Re: PBM Conventions

From: Ken Mulholland <Ken@timepatternspbm.demon.co.uk>

Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Speaking as he who has organised the last four PBM conventions (lots of
work for little praise and less profit!) I would like to say that I
welcome the present discussion and hope to hear of good new ideas
(still hoping). If anyone is seriously planning to take over con
organisation, please let us know as there's no point in competing.

Hot news is that the next convention is now being organised by Carol
Johnson of SFCPress (Chart International), with Carol M and I doing
publicity and certain admin work. The provisional date is Saturday 15th
April 2000. (You heard it first here guys - mark your diaries!) Carol J
is pushing the Bishopsgate Institute to allow us to have an in-house
bar and snack bar - she is also looking for an alternative venue with
these facilities but I know from my own attempts that any such place
costs twice as much as Bishopsgate which would cause stand fees and
entry fees to rocket.

Money is, of course, a vital factor: the stall charges at big games
cons tend to be too high for PBM GMs, because other games firms sell
boxes and can expect to make a profit on the day, while PBM firms can
only hope to attract players to a continuous service and risk making a
loss. Additional events need to be paid for, even just for room hire.

The format we use is tried and trusted. Last year we did have a special
speaker, Eddie Bersan from America, a GM forum for debates and a talk
by Alex Bardy on amateur games. Of course the main point of the day is
to meet GMs and other players and this is best done in a social context
(ie in a bar!). We contacted the landlords of the two adjacent pubs,
one did not bother to reply and did not open, the other was
enthusiastic and opened especially for us.

One of the many good aspects of the London convention was that it did
not tail off towards the end. In fact I had to ask the caretaker if we
could have an extra hour from 5pm to 6pm!

We look forward to the next convention and hope to see you all there.
It is a good day out and a unique chance to put faces to names of your
GMs and fellow players.

Ken Mulholland

Formulate a plan.
Execute your plan.
Do not deviate from your plan until such time
as you come under effective enemy fire.

References

PBM Conventions
"Rob Harper" <stateofmind@breathemail.net>
Sun, 10 Oct 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

PBM Conventions
"Rob Harper" <stateofmind@breathemail.net>
Sun, 10 Oct 1999 00:00:00 +0000