whole convention, because it means the Nats is really only a contest wrapped in the trappings of a convention rather than a convention that also has a contest. But that is a conversation for a different day.
Also, as long as everyone showing models, either in competition or display pays convention registration there won't be any income reduction even if some folks switch from competition to display. And I'll say it again, anyone showing models, be it competition or display should be treated the same. If you want to show your models at the IPMS USA National Convention, you pay registration. Now, since display models won't get awards, perhaps their registration is reduced by $5, but I don't really think that would be necessary.
Make providing display tables a requirement at Nationals, promote the crap out of it from the top down, track the numbers, and see what develops. No, it probably isn't or won't be that easy, but we don't need it to be harder than necessary either.
Mike
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Rusty
I don't know that I completely disagree with you. However, my thought is that asking the silent majority of IPMS to accept non-members displaying models might be a bridge too far. However, regardless of membership issues, I really don't see why anyone wanting to display a model, either in competition or display only, shouldn't fully register for the convention. No, display only models don't get judged, and aren't eligible for awards, but as you noted, tables still need to be paid for, and there will be plenty of labor in keeping track of the display models.
Nick, in the grand scheme, I disagree with you about not de-emphasizing competition in IPMS. In my opinion, the focus on competition has directly led to the perception of IPMS being a group of elitist nit pickers. I'm not advocating for reducing the importance of the competition. It should be only the best of the best models that win or place, and we are justified in praising those models and modelers. But I think we've maximized our gains from the competition and we'd be wise to start emphasizing non-competitive aspects of modeling.
Mike
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Anyone bringing models for display only should be treated no differently than someone entering the contest. They should have to be IPMS members, and they should register for the convention as contest participants do. There should be no additional charge to "pay" for tables. A member gets unlimited entries in the contest as part of the registration, so convention registration should also entitle a member to unlimited display models.
I agree we should do everything we can to track the display numbers, but the display tables should not be categorized. Not only is there no need, but it can be an impressive display seeing all genres some of us work in in one place.
Display only will likely play a large roll in our Nats bid this year, and Ron, if there is anything I can do to help your larger efforts, please let me know.
Mike
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Thank you Dave.
Nick, you say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. With that attitude we'd still be driving Model T's, flying Curtiss Jenny's and building models of both from blocks of pine. Ok, that's a little tongue in cheek, but also partially serious.
Nick you also say you are ok with developing display only, but only if it's not at the expense of the contest. Well, where does that leave the non-competition folks? How important to the society can they feel? How are your dues any more valuable to the society than those of a guy who likes building models and wouldn't mind the opportunity to show them without feeling intimidated by the competition? You would include them at the nationals more as an after thought and only if there was room to do so without potentially sacrificing some contest tables. Yup, there's a club I want to join if I'm not into the competition part...
I don't have all the answers, but I've got some ideas, as do many others. I've pretty much given up hope of the national organization trying anything new, though with some of the postings I've seen here from board members, maybe some hope is warranted.
Mike
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If we had a mission statement, I wonder where the words contest and competition would come into play?
Mike
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Pardon me while I jump on my soapbox yet again, but I think the organization should be encouraging attendees to enter the contest. Yes, the people and vendors are a big part of it, but ultimately I attend the Nats to see models, and the more, the better. I’d love to see that 58 percent entry rate increase to 75 percent over the next few years. Would that be a desirable goal?
As I like to say, “The contest is not about competition." Oxymoronic, but true.
Steven Brown
The counterpoint is encouraging display only. The reality is that there are some among us who don't like to "compete". Why force them to enter the contest if they aren't interested in the competition?
Mike
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Add me as being surprised the ratio of contest entrants to convention registrants is so low.
And for the first time in quite a while, I find myself in agreement with Nick.
Within the membership of our Chattanooga chapter, there are more folks who come to meetings and express interest in models than actually build models, at least actively. It stands to reason that other chapters, and indeed IPMS USA membership follows along similar lines. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have any ready answers, but it seems pretty clear that we need to find a way to emphasize that there is more to IPMS than competitions.
Thanks to Ron for digging up the entrants vs registrants numbers. They were a topic shortly after last year's convention, and kudos to him for not losing track of the question and digging for the answer.
Mike
2019 Convention updates
in About the IPMS/USA National Convention
Posted
Should be all fixed now.
Mike