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@joshhall, I was there this afternoon setting up. The tables all have covers and drapes, and there are stanchions with drapes all around our area.
We have the same prime spot right in front of the entry doors that we had last time BrickFest Live was here, so we definitely need the banner and the framework to support it if we still have that. If we have more than one banner, I’d say bring those as well as we could use the stanchion bars to hang them from. I’d also say bring any other LUG signs, business cards, magnets and the QR Code.
Other than the large builds that the event organizers bring, it looked to me like we’re the only one’s displaying in the main hall, with the rest of it set up for events. I didn’t get back into the other rooms, but @greg said there were a lot of vendor set-ups back there.
Our set-up is looking good so far. Several people just getting started setting up their stuff as I was leaving, and more coming in this evening, so I’ll let @knb112 weigh in on how it looked at the end of the day.
So, the layout wasn’t what I was expecting. All of the tables are 2 deep, which I wonder was their answer to my request for a larger footprint.
Regardless, we’re filling it up and it’s looking good.
Reminder for tomorrow: the only entry point is the front door and it’s going to be a bottleneck with everyone waiting to get in.
If you have items to display please arrive as close to 8 am as possible. They wanted us all set tonight to avoid walking over guests with boxes and carts, but I know that wasn’t feasible for some of you. Please be mindful of the guests.
Things were looking good when I left around 4:30 pm. Krista had just gotten there. I still have some minor set up to do in the morning (trees, people, and vehicles) but all of my buildings are in place.
The event staff did give us about 8-10 chairs but people may want to bring additional (camp chairs) just in case.
@timf we did get a table with table cloth in the middle for us.
I have a power block with ports for USB in case anyone needs to charge their phone (bring your cable or charger).
I still have to do my risers and put some of the mosaics on easels (of course they arrived after I left today), but all in all it’s looking good.
We may need to shift some things so that there’s space for the lighthouse and some other displays, but it will definitely look like a full display.
Apologies for not making it today. Will be there ~7:45 to get early door access. The lighthouse’s setup isn’t exactly trivial. The way I look at it, if setup drags past 9am for the lighthouse people will get a show on how a model like that is put together.
@jcc117 No worries, these things happen. If you get there before me, it’ll probably be best to set up on the corner where there’s a Star Wars mosaic on an easel. We can certainly move those around. See you in the morning. 😊
Kudos to Krista for doing such a great job coordinating a massive effort. We are certainly going to have an impressive collection of MOCs there … someone should call Beyond the Brick!!!
Note to @zaximillian, there is plenty of room in the car tower, (which is on a rotating base,) for more cars. You would have to stand on a chair and reach in from the top to load cars, but if anything falls, there are easy ways to reach in from the bottom to retrieve them.
Thank you @greg and thank you to all who contributed (by staffing, displaying or both)!
Here are some pictures from today: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWFZ7K8
@greg: Yeah! We filled 16 CARVANA bays with my race cars.
And here’s the proof!!
We had a fellow from the Tribune Review interview @Jason Middaugh and myself on the LUG. Hopefully there will be an article featuring the LUG soon
Whoop, that came out great. Looks like a good crowd too.
One request, can somebody get a shot of Walter’s entire underwater display more or less straight on? (I am aware that it can be tough to get the angle you want on a pic when the crowd is constantly in the way.)
One request, can somebody get a shot of Walter’s entire underwater display more or less straight on? (I am aware that it can be tough to get the angle you want on a pic when the crowd is constantly in the way.)
Not what you’re looking for @bengood921, but here’s one I took today. I’ll see what I can get tomorrow morning before they open the doors.
@bengood921 I’ll also try to get some more today in the late afternoon. I want to get some videos too.
Hey guys, I’m gonna be super late this morning. The bus was meant to get here a half hour ago and still hasn’t arrived. Fun times.
Here you go @bengood921.
I got there on Sunday around 1pm and stayed until the finish. A couple more pieces arrived that day, including a pirate ship with brick built sails and skull and crossbones logo, and a neat little lighthouse with a couple of rooms tacked on.
