SC - Profit was Opinions?

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Yep, you're absolutlely correct.  We should never have listened to those who
said they were coming.  Thing is, they were friends who usually do what they say
they're going to.  Oh well.  We learned a very painful lesson, and, from here on
out, we only cook for the number of paid reservations we have, plus 5 - 10,
depending on the size of the event.  And, if we don't have enough reservations
to cover the cost of the site, at least (which happened last fall!), we cancel
the event.  We got to the week before the event and only had 10
reservations...enough to cover about 1/3 of the site fee.  So we cancelled.

The bad news was that the Kingdom Seneschal got really upset over the
cancellation, and put us through a grilling over how we handled the event, etc.
We've never had that happen before, so we were completely surprised by his
attitude.  I would have thought he would have applauded our fiscal responsbility
by bailing out of an untenable situation.  Oh well.....

However, even with his attitude, were we in the same situation again, we'd do
the same thing.  I don't see the point of going seriously in the hole just to
avoid cancelling an event...especially a week in advance!

Kiri

micaylah wrote:

> > micaylah wrote:
> >
> > > I totally agree with this but I doubt "lean times" could actually
> occur.
> >
> > Don't count on it.  Our barony has been around for over 10 years.
> We've had the
> > occasional money-loser, but nothing really spectacular until last
> fall.  We had
> > an event that everyone we talked to said they were coming to.
> Unfortunately,
> > all it was was talk....We bought food for a little less then the
> number we were
> > expecting because we know that some are just talk.  However, as it
> turned out,
> > most of the people who had promised to come (some very good friends
> who had
> > pushed us to have this event again) didn't come.  We lost a bunch of
> money.  To
> > the point now that we would be strapped to front the money for an
> event!  We are
> > co-sponsoring Atlantia's XXth Year celebration in the hope that the
> profits will
> > be enough to put is comfortably in the black again...by which I mean
> that we
> > have money to front our next event...and to cover baronial expenses
> like the
> > newsletter, etc.
> >
> > So....don't get too comfortable!
>
> Having been a Barony ourselves for nigh in 20 years we have experience
> with what you are saying and have learnt quite a while ago that "talk"
> doesnt pay the Piper. Solving this problem was quite easy....reserve
> with payment. Period. Don't know about other Cantons but this has been
> the norm here in Ealdormere for as long as I can remember. If in fact
> this is what you qualify as "lean times" then we have slogged thru this
> one, as Im sure every area has, a few times. I dont really see this as
> the lean times but rather a unique setback that doesnt occur often.
>
> Micaylah
>
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