Convention Poll

[GoktimusPrime]

I think at least for 2009 it shall be a booth. I agree SupaNova would be a better option being an "all-things-nerdy" convention rather than just animé/manga, but hiring a booth there wasn't cheap. I'll see how much a stall costs though then compare it with available funds.

At least at SupaNova you'll also have international celebrities you can meet too. Bring back George Takei - he was _awesome_ (and I'm not even a Trek fan, he was just such a NICE guy - never met someone who was so famous yet so down to Earth).

[Sam]

I think anything is better than absolutely nothing, and I know how much effort it is to organise an independent, standalone convention.

A booth is a good idea, this would also hopefully give more exposure, possibly increasing the chances of a future independent convention.

I would prefer the booth take place at Supanova, but whatever you can organise would be good. By the way, do you know when and where Smash! is on?

Thanks for your efforts.

[STL]

Based only on a limited understanding of the proposed convention, I can only say that the option of a booth will fail to achieve the goals of conducting a convention in the first place. This is not only in a scale sense but as alluded to above in an atmospheric sense.

That said, I think what needs to be focused on is a strategy for the future if a convention’s what we want. A booth will not help in that very much. They are two entirely different animals and to think a booth will help raise a convention is akin to expecting a horse to lay an egg.

Going forward, my principle two concerns are:
1.) The lack of any meaningful business model: Of everything I was previously aware of, this was the one thing that I was confounded by. There were no revenue models, target demographic analysis, income stream, cost structures, and cash flow projections whatsoever. If you want to run a convention you really need to also look at it as a business. Otherwise, as touched on elsewhere, it comes straight out of the pockets of fans – something that runs counter to the stated objective of making this a long-term proposition.

It’s certainly not my aim to derail the future progress of any convention but from what I’ve been privy to, it just did not ever seem like there was any real direction, planning and purpose about it. It feels like a bunch of fans with an idea without carefully considering the larger picture. Though my geographic location makes it a hindrance to correspond. I’m certainly more than happy to lend any assistance or advice.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't pretend to be any kind of "expert" on running conventions. It's just that griffin and I are the only ones who've ever done it before in this country. I'd love to see someone more capable run a TF convention here if only they'd put their hand up to do it.

[roller]

so the proposed big big meet is now officially canceled?

[kup]

so the proposed big big meet is now officially canceled?

We could always do that, a Big Big Meet somewhere where we can trade and show off our toys, etc. Kind of like a big version of the 'After Parra Fair' get togethers.

Most of our acquisitions recently have come more from these trade meets than the actual Fair anyway.

[dirge]

1.) The lack of any meaningful business model: Of everything I was previously aware of, this was the one thing that I was confounded by. There were no revenue models, target demographic analysis, income stream, cost structures, and cash flow projections whatsoever.

Sadly, it's very hard to get revenue flowing without any support from Hasbro AU. For Sabretron, Hasbro flatly denied permission for it to even take place. Which meant that everything had to be done without exclusives, without sellable merchandise.

Thought did go into demographics and targeting the right markets as well as revenue. The convention exclusive items would have provided one revenue stream, but with Hasbro's basically saying "if you do it, make sure we don't know about it", the exclusives had to be given away to ensure Hasbro didn't slap a lawsuit on us. Without official backing, it was hard to get dealers onboard - in the end the dealers that did come along were private sellers - ruling out another revenue stream.

In the end, the only real source of revenue was the entry fee, which had to stretch to cover the cost of the venue and the exclusives (as well as various other costs).

I agree with you that a business model is vital, but when you're unable to sell Transformers related merchandise and are inviting dealers to an under-the-table event, it's tough. The entry fee can only go so far, which is why there's talk of fan contributions.

Sadly, the current Collectors Club license is global, even though the licence holders are only interested in the USA.