Lessons I learned for me to combat boredom at a long show like this:
* Be a showman! I stayed near my build, and followed the eyes of the audience as they passed by. When they lit up, it was my chance to engage with a hearty “Welcome to the show! We built all of this.” and to start a conversation. It also helped to extend greetings in general when the line was low, because I can have a longer conversation then. These are the chances I get to connect with other builders, or those who want to be builders.* I’m glad that I had a build that I could pick up and show directly to people, putting it in their hands to check out up close. Since my cars are built supersolid, this worked out well for the kids.
* It’s good to have a tablescrap technique demonstration to show. Jordan had a demonstration of the parts laid out to create the rings for his lighthouse, and that opened some eyes, but only when it was offered as such.
* It can be exhausting setting up. I tried to look at every other build there in some detail when I could. Big shows like this are sometimes overstaffed. As long as we distribute people around the rail, members can do other things and enjoy the entire show.
* It’s also nice to be able to tell the basic facts of your build and what inspired it.
* Most people have maybe 15 seconds to move by, so it’s nice to be able to point at what they might have missed, or neat features and hidden details. I found it was a good idea to play with my own build and tinker with it during the show.
It’s been a long time since I did a big show like this, and for me, it isn’t about just “set it and forget it”. These shows are a rare opportunity to engage fans as much as I can, and that makes everybody happier.
I am glad that I get to write this in an email because I have no voice left. Just wanted to say that it was great seeing/meeting you all at the convention, and thanks to all that made it happen. Even though I get to interact in person so few times with everyone, it has been great when I have had the chance. Nice job to all who displayed, and it really seemed like the crowd enjoyed the builds. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to display our projects as well. Seeing how people react and get so excited is really what makes it all worth it!
Twitter account from the Trib journalist who interviewed us on Saturday. Lots of pictures of our displays https://twitter.com/MikejDiVittorio
I’ve added yesterday’s photos and a few videos to Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWFZ7K8
I added LUG ones to the group, and you’re welcome to tag yourself in any of them as well.Again, many thanks to all of you who participated. I think we did an amazing job. We had a really strong showing both in displays and staffing, and Chad had mentioned that he was very impressed with our display. I’m working through the cup credits and should have them posted tomorrow.
@twrt0es I hope you get your voice back soon! It was great seeing you. 🙂 Thanks again for making the trip.
@jcc117 He really did get some nice shots. I love you standing watch over the Pac-Man.
@zaximillian Well said. I found that hanging out next to the crowd worked pretty well too because people had a hard time hearing over all the noise and us talking though a mask.I noticed last night that nobody posted about this event yesterday. I figured everybody was too wiped out last night to be bothered, but that there would be additional news today, which of course there is.
I had just noticed Krista’s new pics when she posted, so I am working on going through them, and they’re looking good. I do see that there’s lots of pics of Walter’s underwater build 😀 (and I see Bob posted a couple here for me too, thanks :D, I’m waiting for Bob to update his Flickr stream). I have not had a chance yet to look at pics anybody else posted.
It looks like there were still people there yesterday – at weekend events like that, such as the Greenberg train shows and major events like BrickFair, attendance during public hours is always less on Sunday than it is on Saturday, often very noticeably so. It probably didn’t help that yesterday you were competing with the first day of the Steelers’ season.
Rich mentioned his dislike of the ‘set it and forget it’ way of displaying, and we’re definitely of the same mind on that one. Set it and forget it is very popular at conventions, especially BrickFair, where people may have stuff on display in half a dozen different themes. I do realize that it helps fill the hall with good stuff for the public to see, but otherwise I’ve never really understood it. If I have a major build on display, I try to stay with it as much as possible – I like seeing and hearing the public’s reaction to it, and talking to them about it and answering questions. Set it and forget it only works if there’s no other option, such as the Cranberry Library, and even then, I always liked hearing back from the librarians about how people were responding.
Looks like this one was a big success, congrats to everybody involved.
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