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Post by Ron Stuart on Apr 11, 2016 22:40:07 GMT -4
Thanks to all hands who had anything to do with the recent Hobby Show. I thought it might be profitable to get as much insight as we can from those who participated, and even those who did not, with a view to doing it even better next time. Please post your comments in this thread on such things as the following:
Is this a worthwhile thing to do? Why, or why not? What did we do well? What could we have done better? What would you have done differently, if you were king? How did you like the facility, and why? Can we use this event to strengthen SRCF? How? Please comment on anything else you wish. Thanks for your input.
Ron
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Post by krmckay "Bombs away" on Apr 12, 2016 5:19:30 GMT -4
Advertisement could have been improved. I lost count of the number of people I ran into that did not know about the event and worked in Shearwater, remember this is the 18th annual Spring hobby show. A simple Wing/formation wide email could have fixed that issue.
I heard alot of positive comments on the location and layout of the Sea King Club but I believe the layout maybe able to be improved.
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Post by J-G on Apr 12, 2016 8:09:50 GMT -4
Is this a worthwhile thing to do? Why, or why not? Great opportunity for us to get our name out there and try to get new military members for the club. We did have some interest and will have to see if that pans out.
What did we do well? Came together and made it work. Many thanks to those that put in the extra time to cover off for those that could not make it.
What could we have done better? It would have been nice if everyone who committed showed up or let us know that they had something come up. We all know life happens, but it’s easier to deal with when we know it happens. COMMUNICATION!
What would you have done differently, if you were king? Great location, especially being in the corner where we were. If we would have had some ability to suspend the planes or put some up on stands it could have given us a “WOW” factor and more room for more planes. But the “pain vs gain” of doing that could be problematic.
How did you like the facility, and why? Loved it. Drink and food available.
Can we use this event to strengthen SRCF? How? Get more members in the door. Make it a social event for club members and a meet and greet to get to know the HEFA guys.
Please comment on anything else you wish. Though I think Kevin’s point is good, I think that we, as a club, advertised where we can, Forums and Facebook.
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Post by CF Av8or on Apr 12, 2016 10:03:48 GMT -4
I think the event was a success for SRCF, and the museum in general.
The location worked out great. As much as I think the museum venue is fanatastic, I understand that space is a serious issue there making the hosting of the Hobby Show extremely problematic. The availability of lots of good parking and on-site food vending was also a major plus to the Sea King Club. The biggest draw-back that I could see was the issue of having to pass through the security gate to get there, which I am willing to bet was a bit of a turn-off for some folks. It actually irked me that the commissionaire working when I passed through on Sat morning over-scrutinized even my own military ID, not to mention Mary's civilian driver's licence. Excessive.
I agree that advertising on the part of the organizers was very lacking. Many people were unaware of the show happening that weekend, and a good deal of those that attemded found out about it last minute and through the luck of third party information. This definitely needs to be improved upon for next year.
I believe it a worthwhile endeavor for SRCF. It may or may not result in new members signing up on the spot, but it most definitely serves to increase awareness of our club, which in the long run will help in the recruiting of members.
Equally as important are the social benefits, as the show serves as a great opportunity to get to know each other and other like-minded individuals, in a atmosphere better suited to this than on the flight line, where the focus is typically on prepping and flying our models.
Thanks to Ron for organizing the club's participation, and to all those who helped throughout the weekend!
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Post by coyote on Apr 12, 2016 10:27:27 GMT -4
My 2 cents
Is this a worthwhile thing to do? Why, or why not? EXECELLENT OPPORTUNITY to recruit military members and we did pick up a new military member who paid on the spot - and as JG and Kevin stated, we did pick up a few nibbles
What did we do well? The recce and floor plan - the "coming together"
What could we have done better? I think we were a little crowded in SK club, if we were to have good turnout, we would have been packed as sardines - more use of area to the left of entrance. Also all vendors should be parking in the back not in main lot
What would you have done differently, if you were king? 1) Advertised ahead of time that we needed standardized cards on the aircraft/owner. 2) Hard to create a schedule when not everyone can commit to a specific timeframe - which then leaves gaps 3) If a commitment is made, club is counting on you - please don't let them down. At very least communicate you can't make it so that alternatives can be looked at
How did you like the facility, and why? DITTO w JG - "Loved it. Drink and food available as was power."
