Hi guys
IISAC2015 crept up on me big time this year - having it a month or so earlier plus being so busy at work it's snuck up on me that it's only just over 2 months away!
I've made a couple of changes this year:
1. I'm not going to hire the marquee. It wasn't used very much, really only for the guest-speaker talks.
2. As a consequence of #1:
- I won't be arranging any guest speakers or sponsors/door prizes
- There has been a cost reduction for attendees (by almost 50%), since the marquee was by far the biggest expense of running the star party.
I'm not sure yet if it's the right decision, or if I'll regret it, but hey - let's live life on the edge and see
The marquee was great for the laser show last year, but it's not worth over $3k just for the laser show
I found it quite difficult to find guest speakers, and unfortunately they weren't always very well attended. As for door prizes, I have a theory that people don't attend star parties just for the chance to win a door prize. Of course it's a nice benefit if you do, but organising sponsors who are willing to give up prizes becomes increasingly difficult each year too.
So, I'm hoping these changes don't affect anything for those who were/are intending to come along.
We're there for the astronomy and photography and the company, right? Hopefully without the marquee and guest speakers, we can still enjoy those things.
I'm more than happy to help arrange/facilitate workshops in the undercover area of the bottom house.
We'll also still do a communal sausage sizzle on the Saturday arvo.
It's been great to be able to reduce the cost too - hopefully that gets a few more people coming along, as well as the change to the time of year.
More info coming over the next few weeks. The online booking form is ready, but I don't have the shirts or the info webpage ready yet, so that's next to do!
Happy to hear your feedback!