Plugfest reflection

[JohnR]

A couple quick things in my mind - I'd like to go into more detail but I'm under the weather/cough medicine at the moment.

What we do/did right:

• This is an event of peers. A community event for trading of knowledge and some wood to boot.
• The competition is amazing and it does bring out some spectacular work, creativity, and some great humor. People are constantly raising the bar. A highly structured panel of experts, I think, would defeat the grass roots community feeling of Plug Fest.
• The voting is done by one's peers. This is not Miss America or American Idol where a handful of people judge. It is the community that judges.
• Selling: What Mike & Scott did was perfect. There was not supposed to be any other commercial selling, plugs or otherwise and I don't think anyone else had asked too.
• Keep this a pretty much Grass Roots evet.

What we can do better:

• Bigger space - that would have been tough in the other hall too
• Plan better. Yes, we can plan a bit better and perhaps earlier. The help was fantastic and a team effort, we can a little more help and a little earlier planning.
• Document better within some classes of the competition. Maybe next year we have a "form" that people fill out on the classics, better explaining the job and intent. I noticed this was lacking when I was getting handed paper bag after paper bag.

Plugfest has always been about this great plug building community of people in the northeast (and beyond). Lets keep it what it is, a community event, and not over complicate it.

[Canalman]

Originally Posted by JohnR

A couple quick things in my mind - I'd like to go into more detail but I'm under the weather/cough medicine at the moment.

What we do/did right:

• This is an event of peers. A community event for trading of knowledge and some wood to boot.
• The competition is amazing and it does bring out some spectacular work, creativity, and some great humor. People are constantly raising the bar. A highly structured panel of experts, I think, would defeat the grass roots community feeling of Plug Fest.
• The voting is done by one's peers. This is not Miss America or American Idol where a handful of people judge. It is the community that judges.
• Selling: What Mike & Scott did was perfect. There was not supposed to be any other commercial selling, plugs or otherwise and I don't think anyone else had asked too.
• Keep this a pretty much Grass Roots evet.

What we can do better:

• Bigger space - that would have been tough in the other hall too
• Plan better. Yes, we can plan a bit better and perhaps earlier. The help was fantastic and a team effort, we can a little more help and a little earlier planning.
• Document better within some classes of the competition. Maybe next year we have a "form" that people fill out on the classics, better explaining the job and intent. I noticed this was lacking when I was getting handed paper bag after paper bag.

Plugfest has always been about this great plug building community of people in the northeast (and beyond). Lets keep it what it is, a community event, and not over complicate it.

Perfect. Thread Closed

[Slipknot]

I have a question, is it restoration of a classic or is it representation of a classic? They mean completely different things.

Thanks for all the comments, next year will will try to improve as we try to every year. Maybe I will have more time to set aside to plan this event better, it's not like John,Mike and I get a lot of help planning it. I was very busy with work and that comes first especially in this economy. Hopefully I can find us a large hall where we can possibly assign areas for yearly participants, and have a huge table for the contest and a different one for the raffle. And I'll make up signs also. The voting might be different next year and the ballots will be different. I like it simple, that way there is more chance of it still being fun. There will be nametags and everyone will have one. I will be the first one there and I will man the door if I have to, others will have to do other jobs or it can't work.No commercial selling of plugs, trades only as always.

This year while we were planning, I wanted to go back and re-read threads like this one to get an idea how to improve things, there is only so much time in a day. I make boxes, I am not an event planner, keeping it informal works well for a bunch of whacko fishermen in my opinion.
I'll do what I can next time around.
Having said that, plugfest 2009 was better than mudfest or no fest, atleast we had it,even though it was dissappointing to not have Joe(rockfish9) there
We should make it a 2 day event next time

Steve, we can work on details to make that part of the contest run smoother, but the attendees are the ones who vote. Next year the guidelines will be better thought out.

Spring is almost here

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

I have a question, is it restoration of a classic or is it representation of a classic? They mean completely different things.

