SPSP Attendance Limit

[Allan]

Does anyone know why the organisers are restricting the SPSP to 250 attendees this year? It strikes me as a very strange decision for a hobby that needs all the help it can get to continue to grow and encourage new participants. I can only assume it's a disappointing outcome for all the vendors and sponsors as well.

The advertised reason was to maintain the comfort of all participants. But I just attended a week long star party with over 500 people, at a facility that was half the size of Wiruna, and it was the best event I have ever been to. So there must be more to the story.

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

insurance limit ?



geoff

[Allan]

That's what I thought Geoff.

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

Could be too many using the flush toilets? always problems with the absorption pit. I always use the old dunnys

[UniPol]

Not enough showers? I remember joining those long queue's in the morning.

[qld]

come any way, there is plenty of room ignore the committee they are just lazy.more people make for a great star party! they wont turn you back on arrival. wiruna is the home of star parties and your support is needed to
make the committee wake up to themselves.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by qld

come any way, there is plenty of room ignore the committee they are just lazy.more people make for a great star party! they wont turn you back on arrival. wiruna is the home of star parties and your support is needed to
make the committee wake up to themselves.

what a tool...

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by UniPol

Not enough showers? I remember joining those long queue's in the morning.

What regimentation! Surely some people could shower at other times.

[qld]

it is very disturbing to see a cap being placed on the number of attendees ,especially when other star parties are continuing to grow their event, Wiruna can cope with a much larger number of attendees today as new facilities have been built to meet that demand,ranging from new kitchen facilities ,shower and toilets and the clearing of bush for additional camp sites. My concern is that fewer people attending results in fewer sponsors and traders (why would the traders bother with such a small level of attendance impacting on their sales). catering is not an issue,advance registrations provide enough information for providoring, the Kandos scouts do a fine job with food supply,,,,,,,reducing numbers also effects the quality of speakers who attend the event,over time good speakers and vendors will go where the numbers are
and not to a smaller show.....last year there was only one major trader with limited stock on offer.if that's being a tool so be it .

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

As an ASNSW committee member, I do take exception to at least one of the comments posted.

The committee is quite awake. The number of people who actively volunteer their time to club is a genuine minority. So rather than trying to wake us up, how about getting involved.

Things that drive this number

Availability/capacity of toilets and showers.
Saturday nights dinner has 180 place settings.
Opportunity to actually hear the speakers, each year the onsite hall is overflowing.
Comfortable availability of camp sites.

Last year we also limited the numbers to 250 registrations (and no one noticed), we had another dozen or so late registrations, then we also had 60 register onsite.

[qld]

Mr Girdis has proved my point, there is a no growth policy! I have been an active volunteer and supporter of the event and the society for years,and I make my observations based on those experiences.....this event is the main annual event for the society and its coffers and I do not want to see it fail on the contrary I wish it to succeed, but a retrograde step condems the event,,,,,The Sydney Merchant Anthony Horden once boasted "whilst I live I shall grow".....the converse is also applies.......I hope 500 show up and ill be there to help out as usual!.....

[Dorothy (David)]

Quite surprised to learn there is a limit. Wasn't made aware that there was a limit last year. Pity. Starparty is a great way to get new members, without new members the club stagnates. Would have thought the Starparty was a principal tool for introducing the general public to the wonders of astronomy. It is quite noticeable that there are fewer sponsors and fewer retailers than in years gone by. I suppose traders will question the worth of their effort with reduced potential customers.
This policy would appear to be counterproductive.
Cheers.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

If we regularly had 500 turning up, we could expand our infrastructure to support the use case. As it is, we are not in the habit, and nor is it a wise investment choice, to spend money to build infra in the hope that we can fill the seats.

Year in, year out, the average attendance has been in the 250-300 range, and we never had to turn anyone away.

So everyone, go ahead and sign up to the SPSP and create us the problem that we supposedly need to deal with.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by tlgerdes

So everyone, go ahead and sign up to the SPSP and create us the problem that we supposedly need to deal with.

THIS is what I want to hear! Some leadership for SPSP! Ballsy defiance - yeah baby!

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by Dorothy

Quite surprised to learn there is a limit. Wasn't made aware that there was a limit last year. Pity. Starparty is a great way to get new members, without new members the club stagnates. Would have thought the Starparty was a principal tool for introducing the general public to the wonders of astronomy. It is quite noticeable that there are fewer sponsors and fewer retailers than in years gone by. I suppose traders will question the worth of their effort with reduced potential customers.
This policy would appear to be counterproductive.
Cheers.

Hi David,

The fewer sponsors, is probably more a fact of purchasing decisions from the astronomy community, than anything to do with club involvement and SPSP attendance.

Think of all the discussions that have come and gone at IIS around the price of purchasing locally. There have been a number of local vendors that have exited the market in recent years, and others that have come in with a purely online experience. A lot more of these are interstate than previous and it is up to those retailers to make the choice to travel.

As for introducing the general public to astronomy, a star party can be a daunting affair for the uninitiated, as well the site is private property that hosts significant infrastructure at our cost, we don't want to publicly promote it as an open destination for anyone. (We had a series of incidents a few years ago, where after a SPSP was promoted, we had unauthorised attendance on non-astronomy weekends by large numbers of people thinking it was a open camp ground suitable for music festivals.)

Regards Trevor

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by tlgerdes

(... we had unauthorised attendance on non-astronomy weekends by large numbers of people thinking it was a open camp ground suitable for music festivals.)

Regards Trevor

Opera..?

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Opera..?

You'll like the new kitchen space. Better acoustics.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Opera..?

It wouldn't have been so bad if that invited us

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by multiweb

You'll like the new kitchen space. Better acoustics.

I'll have to check with my agent first

[qld]

hey mike can you give us a full rendition of O solo mio either in the new shower block or the ,kitchen or if you prefer at the spit roast dinner....ill make sure you get a full house!