|
Hmmm, It feels like a conference coming on. What your debating is just like trying to decide on a venue, topic or theme and target audience.
All of these are related. Themes like beginners’ talks can be good draw card initially but to be a sustainable yearly camp you need to interest a wider range of expertise. This is easier said then done, as not many people are willing to travel very far to give talks. Too much organization can become an over kill. After a few years of poorly attended talks during mid-week, the QLD Astrofest reduced the talks to Friday and Saturday only and then only a few as not everyone wants to sit down for that long when you can drool and gather ideas from other people's work. These days are also the busiest days and I don't think the committee could function with any more things planned on Saturday.
With venues you need to look ahead. How long do you want this event to occur for? Even if it is kept informal, if popular, the numbers will require efficient organization. Is limiting the number of people attending a wise move or trying to control a large number an option? Will this situation require a paid organiser, or a number of people dedicated to running and not experiencing the camp. Are there enough people around now willing to run a camp with similar numbers to QLD Astrofest? We have jumped from 80 to 150 people staying over the week in about 3 years. The first organisers are likely to still be involved that early on. I felt this year I was almost at that point where I was there to work and not enjoy the camp but that also comes down to the number people willing to do work, and do it well, and not slack at the responsibility given to them. (Plus the ability to trust anyone else to do it as well as you can would be a good skill to have too. :-) And I did choose to do all registration.)
One last thing about using someone's place for a venue is insurance. It is something no one wants to think about but it is important. Starting small is one thing but things become big and complicated very quickly, especially if you add in inexperienced beginners. Make sure you know what you can be covered for and work within these boundaries. Dealing with the public is a thing to be careful with. People not in clubs will probably be classed this way in the legal sense.
Please don't take my comments as negative. I just say what I think may help. I always believe in doing the best you can within the boundaries of the knowledge you have. Plus an insane interest in organising events :-)
Anne-Louise
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]-->
|