My own opinion is that a local convention can't be much more than a get-together without the support of Hasbro. Until Hasbro is supportive revenue streams remain something of a pipe dream. Remember, the convention name can't contain the words "Transformers" or "BotCon" - registered trade marks. Without being able to advertise Transformers, sell Transformers or feature Transformers on the marketing material, convincing dealers to sign up and fans to open their wallets once inside is close to impossible.

Regarding your second point about a lack of direction... keep in mind that the first BotCon was a small effort by a couple of part timers. It was a success - on a small scale - and this allowed the concept to grow. BotCon didn't suddenly become a huge success with panels and massive rollcalls of exclusives overnight. The first few BotCons worked because the organisers plowed their own time and money in, and - crucuially - had the support of Hasbro.

The first BotCon saw Hasbro provide a limited number of an unreleased toy. The second one saw an unpainted toy (Gobot Bumblebee) supplied. The organiser (Raksha) went and handpainted the entire stock, and she had to print the backing "cards" herself.

As time went on, Hasbro became more actively involved and backers came along with capital. That capital now allows BotCon to utilise the services of organisers for whom the event _is_ their day job.

For an Australian convention to have the sort of direction you're talking about we'd need a _lot_ of personal time set aside, and I'm just not sure we have anyone with the sort of time needed to spare. Which comes back to my point about the convention essentially being a large get-together. Without exclusives, dealers or proper displays/themes/activities, it's more about fans coming together than anything else.

I'd love to see this convention happen, but I just can't see it growing beyond what Sabretron achieved. While I wouldn't call Sabretron a failure by any means, it relied on fans being willing to lose money on the event and others to devote a _lot_ of time. The primary organiser of that convention no longer has the sort of time he put in in 2004.

[STL]

It's good to hear there has been some thought. I guess going forward, part of it is Hasbro's involvement. Still though, is it possible to run it without Hasbro's direct involvement? Would it be allowable to market it as a Transformerscon? Like they do in Canada/Netherlands/Malaysia etc?

It's still important to look at a business model tho. Esp. over an extended period and not just limited to the 1st one. Most ventures are loss bearing in their embyronic stages so its not just what you can achieve in your first year but how the first year can form part of a process where you win support as a legitmate convention with a potential flow on for direct involvement by Hasbro.

And I agree, finding the people to organise such an event is not easy. Hence, why my firm belief there has to be a business model behind it for it to be viable otherwise its a lot of hard work that also comes out of fans pockets. As much as a fan as I am, I certainly am not willing to commit to the development of such a project b/c professionally I think there are better options for me. So I can see why its not easy. It has to be extremely dedicated fans but that said I do see potential going forward.

Cost structures haven't been built yet but if there was a good idea of that, it could be possible to achieve.

[Lord_Zed]

I have to agree with Dirge on this one. Without Hasbro support or at least acknowledgment any sort of Con has to go under the radar, so its that much harder to get the word out. And then of course there's the minefield of legal problems.

Adding it all up, even with Hasbro's blessing organising a TFcon here would be hard, without it it's practically insurmountable.

So far the only reason the two other conventions worked was thanks to individual fans going above and beyond the call of duty.

[i_amtrunks]

It's good to hear there has been some thought. I guess going forward, part of it is Hasbro's involvement. Still though, is it possible to run it without Hasbro's direct involvement? Would it be allowable to market it as a Transformerscon? Like they do in Canada/Netherlands/Malaysia etc?

I'm in regular contact with one of the guys who plays a large part in the organisation of the Dutch TF ConVersions event.

This event is still only about as successful as the Sabretron convention, they lose money every year and have a huge team who donate plenty of hours to work as well. I don't know all the details, but even with the shirt sales (which they get made up for next to nothing), the event doesn't come close to breaking even.
These guys do not have any official backing, so only attract small interest from smaller private sellers, and any special guests that attend do so as a favour to the organisers.

It's such a big risk for so little payoff. If Hasbro ever came on-board everything would change. Until then, I think booths at pop-culture events are the way to go, with any larger big meetups to be held in a post-Parrafair style gathering.