[Steppes] A Message to the Populace

Wed Mar 23 12:26:26 PDT 2011

*"...since we have done All-Con for the past several years & know a year in
advance the exact date there should have been plenty of time to organize..."
*

Perhaps the first thing that we should do, then, is begin to plan this demo
more than just a couple of months in advance. This demo, unlike many others,
cannot be handled with a "we're having a demo at _______ time and place,
show up and bring stuff" approach, it may be best to treat it like an event
(as the Seneschal said) and begin planning for it 4-6 months in advance.

If you don't like the way that the demo was run, then step up to the plate
to run it. I took the responsibility because no-one else had done so. If you
don't want last minute effort, don't wait until the last minute hoping that
someone else will stand up.

It has come to my attention that some thought that my "harried college
student" comment was referring to Quill; and I was actually referring to
myself. I was out-of-state the week before Gulf Wars auditioning to get into
a conservatory. My time before that was split: trying to get ahead in
classes and work so that I could be gone for a week, preparing for the
audition itself, and trying to coordinate the demo.

I would also like to point out that while we have done the All-Con demo for
several years, the collected knowledge of the past demo coordinators (or
even who the previous coordinators were) does not get passed on to the new
coordinator. Perhaps another thing we should start doing for things like
this is to get and retain detailed after-action reports for each year we do
a demo/event and then passing them to the next autocrat/coordinator. One of
the problems that I experienced was not being aware of what specific
information the people at All-Con needed from us, or not knowing what
information I needed to ask volunteers.

One of the things that might benefit the Barony is the creation of a
"volunteer information sheet" which can be sent out for an event or demo
which volunteers can fill out and send back, which will give the person
doing the demo/event a clear and concise reference of the resources at his
disposal. It is hard to put things together quickly when information comes
at you in a disparate trickle and you have to send multiple emails to get
all of the information you need from one person.

... and again, this demo needs more prep time than just a couple of months
(especially if the person coordinating it has a life outside of planning the
demo). As a point of reference, the coordinator from last year logged 100
hours of planning and labour into just preparing for the demo, and sunk more
money into the venture than I make in a month. This effort last year netted
us 60 newcomers, and (as far as we know) not a single one of them is still
in the SCA. In light of that and the late start we got this year; the
seneschal and their Excellencies (not me) decided to call off the demo.

--Alessandro Zorzi

On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 12:24 PM, Traci <traci at crimsonvision.net> wrote:

> While I was not at all happy with the handling of the demo (since we have
> done All-Con for the past several years & know a year in advance the exact
> date there should have been plenty of time to organize) I'm sure there are
> outside 'forces' responsible for it not happening so I won't belabor the
> point.
>
> I wanted to clarify the All-Con 2012 theme; specifically it is 'End of the
> World' as in the Apocalypse rather than a 'Zombie' theme.  I have a pdf of
> the flyer & made a quick JPG of the info:
> http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5553640984_7bb03e512e_b.jpg
>
> Hope that helps!
> Elizabeta, who was at the con Thursday - Sunday
>
> On Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 11:08 PM, <alkudsi at aol.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >  Lady Katerina,
> >
> > I would like to address just one point of your missive, if I may. Lord
> > Quill and I expressly did  NOT put on an SCA demo, nor would we without
> the
> > direct permission of Their Excellencies and yourself. We did not
> represent
> > ourselves as SCA, nor were we represented that way on the schedule. I
> have
> > been a member of the SCA for over 30 years, most of that time in this
> > Barony, and have served as both Hospitaler and Seneschal of this Barony,
> as
> > well. I would never presume to represent the SCA OR the Barony without
> > express permission. What Quill did was fill a time slot that was left
> empty
> > with a panel, and asked me to help develop the theme of Living History.
> We
> > covered living re-enactments such as happens in Williamsburg, Civil War
> > re-enactments,  as well as mentioning the SCA and several other types of
> > recreationist groups, in passing. Our audience consisted of an
> > anthropologist, two members of other types of recreation groups, a member
> of
> > a Civil War reenactment group, and sever
> >  al people, including myself who recreate other periods outside of the
> SCA
> > time slot. We discussed the difference between recreating and reenacting,
> > and had a fairly interesting discussion on how living history as either a
> > recreationist or re-enactor can give one an appreciation of the culture
> and
> > arts, some of which have come close to being lost to the modern world. We
> > also discussed how recreating or re-enacting can help a writer or actor,
> as
> > well as several other topics of that general mien. We expressly did not
> try
> > to recruit, did not present ourselves as representing the SCA, nor did we
> > pass out any SCA materials. Instead, we helped All-Con fill an empty time
> > slot, had a fascinating discussion with a group of very nice people, and
> had
> > some fun.
> >
> > Any individual or groups of individuals may put together a panel for
> > All-Con, and we did so. We did so under our mundane names, and without
> use
> > of the SCA in the title of the discussion (nor did we represent ourselves
> as
> > representing the SCA with the All-Con management), which relieves you as
> > Seneschal or the Barony of any liability or responsibility. Living
> History
> > was a topic we knew, and which was pertinent to the theme of Steampunk.
> I'm
> > very sorry if you think that we usurped the perogatives of either Their
> > Excellencies or yourself, but I think had you listened in, you would not
> > have felt that way. My background in theater and history, Quill's study
> in
> > anthropology, and our mutual knowledge of both re-enacting and recreating
> > was an interesting juxtaposition and led to what I think was an
> interesting
> > panel.
> >
> > Respectfully Yours and Ever in Service to the Barony of the Steppes
> >
> > Honorable el-Sayyidda Saqra al-Kudsi
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  P.S. As for next year's All-Con, I would like to challenge our
> membership
> > to find a connection between our period and the theme -- which is
> zombies!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Seneschal of the Steppes <seneschal at steppes.ansteorra.org>
> > To: Steppes <steppes at lists.ansteorra.org>
> > Sent: Tue, Mar 22, 2011 7:46 pm
> > Subject: [Steppes] A Message to the Populace
> >
> >
> > Beloved Populace of the Steppes,
> >
> >
> >
> > I've been reading and responding to many messages regarding the cancelled
> >
> > All-Con Demo over the past couple of days and I have a few points that I
> >
> > would like to clarify.
> >
> >
> >
> > First, the way in which the Barony approaches demonstrations will be
> >
> > revamped in the coming months.  I will sit down with the Baron, Baroness
> > and
> >
> > new Hospitaler to come up with a more productive approach to displaying
> our
> >
> > talents and recruiting new members.  We all need to view demos as 'mini'
> >
> > events... they require multiple levels of coordination, teamwork and
> >
> > understanding of what liabilities we face when holding one.  Most
> >
> > importantly, I need to impress upon everyone that impromptu
> demonstrations
> >
> > and panel discussions that have not been approved by myself or Their
> >
> > Excellencies are absolutely prohibited.  This is not negotiable.  The
> >
> > efforts made at All-Con this past weekend are appreciated.  I am grateful
> >
> > for members who see a need and take steps to benefit the Barony.
>  However,
> >
> > as your Seneschal, I personally am legally responsible for the events
> that
> >
> > we hold.  Following the guidelines that have been established for demos
> not
> >
> > only protects my interests, but will help ensure that we don't risk
> losing
> >
> > our Baronial status.  Requesting to know in advance when a group of our
> >
> > members wishes to represent our Barony is not just professional courtesy,
> > it
> >
> > is an imperative.  That being said, I will do everything in my power to
> >
> > accomodate requests for demos as they come up.
> >
> >
> >
> > I would also like to propose a challenge; to those who have been
> > unsatisfied
> >
> > with the manner in which this demo was handled, you now have the
> > opportunity
> >
> > to shape the Barony of the Steppes.  I am creating a Demo Committee of at
> >
> > least three members, who will do some research into what strategies are
> >
> > working for other groups, what kinds of displays bring in new members,
> what
> >
> > venues work best... the list goes on.  Even a small amount of volunteer
> > work
> >
> > on this endeavor will benefit our group and you will have the
> satisfaction
> >
> > of knowing that you contributed something positive to the Steppes.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you for your cooperation as I strive to make our Barony a more
> >
> > enjoyable place to live the dream.
> >
> > YIS,
> >
> > Lady Katerina O'Cyry
> >
> > Seneschal of the Steppes
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
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> >
> > Steppes at lists.ansteorra.org
> >
> > http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/steppes-ansteorra.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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