GlendaleViper
Yep, words.
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2006
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It's a little bit earlier than I expected, but rumblings have been going around about the next "Toronto" meet and I wanted to start a thread to go over some ideas I'd been mulling around in my head.
The last meet went very well, though not without its share of faults and learning experiences but if there's one thing that can be said unequivocally, it's that it was the biggest thus far. There is no shortage of interest in these things and the population seems to be growing exponentially.
Now, there are a few things to be considered here, mostly centered around timing, location and duration. Nick (The_Duke_Of_Eli) and I have been tossing around the idea of a Canadian National meet for a little while now and, while I don't think we're quite ready to pull that off yet, the meets have been gaining in scope and popularity and are really trending toward the inevitable. Past failures have allowed for wisdom and experience to develop and there is much less in the planning and execution stages left to surprise.
With that in mind, plus a few things that bothered me about the last meet, I've been considering a significant change in how the next large-scale event will be handled and I'm looking to you, the potential attendees for opinions!
Basically, here are my thoughts for groundwork to begin:
- A more centralized location. My immediate thought is our nation's capital, Ottawa, for various reasons. It has a reasonable proximity to the greater Toronto and Montreal areas, and is somewhat driveable for some people in the Maritimes and northeastern United States. Furthermore, Ottawa is a goldmine as far as museums, galleries, restaurants (and some great pubs) and its proximity to the Hull casino is an added bonus. It's these perks which lead me to...
- A full, two-day event. This would make possible the option of a full weekend getaway (increasing the likelihood that we'll be joined by more distant guests) and provide more options for people that may not be able to do one or the other day. Needless to say, a weekend event would up the ante, which brings me to...
- Timing. For a meet of this scope, I would neither want to tread on Head-Fest 2008's tail, nor would I want to operate under its shadow. If we were to run the meet in its traditional semi-annual fashion, March would be the logical time to hold the event, but it also places it precariously close to Head-Fest. Late June/early July seems to allow a number of additional guests thanks to alignment with school ending. But, if the meet were to be as large as the intent, then we'd probably face issues with the fact that many of us have already spent their energy at Head-Fest. Early September/late August, then, becomes a strategic position for the meet to occur, landing somewhat dead in the middle of the 2008/2009 Head-Fests.
- One issue I will draw a hard-line on this time around is the venue itself. I would insist that, no matter the end result, two dedicated rooms be utilized - one for socializing, casual listening, etc. and a dedicated, critical listening room. This should be considered mandatory.
- Finally, we come to assistance. If we're to take a stab at a meet of this size, there's no way I can do it alone. I would need the assistance of Head-Fiers both locally, from the Ottawa area (to help with location, booking, some footwork, etc.) and other hopeful attendees to help with garnering manufacturer/distributor support and any interested guests of honour (Pete McAllister and Ray Samuels were a real treat at the last meet).
This is all just pipe-dreaming right now, but I'm definitely interested in making it a reality. Given the potential scope of the event, I would seek Head-Fi support from Mbriant/Jude to make it an official Head-Fi branded event. It would also come with increased costs to operate/accommodate. The financial burden would be too much for me alone, so we'd have to resort to an RSVP system with payment exclusively up front, and even potentially corporate sponsorship.
It's an exciting idea, but it's just that: an idea. I'm counting on all of you to pipe in and offer suggestions and support if we want to turn this into a reality. There's lots of time to go over this, but the sooner the better.
Let's discuss and see what we can make of it!
See you all there, in whatever form it materializes!
~GV (Ryan)
[EDIT] I'm also quite interested in the idea of supporting a DIY workshop of sorts, but there are a whole slew of issues that would need to be addressed in order to make that a reality. I'd be looking for support from our resident fume-huffing veterans for assistance in that regard.
The last meet went very well, though not without its share of faults and learning experiences but if there's one thing that can be said unequivocally, it's that it was the biggest thus far. There is no shortage of interest in these things and the population seems to be growing exponentially.
Now, there are a few things to be considered here, mostly centered around timing, location and duration. Nick (The_Duke_Of_Eli) and I have been tossing around the idea of a Canadian National meet for a little while now and, while I don't think we're quite ready to pull that off yet, the meets have been gaining in scope and popularity and are really trending toward the inevitable. Past failures have allowed for wisdom and experience to develop and there is much less in the planning and execution stages left to surprise.
With that in mind, plus a few things that bothered me about the last meet, I've been considering a significant change in how the next large-scale event will be handled and I'm looking to you, the potential attendees for opinions!
Basically, here are my thoughts for groundwork to begin:
- A more centralized location. My immediate thought is our nation's capital, Ottawa, for various reasons. It has a reasonable proximity to the greater Toronto and Montreal areas, and is somewhat driveable for some people in the Maritimes and northeastern United States. Furthermore, Ottawa is a goldmine as far as museums, galleries, restaurants (and some great pubs) and its proximity to the Hull casino is an added bonus. It's these perks which lead me to...
- A full, two-day event. This would make possible the option of a full weekend getaway (increasing the likelihood that we'll be joined by more distant guests) and provide more options for people that may not be able to do one or the other day. Needless to say, a weekend event would up the ante, which brings me to...
- Timing. For a meet of this scope, I would neither want to tread on Head-Fest 2008's tail, nor would I want to operate under its shadow. If we were to run the meet in its traditional semi-annual fashion, March would be the logical time to hold the event, but it also places it precariously close to Head-Fest. Late June/early July seems to allow a number of additional guests thanks to alignment with school ending. But, if the meet were to be as large as the intent, then we'd probably face issues with the fact that many of us have already spent their energy at Head-Fest. Early September/late August, then, becomes a strategic position for the meet to occur, landing somewhat dead in the middle of the 2008/2009 Head-Fests.
- One issue I will draw a hard-line on this time around is the venue itself. I would insist that, no matter the end result, two dedicated rooms be utilized - one for socializing, casual listening, etc. and a dedicated, critical listening room. This should be considered mandatory.
- Finally, we come to assistance. If we're to take a stab at a meet of this size, there's no way I can do it alone. I would need the assistance of Head-Fiers both locally, from the Ottawa area (to help with location, booking, some footwork, etc.) and other hopeful attendees to help with garnering manufacturer/distributor support and any interested guests of honour (Pete McAllister and Ray Samuels were a real treat at the last meet).
This is all just pipe-dreaming right now, but I'm definitely interested in making it a reality. Given the potential scope of the event, I would seek Head-Fi support from Mbriant/Jude to make it an official Head-Fi branded event. It would also come with increased costs to operate/accommodate. The financial burden would be too much for me alone, so we'd have to resort to an RSVP system with payment exclusively up front, and even potentially corporate sponsorship.
It's an exciting idea, but it's just that: an idea. I'm counting on all of you to pipe in and offer suggestions and support if we want to turn this into a reality. There's lots of time to go over this, but the sooner the better.
Let's discuss and see what we can make of it!
See you all there, in whatever form it materializes!
~GV (Ryan)
[EDIT] I'm also quite interested in the idea of supporting a DIY workshop of sorts, but there are a whole slew of issues that would need to be addressed in order to make that a reality. I'd be looking for support from our resident fume-huffing veterans for assistance in that regard.