Thanks for all the comments, next year will will try to improve as we try to every year. Maybe I will have more time to set aside to plan this event better, it's not like John,Mike and I get a lot of help planning it. I was very busy with work and that comes first especially in this economy. Hopefully I can find us a large hall where we can possibly assign areas for yearly participants, and have a huge table for the contest and a different one for the raffle. And I'll make up signs also. The voting might be different next year and the ballots will be different. I like it simple, that way there is more chance of it still being fun. There will be nametags and everyone will have one. I will be the first one there and I will man the door if I have to, others will have to do other jobs or it can't work.No commercial selling of plugs, trades only as always.

This year while we were planning, I wanted to go back and re-read threads like this one to get an idea how to improve things, there is only so much time in a day. I make boxes, I am not an event planner, keeping it informal works well for a bunch of whacko fishermen in my opinion.
I'll do what I can next time around.
Having said that, plugfest 2009 was better than mudfest or no fest, atleast we had it,even though it was dissappointing to not have Joe(rockfish9) there
We should make it a 2 day event next time

Steve, we can work on details to make that part of the contest run smoother, but the attendees are the ones who vote. Next year the guidelines will be better thought out.

Spring is almost here

Absolutely correct

Every year it comes up as , not a problem, but a very looooosely defined event (as it should be). Couple dings:

1st - Rough dates get figured out but some people can't make it (always happens) no matter how much we want them there. Its too late in the season, its too early, yada yada. We can't make it perfect for everyone.

2nd - Couple locations get proposed - some people ask why can't it be closer to them "its not fayah to the Noth Showah guize" (joking ) or its too far from the Cape (ie, over the bridge )

3rd - We try to keep costs tight (we can't afford to lose money for sure). Sure it would be nice to have 10,000 square feet and a stocked kitchen, tables, chairs, etc - but we would quickly price ourselves out of what is reasonable. Or, pray I hit Powerball (reminds me - gotta play). Besides, larger venue would probably mean more for the same people to clean up.

4th - Same people volunteer to help, setup, and it is the same people year after year cleaning up afterward. This year was almost carbon copy of last year in who helped clean up afterward.

This isn't criticism - this is what happens. Plugfest is an amazing thing and has been since day one in Slips garage.

Maybe it is time for a Plugfest Organizing TEAM, working out the details over the course of a year so that when November rolls around, there are no big questions remaining and people already set to help out. Just a thought, but it would be nice to have ballots, categories, date, location, etc - figured out a little before winter rolled around.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Maybe it is time for a Plugfest Organizing TEAM, working out the details over the course of a year so that when November rolls around, there are no big questions remaining and people already set to help out. Just a thought, but it would be nice to have ballots, categories, date, location, etc - figured out a little before winter rolled around.

Absolutely

we can have monthly meetings where we prepare stuff , delegate work to be done etc. starting early fall or late summer. Or we can have a separate forum where we can discuss the planning and not have to have comments from the whole world

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

Absolutely

we can have monthly meetings where we prepare stuff , delegate work to be done etc. starting early fall or late summer. Or we can have a separate forum where we can discuss the planning and not have to have comments from the whole world

OK - monthly meeting is pushing it

[MAC]

Don't need monthly meetings. Just open a forum similar to the Cutty one. Only ones in are the members involved in making plugfest happen.

Just my .02

[mikecc]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

Absolutely

we can have monthly meetings where we prepare stuff , delegate work to be done etc. starting early fall or late summer. Or we can have a separate forum where we can discuss the planning and not have to have comments from the whole world

I would love to be on the committee if you guys need the help.

As far as people selling lures at Plugfest. It did not go unnoticed.
Emails ware sent and some people were not happy. But we do the best we can to avoid conflicts.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

I have a question, is it restoration of a classic or is it representation of a classic? They mean completely different things.

:

anyone?

[new jack]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

anyone?

i'll take a crack at this. I would ave to say that it is a representation of a classic. A restoration would be taking an old beat up plug and refinishing it( repaint and new hardware). just my 2 pennys