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Do you want a guest speaker at UKPinfest

Do you want a guest speaker at UKPinfest?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 11.1%

  • No, just a buffet and some light entertainment

    Votes: 2 5.6%

  • No, just a buffet - Pie, peas and mash

    Votes: 4 11.1%

  • Not even bothered about a buffet

    Votes: 9 25.0%

  • Can we not just have VIP lock in session on the Saturday night?

    Votes: 17 47.2%
  • Total voters
    36
Big Phil

Big Phil

Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
4,014
Location
County Durham
Alias
OTWBigPhil
As you all know, I visited Daventry and had a good talk about the venue, costs etc.....

One talking point is the Saturday evening. I can book the restaurant for up to 150 people. The hotel can do various buffets to cater for us and I'm currently looking at having a guest speaker.

But is this something that really interests you?

If there is a guest speaker, it bumps up the cost of the evening buffet.

So....
 
A speaker or the evening arranged meal never appealed to me, tbh. Arranged meals always drag on and are usually bad value for what you get. I usually just go grab food whenever wherever with other pinheads. Maybe put up a poll?

(edit: i was on my phone so i didn't spot you already had a poll. now voted. seems to be quite one-sided, but as Peter says, you'll never please everyone, and shouldn't try to. more risky if you put it on and people don't want it, as you'll be left with a big unfilled cost)
 
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in previous years whilst it has been great to have a speaker (that doesn't drag on) the food has been pretty poor and we have preferred to get back on the tables, hang at the bar and have a laff. I have always attended the speak and dinner, but I know many prefer to leave the hotel in search of food, drink somewhere local.
 
Its a case of you can't please everyone so all options on your poll are valid. Plus people will change their mind. For example, someone says no thanks then you find a speaker that designed their game... Or vice versa...
 
If the early days can be replicated (see what I did there) like John Truduex and Steve Richie then yes.
It all went down hill when it became the Pinball Party.
The food we were paying for was not up to the standard it used to be.
Beter food and value would make a big difference and if that could be sorted then id be up for it.
I have been to every dinner and would like it to get back to how it first started.
D.
 
If it was a new game reveal/speaker would be pretty cool and couldn't something like that potentially draw a lot more interest/attendees to the event?

I am just greatful some of your guys are looking at bringing this back for 2018, I had some great times at Daventry.
 
Went to Daventry twice. First time I went for the meal. Second time I went to a restaurant with some pinhead friends. Had a far better time the 2nd time around.
 
Meeting pin folk is a bonus but despite many being my heroes I don't think they make or break anyone's decision to attend

Sit down meals never seem good value to me. An extra charge late lock in with pizza would go down well. Great part of NLP when it's too busy to enjoy games in the day
 
I've been assured by the hotel that the food has improved as they're now part of the Mecure group.

To cover the costs of a guest speaker, it's got to be added to the price of the food. So even a basic buffet spread and a guest speaker would be around £18 to £20 Would you really think that was value for money? I know it partly depends on who the guest is but would 150 people be up for that?

If we did an evening VIP pin session, say 100 tickets and pizzas in the hall, that would probably be about £12 to £15

Even if there isn't a guest speaker, I'm trying to arrange something a little special.

Please vote!
 
Guest speaker is good, get Steve Richie back again. As for the food I'm sure the Highwayman budgeted for £5 a head or something and then added a wedge to it. £15 - £20 is reasonable.
 
Arv said:
Guest speaker is good, get Steve Richie back again. As for the food I'm sure the Highwayman budgeted for £5 a head or something and then added a wedge to it. £15 - £20 is reasonable.
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^plus one.
Totally agree with Shaune except i'd like to see John Truduex again.
 
There are 2 things here, a VIP guest and a Saturday meal. In my experience of Mercure across Europe, they're pretty good, including food. If there will be a VIP around anyway, why not have a lock-in with the VIP, they can do a presentation, maybe a buffet also. If there is no formal meal, which, frankly, was always crap, took too long to setup and dragged on too long, would the VIP be there across the weekend anyway?

All that above is a bit ambiguous... What they did in France some years ago was with Gary Stern and the meal was fantastic. But I don't trust the UK catering to come up with the goods, so I vote VIP lock-in with buffet, presentation and a bit of a party.

Don't the manufacturers provide VIPs for free now anyway? Surely it's part of their marketing budget.
 
Just one thing, Phil...are you running this event as a commercial endeavour, ie to make some cash, or as a "cover everyone's expenses and lose as little as possible" venture?

Sorry to be direct, I realise that the distinction between hobbyist and trader is very subjective and potentially decisive, but the underlying principle would be good to know.

Perhaps if I had been to some of your previous events I wouldn't need to ask...sorry about that :hmm::thumbs:
 
D-Type said:
Just one thing, Phil...are you running this event as a commercial endeavour, ie to make some cash, or as a "cover everyone's expenses and lose as little as possible" venture?

Sorry to be direct, I realise that the distinction between hobbyist and trader is very subjective and potentially decisive, but the underlying principle would be good to know.

Perhaps if I had been to some of your previous events I wouldn't need to ask...sorry about that :hmm::thumbs:
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I don't have a problem if it is ran as a profit making event.
There is an awful lot of work, and risk, that goes into setting up an event this size.
As people are being reimbursed for bringing machines, it's not as if he would be profiting from using other people's machines to run an event - like has happened in the past.
(Events were the profits go to a specific charitable cause are completely different imho and the people who bring machines are effectively supporting the charity in doing so).
As a community I hope as many people as possible will do everything that they can to ensure this goes ahead - if someone makes a profit - fair play.
Phil has been very upfront when I have spoken with him, and I wish him every success, and will certainly be doing everything I can to assist. (I'll even make 3 runs in my car to get my 3 machines there if I have too )
 
As for the original question, some of the best nights out at shows I've had have been when a group have gone for a Chinese buffet style meal, and then come back and played pinball to the early hours with a few beers.
 
Are you being condescending again Wayne

(private joke, no offence intended)

Pin shows run for profit are fine if they're upfront about that, but the ones run for charity, like the majority, are preferred by many if not most. Us pin lenders always return home with at the very least a few machine scratches and scrapes and usually at least one problem to fix, but we (I at least) don't give a monkeys about that if the cash all went to a worthy cause.

I'm pretty sure Phil does it for the love rather than the coin
 
It's all being run with the aim of covering the costs and if all goes well, a bit of pocket money for my time invested. Not commercial at all.

NERG has been run like that since the beginning. Took three years till I made some money. Costs have gone up every year but I've kept the ticket prices the same. It's the increased attendance year on year that's sustained it.

Forgot to mention, quite happy to support the NLP charity with a raffle/tombola over the weekend.
 
I suspect that strippers would go down better with most of the punters and be much cheaper than a speaker imported from the USA.
 
Forget the meal just do we what we did at the slam and fly Steve Ritchie over and let him walk about playing pinball and being awesome ... maybe a little talk or something , the sit down meal idea at the pin show and pin party was a load of ****e
 
Forget the meal just do we what we did at the slam and fly Steve Ritchie over and let him walk about playing pinball and being awesome ... maybe a little talk or something , the sit down meal idea at the pin show and pin party was a load of ****e
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+1 on this :thumbs: Plus find a local Chinese that we can all rock up to for dinner :)
 
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