Can we use this event to strengthen SRCF? How? Great opportunity for "Meet and Greet." Maybe talk to MAAC and we can get a banner from them on RC flying as we're representing them
Please comment on anything else you wish. Recommendation from Dave to advertise event on Facebook was great. Need to work closer with PSP to make those events known on MARLANT and CFB Halifax side of harbour
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Post by johnf on Apr 12, 2016 13:26:30 GMT -4
Two cents worth (CDN) I heard one negative comment when we were taking down the tables and chairs on Sunday. One woman walked by me and said "Where were these guys earlier?". I have no idea what her problem was. We only set up the tables and chairs to try to accommodate a fair seating arrangement. Maybe she expected us to set up her display and sell for her and take down the display. I didn't comment anything to her. Both HEFA and SRCF had great displays. Now my opinions on both negative and positive for both clubs. I am looking at this as a person that does not know diddly about this hobby. Looking at all the models that HEFA had on display were great representations of WW1 aircraft. I know a lot of people looked at them as just static displays that did nothing. Most people looking at those great planes could not visualize that they actually flew indoors or outdoors. The concept of electric motors that small just does not seem right. The time and effort to build those beautiful planes was not truly appreciated by the general crowd. The beautiful gliders that were on display for HEFA amazed a lot of people. The general public probably didn't realize that one person (John O'Sullivan) designed and built a good share of them. Bill Foster had a display of how the electric motors and servos worked at last years function. That was needed this time. People then get a real look at how these things work. The SRCF display was great also. But as a person seeing this for the first time, the were too big and overwhelming. Those planes to the people in SRCF, know that they are that size just by the nature of the planes and power plants. However, for a first time person looking at getting into that end of the hobby, probably would have been a little intimidated by the cost. Those planes are expensive and the accessories to make them fly is also expensive. The other thing is they probably thought that they could not or would not try to fly something like that due to the fear of crashing one of them. I did explain to several people that they could try their hand at flying one and not have the fear of crashing one of the club trainers. Jimmy's jet would have both impressed and scared the hell out of people. I told a few people that there are some very nice small electrics that have everything in a box and don't cost an arm and a leg. I thought that the area we were in was ideal. We were with other hobbies and crafts. I think next year we should put a large sheet of a blue print on the display table as a table cloth. If those blue prints are used, then have that model there to show people what can be done if they are interested enough to want to build from scratch. Maybe we should have a poster made up listing various forms of planes available to the interested public. Make the printing large enough for people to see so they can ask questions. It would be very nice to make some sort of overhead support system to suspend some of the planes. It would have to be something that is safe, strong and easily portable. Marc. had requested info on each plane, owner of plane cost, manufactures name and time to build. Some of that info was there but not all of it. My two planes did not have any facts listed. That was poor planning on our part and I think timing was another factor for lack of good info. Last but not least of all, both clubs should get one thank you card for Christine Hines. Everybody that was at the two day event should have their name printed on a sheet of paper to put with that card. Maybe to make the thank you even better, each club combine a little money ($150 total) for a gift card to a nice restaurant in Halifax for her and her husband. That lady put a lot of time and effort in that show for everybody that attended the two daY event. Gentlemen, that lady always has a great smile on her face when you are dealing with her.
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daver
Members
Posts: 2,268
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Post by daver on Apr 12, 2016 16:23:03 GMT -4
J-G, Marc, concur with all. For John, if people are interested, they'll ask. Not many will just walk into a hobby show, and go, oh, hey, I've never heard of R/C before, what's this all about? Anyone who stopped, and looked, we offered up information, explained the various types of powerplants, configurations, and the price ranges, as well as noting that we provide all the gear necessary for training. The wide variety of aircraft ranged from tiny to big, pricey to very affordable, trainer to advanced, kit, ARF, and scratch-built. I don't think we could have a more representative selection, without burning up a lot of space. The display is 50% of the equation, the other 50% is us, the club members, watching for that sign of interest, and pouncing! lol As for hanging the airplanes, safe, strong and easily portable? Not cost effective for once a year use. We had enough planes. Perhaps some more advertising sigs, i.e "WANT TO LEARN TO FLY?" poster sized, to attract, might just do the trick.
Like the idea of rounding up all the clubs to throw some money in a pot for a gift certificate for Christine, but we'd have had to have thought of that and gone around day 1, after the fact is simply nigh on impossible, as far as I know, we were the only military club on site, it would be hard to track down the rest, but again, great idea for next year.
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Post by johnf on Apr 12, 2016 18:28:28 GMT -4
I like the idea of "WANT TO LEARN TO FLY" poster. Why not set up a simple in progress fuselage or wing build that is resting on top of a blue print! This demonstrator could have a little film covering on it to show the progress procedure of model building. This would give people an idea how a kit or scratch model begins. The ARF foam models are self explanatory. The simple model that Bill Foster has to show people the servos that are inside all RC models.
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Post by coyote on Apr 12, 2016 19:16:31 GMT -4
Just a matter of finding a simple model with builder stuck stuck on fuse or a wing
Good idea.
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